Undergraduate Program
The Film and Media Studies Program is comprised of courses in the theory, history and criticism of film, media studies, screenwriting, and 16mm film and video production. Information about the Undergraduate Major (beginning with class of 2013) and the Undergraduate Minor is listed below.
Students should meet with student advisor Linda DeLibero prior to spring registration of their freshman year.
Undergraduate Major
The major in Film and Media studies is designed to enable students to understand the history of film and media, to think critically about them, and to gain hands-on experience in how they are made. In the process students also garner a strong background in the humanities and have ample opportunities to polish their skills in verbal, visual and written expression.
The following courses are required for completion of the Film and Media Studies major:
- Thirty credits taken outside humanistic studies in the areas of social and behavioral sciences, quantitative studies, natural science or engineering science
- Introduction to Cinema I and II (061.140 and 061.141)
One of two introductory production/visual theory courses:
- Introduction to Visual Language (061.145)
- Introduction to Film Production (061.150)
At least two of the following courses:
- Film Genres (061.244)
- Introduction to Film Theory (061.245)
- Special Topics in Film and Media (061.246)
The following upper-level courses:
- Seven courses at the 300 or 400 level (with a maximum of two production-related classes)
- One 500 level course, either an internship or an independent study
An area of emphasis:
- Students must take three courses outside the program in a separate area (i.e., courses not cross-listed with Film and Media Studies), ideally in an area that can be brought to bear on the study of film or media in significant ways. Such clusters could be imagined, for instance, as focusing on other media and art forms (for example, photography, writing, the visual arts, literature, theater); cross-disciplinary topics or sets of problems (for example, the urban environment, violence and pornography, censorship, copyright and industry regulation, concepts of the public sphere, or globalization); or subfields within area studies (for example, Women and Gender, African-American, or Jewish Studies) and traditional disciplines, such as history, anthropology, philosophy, or political science. Students develop emphasis in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Undergraduate Major
For Classes of 2011 and 2012
The following courses are required for completion of the Film and Media Studies major:
- Thirty credits taken outside humanistic studies in the areas of social and behavioral sciences, quantitative studies, natural science or engineering science
- Introduction to Cinema I and II (Study of Film) (061.140)
One of two introductory production/visual theory courses:
- Introduction to Visual Language (061.145)
- Introduction to Film Production (061.150)
At least two of the following courses:
- Film Genres (061.244)
- Introduction to Film Theory (061.245)
- Special Topics in Film and Media (061.246)
The following upper-level courses:
- Seven courses at the 300 or 400 level (with a maximum of two production-related classes)
- One 500 level course, either an internship or an independent study
An area of emphasis:
- Students must take three courses outside the program in a separate area (i.e., courses not cross-listed with Film and Media Studies), ideally in an area that can be brought to bear on the study of film or media in significant ways. Such clusters could be imagined, for instance, as focusing on other media and art forms (for example, photography, writing, the visual arts, literature, theater); cross-disciplinary topics or sets of problems (for example, the urban environment, violence and pornography, censorship, copyright and industry regulation, concepts of the public sphere, or globalization); or subfields within area studies (for example, Women and Gender, African-American, or Jewish Studies) and traditional disciplines, such as history, anthropology, philosophy, or political science. Students develop emphasis in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Undergraduate Minor
Students may develop a minor from seven courses in Film and Media Studies, including:
- One semester of Introduction to Cinema, I or II (061.140-141)
- One additional 100 level course
- One 200 level course
- Four 300 level courses, including at least one course on a national cinema other than the United States.