Program Overview

Lancaster’s joint Chinese Studies and Film degree is taught by the School of Global Affairs in conjunction with Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA).

Your Chinese Studies programme enables you to acquire Chinese language skills at beginner level, while gaining a thorough understanding of China's historical, cultural, social and political background in a global context.

In Film, you’ll examine cinema’s aesthetic, social and political importance in the context of an increasingly visual and media-orientated global culture, tracing the development of film from its origins as a technical novelty in the late 19th century through to its emergence as one of the most influential art forms of the 20th and early 21st century. You will study cinema history and the social significance of films and will develop a detailed understanding of the techniques of film production. Alongside this investigation of the theory and history of cinema, students have the opportunity to make their own digital film in all three years of the course either individually or as part of a group, drawing on our excellent technical resources and dedicated technician support.

Your first year comprises an exploration of the Chinese language and its cultural context as well as an introduction to Film Studies. Alongside this, you will study a minor subject from a list of subjects provided to you.

Building on your language skills in Year 2, you will study one Chinese Oral Skills module and one Chinese Written Skills module at the same level of proficiency. In addition, you will study the culture, of the Chinese-speaking world in more depth as well as select a module which is international in scope and which promotes a comparative understanding at a global level. You will combine these with Film modules.

Spending your third year - the International Placement Year - abroad in a Chinese-speaking country makes a major contribution to your command of the language, while deepening your intercultural sensitivity. You can study at a partner institution and practise your language skills in a real-world context. Staff members within the department will work with you to ensure that you are fully prepared before embarking on your placement in a Chinese-speaking country.

In your final year, you will consolidate your Chinese language skills and study language-specific or specialist culture and comparative modules You will also select from Film modules. You will have opportunities to combine your interests in both subjects in longer, supervised projects.

You can find some examples of optional modules in the Course Structure section below.