Film and Television at Bristol

Bristol was among the first Universities in the UK to offer the academic study of film and television, and this commitment to innovation has continued ever since. Our students benefit from a scholarly grounding pertinent to careers in television production, filmmaking, journalism, cinema programming, education, arts administration, and many more areas besides, as reflected in our very strong league table score for graduate prospects. Joining our department will allow you to explore the history and practices of film and television and consider theoretical perspectives that will help you shape your own skills and techniques, guided by leading scholars and practitioners. Students at Bristol are able to develop their interests across a broad spectrum of subjects and approaches – including film criticism, contemporary Hollywood, British television, global cinema and documentary – learning from staff who are passionately dedicated to the study of film and television.

Unit structure

The department offers many classes that are based in a single semester, and can therefore accept unit requests from Study Abroad students who want to join Bristol for just the autumn or spring semester.

Unit levels

The department offers units across all undergraduate levels of study: year 1 (level C/4), year 2 (level I/5), and year 3 (level H/6) units. Some postgraduate units are available for students who are completing a postgraduate degree in Film and Television, or a related discipline, at their home university. These are not suitable units for undergraduate students.

Unit codes

Unit codes in the Department of Film and Television begin with 'FATV'. This is followed by a number indicating the year (1, 2, 3). For example:

• FATV10000 = year 1 unit
• FATV20000 = year 2 unit
• FATV30000 = year 3 unit.

For more information about each unit, check the University's unit catalogue for 2023/24. Applicants on all study abroad programmes must review the unit details on the catalogue before listing unit choices on their application form. This includes checking the format of assessment for each unit. The unit catalogue for 2023/24 is updated by April 2023.

Your unit choices cannot be guaranteed. Some units may not have capacity to accommodate all of the unit requests we receive. Registration on a unit also depends on whether you meet the pre-requisite conditions through prior study at your home university.

Units available on the study abroad programme in 2023/24

The following units from the Department of Film and Television are open to inbound Study Abroad students.

Other units focusing on Film and Television

If you are not a Film and Television major, but wish to take a unit in this area, you may be interested in the following units run by the School of Modern Languages. These units are taught in English and do not require knowledge of another language:

• Classics of European Cinema (TB2) - MODL10010
• Contemporary European Cinema (TB1) - MODL10009
• German Literature and Film: Genres, Texts, Contexts (TB1) - GERM10035
• Germany and Austria in Motion: Film, Society, and Identity (TB1) - GERM20054
• Italian Cinema: Genre and Social Change (TB2) - ITAL29007
• World Cinema: from national to transnational (TB1) - MODL23016

The following units are also available but require a level of knowledge in the language they focus on:

• Introduction to French Cinema (TB1) - FREN20056 (French)
• Queer Writing and Film in The Hispanic World (TB2) - HISP20118 (Spanish and Portuguese)
• Screening the Past: Representing History in Contemporary Italian Cinema (TB1) - ITAL30046 (Italian)
• Women’s Writing and Filmmaking in Latin America (TB1) - HISP20108 (Spanish and Portuguese)

Application queries

Contact the Centre for Study Abroad inbound team if you have any queries about the application process for the study abroad programmes:

Phone: +44 117 39 40207
Email: cfsa-inbound@bristol.ac.uk