Undergraduate Degrees

BA Art History & Visual Culture and Film & Television Studies

Please note: This page is for 2027 entry. Click here for 2026 entry.

UCAS code QV36
Duration 3 years
Entry year 2027
Campus Streatham Campus
Typical offer

View full entry requirements

A-Level: ABB
IB: 32/655
BTEC: DDM

Contextual offers

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Why study BA Art History & Visual Culture and Film & Television Studies at Exeter?

  • Interpret visual imagery (including photography and design) as well as objects and practices in order to understand contemporary and past societies
  • Explore the media, techniques and historical contexts relevant to the production of artistic works, the terminology used to describe and evaluate them, and the institutions that present them to the public 
  • Study modules designed to provide you with a sense of the range and variety of artistic and visual works and engage critically with these works in their historical and theoretical contexts
  • Art, history and culture embedded on campus with the Exeter Northcott Theatre, The Bill Douglas Cinema Musuem, Lemon Grove and Great Hall as music venues and student theatre at Roborough Studios.

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Contact

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Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

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Internationally recognised fine art, heritage and film collections on site, including the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

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Top 15 in the UK for History of Art, Architecture and Design

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Top 10 in the UK for Communication and Media Studies

"The breadth of specialism amongst the lecturers is phenomenal. The size of the course has actually been one of the most enjoyable elements of the degree as it enables you to get to know everybody and fosters a great environment that makes you feel at ease very soon after starting at university."

"Having studied Art History at A-Level, I came to my degree expecting a very traditional course, focusing on old masters, and European works. The variety of module choices, despite being challenging, is something to be welcomed and contrasts with the more conventional course I had originally expected."

Read more from Alicia

Alicia

BA Art History & Visual Culture

Alicia

Entry requirements (typical offer)

Qualification Typical offer Required subjects
A-Level ABB n/a
IB 32/655 n/a
BTEC DDM n/a
GCSE C or 4 English Language
Access to HE 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade. N/A
T-Level Distinction N/A
Contextual Offer

A-Level: BBC
IB: 28/554
BTEC: DMM

Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers.

Other accepted qualifications

View other accepted qualifications

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B1. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

NB General Studies is not included in any offer.

Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply

Course content

You may notice changes to some of our modules over the coming months. This is because we are making space for the following:

  • Minors: Future Skills Pathways - Alongside your main degree you may be eligible (depending on your course) to choose modules from another subject to broaden your skills and interests.
  • Skills to Thrive built into every degree - Essential skills for your future, including communication, problem-solving, teamwork and digital confidence.
  • Increased innovation and wellbeing - More room for creative learning, real-world projects and a healthier study rhythm.

Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.

Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:

Compulsory Modules

30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules, 60 credits of compulsory Film Studies modules.

Optional Modules

30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules.

Compulsory modules

CodeModuleCredits
Compulsory 1
Questions and Methods in Art History and Visual Culture30
Major Debates in Film Theory30
Interrogating Screens30

AHV1011: Questions and Methods in Art History and Visual Culture

This module introduces you to the key methods used to analyse works of art and visual culture and, in doing so, raises critical questions about the disciplines of Art History and Visual Culture and their relationship to one another. While Art History is a long-established field of study, Visual Culture can be viewed as an interdisciplinary mode of enquiry that has emerged in more recent times, which is both attuned to a history of visual culture as much as a definition of contemporary culture. Together, both fields of study continue to evolve in line with a series of common intellectual debates. You will be introduced to the appropriate terminology used in academic literature and to the foundational texts upon which both fields rely. You will also learn about a range of historical and contemporary theoretical approaches that inform the study of Art History & Visual Culture.

Art History & Visual Culture will be a new subject for almost all students at University level, and this module aims to:

View an example full module specification

EAF1501: Major Debates in Film Theory

This module will introduce you to some of the key debates and concepts in film theory. It will investigate some questions about film that have emerged as the most pressing at different junctures in the history of film and of film studies. Together, these ideas will allow you to build a conceptual framework for understanding film's relationship to reality, individuals, cultures and societies. It will demonstrate how theories can be productively applied to film analysis, and will develop your understanding of film and of the world around you, in new and diverse ways.

  • To introduce you to a series of major debates in film theory from issues of realism and film language to affect and queer theories.
  • To familiarise you with these theoretical approaches, situate them in the broader development of Film Studies as an academic discipline, and demonstrate how these theories might productively be applied to analyse film texts in new and different ways.

View an example full module specification

EAF1506: Interrogating Screens

Interrogating Screens will introduce you to key skills in formal analysis for film and television. It offers you an essential technical tool kit for interrogating film and television form and style, considering properties of image, audio, editing, storytelling and non-narrative media modes. To do this, the module covers a wide range of big and small screen texts from different historical periods, cultures, genres and movements. By the end of the module, you will be proficient in the use of a range of tools and techniques for close formal analysis and will be able to relate this analysis outwards to an understanding of relevant cultural and industrial contexts and conditions.

