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Film Studies adopts a critical, theoretical, and historical approach to the analysis of individual films and to the study of cinema from the silent era to the contemporary period. Courses analyze film as a medium that employs specific formal strategies that shape meaning and they investigate wider debates about cinema as a cultural form and as an industrial and institutional practice. A number of courses also investigate various national cinemas focusing on the history, industrial organization, and cultural implications of cinema in specific national contexts. Film Studies may be combined with a range of other majors; and students are encouraged to integrate production-oriented courses and programs with Film Studies.


MAJOR

A major in Film Studies requires the successful completion of ten Film Studies courses, seven of which should be at the 3000 level or above. All students working toward the major will be required to take Communication 3150 (Film Analysis) and Communication 4860 (Film Theory) and one upper-level capstone course. The capstone course should be taken during the last semester of the junior year or either semester of the senior year and should be selected from designated capstone option courses. (Please note that some special topics courses may also be designated as capstone option; students should consult the Schedule of Classes). For capstone credit in Film Studies, students should enroll in FMST 5110 along with the selected capstone course. Electives may be selected from the list below. In the case of topics courses (which are indicated with an asterisk), only film topics will be considered and approval of the Film Studies Director is required. Additional film courses not listed below may be included with approval of the Director.

MINOR

A minor in film studies requires the successful completion of six film studies courses, four of which should be at the 3000 level or above. All students working toward the minor are required to take Communication 3150 (Film Analysis) and Communication 4860 (Film Theory). The four additional film studies electives may be selected from the list below. In the case of topics courses (which are indicated with an asterisk), only film topics will be considered and approval of the Film Studies Director is required. Additional film courses not listed below may be included with approval of the Director.


COMM 1150 Introduction to Cinema

COMM 2400 Topics in International Film Movements and National Cinemas

COMM 2500 Film and Society

COMM 3150 Film Analysis

COMM 3270 Topics: Authors and Genres

COMM 3550 Third World Cinema

COMM 3600 Documentary Cinema

COMM 3800 Cinema Reception and Cultural Memory

COMM 4160 Contemporary Chinese Cinema

COMM 4170 U.S. Film History

COMM 4180 African Cinema

COMM 4190 Introduction to Latin American Film

COMM 4230 Cinema, History, Archive
(capstone option)
COMM 4300 Cultural Politics and Cinema (capstone option)
COMM 4350 Gender and the Cinema

COMM 4610 National Cinemas in Latin America

COMM 4810, 4820 Special Topics in Communication*
(capstone option when designated)
COMM 4850 Cinema, Technology, Modernity
(capstone option)
COMM 4860 Film Theory

COMM 6210, 6220 Seminar in Communication Studies*



ENLS 3640 Screen writing

ENLS 4100 Literature and Film



FREN 3110 The French Cinema

FREN 4810, 4820 Special Topics in French*

FREN 6920 Special Problems in French Literature*



GER 3710 Introduction to German Cinema



ITAL 3300 Topics in Italian Literature and Cinema*
ITAL 3330 Italian Literature in Translation*

ITAL 4040 Topics in 19th and 20th Century Italian Literature*


ITAL 4440 Topics in Italian Literature and Cinema in Translation* (capstone option)

SOCI 2450 Society Through Cinema



SPAN 4170 Spanish Film

SPAN 4190 Introduction to Latin American Film

SPAN 4210 Topics in Latin American Cinema
SPAN 6910, 6920 Special Topics in Spanish*



THEA 2070 Video Production I

THEA 2080 Video Production II

FMST 5110 Capstone (in conjunction with capstone course)

Note: for descriptions of course content see appropriate department listings. For courses followed by an asterisk, film topics only are included.