BA Film Studies and East Asian Studies

The Joint Honours in Film Studies provides you with a thorough grounding in film theory and history, as well as the opportunity to develop specialist areas of interest alongside your education in East Asian culture and history. 

Film Studies  

• You will expand your experience of film through taught units and screenings that focus on both classical and contemporary films, covering a wide range of film cultures from around the world.
• You will study mainstream and non-mainstream films in order to broaden your understanding of the history of film, as well as the debates and issues that are informing and generated by current practice in film and shaping its future.
• As you enhance your skills of close analysis, you will also develop an understanding of how film engages with socio-cultural and political concerns, placing the films you study in their historical context as well as thinking about current debates and future challenges for cinema as a medium.
• The course emphasises historical and theoretical approaches to studying film rather than practical production.

East Asian Studies  

• You will gain a critical appreciation of the complex contemporary realities in East Asian countries, as well as the changing position of these countries in an ever-changing international context.
• You will gain the knowledge and critical tools needed to understand East Asia in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, as well as an appreciation of the major historical events and social movements that have made East Asian countries what they are today.
• You will study East Asia both as an economically connected region with overlapping histories, languages and cultural identities and as a diverse group of countries and peoples with divergent political systems and contemporary cultures.
• By the end of your degree, you will possess the socio-cultural understanding and analytical skills needed to embark upon more long-term professional or academic engagements with the East Asian region and will have acquired a more international perspective on the world as it stands today and as it has developed over the course of history.
• You will have the option of learning some Chinese, Japanese or Korean language as part of your studies, although East Asian Studies is not a language-intensive degree programme.

Placement year option

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals, and build your external networks.

Societies

Join The University of Manchester Filmmaking Society, which exists to provide a platform for aspiring filmmakers attending the university to meet, exchange ideas and create their own cinematic productions.

Join The University of Manchester Drama Society, which is for anyone with an interest in drama, be that acting, directing, writing, filmmaking, costume, set building, stage managing or just watching. One of the largest in the Student Union, the society has links with many of Manchester's award-winning theatrical venues, including the Contact Theatre and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Each summer the society showcases at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Japan Society North West and Manchester University Chinese Students Society hold an exciting calendar of cultural events, including annual Japan Day and Chinese New Year celebrations.

You will learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials, and practical group projects.

There's emphasis on attending film screenings, which are compulsory and designed to enable you to better understand the distinctive qualities of film as a medium.

There's also emphasis on close analysis which is designed to enable you to learn to interpret films and their discursive surround, including relevant paratexts (eg promotional material such as trailers and posters).

You will spend approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.

For every hour spent at university, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study.

You will also need to study during the holiday periods.

You will be assessed in various ways, including:

• written and oral examinations;
• coursework essays;
• research reports;
• practical tests;
• learning logs;
• web contributions;
• small-scale practical assignments;
• seminar presentations and participation;
• library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection.

Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques.

In your final year, you can choose to write a dissertation.

The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama
Your teaching and performance home includes:

• John Thaw Studio Theatre – a fully equipped, flexible performance space with 150 seats
• Workshops, rehearsal rooms and screening rooms, plus industry-standard sound and video-editing suites
• Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall – an acoustically designed auditorium with 350 seats

World-Class Cultural Resources

You’ll also have access to some of the University’s most iconic cultural institutions:

• The Whitworth – a multi award-winning art gallery
• The John Rylands Library – home to rare books and beautifully illuminated medieval manuscripts
• Manchester Museum – with major prehistoric, classical and ethnographic collections

A City of Culture

Manchester is world-famous for its arts scene, with the second-highest concentration of theatres in the UK.

The city also hosts several film festivals with specialisms ranging from animation and horror to Spanish-language cinema.

You will also have access to the University Language Centre , a modern open learning facility where you can study independently and make use of a library and audio-visual resources.

Learn more about facilities

Build Skills Employers Value
Studying with us helps you develop versatile, transferable and specialist skills, including:

• Interpreting and analysing different types of screen media
• Creating original audio-visual work
• Communicating clearly and confidently
• Working in teams and leading projects
• Solving problems creatively
• Intercultural awareness
• Advanced communication skills
• Strong analytical and decision-making abilities
• Confidence, independence, and adaptability

Real World Experience
Gain professional experience through a work placement year and build up your employability.

Continue Your Journey
Our undergraduate degrees are designed to make it easy to progress into postgraduate study if you choose.

We offer a wide range of specialist master’s courses, with fast-tracked enrolment available for high-achieving undergraduate students.

You can also take part in our Stellify programme, developing leadership and professional skills while contributing to your community through volunteering.

Career Advantage

The University of Manchester is the second most targeted university in the UK by top graduate employers (High Fliers Research, 2025).

Our award-winning Careers Service offers tailored guidance, industry connections, and ongoing support for up to two years after graduation.

Where can I go next?
Areas of employment for students who have studied film include:

• Film production, distribution and heritage
• Applied theatre
• Television and radio
• Journalism
• Teaching
• Community arts and arts administration
• Law and business management

Find out more on our Careers and Employability page .