The module aims to:

  • introduce you to the essential technical vocabulary for the close reading of film and television form and style;
  • teach you how to apply this vocabulary in oral and written forms in constructing original analyses and close readings of texts;
  • introduce you to a wide range of cinematic and television styles and genres from global media histories;
  • enable you to understand how particular movements and trends in film and television form relate to their particular cultural and historical contexts;
  • develop your core study skills in academic reading, writing, research and presentation;
  • develop your ability to work individually and in a team.

View an example full module specification

Optional modules

CodeModuleCredits
Combined Honours Options
Inside the Museum15
Visual Media15
Topics in Art History and Visual Culture I15
Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II15
Approaches to Art History and Visual Culture30

AHV1005: Inside the Museum

This module is a conceptual introduction to the artistic, social, aesthetic, and political implications of the museum from roughly the 17th century to the present. It will involve specific case studies and theoretical writings that will challenge you to think about the museum as not merely a repository and exhibition space for objects, but rather as a complex technology for ordering and classifying material objects to create forms of knowledge; for constructing narratives of material and cultural history, aesthetics, and civic ideals; and for providing us with experiments in seeing patterns of meaning emerge in physical and virtual spaces.

View an example full module specification

AHV1006: Visual Media

This module offers an introduction to the history of specific media and the materials, techniques and processes used by artists to produce works of various types. The module is organised in a broadly chronological way, beginning with 'traditional' media, such as drawing and painting (egg tempera and oil), with a focus on late Medieval and Early Modern artists and their techniques, before then moving through innovations in modern art up to and including the nineteenth century (e.g. French Impressionism), and culminating with contemporary art and practice. Each week addresses a specific media or 'type' of artwork, and you will be introduced to the different properties and capabilities of each media and learn to examine and understand the visual effects achieved.

View an example full module specification

AHV1008: Topics in Art History and Visual Culture I

This module introduces you to one of the most influential and enduring traditions in Western culture. Classicism has its roots in the material cultures of the ancient Greeks and Romans (c. 500 BCE to c. 476 CE) but its uses and meanings have evolved over centuries. As a phenomenon, it is remarkably wide-spread and persistent in European history and as a canon of qualities and ideals—for example proportional systems, formal language, restraint, balance, clarity and harmony—it appears repeatedly in a series of deliberate revivals. Classicism is inherently retrospective in nature but its traditions have also served as dynamic sites of cultural negotiation that continue to inform thought and practice in many spheres from art to political theory. This module considers the reception of ancient Greece and Rome from the 16th C to the present day in painting, prints, architecture, art theoretical texts, gardens and photography. We will consider the uses and functions of classical forms and concepts as well as the problematic nature of its relationship to canon-formation and canonicity.

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AHV1009: Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II

This module offers a critical introduction to the history of Modernism in Europe and North America. Taking its lead from the work of Manet and his contemporaries, it will explore the key developments in art, design and photography during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Beginning with an investigation into the various ways in which the term Modernism has been used, the course will address both the origins of the term and its relationship to notions of modernity. Building upon this foundation, it will then explore the various '-isms' which constituted the European avant-garde and the rise of their American counterparts. Possible topics for discussion include Cubism, Pictorialism and the New York School. The course will conclude by considering the various ways in which the modernist paradigm has been called into question, from the changing status of the art institution to the rise of Postmodernism.

View an example full module specification

AHV1012: Approaches to Art History and Visual Culture

Building on AHV1011, this module offers a critical introduction to the key terms and concepts that have shaped the study of Art History and Visual Culture (e.g. beauty, skill, heritage, power). Through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical workshops, it traces the emergence and development of these keywords, locating them within their broader socio-political histories and accompanying theoretical frameworks. Each week will focus on a single term, exploring its connection to artworks, cultural artefacts and institutions to help you expand your critical and visual vocabulary. The module will also introduce you to a range of University resources, such as the Creative Quadrant and the collections of the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, equipping you with the skills to undertake creative assessments both in this module and throughout your degree.

View an example full module specification

Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.

Subject to selecting 120 credits overall in the stage you must:

Compulsory Modules

30 credits of compulsory Art History & Visual Culture modules

Optional Modules

30 credits of optional Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 60 credits of optional Film Studies modules.

Compulsory modules

CodeModuleCredits
Compulsory 1
Art History and Visual Culture Field Study for Blended Learning30

AHV2015: Art History and Visual Culture Field Study for Blended Learning

The Art History and Visual Culture field study module is an essential part of your degree programme at Exeter. It culminates in an intensive one-week field trip in a location in continental Europe. During the visit you will participate in a range of staff-guided and self-managed visit options, including architectural/urban studies, visits to permanent galleries/museums and temporary exhibitions.

