Film Studies Dual Major

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Major Requirements (dual major only)

Completion of the program requires six courses, distributed as follows:

Required Courses:
Two courses selected from:
- LIT 130 CM - Introduction to Film , or
  MS 050 PZ - Language of Film
  (Students may not take both of these courses for credit)
- MS 082 PZ - Introduction to Video Production
Elective courses:
Four courses selected in consultation with the program advisor from among courses offered at CMC or at one of the other Claremont Colleges.

Senior Thesis in Film Studies

The senior thesis is a general education requirement and the capstone experience of a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception. Students with a dual major in Film Studies are encouraged to write their senior thesis on a topic in their major.

Students interested in doing a two-semester thesis project complete a one-half credit or full credit senior research course in the first semester and the senior thesis in the second semester.

Honors in Film Studies

Students seeking honors in the film studies dual major must meet the College requirements for honors in the major. Students who wish to be considered for honors in film studies are eligible if they qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Academic Honors at Graduation for details.

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes of the Program in Film Studies

Learning Goals

The learning goals for the film studies major are as follows:

To enhance students’ knowledge of the history of film.
To enhance students’ technical understanding of how film works.
To enhance students’ abilities to engage in perceptive reading and critical thinking.
To enhance students’ understanding of the cultural roles of film and media.
To enhance students’ skills in writing and research.

Student Learning Outcomes for Film Studies Majors

The learning outcomes established by the program faculty are:

Students will demonstrate mastery of the basic conceptual vocabulary used in the study of film-i.e. the ability to define and use terms appropriate to cinematic genres and techniques, critical, and theoretical approaches to film.
Students will demonstrate a clear understanding of the history of international film and some of the major filmmakers and works in each period.
Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to analyze a film in terms of its formal dimensions, including editing, composition, imagery, tone and other stylistic features.
Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to analyze a film narrative in terms of its plot, characters, ethical concerns, themes, and structure.
Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to write clear and cogent prose.
Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with various forms of research, including use of the library, the internet, and databases.
Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to give a considered and coherent rationale for the study of film and its place within the humanities.
Students will achieve media literacy via the study of film and its place within larger cultural frameworks.

General Education Requirements for Film Studies Majors

Students with interdisciplinary majors requiring courses in the humanities and/or social sciences are required to take designated courses in six different fields of the humanities and social sciences for the general education requirements. Film Studies majors must take courses in three of the four fields of the humanities (literature, philosophy, religious studies, and literature in a foreign language) and in three fields of the social sciences (economics, government, history, and psychology). Film studies majors with a dual or double major in either the humanities or social sciences will usually be required to take an additional general education course. For further information, see General Education Requirements .