Film Studies :: Catalog

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Film Studies

An interdepartmental program
Film Studies

Courses of Study:
Minor

The Film Studies Program is an interdisciplinary program that offers insight into motion picture media. The minor has three primary goals: it seeks to offer an informed background into motion picture history, to develop a critical appreciation of the cultural meanings of the moving image, and to give some hands-on exposure to the creative aspects of film production.

The curriculum provides a broad overview of the history of the moving image, analytical expertise into cinematic style and cultural context, and an introduction to at least one aspect of film production. A field that has a special affinity with interdisciplinary inquiry, film studies stands as an obvious complement to a range of established majors for which an expertise in visual style and motion-picture history is becoming ever more important—American studies, East Asian studies, English and American literature, fine arts, German language and literature, history, international and global studies, Italian studies, politics, Russian language and literature, and theater arts.

How to Become a Minor

The program is open to all Brandeis undergraduates. To enroll in the program, consult with a member of the film studies committee. Students who complete the requirements of the program receive film studies certificates and notations on their transcripts.

Committee

Alice Kelikian, Chair
(History)

Scott Edmiston, Director, Office of the Arts
(Office of the Provost)

Matthew Fraleigh
(German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature)

Timothy Hickey
(Computer Science)

Paul Morrison (on leave 2008-2009)
(English and American Literature)

Sabine von Mering
(German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literature)

Requirements for the Minor

Students must complete six courses:

A. Core course: FILM 100a (Introduction to the Moving Image).

B. Five additional courses from the approved film studies curriculum, which must include one course in a non-American cinema and one course in some creative aspect of film production.

C. A research paper or creative project usually undertaken in the senior year and approved by the Film Studies Committee.

Courses of Instruction

(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students

FILM 92a Internship in Film Studies
Usually offered every year.
Staff

FILM 98a Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff

FILM 98b Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff

(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students

FILM 100a Introduction to the Moving Image
[ ca hum ]
An interdisciplinary course surveying the history of moving image media from 1895 to the present, from the earliest silent cinema to the age of the 500-channel cable television. Open to all undergraduates as an elective, it is the introductory course for the minor in film studies. Usually offered every year.
Staff

FILM 110a Film Production I
[ ss ]
Preference given to film studies minors.
An introduction to the basic principles and techniques of fictional narrative motion picture production. Each student will produce three short films. The films will emphasize dramatic development and creative storytelling through image composition, camera movement, editing, and sound. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Weinberg

FILM 110b Motion Picture Editing
[ ss ]
Preference given to film studies minors.
Students will develop visual literacy through a study of the editor's role in cinematic storytelling. The course provides an overview of the craft's history and theory and offers practical training in editing digital video with Final Cut Pro. Special one-time offering, was offered spring 2008.
Mr. Dellelo