The module provides an opportunity to develop and apply research skills in virtual and real-world environments and to view and interrogate a variety of museums, objects and spaces in a single urban environment. The module also develops digital literacy and skills development using app software. The module consists of three main parts:

1) Firstly, it addresses a range of thematic and methodological approaches to Field Study, introducing you to a range of ways of approaching and thinking about culture, broadly conceived, and the urban environment, exploring relationships between places, people and objects;

2) Secondly, through applied group work and project development (involving digital project), you will develop key skills and knowledge identified in term 1 work;

2) Finally, the trip itself, which lasts 5-6 days and consists of a series of staff-led visits and individual/group project exercises.

View an example full module specification

Optional modules

CodeModuleCredits
Combined Honours Options
Debates and Contestations in Art History15
Contemporary Visual Practices15
Photography and Evidence15
Contemporary Art and Curation15
Common Threads: Art, Craft and Activism15
Renaissances North and South: Italy and the Netherlands15
Revolutions! Art and Society in France, 1770-183015
The Dutch Golden Age15
The New York Avant-Garde 1955-198015
Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres15
Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future30
Intimate Spaces of the French Enlightenment15
Chinoiserie and Européenerie: Artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Europe15
Extra Options
Global Impressionisms15
Filmmaking30
Combined Honour Optional
Script Craft: Writing for Screen and Stage15
Shots in the Dark30
Television: Times, Trends and Technologies30
Scrublands, Sanctuary, Screens: Co-creating Knowledges alongside Donkeys15
Adaptations: Text, Image, Culture15
Fanatical: Fan Culture and Identity15
World Cinemas: Representations, Histories, Conflicts15
World Cinemas: Contexts, Environments, Industries15

AHV2023: Global Impressionisms

This module will broaden the geographical scope of late nineteenth and early twentieth century art history to examine art informed by 'impressionism' (specifically landscape and plein-air painting) produced in Japan, Turkey, South Africa and Brazil among other regions. It, thereby, amends the euro-centric narrative (and consequential narrow chronological framework) of impressionism as a movement. On this module you will look at transregional and transcontinental patterns that complicate and enrich artistic narratives, and engage with Art History's current concern with globalizing the discipline's scope. Lectures and seminars will emphasize the important discussion of landscape painting in relation to ancestral lands of indigenous peoples, and of women artists from the assigned readings. Prior knowledge of European academic and modernist art may be beneficial, but not necessary.

This module aims to:

-introduce you to the history of plein air painting and impressionism as departures from academic principles, and to the migration of impressionistic styles beyond Europe, to the Americas, Australia and Africa.

-introduce you to discourses of colonial expansions and population displacement, asking 'who has access to what land, to paint it'?

-help you develop an understanding of art history as a field with evolving concerns, through a combination of lectures, in-class discussions, and readings.

View an example full module specification

EAF2513: Filmmaking

This module will introduce you to the basics of film production, including story construction, camerawork, digital editing, sound recording, and directing, and you will work on creating a short film. You will be taught by expert tutor(s) with experience in the world of filmmaking.

In addition to creative and practical skills, the module will introduce you to the organisational & managerial aspects of film production, including scheduling, permissions, and promotion strategy. Small groups will work on films within focused teams, each taking on technical and creative roles. Teamwork and time management will be essential.

The practical component is a collaborative project and it is the film which is assessed.

An individual critical reflection will be written to support your learning and will be submitted with your final film.

By the end of the module

You should have acquired key filmmaking skills, and built your own creative pathway, including developing a stronger sense of your preferred specialism.

You should have experienced working in a tightly focused group and will experience practising a variety of filmmaking skills. Teamwork is essential to this module, so those applying for a place on it will need to be comfortable working as part of a group.

View an example full module specification

CDF2001: Script Craft: Writing for Screen and Stage

This module introduces you to the basic skills needed for writing for Screen and Stage. You will learn how to write short-form and long-form texts (scripts, short dramatic scenes) tailored to specific audiences, media, and purposes. You will use concepts such as scene structure, character, conflict, dialogue, pacing or visual description to create dramatic writing for stage or screen. You will learn how to apply the conventions of film, broadcast, or stage and use them to shape tone, structure and rhetorical approach. You will have the opportunity to implement iterative revision practices using feedback, focusing on clarity, concision, tone, and dramaturgical coherence. There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for this module, and no specialist knowledge, skills, or experience are required to take it.

View an example full module specification

EAF2502: Shots in the Dark

This module offers you the opportunity to look closely at Hollywood, one of the world's most successful exponents of screen entertainment, but also consider the important realms of independent filmmaking and art cinema, which have broadened the scope of cinematic innovation and representation, and have often offered a distinct challenge to Hollywood's own practices. It gives you the chance to study some of the most fascinating and significant films to have emerged from the American cinema, placing them in the rich cultural and institutional contexts from which they emerged.

View an example full module specification

EAF2511: Television: Times, Trends and Technologies

Mass entertainment, public service broadcasting, state apparatus, domestic screen medium, digital platform: this module examines the changing nature of global television by investigating its different histories, modes and technologies. By reflecting and informing daily life, television plays a significant role in shaping how individuals, families and communities consume sound and images. You will consider television's role from a number of perspectives drawn from a range of disciplines - visual culture, history, sociology, politics, and psychology, to name a few. As an introduction to television studies, this module is suitable for all students regardless of previous experience.

This module aims to offer a rich insight into the development of television on a global scale, considering its historical and geographical evolution, various forms and trends, and its changing technologies. The module examines the origins of television across the world, enabling an understanding of different national industries in America, Europe, Africa and Asia. You will interrogate television as a socio-cultural phenomenon, evaluating some of the most influential programming trends and ground - breaking texts, and how they have engaged societies. We will locate these discussions within specific broadcasting policies and broader institutional and political contexts.

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EAF2519: Scrublands, Sanctuary, Screens: Co-creating Knowledges alongside Donkeys

You will be trained to evaluate critically the portrayals and experiences of donkeys in film and other screen media and contrast that with in-person donkey observations. You will be fully immersed into the day-to-day practicalities of donkey life including the labour of care, the exact nature of which will be individually determined at Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary (https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/visit-us/sidmouth). No prior experience of working with other species is required. The module includes 1 day at the donkey sanctuary. The day will consist of learning about donkeys in Knowing Donkeys sessions, donkey observations and potentially some interactions. You will explore the myriad ways in which donkeys have been represented in screen cultures and incorporated into discourse and rethink human-donkey relationships in the process of working on this module. You may be given the opportunity to present your final video assessment on the Donkey Sanctuary website and/or at their Education centre.


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EAF2520: Adaptations: Text, Image, Culture

The process of adapting material between media, including literary forms, such as scripts, short stories, novels and plays and visual forms, including film, television, graphic novels, webtoons, and games is one of the oldest, most dominant and most ubiquitous strategies in the creative industries. By analysing a wide range of adaptations in different forms you will be able to understand the rich and complex relationships between textual and visual media at distinct historical moments and in specific cultural contexts. This module introduces key issues in transmedia studies and offers you the opportunity to understand adaptation as a creative process and adaptations as cultural products.

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EAF2521: Fanatical: Fan Culture and Identity

Fanatical delves into the scholarly study of fandom, blending theory with real-world examples and personal reflection to examine how fandom shapes and challenges contemporary media. Through lectures, seminars, screenings, and hands-on engagement with archival materials at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, you will gain insight into fan studies and its discourse. Suitable for any student interested in critically reflecting on their own fan practices and examining media industry dynamics, this module is an excellent choice for interdisciplinary pathways.

View an example full module specification

EAF2522: World Cinemas: Representations, Histories, Conflicts

World Cinemas: Representations, Histories, Conflicts is the first of two modules which introduce you to some of the key debates, themes and films of ‘world cinema’. In this module, you will examine how these films interrogate some of the key issues of our time: global conflicts, power and identity (including race, gender, sexuality and class). You will explore how these themes are portrayed in films from all over the world, including South and East Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. The films span a wide range of genres, including animation, comedy, drama, thriller and documentary. You do not need prior knowledge of film, or deep knowledge of geopolitics or identity politics to study this module. You just need a curiosity about the world around you and an interest in how cinema portrays it. There is no expectation that you will necessarily complete both World Cinema modules, although they address different material and you are welcome to if you wish to.

View an example full module specification

EAF2523: World Cinemas: Contexts, Environments, Industries

World Cinemas: Contexts, Environments, Industries is the second of two modules which introduce you to some of the key debates, themes and films of ‘world cinema’. This module specifically invites you to explore some of the key debates around contexts, histories, and media industries globally. You will examine how these films interrogate some of the key issues of our time including representations from the margins, climate change, and neoliberalism. Further, you will explore how media industries are shaped by the idea of world cinemas, and global voices shape industry contexts, particularly, film festivals. You will explore how these themes are portrayed in films from all corners of the world. In addition to films from diverse genres, you will also assess the burgeoning global screen industries around cinemas of the world. You do not need prior knowledge of Film or a theoretical grounding to participate, and therefore the module welcomes students from all contexts and expertise levels. The module studies cinema as a key framing apparatus for the world, and as such will aid you through interdisciplinary readings to name the world and frame questions about the world. There is no requirement for you to have completed the first World Cinema module before taking this one, although it will provide some useful foundational understanding.

View an example full module specification

Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.

Typically, any placement year will take place in Year 3. If you are not taking a placement year please see the Final Year modules for year 3.

With Study Abroad

120 credits of compulsory modules.

Compulsory modules

CodeModuleCredits
Compulsory 1
Study Abroad120

HAS3999: Study Abroad

The Study Abroad programme enables you to undertake a year-long study placement at a partner university outside of the UK, as part of your degree programme.

This module serves as the administrative mechanism for recording the Study Abroad assessment results of students within the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS). Students participating in the Study Abroad programme and based in a HASS department (except for the Law School, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, Modern Languages, and the School of Education) will be registered on this module during their Study Abroad placement year.

