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Department of English

Film Studies Minor

Film Studies Minor

English 
Advisor: Christopher Weedman

An interdisciplinary minor in Film Studies is designed to enhance the educational opportunities available to students interested in learning about and through film. Courses in the minor focus on various issues connected to narrative, theory, style, and assorted social/cultural concerns.

To fulfill requirements for the minor, a student will complete 18 hours (six courses) from those listed below. No more than 9 hours (three courses) should be taken in any single department, and courses from at least three of the participating departments should be included in the 18-hour total.

Interdisciplinary Minors

Interdisciplinary minors require the student to complete a minimum of 15 to 21 hours from a list of specific courses. Unless otherwise noted, a student may take no more than 6 hours of courses from a single department until he or she surpasses the required minimum number of hours necessary for completing the minor. Exceptions to this rule may be found within the discussions of several of the minors. In most cases, a student is also limited to just 3 hours of credit toward the minor in the same department or discipline in which he or she is taking a major. Students must fulfill all departmental prerequisites for any course within an interdisciplinary minor. In some cases, advisors may approve course substitutions within these program requirements.

Required Courses (18 hours)

Select 18 hours from the following:

ANTH 3640 – Visual Anthropology

3 credit hours

Prerequisites: 3 hours anthropology or permission of instructor. Photography and film as tools and products of ethnography. Researching, analyzing, and presenting behavioral and cultural ideas through visual means. Cultural and political biases presented through photography and film.

ENGL 3850 – Literature and Film

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. The relationship between literature and film with emphasis on narration, characterization, point of view, and setting.

ENGL 3860 – Film Genre

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. One or more groups of films linked through narrative, stylistic, and/or thematic characteristics.

ENGL 3870 – Film History

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. History of world film from its inception through the 1990s.

ENGL 3885 – Topics in Gender and Film

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. A selected subject or focus within gender and film studies. Topic will vary each time course is taught. Possible topics include representation of women in film, history of gender representation in film, women directors; Hollywood and gender; queer film studies; gender and international cinema; gender, race, and Hollywood, etc. May be repeated up to four times with different topics.

ENGL 4855 – Film Theory and Criticism

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. A survey of the major theoretical approaches to film, including montage, mise-en-scene, and structuralist theory.

ENGL 4860 – Special Topics in Film Studies

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Completion of 1000- and 2000-level English requirements with a grade of C- or better. A selected director, genre, period, aspect, or theme. The subject will vary each time course is taught.

HIST 4175 – Nineteenth-Century America in Film

3 credit hours

Prerequisites: Six hours of HIST 2010, HIST 2020, HIST 2030, HIST 2040, or HIST 2050. Nineteenth-century American history as presented in major motion pictures. Analyzes the cultural responses to major historical events in the nineteenth century through movies.

HUM 3500 – Latino Images in U.S. Film

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 2020, ENGL 2030, HUM 2610, or permission of instructor. Explores the past and present portrayals of Latinos in U.S. cinema.

HUM 4550 – The Grail Legend in Film and Literature

3 credit hours

Prerequisite:ENGL 2020,  ENGL 2030, or HUM 2610, or permission of the instructor. Explores the origin and development of the Grail legend in Western art primarily in literature and film.

JOUR 3000 – Journalism and Media in the Movies

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor. The development and role of motion pictures in America, including the history of films and filmmakers and how they’ve used film to portray journalists and media influencers to impact American society and culture.

VFP 2510 – History of American Cinema

3 credit hours

Prerequisite: VFP major.

The development and role of motion pictures in America, including the history of films and filmmakers, the development of film technique and genres, and the role of films in culture and society.

PHIL 3600 – Philosophy and Film

3 credit hours

Examination of the cinematic expression of philosophical issues and development of philosophical issues in cinema.

PS 3100 – Politics and Film

3 credit hours

Analysis of political ideas as expressed in motion pictures. Topics include leadership, political biographies, campaigns and elections, ideology, and war.

RIM 4570 – Film Sound Theory and Analysis

3 credit hours

Prerequisites: ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020 with C or better. Lecture-oriented class examines the use of sound design and music as creative tools in film. Discusses and explores the sound of various films through active critical listening. Students need to have quality headphones or a controlled listening environment to perform effective audio analysis.

RS 3600 – Religion and Film

3 credit hours

Examines the cinematic expression of religious traditions and development of religious issues in cinema.

NOTE:

Other film-related courses are sometimes offered which can be counted as part of the Film Studies minor with prior approval. Consult the Film Studies advisor to determine if such courses are available for a particular semester.

Contact Us

Department of English

Mailing Address:
Department of English
Middle Tennessee State University
Box 70
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37132

Main Office: Peck Hall 302

Chair: Dr. Stephen Severn

Email: stephen.severn@mtsu.edu

Telephone: (615) 898-2648