Module manager: Dr Chris Homewood
Email: c.j.homewood@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module introduces students to the themes and styles of German cinema, from the so-called ‘golden age’ of Weimar cinema in the 1920s to the present era. Since its inception, German cinema has been a major contributor to world cinema: notable movements such as Expressionism and the New German Cinema of the 1970s were leaders in global cinematic innovation and would even influence Hollywood. Domestically, film has long held an important position within German culture, with filmmakers regarded as key social commentators. Focusing on key moments, movements, and aesthetic strategies across German film history, students will explore the important role that cinema has played not only in reflecting but also in shaping debates about German history, society, and identity. Knowledge of the German language is not required. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
This module aims to:
- introduce students to a variety of German films
- introduce students to the global impact of German cinema
- develop students’ awareness of key shifts in German film culture
- develop students’ understanding of how these shifts relate to wider cultural and social
- developments
- develop students’ understanding of the relationship between filmmakers and their audiences
- develop students’ ability to distinguish and define a variety of formal approaches to filmmaking
The module aims will be supported by a combination of: independent study (preparatory reading and viewing); interactive, in-seminar mini-lectures (to highlight and reinforce key information); seminar presentations and debates (to encourage students to play an active role in the analysis and discussion of film and its contexts)
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1: Demonstrate knowledge of key aspects of the history of German cinema from the 1920s to the present day
2: Analyse the contribution of style in the creation of meaning in an individual film.
3: Analyse key issues, concepts and critical approaches to German cinema
4: Discuss how German cinema emerges from and responds to specific social and political contexts
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5: Demonstrate clear communication
6: Operate collaboratively in groups to form and accurately convey ideas
7: Choose appropriate evidence to support solutions to identified problems.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop-in Session | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Seminar | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Private study hours | 164 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 36 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Student progress will be monitored on a regular basis via seminar participation and formative group discussions, which will also allow for peer feedback. Students will also be given formal feedback on their first assignment. This feedback will be formulated to assist students with their final assignment. Furthermore, the final week of teaching will take the form of an assignment clinic, and additional feedback for assignment plans will be offered.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Group project | 30 |
| Coursework | Essay | 70 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 30/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team