The Study Abroad programme widens the range of modules available to you during Stage 3 of your degree programme; enables you to broaden your academic horizons by studying in a different learning culture and (where relevant and appropriate) in languages other than English; and aims to promote resilience, independence, cultural awareness, and communication skills.

View an example full module specification

With Employment Experience

120 credits of compulsory modules.

Compulsory modules

CodeModuleCredits
Compulsory 2
Employment Experience120

HAS3998: Employment Experience

This module allows you to undertake and to learn from an extended work placement during the third year of a four year “with Employment Experience” programme. You will use one or more work placements to gain skills that equip you to work in the employment market and to improve your knowledge of the work environment. You are encouraged to think about the intercultural competence and the employability skills that you acquire during your year.

To progress to this module, you will have secured a suitable placement for a minimum of 26 weeks.

Having developed the skills necessary to find relevant roles and apply for roles in the graduate labour market, this is an invaluable opportunity to develop work-related skills and experience that will further enhance your success in the graduate labour market and support your future career choices.

During your placement year you will be supported by the Module Convenor and Placement Team.

The module assessment structure provides opportunity and support for you to evaluate your skills and achievements using personal development techniques.  You will also write an Employer Report to showpiece the culmination of your academic and business skills.

This module aims to:

View an example full module specification

Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.

Students must take: 30 credits of compulsory dissertation (AHVC Dissertation, CDF Dissertation, or Creative Film Dissertation) and 90 credits of optional modules (including 30-60 credits of Art History & Visual Culture modules, and 30-60 credits of Film Studies modules).

Unless taking up to 30 credits via modularity, students should take 60 credits of modules from AHVC and 60 credits of modules from Film studies.

Compulsory modules

CodeModuleCredits
Compulsory 1
Art History and Visual Culture Dissertation30
Dissertation30
Creative Film Dissertation30

AHV3000: Art History and Visual Culture Dissertation

The dissertation is an independent research project which enables you to produce a piece of work that is self-selected, rather than prescribed. It highlights your ability to work autonomously, identifying a topic, articulating the relevant issue(s) that in your view require analysis and devising a plan of work that is largely self-managed. The skills you have learnt over the course of your degree programme are a very good preparation for this, not only because you will have a broad understanding of the field of Art History and Visual Culture, but also because you have worked with a variety of research methodologies and, by now, should be in a position to produce a dissertation that is not only responsive to the best current thinking in the field but also demonstrates your commitment to a specific approach. You will receive guidance from a supervisor and receive support through a series of workshops and seminars. The dissertation module teaches you time management skills and gives you the flexibility to devise and follow your own research questions, extending your knowledge in a specialism which you have particularly enjoyed.

View an example full module specification

CDF3000: Dissertation

This module gives you the opportunity to undertake an

in-depth research project, either in the form of a traditional written

dissertation or by bridging academic scholarship and practical application. You

will develop critical thinking and independent research skills, and will have

the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts should

you wish. You can choose between an 8,000-word scholarly dissertation or a

career-oriented portfolio, allowing you to tailor the project to your interests

and future goals. The module offers preparatory workshops, group supervision,

individual supervision and, where appropriate, reflective practice activities,

helping you explore topics of professional or academic interest. The module is

designed to enable you to enhance both your intellectual rigour and career

readiness and can be tailored to your individual skill sets and strengths.

View an example full module specification

EAF3516: Creative Film Dissertation

This module gives the opportunity to pursue a sustained piece of independent visual media film production of your choosing, in the form of EITHER a short film OR a video essay. You will have the chance to develop both your imaginative and critical abilities through the completion of this audio-visual work, alongside a critical commentary. In both cases, you must submit an individual film, with your own edit, even if you have worked on the film as part of a team. In the case of the video essay, the critical commentary should concern a topic closely related to the video essay and should include a self-reflexive discussion of the creative research process as well as evidence of appropriate research. In the case of the short film, you should submit a critical commentary including a self-reflexive discussion of the creative research process, and a justification and explanation of the creative decisions taken using appropriate critical sources.

You will have a chance to discuss ideas with your peers and in supervisions with a single member of staff allocated to your project.

Module pre-requisite:

View an example full module specification

Optional modules

CodeModuleCredits
Options
Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy15
The Face15
Global Modernisms15
Performance Art15
Paris to the World: Modelling the Modern City15
Installation Art15
Conceptual Art15
"Queen City of Europe": Art, Culture and Society in Renaissance Antwerp, c.1500-7015
Subjectivity and Storytelling: from Decorative Arts to Digital Futures15
The Place of Meaning: Gardens in Asia and Europe15
Something to See: War and Visual Media15
Art, Industry and the Modern, 1840-190015
Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria15
Extra Options
Gaming in Everyday Life15
Media and Nostalgia15
Writing the Short Film30
Combined Honours Optional
Queering British Screens15
Beyond Sex and the City: Becoming a Woman in Contemporary Western Cinema15
American Independent Film15
British Screens15
Cinema in the Anthropocene15
Film, Philosophy, and the Internet15
Perspectives on Animation15
Film Audiences15
Something to See: War and Visual Media15

