Mar 28, 2024  
Course Catalog 2008-2009 
    
Course Catalog 2008-2009 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Cinema Studies


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Jeffrey Pence, Assoc. Professor of English & Cinema Studies/ Director, Cinema Studies
EunJung Grace An, Asst. Professor of French and Cinema Studies
Rian Brown-Orso, Assoc. Professor of New Media & Cinema Studies
William Patrick Day, Professor of English and Cinema Studies
Brian Doan, Visiting Instructor in Cinema Studies
Daniel Goulding, Emeritus Professor of Film Studies and Theater Arts
Elizabeth Hamilton, Associate Professor of German and Cinema Studies
Geoff Pingree, Associate Professor of Cinema Studies and English

Cinema is both the primary art form of modern culture and the central component of the media industries that structure contemporary society. We cannot understand fully how music, painting, and literature, or other artistic practices have developed without seeing them in relation to cinema, and we cannot begin to comprehend the full significance of the media in our lives without first studying cinema. The major in Cinema Studies is designed to teach students to examine the meanings of cinema in the broadest, most interdisciplinary ways, considering movies as works of art, as cultural forms, and as industrial practices.

Cinema Studies offers the following types of courses: The Introductory Cinema Studies Core Course is Cinema Studies 101, Form, Style, and Meaning in Cinema. The Introductory Cinema Studies Production Course is Cinema Studies 201, Sound and Image Workshop. Cinematic Traditions Courses include all 200-level courses taught by the Cinema Studies faculty, as well as  film courses from many College and Conservatory Departments/Programs cross-referenced as such below. Cinema Studies 299, Persistence of Vision: Approaches to Cinema Studies, is the Intermediate Cinema Studies Core Course. Cinema Studies 101, one Cinematic Traditions course, and Cinema Studies 299 are required for the major. Advanced Cinema Studies Courses are 300- and 400-level courses taught by core faculty or cross-referenced as such below by the Cinema Studies Program. Unless otherwise indicated, these courses require as prerequisites Cinema Studies 101 and one Cinematic Traditions course or Cinema Studies 299; or Cinema Studies 101 and consent of the instructor. At least three Advanced Cinema Studies Courses are required of majors. Beyond any 400-level course taken to fulfill the Advanced Cinema Studies Course requirement, majors must successfully complete a Senior Experience: a Senior Tutorial, a 400-level Seminar, or an Honors Project. This Senior Experience course is enrolled by application; Honors is by invitation only. Successful work in the Honors Program will render a student eligible for consideration for Honors at graduation, but it does not guarantee such Honors.
Further information about the major, faculty and courses is available at the Cinema Studies site on the web (www.oberlin.edu/fsc).

Major


The Cinema Studies Major requires 30 hours in Cinema Studies courses, including

  • Cinema Studies 101, Style, Form, and Meaning in Cinema.
  • At least one course from among the “Cinematic Traditions” courses taught by the Cinema Studies faculty or cross-referenced as such by the Cinema Studies Program. “The Cinematic Traditions requirement must be met by a full semester course or the equivalent (two one-module courses).”
  • Cinema Studies 299, Persistence of Vision: Approaches to Cinema Studies
  • At least three 300- or 400-level courses taught by the Cinema Studies faculty, or cross-referenced as such by the Cinema Studies Program.
  • A senior experience: this requirement may be met by completing a Senior Tutorial, a 400-level seminar, or the Honors Program.
  • Electives chosen in consultation with advisor. 

Courses in which a student has earned a letter grade lower than a C- or received a grade of CR or P cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of the major.

Film Production


The Cinema Studies Major does not at this time offer a separate production track for the major.  However, courses in Film Production do count toward the major.

Fall Semester at PCFE Film School, Prague, Czech Republic


The Cinema Studies major has a consortial arrangement with the PCFE Film School. Students interested in the fall semester at PCFE should consult with the Director of the Cinema Studies Program. All film courses, including those in film production, offered at PCFE count toward the Cinema Studies major at Oberlin.

Spring Semester at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts


The Cinema Studies major has a consortial arrangement with the Film Program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Students interested in the spring semester at Tisch should consult with the Director of the Cinema Studies Program. All film courses, including those in film production, offered at Tisch count toward the Cinema Studies major at Oberlin.

