MP6042 - Horror Film Cultures

Students will learn via a variety of mechanisms. These include lectures, seminars, online activities (where appropriate) and independent learning.
Lectures will provide the contextual and theoretical information students need to understand the module’s themes and approaches. The lecturer will provide examples that will demonstrate how to apply relevant critical techniques, and to stimulate student engagement with the course material (by, for example, presenting various challenges and conflicts raised in the field).
Seminars will provide space for students to interrogate and discuss the ideas raised in the lectures, both with their peers and with the tutor. Seminars are oriented around discussion questions and activities to stimulate student engagement.
Outside of the taught sessions, students will be expected to engage with module-relevant reading in preparation for the sessions. An electronic reading list is supplied via the e-Learning Portal, which will guide students towards appropriate resources, although students are encouraged to explore the wider library catalogue to engage with additional sources too. During students’ independent working time, it is also expected that they will apply the ideas raised in the reading and the taught content to film examples beyond those cited in the lectures.
Where appropriate, additional materials will be supplied on the eLearning Portal. These independent activities will facilitate students’ development as they progress through the module, laying a foundation for their assessed work.

Students will be supported by the module lead; they will introduce the module at the start of the semester and offer advice and guidance throughout. Student learning is mapped out via documentation on Blackboard Ultra, the Northumbria University online electronic learning portal; this is accessible online on and off campus. The e-Learning Portal will include guidance notes and key dates to help students organise and plan their time. It will also include teaching materials, announcements and updates, and detailed information on assessment.
We support student learning by providing on-going feedback (Formative and Summative) through the range of teaching and learning approaches offered. We ask students to submit their work electronically, and we will supply feedback via Turnitin. Formative assessment is offered throughout the module, and summative assignments will receive written feedback within 20 working days of assignment submission. Every tutor has set weekly feedback and tutorial drop in hours, wherein students can seek advice on their academic progress.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
• you will acquire a systematic understanding of the industrial, stylistic and cultural contexts of horror film production from its beginnings to the present day.
• you will be able to utilise a variety of critical approaches associated with the horror genre and apply these in the analysis of specific films.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• you will develop intellectual and practical attributes including critical analysis skills, research skills and engagement with scholarly commentary.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• you will enhance your communication and teamwork skills (through group seminar tasks), as well as improving your argumentative skills, critical reflective skills and developing problem-solving and independent learning skills.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: To prepare you successfully to undertake the summative assessment(s) on this module, formative assessments will be set by the module team. These may take the form of in-class tasks or projects, developmental activities undertaken between classes, or learning exercises/activities set over a longer period. Feedback (written and/or oral) will be provided to help you learn from, reflect on, and develop in light of these formative assessments.


Summative assessment: For the module’s summative assessment, students can complete:
• a video essay (5-8 minutes) OR a written essay (3000 words), which will test students’ knowledge of critical and theoretical approaches, the ability to deploy this material in a sustained analysis of a specific film or films, and, through this, their ability to construct a reasoned argument supported by evidence.

Students will receive formative feedback from their peers and the module tutor during the seminars throughout the course, allowing students to consider how their critical skills are developing. Students will receive a detailed commentary and a summative mark on their written work in accordance with the assessment criteria (supplied on the eLP). Under normal circumstances, students will receive written feedback on their summative submissions within 20 working days. The feedback will normally be supplied electronically as part of the ESAF process. This feedback will provide a detailed account of students’ skills, critical engagement and communicative ability, as well as supporting future learning by indicating areas for development. Students can also request additional verbal feedback on their submissions by arranging a meeting with the module tutor.

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This module will give students the opportunity to explore the history and development of the horror film - perhaps the most consistently popular and stylistically experimental of film genres. The module will engage with the ways in which horror has been defined not only through its textual qualities (particularly its uses of sound, music, mise en scene, acting styles and special effects) but also through a variety of production and marketing strategies. The module will therefore enable students to identify and critically explore the film and media cultures through which horror films are made, distributed and understood.