Nine and one-quarter
FILM 100 (ENG 167), FILM 200 (COMM 237), FILM 429, FILM 430
One additional course in each of the following areas:
4 (including the Senior Project)
Successful completion of FILM 430.
FILM 429 (.25 credit) was added to the list of core courses and the number of courses required for the major was increased to 9.25, effective Fall 2014.
As an interdisciplinary program, Film Studies recognizes that writing skills are applicable across multiple disciplines and methodologies, and most require an understanding of specific vocabulary and terminology as well as the ability to summarize, synthesize, and analyze both primary and secondary sources. Students are expected to write in a style consistent with published scholarly and artistic work in the discipline, and will practice writing in several stylistic modes, which could include research papers, reviews of scholarly literature, statements of research methodology, prospectus and proposals, text analysis, and writing for the screen. The writing in the major course requirement for Film Studies can be satisfied either through FILM 300 (Film Theory & Criticism) or other 300-400-level courses approved by the program director, with a grade of C (2.0) or above. These courses promote improvement in students' writing though a variety of methods including peer reviews, sequenced assignments, and multiple drafts and/or writing conferences. Majors are also required to submit a substantial written project of original research or creative expression as part of their senior capstone experience, to fulfill the remainder of the writing in the major requirement.
5
One course from either FILM 100 (ENG 167) or FILM 200 (COMM 237)
One class from each of the following areas:
1
This survey class is an introduction to photography as an art form. This course provides opportunities for learning personal expression, critical thinking, and the aesthetics of photography through studio assignments, critiques, demonstrations, lectures and discussions. Students will use both digital and non-digital cameras, print in the darkroom, and learn the magic of chemical photography, while also outputting digitally. By learning the history of the medium students will come to know that photography does not have to be tied to the camera industry.
Arts and Humanities
1 course
An introduction to the basic concepts and processes of television production. Emphasis is placed on the creation and analysis of ideas communicated through the medium of television, including aesthetic, ethical and technical influences on message construction. Students learn studio and field production: basic scripting, lighting, audio, camera/picturization, editing, directing, etc. Televisual literacy is developed, and assignments apply the critical skills needed to interpret and analyze visual imagery and television programming.
1 course
This course is a critical examination of motion pictures as a medium of communication. In addition to looking at the films as texts to be "read," this course considers the institutional contexts in which films are produced, as well as the various reception contexts in which audiences see films. As a course in communication, we begin from the perspective that motion pictures are an important and meaningful part of the way we produce and re-produce our culture. Importantly, the course is not only concerned with how film texts communicate, but also how we communicate about films, as both fans and critics.
1 course
A workshop approach to creative story making in the three forms of media. Emphasis is on the relationship between form and content, dramatic structure and critical response. Students are expected to complete a full length stage play, screenplay or teleplay. Prerequisite: Any theatre or film class or permission of instructor.
Any theatre or film class or permission of instructor
1 course
This course explores global flows of media texts, industries, and reception practices as elements of complex transnational structures. The course may focus on one or more of a wide array of media forms, including print, radio, podcasting, popular music, television, film, and social media. Prerequisites: 233 or 237 or permission of instructor.
Global Learning
233 or 237 or permission of instructor
1 course
An introduction to the fundamentals of screenwriting, in theory and in practice. Students will explore story, character, dialogue and structure as relates to writing for film; learn the screenplay format; and participate in writing workshop and discussion. Prerequisite: ENG 149.
ENG 149
1 course
This course uses major theories of religion in order to investigate religious themes and symbols in a number of contemporary films. In this course we use the screening of a dozen or so religiously evocative films in order to open up a discursive space within which we can think critically about ourselves and the time we live in. In order to do this we look at the ways in which powerful religious themes have been dealt within film. At times the religious themes addressed in movies are overt and tradition-specific while at other times they are covert and universal. Throughout the course we interrogate filmic texts in order to understand the ways in which religious themes are dealt with through the cinematic medium. But we also allow the films to interrogate us! In this class we view the screening of the films as an opportunity for us to reflect upon the nature of religion as we try to come to a better understanding of its place within society and our own lives. The purpose of the course is twofold: first, students learn how to think critically about religion and its place as a social and cultural force in the contemporary world; second, they learn how to apply a critical attitude and critical tools to view films and other aspects of popular culture.
Arts and Humanities
1 course