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Welcome to Film Studies at UCC

Why Study Film Today?

Each society in history has produced its own visual culture, but never one that is as extensive and dominant as that of contemporary western societies. We live in times that are deeply shaped by the pervasiveness of the image, and by the prominence of the audiovisual media—from the cinema and television to computers, mobile phones, DVD players and videogame consoles. The digital revolution has exponentially increased the presence and relevance of images and of audiovisual products in our lives, so much so that we fully depend on them for both work and entertainment. It has also produced a relocation of the film spectator’s experience, which was previously limited to the cinema theatre, to other screens—TV, computers, portable players and consoles, mobile phones, monitors and urban screens. Indeed, the cinematographic image, which so accurately captured the spirit of the last century, has today been simply, completely and invisibly assimilated into everyday life.

It is evident that audiovisual communication is the present and future of our society; the cultural and financial prominence of the global entertainment industry (cinema, television, gaming) is also apparent. Consequently, the need is strongly felt today for a specific education to the history, values, aesthetic and ideology of the moving image—an education capable of preparing students for the challenges of our society and our evolving technologies, as well as for careers in the media, or further study and research at postgraduate level.

Film Studies is the guiding, founding discipline for all visual, audiovisual, media and new media studies. This is because all the questions that are central to these fields today—what is an image, what is a screen, what is the frame, what is an audiovisual narrative, what is a spectator—have been first posed, probed and answered within the discipline of Film Studies. Questions about identity, representation, ideology, communication, medium, affect, identification, projection, reflectivity, reality and virtuality, have first emerged within Film Studies since its inception and its academic establishment fifty years ago, and continue to be fully relevant today. In a society that cannot do without a critical engagement with the moving image in all its guises, old and new, Film Studies is still the most important and complete frame of reference and enquiry.

How to study film at UCC?

While Film Studies is not yet offered as a degree subject at University College Cork, within the Arts BA, by studying subjects such as English, the modern languages (French, German, Hispanic Studies and Italian), and Music, among others, it is possible for students to access a significant number of departmental and interdepartmental modules in Film. For information on the undergraduate modules in Film Studies that are currently on offer at UCC click here.

Since 2005, University College Cork offers a one-year Master's Degree in Film Studies. This programme is designed to provide a knowledge of the history, theory, and aesthetics of international film that is simultaneously extensive, eclectic and in-depth. As a result, the MA equips students with critical and analytical skills that may be applied to any area and profession, but also prepares them for further studies at postgraduate level in Film or related areas. For information on the MA in Film Studies, the entry requirements, the programme’s structure and the application process click here.

Film Studies also runs evening recreational courses on contemporary cinema and on filmmaking production. Find more details here.

For information on how to study Film at PhD or MPhil level at UCC click here. For information on living and studying in Cork, click here.

Why study film at UCC?

The strength of Film Studies at UCC derives from the breadth and scope of its staff’s teaching and research interests. An interdepartmental discipline, Film Studies is taught at UCC by lecturers from many departments across two Colleges. Areas of strength include: European cinema (especially Irish, Italian, French, Spanish, British and German); American cinema; Latin American cinema; silent cinema; modern and contemporary film; music and film; film theory; transnational cinema; art film; and non-fiction cinema. To access further information on our areas of expertise click here.

Lecturers produce research that is regularly published in international journals in Film Studies. Recent and forthcoming books authored by staff include: Laura Rascaroli's The Personal Camera: The Essay Film and Subjective Cinema (2009); Barry Monahan's Ireland’s Theatre on Film Style, Stories and the National Stage on Screen ( 2009); Gwenda Young's  American Dreamer: Clarence Brown (forthcoming) - see more in the recent publications section of this website. UCC is also currently hosting  an IRCHSS-funded project entitled: “Capturing the Nation: Irish Home Movies, 1930-1970” , a collaboration with senior archivists at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin.

For information on forthcoming and past conferences, visiting speakers and events, visit the Research section of this website.

For queries and information contact us at: UCCFilmStudies@gmail.com