MEDIA 236

Horror Media


Please note: this is archived course information from 2021 for MEDIA 236.

Description

This course 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. It closely considers a range of classic and contemporary films, TV shows and video games, confronting questions of power, affect, mediation and representation.

How do "horror media" frame the body as a site of experience and object of discourse? How do they confront questions of social repression, conflict and identity? How can horror appear to function as one of popular culture’s most conservative genres, and at the same time, one of its most radical? And how do contemporary television and video games recycle and adapt horror cinema’s thematic concerns?

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the historical development of horror in cinema, television and digital media
  • Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the key critical/theoretical debates that have surrounded the genre
  • Critically analyse selected horror texts, using the tools of close analysis
  • Contextualise selected horror texts, showing an understanding of how they reflect and/or respond to key concepts and debates

Assessment

Coursework and Exam


Availability 2021

Semester 1

Lecturer(s)

Lecturer(s) Associate Professor Allan Cameron

Assessment

Coursework + exam

Points

MEDIA 236: 15 points

Prerequisites

15 points from COMMS 100, 104, FTVMS 100, 101, 110, MEDIA 101 and 45 points in BA courses

Restrictions

FTVMS 236, FTVMS 336, MEDIA 336