CMM3017: Gaming in Everyday Life

The last two decades have seen the emergence of video games as one of the world's "go to" leisure time activities. An activity that is inherently digital, acts of digital play have emerged globally as a widely prevalent and heterogenous practice that is rich in nuance and detail. Accompanied by an industry that has steadily grown through financial recessions, reports indicate that two out of three people in the world have engaged with the medium at some point in their lives. This module will allow you to engage with video games as a medium and then look at various ways in which constituents and elements from video games have reshaped aspects of our lives. The module will introduce you to ideas like gamification, building of layered narratives, decision and choice-based progression, and other ways in which games have shaped the way we understand the lives we lead. From fitness trackers to service-based algorithms, dimensions of the gaming experience are no longer limited to just acts of leisure. By adopting a global perspective, this module will allow you to grapple with the many intersections of gaming across contexts.

View an example full module specification

CMM3018: Media and Nostalgia

This module examines nostalgia as a powerful cultural force shaping how media texts are produced, circulated, and consumed. Focusing on film, television, music, digital platforms, and popular culture, we will explore how representations of the past are mobilised to construct identities, emotions, and collective memory. The module introduces key theoretical perspectives on nostalgia, including cultural memory, affect theory, and media archaeology, and situates them within contemporary debates about retro aesthetics, reboots, and remakes. Through a range of case studies and examples we will critically assess the political, economic, and ethical dimensions of nostalgic media. Attention is given to questions of authenticity, loss, longing, and power, particularly in relation to nationalism, race, gender, and class. By the end of the module, you will be equipped to analyse how nostalgia functions not simply as a backward-looking sentiment, but as an active and contested force in shaping present and future media cultures.

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EAS3128: Writing the Short Film

Writing The Short Film is a practical module that teaches - in a hands-on way - the important principles behind any form of dramatic writing, but with specific reference to the short film. It requires no previous knowledge or experience, but those students who do best will already have a strong interest in drama and screen drama in particular. Short films are used as a training ground for the film and television industries and this module is designed to give students the craft skills necessary to write powerful film and television dramas of whatever length.

  • To introduce you to the practice of writing fiction for the screen, focusing on the short film form. It develops key screenwriting skills appropriate to the short film and relevant to other narrative screen media formats, and encourages you to explore and develop your individual voices as screenwriters.
  • The module introduces a range of approaches to the short screenplay from the traditional to the innovative, and uses examples from a variety of genres and geographical origins. It also examines the relationship between the screenplay, film production, and audience. Through practical exercises and critical discussion, you explore the creation of meaning through form and content within short films, and become aware of the processes involved in screenwriting, including the development of ideas, drafting, re-writing and editing.
  • The module explores current developments in short film, both creative and in terms of the industry, and enables you to develop a critical appreciation of screenwriting.

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EAF3107: Queering British Screens

You will encounter a range of dynamic film and television texts from the post-war period to the present day, which you will analyse in the light of your wide reading in classic and contemporary queer theory. Using both the screen texts and the theories, you will consider the question of whether ‘the queer must insist on disturbing’ as Lee Edelman argues. You will debate film and television’s contributions to both reinforcing and disturbing heteronormative myths, and the radical impact that both media have had on the political positioning of LGBT+ subjects. Far from privileging British culture as a special case, the module will consider how Britishness itself is an identity open to interrogation, considering how homonationalism has linked notions of ‘the good LGBT+ subject’ with ideas of the nation. The module will provide opportunities to build on some of the theoretical and critical insights of earlier modules, as well as developing a precise critical vocabulary for writing on the moving image.


The module aims to:

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EAF3520: Beyond Sex and the City: Becoming a Woman in Contemporary Western Cinema

On this module you will study contemporary films (1990s onwards) from American and European cinema that map out girls, girlhood and coming-of-age. It is designed to enable students from a wide range of backgrounds such as English, Modern Languages, History, Politics and Philosophy to engage critically with some key ideas concerning filmic representation of contemporary girlhood and its aesthetic, cultural and political meanings. Prior experience of film study is not necessary. The focus of the module is on how film articulates certain tropes, and how they may shore up or allow space for critique of what has been labeled a ‘post-feminist’ culture. Major themes include emotion and affect on film; sexualisation of mainstream culture; diversity and race; and performance.

