Film and Media Studies
Undergraduate Programs
Description
Film and Media Studies looks at all aspects of film and media. Students in the program explore these disciplines through aesthetic, creative, cultural, historical, technical, and theoretical perspectives. The program prepares students for careers as communicators, innovative creators of film and other media texts, and competent professionals in such fields as broadcast news, digital media, film production, or other media-related fields.
Majors |
Program | Locations | Major / Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film and Media Studies BA | BA - Bachelor of Arts |
|
58 / 120 |
Minors |
Program | Locations | Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Film Studies Minor |
|
20 |
Policies & Faculty
Policies
Admission to the Major is granted by the Program Directors. Please see one of the directors for information on admission procedures.
GPA Policy. Majors must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better in their major, in addition to the 2.0 overall GPA required by the University for graduation. A student must earn a "C" or better for a course to apply to their major; this includes the required general electives.
P/N Grading Policy. A course leading to a Film and Media Studies major may not be taken on a P/N basis, unless it is an Internship or an Independent Study not connected to the student's Capstone Project.
Transfer Credit. The program accepts no more than 16 credits from other colleges and universities as transfer credits to be applied toward the major. They must be taken in courses that match or are the equivalent of courses that are offered in the program. Please consult the Program Directors on any transfer issues.
Internships. In addition to the two-credit Internship Option for the Capstone Project, students may take additional internship credits up to a total of six internship credits. Opportunities for film and media studies internships exist on and off campus for majors who want to work in a professional setting.
Additional Requirement. Students may not use any course in this major to meet the requirements of any other degree in the Mass Media or English departments.
Student Advising. Students are encouraged to consult the Program Directors on a regular basis for advice about course selection and career planning. Please see the Program Director in the area that matches your career interests: Film or Media Studies.
Contact Information
136 Nelson Hall
Main Office (507) 389-6412https://hss.mnsu.edu/academic-programs/filmandmediastudies/
Faculty
Program Director (Film Studies)
- Matt Connolly, Ph.D.
Program Director (Media Studies)
- Heather McIntosh, Ph.D.
Chair
- Gina Wenger, Ph.D.
Faculty
100 Level
Credits: 4
Promotes appreciation and understanding of cinema through the study of film style, film history, film genres, and the cultural impact of films.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-06
Credits: 4
Study and analysis of the elements basic to a critical understanding of film: story elements; visual design; cinematography and color; editing and special effects; functions of sound and music; styles of acting and directing; and functions of genre and social beliefs.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-06
Credits: 4
Provides an introduction to storytelling and design in games through their analysis and application. Students will design their own basic game as part of the class.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1
This course provides practical experience in public relations for campus media entities, such as university media relations, esports or sports media, and other communications organizations, working under the supervision of a faculty adviser. Minimum of 2 hours per week. Cannot be substituted for MASS498 Internship.Prerequisites: none
200 Level
Credits: 4
Study and analysis of the techniques, thematic conventions, and cultural and historical contexts of major film genres including the western, the musical, crime, melodrama, science fiction, and gangster. Films will include a mix of classic and contemporary examples.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-06
Credits: 1-4
Course will explore specialized topics in film; may be repeated under a different topic.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-06
Credits: 4
Studies analytical film language in several different film writing forms, including short and long-form reviews, collaborative analysis, and formal critical essays. Emphasizes social and critical contexts needed for film analysis and practice of writing in these film forms.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-06
Credits: 4
Introduces fundamentals of film production: writing, producing, directing, lighting, shooting, and editing, through lecture, critiquing the work of other filmmakers, and hands on production. By the end of this course students will be ready to puruse their own film projects.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-11
Credits: 4
This course introduces students to the history of independent filmmaking. It includes the close analysis and study of films and filmmakers in United States independent cinema and in independent cinemas across the globe. The focus is on films made outside of the Hollywood economic model of filmmaking. The student will learn how to conduct historical research in independent filmmaking and how to critically analyze independent films.Prerequisites: none
300 Level
Credits: 4
Designed for students who have prior experience and want to make an experimental, narrative and/or documentary film. Students will move from screenplay/proposal to production and post production of short films. Pre-req: ENG 217 or permission of instructor. May be repeated.Prerequisites: FILM 217 or permission of instructor
Credits: 4
Introduces students to film from a variety of world cultures. Designed to increase knowledge of world cultures and appreciation and understanding of cultural differences in representation. Emphasizes history of national cinemas, film analysis, and writing.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
This course introduces students to the close study of performance in the cinema. Through close analysis, we will challenge ourselves to think carefully about the creative contributions of actors to film narratives. Students will be taught how to closely describe, read, and interpret film performances, and will be introduced to critical frameworks for analyzing film acting in its various historical, aesthetic, and socio-cultural contexts. The focus in the course will be primarily on performance in U.S. cinema, although some case studies will also look at performance in international film.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Explores and analyzes theories of game studies through examination of games, their development, history, representation, study, and industry toward considering their impacts on society.Prerequisites: none
400 Level
Credits: 4
This course examines the major films, filmmakers, movements, and trends that defined cinema throughout its first 65 years as a medium. It utilizes a range of historical lenses--aesthetic, industrial, technological, sociocultural--to offer a fuller understanding of film's development across varying temporal and geographic contexts. To encourage engagement with the construction of cinematic history, the course both engages with primary documents and analyzes scholarly historical work on film's creation and expansion. Ultimately, the class seeks to foster both knowledge of early cinematic history and appreciation for film history as a mode of research and writing.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
This course examines the major films, filmmakers, movements, and trends that have defined cinema from the early 1960s to the present. It utilizes a range of historical lenses--aesthetic, industrial, technological, sociocultural--to offer a fuller understanding of film's development across varying temporal and geographic contexts. Utilizing primary documents alongside scholarly historical accounts, it also allows students to conduct research into contemporary titles and make an argument for how they reflect and/or challenge larger historical patterns. Ultimately, the course explores how the state of modern cinema can be contextualized and understood through an engagement with the (relatively) recent filmic past.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
This course provides both a historical survey of film theory and the opportunity to actively engage in analyzing film using theoretical tools. Film theory is a set of conceptual frameworks through which to understand cinema and the various artistic, social, and psychological questions the medium poses to viewers. Through a study of major film theories and their uses in critically analyzing film, this course will further prepare you to be an informed and engaged viewer of all kinds of cinema.Prerequisites: FILM 402 or FILM 412
Credits: 4
Film Authorship teaches the study of authorship in cinema and other forms of moving-image media. The course focuses on the concept of authorship throughout the history of film studies by looking at the career of one or more film directors. The course explores the careers of the selected director(s) in their varying historical, cultural, ideological, theoretical, and aesthetic contexts. The course may be repeated for credit if the particular director(s) under discussion differ from the previous course the student has taken. The director(s) studied will be listed under Notes in the course schedule whenever the course is offered.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Examines serious game theory and design principles in training simulations, persuasive games, and news games. Using these theories and principles, students will research, develop, test, and evaluate their own serious game.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-4
Topic-oriented course in film studies. May be repeated with change of topic.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-6
On-site field experience, the nature of which is determined by the specific needs of the student's program option. May be repeated with change in topic. Pre: Consent of InstructorPrerequisites: Consent of instructor
Credits: 1-4
Extensive reading, research, writing and/or film production in an area for which the student has had basic preparation. May be repeated with change in topic. Pre: Consent of instructorPrerequisites: Consent of instructor
