Courses - Faculty of Arts
Media and Screen Studies
Stage I
Film Studies
An introduction to the feature film and the main traditions of film criticism. A series of significant films, from 1915 to the present, are explored in detail. The aim is to develop a historical perspective, an awareness of film-making as an art and an interest in the relationship between films and society, including debates about race, gender, censorship.
Media and Culture
Examines popular media texts, genres, audiences and industries, reflecting on how they influence our notions of self and society. Draws on case studies from a range of popular media, from film and television to comics, games, popular music, social media and advertising. Fosters critical perspectives on media as vehicles for cultural meaning, alongside strategies for crafting personal and collective narratives.
Stage II
Hollywood and its Others
An investigation of Hollywood’s interactions with European and Asian cinema, with a particular focus on its industrial, aesthetic and cultural aspects. Students will gain a historical understanding of Hollywood cinema and how its relationships with other film cultures have shaped the dynamics of global cinema.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed, or 30 points in Transnational Cultures and Creative Practice
Restriction: MEDIA 307
Video Games: Theory and Culture
A study of video games as a new media form situated in the broader context of media theory and history. Considers video gaming as an industry, as a leisure activity, and as a site of aesthetic and narrative innovation. The course examines what makes video games a distinctive media form.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed, or 30 points in Communication
Restriction: MEDIA 328
Cinema of Aotearoa New Zealand
Traces a thematic history of filmmaking in Aotearoa New Zealand from the mid-1980s until the present. Locates a range of films in their historical, social and political contexts by concentrating on issues that arise for a small nation defined by indigenous and settler relations, immigration and globalisation.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed
Restriction: MEDIA 313
Social Media
Addresses issues related to the use of social media and considers in particular the influence of new media corporations such as Facebook, as well as platforms like Twitter, SnapChat, Tinder and YouTube. Explores our cultural practices and social rituals in relation to these peer-to-peer, one-to-many media technologies, and examines this revolution in the media landscape.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed, or 30 points in Communication
Restriction: COMMS 204, MEDIA 314
Special Topic
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed
Special Topic
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed
Popular Music on Screens
Explores relationships between popular music and visual media, such as film, television and online media. Includes analysis of documentaries, feature films, TV shows, music videos and social media platforms. Themes include stardom, fandom, songs, dancing, music genres, technologies and industries. Texts are situated in debates about music media and power relations marked by class, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies, or ANTHRO 106, and 30 points passed
Restriction: MEDIA 323
Mockumentary and Docu-Genres
Considers the development of mockumentary and fakery in relation to documentary genres. Introduces students to basic concepts related to documentary realism and then explores a range of film and television examples that refer to, subvert, and problematise notions of visible evidence and factuality.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed
Restriction: MEDIA 316
Action Films
Investigates action films as a genre and a “spectacle” in world cinema. Considers the aesthetic qualities of the genre and its interaction with the wider context. Issues studied include the relationship between conventions and inventions, the combination of visual and aural spectacle, as well as how identity is articulated through the discourse of nation, gender, ethnicity, age and the landscape.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed
Restriction: MEDIA 315
Comics and Visual Narrative
Explores the medium of comics both as an expression of popular culture and as a visual language. Beginning with a history of sequential graphic narrative, the course considers issues around the legitimacy of a popular art form and means of story-telling, as well as the problem of censorship that dominated comics culture especially in the 1950s.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Art History or Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed, or 30 points in Communication or Transnational Culture and Creative Practice
Restriction: MEDIA 327
Special Topic
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies, and 30 points passed
Recorded Music and Media Formats
Cultural studies of the sounds and significance of popular recorded music through the media formats in which it has been manufactured, distributed and consumed. Provides a critical introduction to the role of technologies and industries, studios and producers, musicians, music scenes and everyday listening in relation to vinyl records, radio, cassettes, CDs, the MP3 and streaming music.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies or ANTHRO 106, and 30 points passed
Restriction: MEDIA 331
Eco/media
Eco/media introduces students to the increasingly important and varied role that nature, environment, and ecology play in media, film, and television studies. Students explore how environmentalism is communicated through various media, how the mediation of flora, fauna and the earth’s atmosphere offers powerful new insights into media texts, and how media production and consumption can be analysed using ecological frameworks.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed, or 30 points in Communication or Global Environment and Sustainable Development
Restriction: MEDIA 332
Special Topic
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies, and 30 points passed
Visual Culture
Visual culture is not just part of our everyday lives, it is our everyday lives. This course introduces students to the practices, technologies and knowledges through which visual imagery is constructed and how it circulates. It provides students with the tools for analysing and communicating with various kinds of visual images and objects.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies or Art History, and 30 points passed
Restriction: COMMS 302, MEDIA 335
Horror Media
Explores horror’s aesthetic, experiential, and political dimensions, investigating why and how it has persisted as one of popular culture’s most vigorous and influential genres. Closely considers a range of classic and contemporary films, TV shows and video games, confronting questions of power, affect, mediation and representation.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies, and 30 points passed
Restriction: MEDIA 336
Visualising Screen Stories
Investigates the conceptual and practical dimensions of creating visual stories for screen. Encourages students to explore aesthetic principles from film history and visual culture by using the basic tools of contemporary digital media. Students will develop screenplays, storyboards and lookbooks, and work collaboratively to create short smartphone films.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies, and 30 points passed
Restriction: SCREEN 201, MEDIA 337
Creating Advertising: Text, Image, Story
Explores the connections between visual expression, cinematic storytelling and commercial persuasion. Students analyse promotional posters, advertising copy and video-based advertisements before creating their own persuasive media projects. This course offers a thorough introduction to advertising strategies and industrial practices, and develops students’ skills in promotional messaging and audiovisual storytelling.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies, and 30 points passed
Restriction: COMMS 309, MEDIA 338
Writing Screen Stories
Focuses on the fundamentals and principles of dramatic writing for screen. Encourages students to explore narrative strategies from film and television to understand the mechanics of screen stories and to write meaningful screenplays in their own voice.
Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Media and Screen Studies and 30 points passed
Restriction: MEDIA 341
Stage III
Hollywood and its Others
An investigation of Hollywood’s interactions with European and Asian cinema, with a particular focus on its industrial, aesthetic, and cultural aspects. Students will gain a historical understanding of Hollywood cinema and how its relationships with other film cultures have shaped the dynamics of global cinema.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies or Transnational Cultures and Creative Practice
Restriction: MEDIA 202
Cinema of Aotearoa New Zealand
Traces a thematic history of filmmaking in Aotearoa New Zealand from the mid-1980s until the present. Locates a range of films in their historical, social and political contexts by concentrating on issues that arise for a small nation defined by indigenous and settler relations, immigration and globalisation.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 213
Social Media
Addresses issues related to the use of social media and considers in particular the influence of new media corporations such as Facebook, as well as platforms like Twitter, SnapChat, Tinder and YouTube. Explores our cultural practices and social rituals in relation to these peer-to-peer, one-to-many media technologies, and examines this revolution in the media landscape.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Communication or Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: COMMS 204, MEDIA 214
Action Films
Investigates action films as a genre and a “spectacle” in world cinema. Considers the aesthetic qualities of the genre and its interaction with the wider context. Issues studied include the relationship between conventions and inventions, the combination of visual and aural spectacle, as well as how identity is articulated through the discourse of nation, gender, ethnicity, age and the landscape.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 221
Mockumentary and Docu-Genres
Considers the development of mockumentary and fakery in relation to documentary genres. Introduces students to basic concepts related to documentary realism and then explores a range of film and television examples that refer to, subvert, and problematise notions of visible evidence and factuality.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 220
Popular Music on Screens
Explores relationships between popular music and visual media, such as film, television and online media. Includes analysis of documentaries, feature films, TV shows, music videos and social media platforms. Themes include stardom, fandom, songs, dancing, music genres, technologies and industries. Texts are situated in debates about music media and power relations marked by class, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Anthropology or Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 218
Comics and Visual Narrative
Explores the medium of comics both as an expression of popular culture and as a visual language. Beginning with a history of sequential graphic narrative, the course considers issues around the legitimacy of a popular art form and means of story-telling, as well as the problem of censorship that dominated comics culture especially in the 1950s.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Communication or Media and Screen Studies or Transnational Cultures and Creative Practice
Restriction: MEDIA 222
Video Games: Theory and Culture
A study of video games as a new media form situated in the broader context of media theory and history. Considers video gaming as an industry, as a leisure activity, and as a site of aesthetic and narrative innovation. The course examines what makes video games a distinctive media form.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Communication or Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 212
Recorded Music and Media Formats
Cultural studies of the sounds and significance of popular recorded music through the media formats in which it has been manufactured, distributed and consumed. Provides a critical introduction to the role of technologies and industries, studios and producers, musicians, music scenes and everyday listening in relation to vinyl records, radio, cassettes, CDs, the MP3 and streaming music.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Anthropology or Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 229
Eco/media
Eco/media introduces students to the increasingly important and varied role that nature, environment, and ecology play in media, film, and television studies. Students explore how environmentalism is communicated through various media, how the mediation of flora, fauna and the earth’s atmosphere offers powerful new insights into media texts, and how media production and consumption can be analysed using ecological frameworks.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Communication or Global Environment and Sustainable Development or Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 231
Visual Culture
Visual culture is not just part of our everyday lives, it is our everyday lives. This course introduces students to the practices, technologies and knowledges through which visual imagery is constructed and how it circulates. It provides students with the tools for analysing and communicating with various kinds of visual images and objects.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Art History or Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: COMMS 302, MEDIA 235
Horror Media
Explores horror’s aesthetic, experiential, and political dimensions, investigating why and how it has persisted as one of popular culture’s most vigorous and influential genres. Closely considers a range of classic and contemporary films, TV shows and video games, confronting questions of power, affect, mediation and representation.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 236
Visualising Screen Stories
Investigates the conceptual and practical dimensions of creating visual stories for screen. Encourages students to explore aesthetic principles from film history and visual culture by using the basic tools of contemporary digital media. Students will develop screenplays, storyboards and lookbooks, and work collaboratively to create short smartphone films.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: SCREEN 201, MEDIA 237
Creating Advertising: Text, Image, Story
Explores the connections between visual expression, cinematic storytelling and commercial persuasion. Students analyse promotional posters, advertising copy and video-based advertisements before going on to create their own persuasive media projects. This course offers a thorough introduction to advertising strategies and industrial practices, and develops students’ skills in promotional messaging and audiovisual storytelling.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: COMMS 309, MEDIA 238
Filmmaking
A hands-on exploration of the aesthetic and technical challenges of cinematic storytelling. Students are encouraged to reflect on filmmakers’ creative strategies and pursue their own choices in relation to camera, sound, lighting and editing. This limited-entry course involves a blend of lectures and studio-based workshops, and emphasises the links between cinematic ideas and the practical techniques used to realise them.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: SCREEN 200, 302
Writing Screen Stories
Focuses on the fundamentals and principles of dramatic writing for screen. Encourages students to explore narrative strategies from film and television to understand the mechanics of screen stories and to write meaningful screenplays in their own voice.
Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II in English or Media and Screen Studies
Restriction: MEDIA 241
Postgraduate 700 Level Courses
Media, Sound and Music
Interdisciplinary scholarship on sound and music media. Topics include: listening and soundscapes; noise/music; popular culture; the politics of sound and music; audio technologies; affect, feelings and emotions; identities; stardom, celebrity and fandom; voices; material cultures; audiovisual media; social media; and the political economy of music.
Visualising Difference
Critically examines the representation of racial and ethnic difference in cinema and broadcast television. This course explores and discusses how difference has been conceptualised in colonial, post-colonial, and multicultural frameworks using examples from the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Love in/Loving the Cinema
Critically examines the theme of love in the cinema. Looks at why the love story has been such a staple of movie narratives and what films can teach us about love. Also explores the nature of the love of cinema itself, cinephilia.
Ubiquitous Media
Ubiquitous computing has led to an increasingly mediatised world known as the ‘Internet of things’. With the increased use of tags and sensors, the development of smart environments means that communication and information media increasingly shape our world and define our relations with others. This interdisciplinary course interrogates the philosophical, social and political implications of the move from software to 'everyware’.
Film Evil
Explores the theme of evil in the cinema. What films can teach about evil and why it is that conceptions of evil - its nature and source as well as distinctions between natural and moral evil - have formed so much of the subject matter of cinema. The course also considers the proposition that some films may themselves be evil.
Time and the Moving Image
Explores how moving images mediate our experience of time, from the actualités of early cinema to video games and digital special effects. Addresses the representation and articulation of time across documentary and narrative cinema, experimental film and video, television and new media, with reference to key concepts in philosophy and media theory.
Chinese Film Genres
Explores the evolution of major film genres of the Chinese-language cinemas (i.e., cinemas of mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora). Investigates the formal styles of such genres as melodrama, youth, avant-garde, and documentary as well as how the changing styles reflect some big issues of sociocultural significances.
Special Topic: Žižek Through Hitchcock
Slavoj Žižek is known for elaborating psychoanalytic and Marxist theory through the use of film and popular culture. In this course we shall read Alfred Hitchcock’s films and Žižek’s idiosyncratic citation of them to develop a theory of Žižek’s own work. To achieve this, each lesson looks at a film by Hitchcock and explores a key aspect of Žižek’s ideas.
Special Topic: Documentary Making
A hands-on production course in which students produce, direct and edit a 9-12 minute documentary. Emphasis is placed on learning technical and craft aspects of documentary-making informed by the rich and varied tradition of the genre. Students are also required to analyse a series of influential documentaries screened as part of the course.
Restriction: SCREEN 713, COMMS 713
Dissertation - Level 9
To complete this course students must enrol in MEDIA 792 A and B, or MEDIA 792
Dissertation - Level 9
To complete this course students must enrol in MEDIA 793 A and B, or MEDIA 793
Thesis - Level 9
To complete this course students must enrol in MEDIA 796 A and B