Postgraduate Course: Cult Film Cultures (CLLC11208)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Cult films are often weird, morally reprehensible, critically disreputable and/or aesthetically bad - but they can also be innovative, radical and rebellious. Cult films are celebrated and championed by a dedicated, albeit niche, audience, and typically positioned in opposition to what are perceived to be 'mainstream' tastes and interests. What makes a film cult, therefore, is indelibly connected to issues of reception and practices of consumption. Cult film remains on fringe of popular culture, but has increasingly become a marketable commodity too: gaining cult status can breathe new life into films that might otherwise be ignored, forgotten or dismissed as 'trash'.
This course examines discourses surrounding cult film and other cult media, and provides students with an opportunity to understand and engage with key issues, ongoing debates, and theories through a range of case studies. It addresses theoretical and conceptual frameworks in the study of cult, the ways cult texts have been consumed, their surrounding cultural contexts and position in relation to wider film culture.
The course also pays particular attention to the role of paratexts within cult film cultures, and uses cult film as an access point to make use of and think critically about a wide range of paratexts and other film paraphernalia, including but not limited to: posters, trailers, fan-made videos, archival materials, reviews, DVD extras, toys and other merchandise, games, fan art and memes. These will be used to explore different aspects of cult film across weeks covering topics such as distribution, exhibition, fans and taste cultures, cult narratives and transmedia, the cult auteur, and the worst films of all time, among others. |
| Course description |
This course explores the complexities and intricacies of cult films and the diverse ways in which they function within wider film culture. Despite now being a relatively established field of study, cult film remains an ambiguous term that continues to be debated and contested. Cult films typically sit on the fringes of, and are positioned in opposition to, a perceived 'mainstream' and are often identified through a combination of different elements, including textual characteristics, forms of consumption, political economy and cultural status. With the 'value' or significance of cult films being strongly associated with unusual and unexpected forms of reception, cult films provide lucrative opportunities to consider the cultural contexts in which films are positioned, the ways audiences use and engage with screen media, and the relationships between fans, texts and industry.
This course examines these issues and more, through a variety of case studies and in combination with detailed analysis of a wide range of fan- and industry-produced paratexts. In this way, the course draws on a wide range of materials to expand understanding of cult film and its surrounding cultural contexts; and it uses cult film as a lens through which to think critically and expansively about a variety of paratexts and other film paraphernalia.
Broadly, the course is organised to encourage students to make connections across weekly topics and develop their own informed understanding of, and critical engagement with, cult film and related screen cultures. An introduction to cult film and associated scholarship will be provided, drawing on key debates, theories and contemporary developments in the field. Cult fandom will be considered, paying particular attention to taste cultures, subcultural capital and cultural distinctions. These opening weeks serve to provide background to students who may be unfamiliar with this field, and set up ideas and issues that will underpin the rest of the course.
Following this, the course will draw on a diverse range of paratexts to examine how cult films are positioned within and relate to wider cultural contexts. For example: looking at posters, trailers and other marketing materials invites consideration of how cult films are promoted across different time periods, geographical locations and for different audiences; examining how cult films are distributed provides opportunities to consider the (sub)cultural significance of physical media and reflect on the implications of developments in digital technologies; investigating exhibition practices opens space to explore how audiences engage with cult films and the ways those forms of engagement are developed and maintained.
The second half of the course will delve deeper into topics that are significant to cult film, with reference to an array of different paratexts and other film materials such as fan-made videos, memes, video games, fan fiction, DVD extras and reviews. Topics will be informed by the research interests and expertise of the teaching staff, and will be responsive to developments in the field but could include: cult film and the archive; the cult auteur; cult film stardom; intertextuality and transmedia; bad movies and alternative canonisation.
The course takes an interactive, student-led approach to teaching and learning, with an emphasis on active participation. Students will attend a two-hour seminar each week. They will prepare for this by completing essential readings and watching a set screening, both of which will be made available on Learn alongside other relevant resources. The seminars are designed to facilitate peer-to-peer discussion and critical thinking and will comprise a variety of activities based around the week's content. Students will also actively engage with their own learning through independent research-based and/or creative tasks to be completed as part of seminar preparation.
The two assessments provide creative opportunities for students to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and critical engagement with cult film and associated paratexts. In the first, students will create their own paratext by writing an 800-word programme note about a cult film of their choice, drawing on their learning across the first five weeks of the course. The second assessment comprises two parts: students will curate a collection of five paratexts in order to tell a story about cult film or an aspect of cult film and, following formative feedback on this collection, write a 2500-word critical reflection on the aims, process and outcomes of this research.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework.
There are two assessments:
- Programme note, 800 words (30%)
- Curatorial project and reflective essay, 2500 words (70%) |
| Feedback |
Written feedback for the programme note (assessment 1) will be provided through Turnitin within 3 weeks of submission deadline.
Students will receive formative in-person feedback on their completed Curatorial Project from their peers and seminar tutor during class. This feedback is designed to help inform their reflective essay, which is submitted on Turnitin after in-person teaching concludes.
Written feedback for their reflective essay (assessment 2) will be provided through Turnitin within 3weeks of submission deadline.
Feedback on assessments or other activities can also be provided throughout the semester through office hours and/or email correspondence. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key theories, issues and debates relevant to cult media and contemporary cult scholarship
- Critically engage with a wide range of materials and case studies to expand understanding of cult film and its surrounding cultural contexts
- Evaluate and analyse a diverse range of paratexts in depth and consider their significance in relation to wider cultural contexts
- Think creatively, independently and innovatively about cult film through a variety of case studies and practical applications
- Demonstrate skills in research, writing and critical thinking that can be productively applied to future practice
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course will enable students to develop the following graduate attributes and personal and professional skills:
- Critical thinking: students will have opportunities to develop their critical thinking through engagement with weekly readings, screenings, and during seminar activities
- Knowledge integration and application: Students will develop and demonstrate their knowledge and critical understanding of a range of theories, concepts and approaches to cult film through engagement with key readings and other teaching materials. Through seminar discussion and assessments, they will develop the ability to use and apply this knowledge to different examples and within different contexts
- Analytical skills: Students will gain the ability to analyse and critically evaluate a wide range of cult films and associated paratexts through participation in seminars and completion of assessments
- Independent research: Students will demonstrate their ability to conduct relevant independent research through completion of both assessments as well as smaller weekly tasks
- Problem solving: Students will work independently and creatively to resolve any problems that may arise during their planning, preparation, research and completion of the curatorial project (assessment 2) and will reflect on their experiences and response in the same assessment's essay
- Self-awareness and reflection: The second assessment requires students to complete a reflective essay, encouraging them to develop their ability to demonstrate self-awareness and critical reflection
- Creativity and inventive thinking: Students will be expected to think creatively and inventively about how to respond to the two assessments
- Planning, organising and time management: Students will develop and demonstrate their ability to plan activities, organise themselves, and manage time appropriately through preparation for seminars and completion of assessments
- Verbal communication and presentation: Students will develop skills in verbally communicating complex ideas, productively engaging in debates, and active listening through participation in seminar discussions
- Written communication and presentation: Students will develop their written communication skills through completion of assessments, particularly their ability to adapt their writing style in response to different requirements, modes of address and imagined readership |
| Keywords | Film Studies,Cult Film,Fandom,Film Exhibition,Taste Cultures,Paratexts,Film Cultures |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Rebecca Bartlett
Tel:
Email: rbartle3@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Hope Hamilton
Tel: (0131 6)50 4167
Email: hope.hamilton@ed.ac.uk |
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