An Interview with Dr Stephenson

I currently teach Film Studies at Bosworth Academy and am also a Moderator for WJEC GCE Film Studies. This means I assess A level Film coursework from schools across the country. However, my experience in research and teaching the subject spans several years.

In 1993 I studied Italian with Film Studies, BA Hons. at the University of Reading. As part of the course I spent a year studying at l’Universita di Trieste, Italy, which was fantastic. I achieved a First Class in my course and developed a real passion for learning. After that I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship by the Arts Council to attend a Masters degree in Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick.

This all led to my specialist qualification of a PhD in Italian Cinema at the University of Reading. The title of my 60,000 word thesis was ‘The Soviet Model in Fascist Cinema’. This looked at how Mussolini tried to use cinema as the Communists had in the 1920s. I was fortunate enough to be granted another scholarship by the Arts Council for my PhD. Much of my research was carried out in libraries and archives in Rome. After this, I spent a couple of years lecturing Italian Cinema at the University of Manchester.

In 2007 I completed a PGCE in English and Media Studies and have been teaching at Bosworth ever since then. I feel really lucky to be able to use my cultural and academic expertise on a daily basis working with young people at Bosworth Academy!