MPhil in Film and Screen Studies by Advanced Study

The Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics (MMLL) offers this MPhil as a nine-month full-time programme and introduces students to research skills and specialist knowledge. The programme provides advanced training in the study of the theory and history of film and other screen media in a vibrant interdisciplinary context. The moving image is explored in relation to the development of modern and contemporary culture, as well as the history and theory of other media (literature, music, the visual arts, architecture, and the digital). Students are immersed in a research environment that emphasises work on geopolitics, early cinema, art cinema and the avant-garde, theory, aesthetics, and gender and sexuality.

The course aims:

• to give students with relevant experience at a first-degree level the opportunity to develop a historically and theoretically informed approach to the study of screen media in their cultural contexts, both in taught classes and through closely supervised individual research
• to give students the opportunity to develop a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to the study of film and screen by exposure to the different kinds of enquiry undertaken in a variety of disciplines
• to give students the opportunity to acquire or develop skills and expertise relevant to their research interests
• to provide foundations for continuation to PhD research in film and screen studies

These aims are achieved by:

• giving students the experience and guidance necessary for them to be able to formulate a feasible research proposal and to prepare for submitting written work based on such a proposal to a clearly defined timetable
• providing a broad foundation for the proper understanding of the issues which have shaped a given field of study, and thus for a critical assessment of existing scholarship
• encouraging students to develop insights which might form the basis of an original contribution to that field of study
• developing students' competence in bibliographical method (including the use of computer technology)
• giving students the experience of attending and contributing to a postgraduate research seminar, particularly presenting their own work and discussing the issues that arise from it with an audience of senior and junior members of the participating departments and faculties

In addition to these subject-specific skills, the following general transferable skills are also acquired:

• The relatively intense MPhil timetable demands that students develop exemplary time-management skills. They work in collaboration with their supervisors to devise appropriate plans of study and ensure that they meet all formal and informal deadlines.
• Students are expected to make regular presentations in seminar situations. This develops their oral presentation skills.
• Written work is assessed on the basis of a demonstration of scholarly research and critical analysis. That is, students are expected to present a lucid, coherent and carefully substantiated exposition of a critical viewpoint. Writing must be clear, grammatically correct, and have continuous prose. It must function as a single, comprehensible, persuasive, cumulative demonstration, not as a series of disconnected insights. The organisation of the argument of the essay or dissertation and its prose style are crucial.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have:

• developed a deeper knowledge of the history and theory of film and screen studies in a cultural context
• developed a conceptual understanding of the debates which have shaped that field of study, and of current research methods
• acquired or consolidated skills appropriate for research in their chosen area
• demonstrated independent judgement based on their own research
• participated effectively in seminar discussions
• learnt how to timetable independent research to produce written work of a high standard to a clearly defined deadline

Continuing

To continue to a PhD in the Faculty, students must apply through the University's admission processes, considering funding and application deadlines. Readmission is not automatic and each application is considered on its own merits. For those applying to continue from the MPhil by Advanced Study to a PhD, the minimum academic standard is an overall distinction on the MPhil.

Open Days

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

• Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.

• Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages.