LT229-5-FY-CO:
On-screen Anti-heroes

The details
2023/24
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 5
ReassessmentOnly
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 28 June 2024
30
18 March 2022

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

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Key module for

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Module description

Why are we drawn to the onscreen antihero? Does a film like Joker represent something profound about class status or mental health, or is there something alluring about the character's explicit non-conformity to everyday behaviour?

Similarly, why do we play computer games or watch television programmes that challenge societal norms through violence and criminal activity? Does new media technology contribute to the ubiquity of morally questionable characters into new everyday spaces?

This module focuses upon the idea of the antihero across screen media, predominantly within film, television and computer gaming. It considers why audiences have and continue to be enticed by the darker side of entertainment and what these figures offer towards wider debates of morality and the representation of mental health onscreen.

Off-screen antiheroes will also be considered through subjective POV camerawork which has translated from film to computer gaming. The module considers why viewers and gamers are drawn to looking at (and looking through the eyes of) morally questionable characters. It explores the fascination of antihero characters and why they are central to the entertainment industry.

Fascination with prisoners (who have emerged to celebrity status) such as Joe Exotic, Steven Avery and Adnan Syed for example have become household names due to the popularity of investigative programming in the form of Netflix's Tiger King, Making a Murderer and the podcast Serial. The true crime podcast, Dirty John, was adapted into a Netflix mini-series, emphasising the popularity and interest audiences still have with morally ambiguous characters both real and fictionalised. This module takes a close examination of some of these characters and others like them, exploring why audiences are drawn to them through screen media.

The term 'antihero' within this module is not solely restricted to serial killers or a morally corrupt disposition but is also extended to the portrayal of onscreen characters or personas who suffer from damaged mental health. Cinema, television and more recently gaming, have explored the notion of invisible illness through their respective platforms. Historically, this has often been a cue to link poor mental health onscreen with traits of the killer but there is now also a high number of films, shows and games that endeavour to move beyond this trope by portraying issues around mental health onscreen into a new light. This course will explore these ideas through a range of texts.

Module content note: topics and screenings may include violence /murder/racism/abuse/sexual abuse/ rape/ homophobia and portrayals of mental illness. Please contact the module supervisor if you have any questions.

Module aims

This module aims to foster critical thinking by inviting students to consider the types of characters that lead story-based worlds and consider why the antihero character is something that audiences have and continue to engage with.

This module encourages students to assess what an antihero is and encourages them to investigate the significance of the antihero across a range of media platforms and texts.

The module also aims to consider how the portrayal of mental illness has historically been portrayed negatively onscreen in film and television and how gradual changes in screen media, such as gaming, are emerging to challenge this into a more optimistic direction.

Module learning outcomes

After successful completion of the module, students should be able to:

1. display a detailed knowledge of onscreen anti-heroes.
2. discuss a detailed history of why audiences are drawn to the anti-hero.
3. consider the impact of anti-hero surrogates through different media platforms.
4. demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to engage in intellectual debates around issues of how mental health is portrayed onscreen.

Module information

Todd Phillips, Joker (2019)

Martin Scorsese, The King of Comedy (1982)

Joel Schumacher, Falling Down (1993)

Jack Hill, Foxy Brown (1974)

Nick Broomfield, Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003)

Laura Ricciardi, Making a Murderer (2015—)

Eric Goode & Rebecca Chaiklin, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (2020)

Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Jim O’Hanlon, The Punisher (2017-2019)

Jim Jarmusch, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Pablo Larrain, Tony Manero (2008)

Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin (2013)

Alfred Hitchcock, Rope (1948)

Clint Eastwood, Pale Rider (1985) / Rockstar Games, Red Dead Redemption (2018)

Franck Khalfoun, Maniac (2012)/ various POV Computer Games

Rémy Belvaux, Man Bites Dog (1992)

Milos Forman, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Bing Liu, Minding the Gap (2018)

Lee Daniels, Precious (2009)

Please note, screenings and topics may be subject to change.

Learning and teaching methods

Anticipated teaching delivery: Weekly 1-hour lecture and 1-hour seminar

Bibliography

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   Essay 1 (2,500 words) (REASSESSMENT)     
Coursework   Essay 2 (2,500 words) (REASSESSMENT)     
Coursework   Presentation (REASSESSMENT)     

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Daniel O'Brien, email: d.obrien@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Miriam Kent, Dr Daniel O'Brien
LiFTS General Office - liftstt@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
Yes
Yes

External examiner

Dr Andrew Birtwistle
Canterbury Christ Church University
Reader in Film and Sound
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 742 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
742 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

 

Further information
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies

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