Film & Media Studies

This course examines the world of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literature, film, music, and art. Through an exploration of iconic works by Indigenous creatives, students will develop a critical understanding of how these mediums express and reflect lived experiences. 

By the end of the course, the student: has an in-depth knowledge of the films, the directors, and the main trends of the history of documentary cinema; has an in-depth knowledge of the creative features of documentaries, as well as of their production and distribution process; and is able to identify and analyze the linguistic and expressive characteristics of documentary cinema. The course investigates the history of documentary cinema from its origins to nowadays, taking into consideration the key moments of its historical development. The course considers the international panorama with some focuses on specific areas where, in given historical moments, new movements, styles, and approaches in making documentaries emerged. The course pays particular attention to the following topics: the origins of cinema; the two fathers of documentaries (Robert Flaherty and Dziga Vertov); the British social documentaries; documentaries and propaganda; the relationship between Italian Neorealism and documentary films; Cine Vérité in France and the Direct Cinema in the United States; activist documentaries; mockumentary; interactive documentary; contemporary Italian documentaries. During the course, a constant comparison between fiction films and documentary films is considered in order to achieve a better understanding of their own specific features and a well-designed definition of documentary cinema. The historical and text analysis are integrated by the investigation of documentary production and circulation. In the final part of the course, a special lecture is devoted to documentary financing in Italy. Mandatory filmography: Nanook of the North (Robert J. Flaherty, 1922); Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929); Comizi d'amore/Love Meetings (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964); The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez, 1999); Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2003).

The course explores the relationship between history, fiction, and collective memory through the study of literature and film. Students examine how societies construct narratives about the past and how those narratives influence contemporary understandings of identity, politics, and social change. Topics include war and violence, gender, migration, human rights, power, resistance, and historical memory. Through readings, film analysis, and discussion, students develop a critical perspective on the ways cultural representations contribute to the interpretation and reconstruction of modern history.  

This course examines the reshaping of contemporary media industries by new technologies, and innovative business models. It explores media usage, distribution, and production, informed by scholarly perspectives on technological advances. It confronts industry challenges, assessing their impact on traditional media. 

This course aims to enable learners to comprehensively and systematically master the theories and methods of news analysis, and to understand the Party and government's policies and current affairs through the analysis of news articles. It also aims to deepen their understanding of the professional connotations of news writing, thereby enhancing their news professional skills and enabling them to be competent in future news and publicity work and even enter higher-level professional studies.

The course examines creativity and authorship in Spanish cinema from the silent era to the present, exploring aesthetic, industrial, political, and cultural dimensions of filmmaking. Through film theory, case studies, and creative projects, students analyze auteur theory, censorship, gender, regional cinemas, digital media, and contemporary trends in Spanish film.

This course examines misinformation and propaganda in a networked society, with a focus on communication, journalism, and media studies. It covers how to deal with technologies like automation, algorithms, and advances in AI and how they have changed the scale of misinformation and propaganda. Topics include: health misinformation; climate misinformation; how social media platforms short-circuit the connection between reality and fiction.

This course aims to let the students get familiar with the history of documentary and its major movements, recognize the differences between feature and documentary, learn the ideas and methods behind documentaries from a producer’s perspective. The course will invite first-class documentary producers in China to have screenings and face-to-face discussions, teaching students about the creative process of documentary making as well as technical aspects such as shooting and editing. Meanwhile, this course encourages students to experiment and practise, the students must work in groups (at least three people) to produce a minimum half-hour-long documentary at the end of the semester. This will train the students to grasp basic documentary-making skills.

This course examines different theories of mass media systems, their philosophical foundations and basic principles. It looks at varying relationships of mass media to politics and society and their important role in social and political change. The media systems of different countries and regions, as well as global media issues are addressed.

This is a creative practice course focused on photography and broader lens-based practices. It aims to combine fine art, media and communication design and creative industries best practices, offering hands on experience and insight into a number of creative models.