FM4134 Queer and Trans Cinema

Academic year

2025 to 2026 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

30 credit module designed for Honours students in Film Studies. Students in other Honours degree courses can apply to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Student numbers will be capped.

Planned timetable

TBC

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Prof G P Davis

Prof G P Davis
This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Prof Glyn Davis

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module will provide an introduction to the complex relationships that exist between LGBTQ+ people and the moving image. Adopting a global and intersectional perspective, it will explore fundamental questions: What makes a film queer or trans? In what ways have depictions of LGBTQ+ characters changed over cinema's history? Why have particular films that do not have overt queer or trans content been adopted by LGBTQ+ audiences? How have national legal and moral frameworks impacted the transnational circulation of LGBTQ+ films and people? The relationship between sexual dissidence, narrative form, and film aesthetics will be unpacked through discussions of form, genre, and style. The ways in which queer cinema has responded to the HIV/AIDS epidemic will be examined, and attention paid to how LGBTQ+ cinema is archived and engages with archival sources. The particular exhibition and distribution tactics used by LGBTQ+ filmmakers - from festivals to streaming - will also be identified.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS FM2002 AND PASS FM2003

Assessment pattern

Coursework= 100%

Re-assessment

Coursework= 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 2-hour seminar (x 11 weeks) and 1 2-hour screening (x 11 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours

44

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

260

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • articulate an understanding of the history of queer and trans cinema, and how it has been shaped by national and international political developments
  • identify the ways in which minoritarian forms of film and their associated practices share commonalities with other subaltern cinemas
  • critically articulate the varied ways in which queer and trans audiences have related to the moving image and its depictions of LGBTQ+ characters and narratives
  • demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of how subaltern populations may make political use of particular aesthetic strategies
  • creatively demonstrate knowledge of how event curation and tailored distribution strategies can foster minority audience engagement with cultural materials