1. Office use only
Date of VB Meeting
Proposed by (OLL, other)
Date course is to be offered
New or revised?
If replacement, name of course replaced
Offered on recurring basis? Y/N
Contact teaching hours
Independent study (no of hours)
Total hours
SCQF level
7
Tutor CV held? Y/N
1. Course title:
SEX, CLASS & POLITICS: BRITISH CINEMA 1945-65.
2. Tutor name(s): Jim Dunnigan
3. Tutor qualifications: MA(Hons);PGCE
4. Short description of course: to examine the post-war British Cinema's increasing
concern with contemporary social issues especially in the areas of juvenile
delinquency, race, homosexuality and prostitution. A new course open to all students,
especially those with an interest in mid-century British history and film, the course
seeks to encourage serious consideration of the issues raised by these films and the
way in which they reflected and addressed the major issues at the heart of British
social concerns
5. Intended learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Understand the ideological uses of the social problem film.
Explain how these film shaped and was shaped by contemporary concerns

2. Describe the development of the mid century social problem film
Understand how these films illuminated the various strands of character and conflict
in British society.
6. Transferable skills
• Critical thinking
Discussion
Analytical skills
7. Contents:
Week 1: Introduction Illustrated lecture on "British Film & Society 1945-65"
Week 2: Adjusting to peacetime - disaffected ex-servicemen - They Made Me
A Fugitive (1945), The Ship That Died of Shame (1955) and The League of
Gentlemen(1960)
Week 3: Young and Dangerous: Youth and Criminality in Brighton Rock
(1947), The Blue Lamp (1950) and Violent Playground (1958)
Week 4: After "Windrush"- The race question- Pool of London (1950), Sapphire
(1959) and All Night Long (1962)
Week 5 : Workers of the World Unite! Post-War Industrial Relations in I'm
Alright Jack (1959) and The Angry Silence (1960)
Week 6: Coming out of the Closet- The Wolfenden Report, Homosexuality
and the Cinema - Victim (1961)
Week 7: Easy Girls- the Prostitute in Cinema - The Flesh Is Weak (1957)
Week 8: The Cinema and the Cold War - Seven Days to Noon (1950), Our Man
in Havana (1959) and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965)
Week 9: Working Class Realism 1: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)
and the British New Wave
Week 10: Conclusion: Sex, Class, Realism and Politics in Left, Right and
Centre (1959)
8. Student intake
The course will attract students of film/society; also students studying history,
sociology or politics.
No prior knowledge required.

3. 9. Organisation of teaching
The course will be lecture based with close analysis and discussion of each issue and
related film.
10. Course Readings
Essential
Hill, John, 1986, Sex, Class and Realism. British Cinema 1956-53. London:BFI
Publishing
Recommended
Murphy, Robert, (Ed),2009, The British Cinema Book, London:BFI Publishing
Sargeant, Amy, 2005, British Cinema: A Critical and Interpretive History,
London:BFI Publishing
Shaw, Tony, 2006, British Cinema and the Cold War, London I.B. Taurus
Web sources
www.screenonline.org.uk/
www.britmovie.co.uk/
Class handouts
Delivered weekly
Course feedback & evaluation
The following procedures are applied to all OLL non-credit courses:
• Course Organiser visits newly approved class at an early stage and provides
the tutor with feedback on delivery.
• Tutors are encouraged to discuss the course with students (collectively and
individually), and act appropriately on responses.
• Formal feedback is gathered from students via an on-line student survey.
Results of these are analysed and provided for Course Organisers who may take
appropriate action with the tutor.
OLL CPE Co-ordinator (Quality & Validation):
Name:

4. Signature: Date:
Course Organiser
Name:
Signature: Date: