Undergraduate Program
Information About The Program.
The Film and Media Studies Program
offers an interdepartmental concentration in film and Media Studies
and a special concentration in Media Production. A minor in Film
and Media Studies is also available.
The program consists of coordinated courses offered by various
liberal arts departments, all studying film, television, and
the electronic arts as art forms and cultural phenomena; it is
augmented by internships and other special courses, and by the
resources of the Film and Media Studies Program’s
Special Collection housed in the Multimedia Center. Some video
production is taught, and students with a primary interest in
this area are prepared for graduate work, professional schools
in film or communications; as well as postgraduate study or careers
in entertainment law, journalism, film and photography conservation
and curetting, and multimedia software development. Many students
study film for its own sake, as an absorbing art challenging
liberal art form and cultural phenomenon, before taking up other
careers. Many double-major in film and some other field.
Students should take introductory
courses before going to more advanced or specialized courses
in film history, film criticism, in filmmaking; majors are advised
to take a film history course also; before developing their special
interests in advanced courses. Courses in photography, painting, music, drama,
the novel and intellectual and social history provide strong support for various
film courses and these should be explored during a student’s first two years. The Film and Media Studies
concentration offers students an opportunity to explore motion
pictures, television, and the electronic arts as art forms and
cultural phenomena. It consists of
specific courses offered by participating departments and it provides
opportunity for screening and analysis of centrally important
films and videos in the history of cinema from the core collection
in the Film and Media Studies Program’s Special Collection.
Twenty or more film courses are offered annually by various departments.
A list is made available each semester in time for preregistration.
There are many career opportunities open to students of film and
the media arts. Many students go on to film or television school,
pursuing graduate work in producing, directing, editing, cinematography,
screen writing, acting, and other creative aspects of media. Others
choose to pursue the graduate study of media history, theory,
and criticism in masters or doctoral programs. Media law and business
also present exciting opportunities for postgraduate study. A
major in Film and media Studies can lead to exciting careers in
print and media journalism, arts and museum management, film preservation
and curetting, library science, and multimedia authoring.
The
Film and Media Studies Program also enjoys a close relationship
with the George Eastman House. All University students have free
access to the Museum and Library on presentation of student identification.
Important film screenings and special events are offered several
nights a week at the Dryden and Curtis Theatre. The archival resources
of the Museum are also available for course work and for special
projects. The George Eastman House also offers many exciting opportunities
for internships, especially in the conservation of film and photography.
Double-majoring in Film and Media Studies and another field is encouraged, though not more than two courses may be proposed in common for the two majors.
Independent Projects (through independent reading or research courses, or an independent project that calls upon the knowledge and discrimination acquired while completing these requirements) may be taken by Film and Media Studies concentrators, if they wish, during their senior year.
Film Internships at television stations and local industries, and abroad, are open to film students under the sponsorship of the Film and Media Studies Program. In addition, film production course work can be taken elsewhere for credit at the University.
Study Abroad during a fall, spring semester or a year is also encouraged. The director can recommend many study abroad programs for the summer and academic year.