Cinema and Media Studies Major
"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
-- Alfred Hitchcock
The Undergraduate Major in Cinema and Media Studies has been designed by faculty across the College of Arts and Humanities to enable students to explore the aesthetic, cultural, economic, historical, and technological dimensions of the most globally influential art forms of the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.
This 39-credit major is based on a critical and textual approach to cinema and media, emphasizing scholarly viewing, interpreting, and writing about moving images. It provides students with a solid background in theoretical, critical, and aesthetic aspects of the study of cinema and media, including the history of the medium and the analysis of national cinemas throughout the world, always keeping in view questions of how new media have changed both cinema itself and the study of cinema. As an art form that has been international in nature and global in reach from its inception, cinema challenges students to think globally and understand the systems of transnational exchange that have characterized this medium. The Cinema and Media Studies major brings together courses in cinema from varied nations, languages, and cultures.
The Cinema and Media Studies major has four parts: a prerequisite course in Film Form (ENGL/CINE 245), a two-course Cinema and Media History and Theory Foundation (CINE 301 and CINE 302), six courses in various Cinema and Media Studies Areas, and four Cinema and Media Studies Electives. The first two parts of the program assure that students have the necessary analytical tools and historical background to interpret diverse global cinematic traditions. The Cinema and Media Studies Areas and Cinema and Media Studies Electives offer students the opportunity to explore genres, themes, and movements across different historical periods and to develop their skills in analysis, writing, and research.
General Policies
1. The Cinema and Media Studies major requires 39 credits (13 courses).
2. A grade of C- or better is required in each of the courses making up the 39 credits of the major.
3. Up to nine (9) credits may be taken at the 200-level.
4. At least 6 of the 39 credits must be at the 400-level.
Required Credits
THE CINEMA AND MEDIA STUDIES MAJOR REQUIRES 39 CREDITS, DISTRIBUTED AS FOLLOWS:
1. FILM FORM (3 CREDITS)
CINE 245/ENGL 245 Film Form and Culture (fulfils Gen Ed req. in Humanities)
Cinema and Media Studies majors must take CINE/ENGL 245 before they take other 300- or 400-level Film Studies courses. We recommend that it be taken no later than sophomore year.
2. CINEMA AND MEDIA STUDIES HISTORY AND THEORY FOUNDATION (6 CREDITS)
Prerequisite for both courses: CINE 245/ENGL 245.
CINE 301 Cinema History I: The Silent Era
CINE 302 Cinema History II: The Sound Era Students may take the two courses in any order.
Revised 11/18/21
3. CINEMA AND MEDIA STUDIES AREAS (18 CREDITS)
Courses in these distribution requirements must be taken at the 300-level or above; at least one must be taken at the 400-level.
A. One course (3 credits) in Cinema and Media Theories
B. Two courses (6 credits) in Genres/Auteurs/Movements
C. Two courses (6 credits) in National and International Cinemas
D. One course (3 credits) in Documentary, Animation, Experimental Cinema or other Visual Media
4. CINEMA AND MEDIA STUDIES ELECTIVES (12 CREDITS)
Up to two courses in this category may be taken at the 200-level. At least one must be taken at the 400-level. Please consult the full list of courses accepted for the major.
Option One: 12 credits, distributed as follows:
A. At least two courses (6 credits) from CINE, any topic or area
B. Up to two courses (6 credits) of cinema and media studies-related courses from other programs, as approved by the program Advisor.
Option Two: 12 credits
A. Four courses (12 credits) in cinema and media studies, selected to create a coherent emphasis. The four courses should be selected in consultation with the Film Studies Advisor to allow students to explore a specific area of interest or an area related to their future academic or professional plans.
Program Advisor
Marianne Conroy
Lecturer, English
Cinema and Media Studies
3229 Tawes Hall
College Park
MD,
20742
Program Director
Caroline Eades
Professor, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Professor, French
Professor, Cinema and Media Studies
Affiliate Professor, Classics
4120 Jiménez Hall
College Park
MD,
20742