Students
MMCC3140 – Screens, Images, Ideas
2025 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Intan Paramaditha
25WW Building B 453
Please email for appointment
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores international cinemas from the 20th century to the contemporary period to examine the politics of production, circulation, and representation of images and ideas. Students will look at film practices within various historical and cultural contexts and engage with key ideas and debates relevant to film studies. The unit links formal elements of cinema (film genre and film style) and production contexts (big budget/ independent productions, streaming platforms, film festivals) to larger political questions: How are images produced by ideas and power? What local/ transnational forces enable the visibility and circulation of films and filmmakers? How are cinemas shaped by larger political and economic structures, from colonialism to neoliberalism, and how do they reproduce or challenge dominant ideas around race, gender, class, and nations? |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: analyse and evaluate the key ideas and the main debates relevant to a specific region of film studies.
- ULO2: demonstrate an expanded historical knowledge of genre film and film theory.
- ULO3: apply skills in film-textual analysis to gain a deeper understanding of film interpretation.
- ULO4: evaluate different stylistic modes of film criticism (writing about films).
General Assessment Information
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short essay | 30% | No | 07/04/2025, 11:55pm |
| Major Essay | 40% | No | 02/06/2025, 11:55pm |
| Online Quizzes | 30% | No | Weeks 3-12, due every Thursday 09:00 |
Short essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: 07/04/2025, 11:55pm
Weighting: 30%
Students will write a short essay of 800 words about a film discussed in class. Students will focus on a specific aspect of the film, such as image, colour, sound, mise-en-scene in relation to the concepts introduced in the unit. Bibliography must include at least two academic references from the unit reading. Refer to iLearn for further information
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and evaluate the key ideas and the main debates relevant to a specific region of film studies.
- demonstrate an expanded historical knowledge of genre film and film theory.
- apply skills in film-textual analysis to gain a deeper understanding of film interpretation.
Major Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 02/06/2025, 11:55pm
Weighting: 40%
Students will write an academic essay of 1800 words that covers unit materials from week 1-12. Students will compare a film that has been discussed in class with a film of their choice. They will analyse the films with regards to a specific theme or concept introduced in the unit. In the essay, social, political, and/ or historical contexts must be discussed in relation to the formal elements of the film. Bibliography must include at least four academic references, and two of them must be from the unit readings. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and evaluate the key ideas and the main debates relevant to a specific region of film studies.
- demonstrate an expanded historical knowledge of genre film and film theory.
- apply skills in film-textual analysis to gain a deeper understanding of film interpretation.
- evaluate different stylistic modes of film criticism (writing about films).
Online Quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Weeks 3-12, due every Thursday 09:00
Weighting: 30%
It is important in this unit to explore key concepts and theoretical positions pertaining to the major topics in Screen, Images, Ideas. Students will undertake weekly online multiple choice quizzes from week 3 to week 12 accessed via iLearn. These are worth 3% of your total mark each, 30% in total. For each quiz, there will be 5 questions that you need to answer in 30 minutes. These questions are based on the readings and lecture content. Correct answers will be provided after the quiz is completed. Examples will be given on week 2. Students will be notified by a unit announcement on iLearn when the quizzes are available for completion. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and evaluate the key ideas and the main debates relevant to a specific region of film studies.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
CLASSES
Unit lectures will be delivered as videos accessible via iLearn. Tutorials start on week 1.
Before attending the weekly tutorial, students need to make sure that they do the following:
1) Watch the lecture video on iLearn.
2) Watch the film of the week, available online via Macquarie University library (see iLearn for details).
3) Read the required articles. 4) Take the online quiz (starting on week 3).
REQUIRED READINGS
Required readings will be available through the library’s multisearch function and Leganto.
TECHNOLOGIES USED AND REQUIRED
Details on readings, assessments, and screenings will be available via iLearn. Students are expected to regularly check iLearn and their MQ email addresses for an announcement.
Unit Schedule
SCHEDULE
INTRODUCTION
Week 1: Introduction to Travel and Cinema: From Exploration to Travel to Tourism
THE ROAD MOVIE
Week 2: Figures of the travellers: the tourist and/ as the flaneur in cinema
Week 3: The Road Movie: Women on the road
Week 4: Roadblock Movies: Borders and cinema
TRAVEL AND COLONIALISM
Week 5: Travel and Empire
Week 6: Ethnographic Representations and Counterdiscourses
MIGRATION IN CINEMA
Week 7: Migrant cinema
Week 8: Refugee narratives
--- Recess ---
TRAVEL AND NEOLIBERALISM
Week 9: Tourism and neoliberal feminism
REDEFINING THE WESTERN: TRAVELLING FILMMAKERS, TRANSNATIONAL CINEMA
Week 10: Transnational Feminist Cinema
Week 11: Neoliberal tale on the American road
IMAGINING FUTURE MOBILITY
Week 12: Science Fiction and Techno-Orientalism
Please see iLearn for details on weekly readings and films.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Complaints Resolution Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Academic Integrity
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
- Workshops
- Chat with a WriteWISE peer writing leader
- Access StudyWISE
- Upload an assignment to Studiosity
- Complete the Academic Integrity Module
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
- IT Support
- Accessibility and disability support with study
- Mental health support
- Safety support to respond to bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault
- Social support including information about finances, tenancy and legal issues
- Student Advocacy provides independent advice on MQ policies, procedures, and processes
Student Enquiries
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2025.02 of the Handbook