Transfer of Credit


No more than 14 hours of transfer credit in Cinema Studies may be applied to the Oberlin Cinema Studies major. At least 12 hours in advanced courses (300- and 400-level courses, including the senior tutorial) must be taken within the program. To have transfer credit approval toward the major and/or toward meeting prerequisites for upper-level courses, students should consult the Director of the Cinema Studies Program (or his designate), preferably with syllabi in hand.

Winter Term


Winter Term projects sponsored by Cinema Studies faculty will be according to the interests and availability of staff. Students also are encouraged to propose group projects which, with an approved sponsor, they will direct.

Honors


Honors in Cinema Studies is a year-long program taken for up to four hours of credit each semester. Students accepted into the program will work closely with a faculty advisor. Admission to the Cinema Studies Honors Program is highly selective. In the second semester of their junior year, the program will invite qualified students to submit an application. Successful work in the Honors Program will render a student eligible for consideration for Honors at graduation, but it does not guarantee such Honors. Please see the Cinema Studies web site for more specific details about the program and its requirements.

First-Year Seminar Program


First-year seminars do not count toward the Cinema Studies major, but are recommended as an introduction to deeper-level skills in reading, viewing, analysis, writing and discussion. The successful completion of a first-year seminar will serve as one of the ways to satisfy the prerequisite for Cinematic Traditions courses. 

Introductory Cinema Studies Core Course


Cinema Studies majors are required to take Cinema Studies 101 (Form, Style, and Meaning in Cinema), which is the foundation for future study in the discipline. 


Prerequisites: Cinema Studies 101 has no prerequisites.  Some spaces are reserved for first- and second-year students.

Introductory Cinema Studies Production Course


This is the preferred gateway to advanced production courses, which are listed below in Advanced Cinema Studies Courses
Prerequisite: Cinema Studies 101.

Cinematic Traditions Courses


Cinema Studies majors are required to take at least one Cinematic Traditions course taught by Cinema Studies faculty or cross-referenced by the Cinema Studies Program.  “The Cinematic Traditions requirement must be met by a full semester course or the equivalent (two one-module courses).”

Prerequisites
: Cinema Studies 101 is strongly recommended as preparation for Cinematic Traditions Courses.  Unless otherwise noted, Cinematic Traditions courses are open to students who have completed any Writing Intensive (WRi) course, or have gained Writing Certification (WR) in any course in the Humanities.  They are also open to those who have achieved a 5 on the AP exam in English Language/Composition or English Literature/Composition, or a score of 710 or better on the SAT II writing test. Other students may be admitted by consent of the instructor, with the understanding that students should be able to demonstrate the ability to handle writing, discussion, and analysis in ways typically taught in Writing Intensive classes.

Intermediate Cinema Studies Core Course


Cinema Studies majors are required to take Cinema Studies 299 (Persistence of Vision: Approaches to Cinema Studies). Majors will receive priority at registration.

Prerequisites: Cinema Studies 101 or consent of the instructor.

Advanced Cinema Studies Courses


Unless otherwise indicated, these 300- and 400-level courses require as prerequisites Cinema Studies 101 and a Cinematic Traditions course or Cinema Studies 299; or Cinema Studies 101 and consent of the instructor.

Senior Tutorials and Seminars


Senior Tutorials and Senior Seminars are designed primarily for Cinema Studies majors, and fulfill the 400-level requirement for the Cinema Studies major. Rising senior Cinema Studies majors should apply for tutorials and seminars through a common application available at the department office, not through individual instructors. Some places in seminars may be available for other qualified students after all Cinema Studies majors have been accommodated, by application to the department.

Prerequisite: Admission based on a completed application form (available at the department office).

Honors and Private Readings


Honors in Cinema Studies is only open to invited students who have been admitted through the application process.  Private Readings are available to students who have completed introductory coursework in the department.

Cross-Referenced Courses


These courses count towards the Cinema Studies major. Students should register for these courses using the number in the department or program of origin. For course description, please see the department or program in this catalog.

Electives


These courses count as electives towards the Cinema Studies major.

Cinematic Traditions


These courses count as Cinematic Traditions courses towards the Cinema Studies major.  The Cinematic Traditions requirement must be met by a full semester course or the equivalent (two one-module courses).

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