Cinema and Media Studies Requirements

The interdisciplinary minor in cinema and media studies introduces students to a variety of approaches to analyzing film and related media through the study of directors, genres, film style, screenwriting, film theory, aesthetic theories, and relationships between media and society. While housed in the Department of English, this minor offers students the opportunity to take film and media-related coursework in many other fields, including courses in production.

Minor requirements (18 units)

  • English 202: Film Analysis & Interpretation (3 units)
  • One additional English course (3 units)
  • Four courses chosen from the list of approved film-related courses (see below) (12 units)

Approved electives

Below is a partial list of approved electives. For other possible electives, please contact Katherine Fusco or Mike Branch. Once the suggested course is approved, please contact Alissa Surges to have the new course added to the list of approved electives.

Please note that some courses in this list may not be offered every semester, or even every year. For more information about when a particular course might be offered, please contact the department or discuss with your advisor.

  • ART 141: Introduction to Digital Photography
  • ART 151: Introduction to Time-Based Media/Videography
  • ART 235: Photography II: Lighting
  • ART 237: Photography II: Color
  • ART 245: Digital Media I
  • ART 251: Intermediate Videography
  • ART 252: Cinema I: Silent Era
  • ART 253: Cinema II: Sound Era
  • ART 345: Sound and Image
  • ART 353: Cinema III: Sound Era
  • ART 355: Advanced Videography
  • ART 454: Problems in Videography
  • ART 475: History of Photography
  • COM 427: Love and Romance in Popular Communication
  • COM 474: New Media and Human Communication
  • CRJ 433: The Prison in Cinema
  • CRJ 417: Police in the Cinema
  • CRJ 465: Sex, Crime, and the Media
  • EDUC 495: Film and Video Fluency for the Digital Age
  • ENG 202: Film Analysis & Interpretation
  • ENG 314: Screenwriting for Film & Television
  • ENG 332: Media Theory
  • ENG 400: Film Theory
  • ENG 435: Global Cinema
  • ENG 437: Topics in Film Studies
  • ENG 438: Film Adaptation
  • ENG 477C: Genre Studies in Film
  • GEOG 477: Geography and Film
  • GRI 431: Indigenous Representations in Film
  • HIST 408A: World War II Goes to the Movies
  • HIST 417C: The West as National Experience
  • ITAL 494: Italian Cinema [offered through USAC Only]
  • JOUR 162: History of Documentary Film
  • JOUR 208: Media Production
  • JOUR 304: Social Media and Society
  • JOUR 306: Latinas/Os through the Eyes of the Media
  • JOUR 312: Web Video for Social Engagement
  • JOUR 330: Script Writing
  • JOUR 340: Intermediate Media Production
  • JOUR 360: Media and Politics
  • JOUR 405: Motion Graphics
  • JOUR 425: Audio: Radio, Podcasting, and Beyond
  • JOUR 440: Advanced Media Production Studio
  • JOUR 462: Documentary Filmmaking
  • JOUR 481: Race, Gender and Media
  • MUS 420: History and Methods of Television Music
  • MUS 425: Film Music
  • PHIL 201: Philosophy and Film
  • PSC 400F: Politics and Film
  • SOC 411: Films and Society
  • SPAN 442: Special Topics in Cultural Studies
  • THTR 240: Acting for the Camera
  • WLL 470: Multiculturalism in Literature & Film
  • WLL 406: Francophone Literature and Films in Translation