Dr. Charles Turner, Coordinator

Phone: (540) 568-6494

E-mail: turnercc@jmu.edu

The minor in film studies is designed for students who wish to extend their critical understanding of visual communication and narrative form by studying how movies tell stories, convey information and influence audiences. Because the program is interdisciplinary, it examines films as both art and entertainment, bringing together the literary traditions of English, the communication perspectives of media arts and design and the performance orientation of theatre and dance. Together, the aim is to explore cinema’s pictorial “language,” investigate its commercial consequences and evaluate its impact across cultures as a medium for enacting the human story.

The minimum requirement for a minor in film studies is 18 hours. A total of six credit hours may be double-counted between the minor and the major. Students electing this minor may acquire more information from the film studies adviser of the School of Media Arts and Design, the Department of English or the School of Theatre and Dance.

All students must complete the following:

Minor Requirements	Credit Hours
ENG 381. An Introduction to Film to 1960	3
SMAD 460. Movies and Society	3
Select no fewer than four courses from the following:	12
ENG 302. Special Topics (when topic is film)
ENG 382. An Introduction to Film Since 1960
ENG 383. Major Film Genres
ENG 384. Major Film Directors
ENG 412. Special Topic Seminars (when topic is film)
SMAD 371. Narrative Media Theory
SMAD 461. Movies as Art
SMAD 462. Documentary in Film and TV
SMAD 463. Film Adaptations
SMAD 498. Senior Seminar (when topic is film)
THEA 320. History or Performance in Motion Pictures
THEA 440. Seminar in Theatre (when topic is film)
	18