Honours in Film & TV Studies

Completing your degree with BA (Honours) in Film and Television Studies gives you distinct advantages in the professional world. Having an Honours degree indicates to any prospective employer that you have studied your chosen discipline in depth and that you have engaged in original research. This means that you will have demonstrated a greater capacity for independent thinking and individual motivation. Taking the Honours program in Film and Television Studies will allow you to sharpen your knowledge of the discipline, preparing you for further research in the area and employment in the field.

• Careers and Graduate Pathways
• Enrolling in FTV Honours
• Scholarship and Awards
• Program

Students studying Honours in Film & Television Studies can enrol in a range of graduate programs at diploma, masters and doctoral level. For more details see the Postgraduate Studies in Film and Television Studies webpage.

• Arts Future Student (Entrance Requirements)
• ECPS Honours Admissions (Application Procedure)
• Research Strengths (Staff profiles to help you choose a supervisor)
• Past Thesis topics

For information on scholarships available to FTV Honours students see the ECPS Scholarships and Prizes webpage.

John Flaus Prize

Presented by: Palace Cinemas and School of English, Communication and Performance Studies

The John Flaus Prize is available to Film and Television Studies Honours students and is awarded to the student who achieves the highest level of scholarship in both the Honours thesis and coursework units. The prize is awarded annually on the recommendation of the FTV Honours Co-ordinator in consultation with the Head of Film and Television Studies.

The Film and Television Studies Honours coordinator is Dr Con Verevis

Further information regarding what is generally required of Honours students can be referred to on the ECPS Honours webpage.

Course Structure

For information on how to build your honours in Film and Televison Studies see the Arts Areas of Study – Honours section.

Units available :

• FTV4002 (Parts A and B) Minor Thesis
• FTV4042 Historical Film Theory and Criticism
• FTV4052 Contemporary Film Theory and Criticism
• FTV4500 Special Reading Course

To check the availability of units, and to their view current handbook entries, please enter the relevant unit code and click submit. Unit Code:

Progression

The Honours thesis unit is constituted by two semesters of work: Part A and Part B. In order to progress to Part B students must be confirmed as having fulfilled the requirements of Part A. In Film & Television Studies, the criteria are as follow and must be fulfilled before the beginning of the second semester of study:

• Successful presentation at the Honours Thesis Topic Presentation Seminar
• Completion of one chapter of the thesis (submitted to supervisor)
• Time-line for the thesis (submitted to supervisor)

Progress in your thesis is recorded on the Honours Thesis Interim Progress Report which your supervisor will discuss with you.

Honours Thesis Topic Presentation Seminar

The Film & Television Studies Honours Program at Monash University includes a 15,000 – 18,000 word thesis to be written over two semesters. The Thesis Topic Presentation Seminar showcases to academic staff and Honours peers the topic students propose to research, the theoretical and methodological approaches they plan to use, how their research will complement existing research in the field, and any additional outcomes they plan from the completed project.

The point of the seminar is that it provides students with the opportunity to structure their thesis topic and approach before the beginning of their second semester. Staff and student feedback through questions and discussion will help students to hone their topic and approach, highlighting any shortcomings in existing frameworks and alerting students to research in other areas of which they may not already be aware. Posing a research question in a formal, public manner is an excellent catalyst for students to clarify their ideas—crystallising what their project is really about, what is at the core and what is peripheral.

Presentation Format

Students will formally present their proposed topic for 10 minutes, followed by a 10 minute question and answer session, in which they will field queries from both staff and fellow Honours students. At the beginning of the presentation, all students should distribute a 1–2 page A4 handout summarising key aspects of the proposed topic and including a list of references consulted.

Students are expected to attend all presentations so that they will be aware of other students’ projects and potential cross-currents and connections with their own research.

Honours Methodologies Seminars

In addition to coursework units, the Film & Television Studies Honours Program conducts at least one Honours Research Methodologies seminar in each semester. These sessions provide a group forum for students to discuss practical and theoretical issues relating to the development and design of their Honours theses. The seminars also provide an opportunity for students to participate in a wider research community.