STARTING POINTS

TDF 165
Language of Cinema, offered every Fall.
This is the best starting point, recommended for students who wish to pursue production or criticism and theory. It introduces how movies are put together, from a technical standpoint, as well as critical concepts and approaches used in the close analysis of movies.

TDF 173
Sight & Sound, offered every term.
This half-credit introductory production course is required for students who wish to pursue video production. It teaches crucial skills, from camerawork to basic animation in Final Cut Pro, through a series of short creative projects.

TDF 267
Film History, offered every Spring.
This is another good entry point, particularly for students interested in classic movies, American Studies, cultural studies, or history. It teaches students how to examine movies as cultural artifacts and, along the way, introduces some of the most influential movies and moviemakers, from Griffith to Godard and Ford to Fellini.

COURSES

Links to selected course syllabi are provided below.

TDF 165 Intro to Film & Media Studies
TDF 173 Intro to Video Production
TDF 267 Film History
TDF 362 Narrative Video Workshop
TDF 363 Film Theory: Comedy

OVERVIEW & REQUIREMENTS

F&M's Film & Media Studies curriculum reflects the liberal arts orientation of the department and the college as a whole. It is our philosophy that smart and gifted young people who wish to pursue a career in film or the media are best served by a well-rounded education in the field, which includes challenging analytical courses in addition to a variety of practical courses. We also make a point to open all of our courses to students from across the curriculum, since, in today's media saturated world, students in every discipline benefit from training in media analysis and production. Indeed, many of our students go on to pursue careers in other fields, including business, science, law, writing, and higher education.

MINOR: A minor in Film & Media Studies consists of any six courses that include all four kinds described above. Since there is a half-credit prerequisite to enter our video production curriculum, a minor typically requires 6.5 credits.

SPECIAL STUDIES MAJOR: A Special Studies major is a self-designed program of study that includes courses from three departments. It must be intellectually coherent and include advanced courses, including a senior thesis project or the equivalent. Recent Special Studies majors involving Film & Media Studies include Visual Studies, Film Music, Media and Marketing, Cultural Studies, and Film and Myth. A Joint major between Film & Media Studies and just one other program or department is also possible. See the college catalog for additional details.

CONCENTRATION IN THEATER MAJOR: A Theater major at F&M requires a concentration in a specialty, such as acting, design, or film. A concentration in film requires one course each in film analysis, film history course, and video production course, plus the half-credit prerequisite for video production, if required. See the Theater major for additional details.

The first step in designing a major or minor in Film & Media Studies is to meet with program director Dirk Eitzen or with another professor in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film.