University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 15

ECTS credits : 7

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: 2

Availability restrictions: Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable: To be arranged.

The history of Soviet cinema and the modern Soviet city are inextricably intertwined. From the very inception of the Communist state, the rapidly changing urban environment became a focus for cinematic reflection. Conversely, cinema played a fundamental role in forming urban identities through both the projection of an ideal of city life to communities and the collective experience of spectatorship. This module engages with representations of the city in Soviet and post-Soviet cinema as a utopian or dystopian space, a place of revolution, social transformation, warfare, invention, criminality, poverty, and memory. It looks at the ways the city has been understood and portrayed in Soviet cinema, from the use of mise-en-scène, montage, and editing, to dialogue, soundtracks and documentary recordings. The syllabus will include works by prominent Soviet and post-Soviet directors including Sergei Eisenstein, Vladimir Menshov, Aleksei Balabanov, and Valeriia Gai Germanika.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass RU2202 or pass RU2204

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 1.5-hour seminars and 1 surgery hour, plus film/video viewing.

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework = 100%


Re-assessment: 3-hour Examination = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Professor V S Donovan
Module teaching staff: Prof Victoria Donovan
Module coordinator email vsd2@st-andrews.ac.uk