As a popular art form, film is a prominent medium in our society. Students invest a great deal of time and money enjoying a medium that is capable of shaping audiences’ cultural lives. The academic rationale for the Film Studies Option is to combine creative and critical thinking. As a result, students will receive a rigorous understanding of film criticism, screenwriting, and filmmaking. Film Studies will investigate the psychological, social, technical, and critical aspects of this medium, particularly focusing on how the medium can manipulate audiences.
Film Studies completes and complements the existing Communications Options in Journalism and Broadcasting. It is designed to be interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on the combined skills of professors from the Journalism, Broadcasting, and Fine Arts options.
Other courses in the program will include “Cinematography,” “Writing for the Media,” and “Critical Analysis of the Cinema,” a course which has been running for nearly a decade and which has enjoyed a 100 percent transfer record to Rutgers, Montclair, and William Paterson universities, to name only a few four-year institutions.
Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the cultural, social and political impact of film on contemporary society.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the technical and creative aspects of film.
- Exhibit an understanding of the history of cinematography.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the film industry in relation to journalism, broadcasting, and the fine arts.
- Strengthen and enhance the ability of individuals to write and think critically about the art of film in its cultural context.
