Film Studies Minor
Course Descriptions
FLM 260-69 Special Topics in Film Genre FLM 280-89 Special Topics in Film Directors FLM 320-29 Special Topics in Film Period FLM 340-49 Special Topics in National Cinemas FLM 360-69 Special Topics in Film History and Analysis FLM 380 Film Theory and Criticism FLM 498, FLM 499 Independent Study in Film MUS 245 Exploring Music and Film
FLM 216 Introduction to FilmThis course is an introduction to film as a communicative and artistic medium, with attention to its technological, industrial, social, and aesthetic dimensions. Students will view a wide range of films, including early as well as recent American and foreign films, and learn about the various techniques used to express meaning in cinema, as well as the major critical approaches that can be used to make sense of films. Offered every semester. No prerequisites. Satisfies ADR I. 3 credit hours.
FLM 220 Film HistoryThis course introduces students to the history of film as a medium from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century to the present day and explores the complex relationship between film and history, with attention to the ways in which history has shaped film and film has shaped history. Offered every Spring. No prerequisites. Satisfies ADR I. 3 credit hours.
FLM 260-69 Special Topics in Film GenreThis course examines the way in which films are routinely produced, marketed, consumed, and classified according to genre--to established categories of cinema delineated by certain general patterns of form and content, such as the Western, the horror film, the musical, and so on. It may be organized as a broad survey of different film genres or as a more focused and in-depth exploration of a single film genre. This course may be repeated for different topics. Offered every two years. No prerequisites. 3 credit hours.
FLM 280-89 Special Topics in Film DirectorsThis course explores the theory that film directors, by virtue of the central role they play in guiding the collaborative project of filmmaking, can be considered the authors of films. It may be organized as a focused and in-depth examination of a single director who exhibits a distinctive style and coherent thematic vision in his or her films, or as a broad survey of a group of directors who share the same stylistic or thematic concerns and/or the same gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. This course may be repeated for different topics. Offered every two years. No prerequisites. 3 credit hours.
FLM 320-29 Special Topics in Film PeriodThis course undertakes an extended and in-depth examination of a specific period in film history, with attention to its unique technological, industrial, social, and aesthetic dimensions. It may be organized around the exploration of a particular decade (e.g., the 1960s), movement (e.g., postwar Italian Neorealism), or era (e.g., the silent era) important to the history of cinema. This course may be repeated for different topics. Offered every two years. Prerequisite: WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 3 credit hours.
FLM 340-49 Special Topics in National CinemasThis course involves an extended and in-depth examination of how the films made in a particular country or region outside the United States are shaped by nationally prevailing socio-political and economic conditions, and express or articulate a sense of national identity. It may be organized around the exploration of a specific national cinema--such as French cinema, Italian cinema, or Japanese cinema--or a constellation of related national cinemas: for example, European cinemas, Latin American cinemas, or African cinemas. This course may be repeated for different topics. Offered every two years. Prerequisite: WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 3 credit hours.
FLM 360-69 Special Topics in Film History and AnalysisThis course involves the comprehensive study of selected topics in the history, theory, and critical analysis of film. The specific topic may be suggested either by faculty or by student interest. This course may be repeated for different topics. Offered every two years. Prerequisite: WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 3 credit hours.
FLM 380 Film Theory and CriticismThis course entails the advanced examination of cinema from the perspective of film criticism and theory: writing about cinema that attempts to define the nature of film and its effects. Students will view and analyze a wide range of films, including early as well as recent American and foreign films, with reference to key texts of film theory and criticism. Offered every two years. Prerequisites: FLM216 Introduction to Film and WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 3 credit hours.
FLM 498, FLM 499 Independent Study in FilmThis course represents an opportunity for the student who wishes to undertake a well-defined research project in an area of film studies. While the student conducts work under the guidance of a faculty member of his or her choosing, the project is carried out in an independent manner without regular class meetings. Effective independent study is characterized by a reduction in formal instruction and an increase in the individual student’s responsibility and initiative in the learning process. Offered according to student demand and at the discretion of the instructor. Prerequisite: WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 1-3 credit hours.
LIT 393 Literature and FilmThis course examines the longstanding and complex relationship between literature and film from a variety of different historical, critical, and theoretical perspectives. Special attention will be given to the process of adaptation by which filmmakers attempt to create cinematic analogues to pre-existing literary texts. Other possible topics might include a study of the way in which literary modes and traditions have helped to shape the developments of the cinema as a medium and the way in which film has inspired or influenced some of the most important works of literature produced over the last century. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 3 credit hours.
WRT 377 ScreenwritingThis course is designed to teach students the craft of screenwriting by helping them master, among other things, the format and stylistic conventions followed when writing film scripts, the skill of telling a story with images and sounds, and the ability to render dialogue, characters, and dramatic situations both convincingly and compellingly. Students will learn to become proficient in these areas and others by compiling, over the course of the semester, a screenwriting portfolio composed of one or more short film scripts, as well as the first act of a feature-length film script. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 3 credit hours.
PHL 395 Philosophy and FilmThis course will consider the manner in which film can raise and explore philosophical issues and the manner in which philosophers bring their insights to the analysis of film. It aims to examine and critically evaluate various philosophical themes and problems by means of the visual medium of film. These themes can include such perennial philosophical subjects as reality and appearance, good and evil, and knowledge and skepticism. An additional aim of this course is to examine the nature of film from a philosophical perspective, raising such issues as film's status as an art form, film as a source of knowledge, and whether philosophy can take the form of, or be articulated through, film. Prerequisite: WRT 102 Analytical Reading and Writing. 3 credit hours.
H 486 Holocaust in FilmThis course will examine film representations of the Holocaust and the Third Reich, including documentaries, independent films, television programs, and award winning Hollywood and foreign films. This course will assist students in developing the skills necessary to read film and the moving image as a genre of historical interpretation. Students will be asked to discuss the role (and appropriateness) of film for conveying the Holocaust experience to contemporary audiences. Students will combine a reading of film with supporting historiographical and primary source materials to develop their analyses of the films. Film content may be revised to reflect new releases or availability. Offered every two years. Prerequisite: H 219 Western Civilization I or H 220 Western Civilization II or H 221 American Civilization I or H 222 American Civilization II or permission of the instructor. 3 credit hours.
MUS 245 Exploring Music and FilmThis course will examine the role of original music in narrative films from the beginnings of cinema in the 1890s to the present. Explorations of the functions and aesthetics of music in various film genres of the American cinema will be the main focus, with consideration given to adapted scores, soundtracks and music used in foreign films. A prior knowledge of music and/or film history is not required. No prerequisites. 3 credit hours.
Information about current and recent Film Studies minor course offerings can be found on the Course Offerings page. To learn more about internships and career opportunities for students pursuing a minor in Film Studies, visit the Internships and Career Opportunities page. If you have further questions about the Film Studies minor at York College of Pennsylvania, please contact Dr. Ian Olney at iolney@ycp.edu or visit his web page at http://goose.ycp.edu/~iolney.
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