This module aims to appeal to students from a wide range of backgrounds such as English, DML, History, Politics and Philosophy. It aims to enable you to:

  • Study contemporary films from European cinema that map out the fraught process of attaining adult femininity
  • Examine how a range of filmic European cultures, in both art house and popular modes, represent and refract the status of young women in contemporary society against a backdrop of anxiety concerning the sexualisation of young women and the status of feminism
  • Draw upon the theories of post-feminism and place these into a comparative context, including an engagement with cinema produced in Hollywood that also impacts upon European audiences
  • Debate and critique representations of femininity within a range of cinematic cultures
  • Discuss and articulate a range of feminist and postfeminist positions and ideas
  • Appreciate and understand a wide range of films, drawn from both ‘popular’ and ‘art-house’ traditions, and their articulation of female life stages, and the political and aesthetic consequences of this
  • Apply a range of theoretical concerns to films and television programmes with which you may be familiar already

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EAF3524: American Independent Film

This module gives you an in-depth look at the contemporary American independent film sector, tracing major developments, and studying some of the key films and filmmakers to have emerged over the last few decades. You will look at the rise of the Sundance film festival, study Hollywood’s investment in ‘specialty’ or ‘indiewood’ productions, examine key directors and genres, and develop an understanding of the different artistic and political approaches employed by filmmakers working in the field. You will also think about how the emergence of digital production, distribution and exhibition has changed the independent film sector, and the challenges to create new modes of storytelling in this era.

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EAF3525: British Screens




Screen entertainment, from magic lanterns to film and TV, has both transformed and reflected British culture. In this module you will explore the history of cinema and television in Britain by using the holdings of The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, the University’s internationally renowned resource of artefacts, ephemera and archives on the moving image. You will use the museum’s materials to understand how moving image culture has been experienced in the UK, how it has been produced and consumed, and consider what it might say about Britain., including within a collaborative curatorial assessment where you will curate a public or digital exhibition. The module will develop skills in analysis, research, and curation that will also aid employment opportunities in the heritage and cultural sectors. The module will appeal to both film students and non-specialists.





MODULE AIMS – intentions of

the module




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EAF3526: Cinema in the Anthropocene

This module seeks to interrogate the role of cinema in the Anthropocene: the rapidly overheating, manmade, geological epoch that we all inhabit. Divided into three sections (Origins, The Myth of Progress, Navigating the Anthropocene), the module will engage with film’s relationship to the environment since the silent era, pursuing intersectional approaches that seek to understand the Anthropocene through considerations of capitalism, gender, colonialism, race and class. Films from across the globe will be analysed and consideration will be given to sustainable filmmaking practices. There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for this module.

This module is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.

This module is recommended for interdisciplinary pathways.


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EAF3527: Film, Philosophy, and the Internet

Film is an empathy machine. It puts us into others’ shoes and behind their eyes. This window on the world enables us to learn different philosophical concepts, thereby understanding that world more fully. This module will enable you to grasp ideas about aesthetics, logic, ethics and uncertainty from a creativity-focused perspective. Art and media are increasingly constructed, consumed and distorted by digital disruptions. You will examine core notions of philosophy including identity, agency, and value, in relation to a world changed and changing through the Internet. There are no pre-requisites or co-requisites for this module, and no specialist knowledge, skills, or experience are required.

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EAF3528: Perspectives on Animation

The module will explore the historical development of animation and select studios as well as relevant contexts and animation techniques. Topics might include: critical and theoretical perspectives, questions of national identity, studies of individual animators’ work, and the evolution of animation as a technology. Case studies might include animation from the early 20th-century modernist period, films and series produced by established studios, arthouse productions, European and Asian productions, and animations made and exhibited outside family-oriented contexts.

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EAF3529: Film Audiences



Watching a film is about more than just the film itself. It is about the people we watch with, the tastes and smells of the snacks we prepare or purchase, the sharing of an experience in the dark, and the discussions all this provokes afterwards. On this module you will learn to understand these experiences, working with real audiences in a project-based mode. You will collect qualitative data about their activities and responses using professional-standard tools that you will learn to devise for yourself. You will then analyse and interpret this data. No prior knowledge or experience is required.



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EAF3531: Something to See: War and Visual Media

This interdisciplinary module investigates the dynamic connection between visual media and industrialized warfare, making it suitable for students across a wide range of subjects. It will offer you the opportunity to interrogate how visual media shape the ways war is understood, remembered and waged. Bringing together approaches from media, history, conflict studies and visual culture, it critically examines both fictional and non‑fictional representations of warfare and investigates the blurred boundaries between the two. Starting with photography and film in early industrialized wars, and moving on to television, videogames and digital media, you will explore the evolution of visual conventions for representing conflict and analyse their relationship to political, cultural and ideological contexts. Throughout, you'll develop a critical understanding of how media technologies and texts don't just represent warfare, but actively participate in how conflicts are fought, felt, and understood. At the same time, the module supports you in building the analytical, research and communication skills that are valued across a wide range of careers, from media and cultural industries to policy, journalism and military roles. Through working with diverse sources, producing digital outputs and crafting clear, well‑evidenced arguments, you will strengthen your ability to navigate complex information environments and to communicate insightfully in professional and academic contexts.

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Course variants

BA Art History & Visual Culture and Film & Television Studies with Study Abroad

UCAS code: QV37

Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.

Why Study Abroad?

Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.

Where can I Study Abroad?

We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subjects you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Study Abroad website.

Does it count towards my degree?

