Film Studies

Find More Information on the Department Homepage

Film, video, and other related media are ubiquitous in contemporary society. Motion pictures combine art and text, creating a powerful medium that often dominates local cultural discourse, even as it is internationally accessible. Higher education engages the study of film and teaches students to think, write and speak critically about their products, which increasingly reflect us, define us, persuade us, market us, and tell our stories. In the past forty years film studies has become a significant and continuous intellectual presence in academic and the world of higher education. Students used to major in film as a sort of apprenticeship, as a prelude to going into the movie business. Today, however, students all over the country--and world--are majoring in film for a variety of reasons: to teach, to succeed in the business world, to become managers, to prepare for graduate study, to have a career in the armed forces, to prepare for running large charitable foundations, and simply to try and change the world.