Film Studies
Undergraduate Minor
Westminster College of Arts and Sciences
The Film Studies Program at Westminster University
Film Literacy includes so many different art forms. Words, images, music; they all add up together to form a unique rich and complex language.
Filming has been in our culture for over a century, though it is fairly new, the advancements in technology has helped us get far when it comes to filming. Everyday, new techniques are created and implemented into film-making to elevate the quality of this pieces, it is a true art form.
Students receive a strong background in analyzing films and their relation to the arts, humanities and social sciences. The program emphasizes films' participation in their particular historical and political contexts, and includes attention to films from non-"western" cultures.
What You'll Learn in the Film Studies Program
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Use terms and methods of film analysis effectively and identify the concepts used by film scholars from various perspectives.
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Grasp film history in an international context, recognizing it as a dynamic set of economic, sociopolitical, technological, and aesthetic confrontations.
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Situate film as an element of culture—how film influences and is influenced by the culture in which it is made; influences the ways we view ourselves and others in cultural terms such as race, gender, economics, and history; and is both an agent and result of social change.
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Perform detailed film critiques in various media, critically evaluating the use of formal elements, narrative structure, and the place of films in their historical and cultural contexts.
- The minor in Film Studies is an ideal accompaniment to a major in any of the humanities, arts, or social sciences.
- Respond to film with active interpretation and analysis, rather than being acted upon passively.
- Understand the way film incorporates other arts and is distinct from them; how it influences other arts and is influenced by them.
- Recognize the important events in film history, and understand how films address and intervene in their historical context.
- Understand the uses of film—to document, persuade, entertain, represent, and expand our means of representation and ways of understanding.
sample film courses
- FILM-212: Film Genres
- FILM-220: Transnational Cinema
- FILM-2045: Commercial Film Production
- FILM-345: Video Production
potential film careers
Just as it is essential to read well in order to write well, it is necessary to read films in order to create them. A background in Film Literacy is a significant advantage for students interested in the production, business, or educational opportunities in film.
related programs
For students interested in the business of film, the film studies minor can be taken with the arts administration major.
What Are the Key Benefits of the Film Studies Program?
The faculty includes scholars from the arts, humanities and social sciences. Students are encouraged to foster film education in the wider community:
- Courses take a "discourse community" approach, relying on the knowledge that students already have and encouraging them to seek new knowledge independently and to share it with their peers.
- A long-standing partnership with the Salt Lake Film Society allows students to choose and introduce films to be screened at a local independent movie theater.
- The program includes emphases on the uniqueness of film as well as its relations to other fields, so it is both a specific field of study and an interdisciplinary one.
- The faculty includes scholars from the arts, humanities and social sciences.