Credit for academic work during your year abroad is arranged by agreement between the University of Exeter and the host institution. These marks are then translated back into your degree at Exeter. If you are Studying Abroad for a semester or full year, your time abroad will count toward your final degree. Please refer to your Study Abroad co-ordinator for further details.

How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?

For the year that you spend studying abroad you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter, but nothing to your host university – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your Study Abroad year.

BA Art History & Visual Culture and Film & Television Studies with Employment Experience

UCAS code: QV38

Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree offers you the option of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements, within the UK or abroad, as part of your degree.

Why choose to include Employment Experience?

Undertaking graduate-level work during your degree unlocks a world of experience that allows you to develop essential employability and interpersonal skills that relate to your degree and future career.

A work placement will dramatically boost your confidence, enhance your CV and develop graduate-level skills and competencies that employers are looking for.

Where will I do my work placement?

The sector and country you choose to work in is very much your choice, as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement.

We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.

How does it affect my tuition fees and funding?

For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.

Is the placement paid?

You will be paid in accordance with the rules of the country you work in and there may be visa restrictions or requirements which you need to consider when applying.

Find out more

Learn more about employment experience opportunities.

Fees

Tuition fees for 2026 entry

UK students: £9,790 per year
International students: £24,950 per year

Scholarships

The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships*. We also provide scholarships for sport, music and other achievements, alongside regional and partner awards such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. Financial support is available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.

* Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details.

Find out more about tuition fees and scholarships

Learning and teaching

How will I learn?

You will be taught by internationally respected staff who are leading researchers in their specialisms. We use a wide variety of techniques and approaches including seminars, lectures, study groups and web-based learning, as well as valuable field study. We integrate the latest approaches with traditional learning and teaching to give you a varied and challenging programme. As you study the compulsory modules, you will learn through individual practical and project work, team work and a research project, all of which are designed to help you develop key skills for success throughout your degree and into your future career. 

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in a variety of ways but primarily through exams and coursework. Coursework includes essays, a dissertation and presentation work. The ratio of formal exams to coursework is on average 40:60 (depending on your choice of modules). Your first year doesn’t count towards your final degree classification, but you do have to pass it in order to progress. In order to be eligible for ‘with Study Abroad’ programmes, you will need to attain an average of 60 per cent or more in your first year. The assessments in the second year, year abroad (if applicable) and final year will contribute to your final degree classification

Contact time

In your first year, you will receive a minimum of 10 hours of contact with academic staff per week. You will also be expected to attend other activities such as study groups, workshop activities and film screenings. Your total workload should average about 40 hours per week during term time. The exact amount of time spent working independently varies from module to module.

Research-inspired teaching

Teaching that is inspired by research ensures lectures are up-to-date and relevant: you will benefit from access to the latest thinking, equipment and resources. All options are taught by staff with expertise including art history, architecture, film, photography, visual media, art and technology, curation and exhibition, mixed and virtual realities, performance art and visual culture in the UK and abroad.

Academic support

All students have access to a personal tutor who is available for advice and support throughout your studies. There are also a number of services on campus where you can get advice and information, including the Students’ Guild Advice Unit.

Optional modules outside of this course

Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.

Minors: Future Skills Pathways

You can study a Future Skills Pathway alongside your main degree by choosing up to 30 credits of modules from a different subject area in your second and final years.

Find out more about minor options

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Your future

Employer-valued skills this course develops

Studying Art History & Visual Culture equips students with a broad range of highly desirable transferable skills in analysis, critique, research and theoretical and practical creativity. These will prepare you to enter a wide variety of professions. You will also develop specialist knowledge of everything from traditional art forms such as architecture and sculpture, to today’s visual practices such as film, video, performance and digital art. You will benefit from productive engagement with collections, institutions and art groups in the area, in tandem with the wider arts community in the South West and beyond.

Further study

The Art History & Visual Culture programme prepares its graduates to undertake postgraduate study or training in areas such as education, arts management and journalism, amongst others. Recent graduates have gone on to study:

  • MA Publishing
  • MA Multimedia Broadcast Journalism
  • MA Creative Advertising
  • CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst)
  • MA Fine and Decorative Arts
  • MA Marketing & International Management
  • Graduate Diploma in Law
  • MA Stage and Event Management

Career support and pathways

We have a dedicated, award-winning Careers Service, ensuring you have access to careers advisors, mentors and the tools you need to succeed in finding employment in your chosen field on graduation. We offer the Exeter Award and the Exeter Leaders Award which include employability-related workshops, skills events, volunteering and employment which will contribute to your career decision-making skills and success in the employment market. 

Art History & Visual Culture graduates compete very successfully in the employment market, with many employers targeting the University when recruiting new graduates.

Examples of roles recent graduates are now working as include:

  • Art Gallery Intern
  • Brand Intern in fashion industry
  • Civil Service Fast Stream
  • Collections Information Officer
  • Editorial Assistant
  • Events Planner
  • Marketing Intern
  • PR Account Executive
  • Researcher
  • TV Promotions Assistant

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