Faculty, 2009-10: Karen Achberger (German), 20th-century literature, cinema, Austrian literature; Guido Alvarez (Art and Art History), new media; Kathryn Ananda-Owens (Music) piano; Brian Bjorklund (Theatre), design and production; Megan Feeney (Media Studies); Dona Freeman (Theatre), acting; Jeanine Grenberg (Philosophy), ethics, Kant, history of modern philosophy (on leave); Steve Hahn (History), early America, Native American history; Karil Kucera (Art and Art History), art history; Asian studies; Judy Kutulas (History), 20th-century American history, American women’s history, media history (on leave); Diana Neal (Nursing), pediatric and adult medical-surgical nursing (on leave); Diana Postlethwaite (English), 19th-century British literature, literature and film; Anthony Roberts (Dance), modern dance, dance technology, Companydance; Marc Robinson (Russian Language and Area Studies), Russian language, Russian film, theater, and literature; Matthew Rohn (Art and Art History), art history, environmental studies (on leave); Mary Trull (English), 16th- and 17th-century literature; Pin P. Wan (Chinese), Chinese language and literature; Karen Wilson (Theatre), theater, voice/phonetics, oral interpretation (on leave spring semester)

Art, history, cultural studies, and technology come together in the interdisciplinary study of film: text meets sound and image, art meets science, economics meet aesthetics. Film studies addresses the inherently collaborative nature of a medium where directors, cinematographers, editors, actors, musicians, and set designers work together to create works of art. Films invite analysis and evaluation both as self-contained works of art, and as reflections of the historical and cultural circumstances in which they are created and consumed.

overview of the concentration

The Film studies concentration equips students with basic skills of visual literacy (how to "read" the moving image), and the ability to understand the cultural, historical, and commercial contexts of films.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE CONCENTRATION

requirements for the concentration

The Film studies concentration consists of five courses, at least three at level II or III, including:

(1) Film Studies 101: Introduction to Film Studies.

(2) Studies in the history, theory, or cultural meaning of film. Two elective courses focus on the history, theory, or cultural expression of film within the United States or in a global context. These courses examine the production, critical evaluation, cultural history, and reception of film. Students take two courses to develop fluency with the critical and theoretical methods of the discipline (see list below).

(3) Practical film studies. One elective course that focuses on practical aspects of film creation or criticism. These courses emphasize modern film as professional practice, asking students to master at least one of the main creative or technical skill sets used in film-making (see list below).

(4) Integrative film studies. One more elective class drawn from (2) and (3) above, or an integrative film topics course approved by the program (see list below), or a contract course worked out in consultation with the program director and the instructor. This course challenges students to synthesize their previous study of film in ways consistent with their own needs and interests, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of film studies. Students must present to the program director a brief explanation of how their work in this course synthesizes previous interests.

Note: no more than one course from another institution may count toward the concentration.

Film Studies 101 Introduction to Film Studies

This course provides an overview of film studies by focusing on three areas: history of film, production (the basic tools of film-making), and theory (the basic vocabulary of film analysis). Students develop visual literacy through engagement with the primary structures, methods, practitioners, history, ideas, and vocabularies of film studies.

courses that count toward the film studies concentration

Courses that may fulfill requirement 2 (studies in the history, theory, or cultural meaning of film)

Asian Studies 124: Introduction to Japanese Film
English 275: Literature and Film
German 249: German Cinema
Media Studies 240: World Cinema
Media Studies 270: Film Genres
Norwegian 130: Nordic Film Today
Russian Language/Area Studies 265: Introduction to Russian and Soviet Film

Courses that may fulfill requirement 3 (practical film studies)

Art 104: Foundation New Media
Art 228: Animated Art
Art 229: Video Art
Art 239: Video Art Production
Dance 150: Movement, the Camera, and the Creative Process
English 296: Screenwriting
Theatre 130: Introduction to Acting
Theatre 275: Writing for Performance

Courses that may fulfill requirement 4 (integrative film studies)

Asian Studies 156: Contemporary China through Film
Family Studies 130: Families in Film and Literature
French 250: Speaking of French
History 290: Reel America: American History through Film
Integrative Studies 204: Censors and Degenerates
Media Studies 160: Mass Media
Media Studies 260: Media in Contemporary Culture
Nursing 120: Images of Wellness in the Media
Philosophy 260: Kant's Moral Theory in Literature and Film