Film Studies, BA

Edwin Weihe, PhD, Director of Film Studies

Objectives

Cinema is the most important and popular new art form developed in the 20th century and it has had a profound effect on modern culture. The bachelor of arts in film studies gives students a disciplinary knowledge of this art form – its history, aesthetics, craft, genres, and great directors – and it situates film in its international context with studies of national cinemas all over the world. Students especially inter­ested in filmmaking can study screenwriting and film production, and complete off-campus film projects and internships in the regional film community and through study abroad.

Sharing a commitment to critical thinking and writing skills development, the film studies program works interdepartmentally with other humanities and social science disciplines and programs that ap­proach film as cultural text. Therefore, students can experience film study as an interdisciplinary activity with an interdisciplinary faculty, and, if they choose, coordinate a major or minor in Film Studies with a second major or minor in another discipline. Film studies also addresses transdisciplinary questions re­specting visual literacy, our image-saturated culture, the history of racial and gender stereotyping in film, and the medium’s role in promoting social justice and global citizenship. Finally, in the larger learning environment of a Film Art Series, film workshops and exhibitions, film festivals, and a vibrant regional film community, students will discover additional resources that will help prepare them for graduate film study and careers in a diverse and challenging industry.