Film is fundamentally a medium of expression and communication that may be used to examine and study human knowledge and exploration in a wide variety of fields. A film may have predominantly literary content or may be predominantly historical, political, or cultural. A film may be highly impressionistic and be primarily an abstract, aesthetic work. Film is more than a century old, and it is an increasingly popular form of entertainment and cultural influence in the world. It is also a medium capable of serious artistic expression and scholarly analysis. The departments of Communication, English, Modern Languages and Literatures, History, Political Science, and Visual Arts and New Media and the Women’s Studies and Film Studies programs offer courses regularly that treat film as a communication medium, an artistic medium, an historical or political document, or a reflection of culture. In any given semester, as many as 200 students may be enrolled in courses in which film is the major vehicle for study.

The goals of the Film Studies minor are to develop a variety of approaches to understanding the role of film as a medium of expression and communication and the kinds of content with which a film might be concerned, to acquaint students with the development of film as a medium of expression and communication, and to acquaint students with landmarks in the history of film and to recognize and challenge the grounds on which landmark status has been recognized.

Requirements for the Minor in Film Studies

Requirements may differ according to date of enrollment. Current students should check their college catalog.

Prerequisites: 18 credit hours of film study or permission of the instructor
Notes: No more than four (4) courses may be taken in any one discipline. To determine if a course not listed above will satisfy requirements for the Film Studies minor, students should contact the Film Studies office.