Film and Media Studies

The Major: The interdisciplinary B.A., with a concentration in film and media studies, enables students to pursue a liberal arts approach to audio-visual studies. The courses offered provide a range of training from professional and applied (anthropology, architecture, education and theatre) to historical and experimental (art, English, Germanic and Slavic and romance languages).

The film and media studies major encourages students to integrate these offerings by working in both theory and production. Application to this major must be approved by the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee. For the senior thesis, a student may choose an essay, a film script, a short film or video, or work in a related medium.

The major requires a minimum of 27 hours, 20 hours from the courses listed below and seven from IDS 4906, senior independent work. Majors should take ENG 3115 Introduction to Film: Criticism and Theory, since it serves as the prerequisite for ENG 4136 Film and Video Production. Students and sponsors select courses for CLAS electives.

Since many of the courses in the departments of Art, English and Theatre have prerequisites, students should plan their freshman and sophomore work with the major in mind. Under certain circumstances, instructors will waive some prerequisites for IDS majors, but with space at a premium (especially in studio and production classes), students should not try to avoid any requirements. Students may, however, use up to nine hours of 2000-level prerequisites as electives.

Early preparation for the major should include ENG 2300 (Film Analysis). Other useful courses are GET 2950 (Early German Cinema), TPP 2100 and 2110 (Acting 1 and 2), TPP 2260 (Acting for the Cinema), ARH 2051 (Introduction to the Principles and History of Art 2), ART 2685C (Computer Art: Montage), ART 2686C Video Art: Montage), PGY 2441C (Photography), and PGY 2442C (Photography).

The major is selective, requiring a 3.0 minimum GPA, two sponsors chosen from faculty in the program and approval of the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee. The application form and information is available in 2014 Turlington.

Honors: To graduate cum laude, a student must have an overall 3.5 junior/senior GPA. Senior independent work earning an A and a 3.5 GPA qualifies for magna cum laude (high honors) or summa cum laude (highest honors) recognition.

General Education: Many of the courses included in the film and media studies major satisfy general education requirements.

Note: Check the Department of English entry for a description of the English B.A. with a film and media studies concentration.