Cinema and Media Major

The major consists of a minimum of 9 full courses (or the equivalent).

Note: Students must earn minimum grades of C- or P for all courses that apply toward the major.

View the catalog page for the cinema and media department.

The cinema and media major integrates theory and practice, introducing students to the craft, history, and cultural meaning of film, television, and digital media.

Summary of Requirements

CIME 290 - What is Cinema? ⇒ cross-listed with ENGL 291
One Full Cinema and Media Foundation Course
Two Full 300-Level Critical Studies Courses
Two Full 300-Level Cinema and Media Major Elective Courses
Three Additional Full Cinema and Media Major Elective Courses
Breadth Requirement
- One Full Cultural Diversity Course
- One Full Production Course

Note(s) on Requirements

CIME 290 , the required foundation course, and the two required critical studies courses must be taken at Oberlin.
At least five of the required nine courses must be CIME courses.
Major elective courses should be chosen by the student in consultation with a major advisor; these courses may be taught by cinema and media faculty or by faculty in related departments.
The breadth requirement courses are not in addition to the required nine full courses; rather, at least one of the required nine full courses must carry the cultural diversity (CD) attribute, and at least one of the required nine full courses must be a production course.

Transfer of Credit Toward the Major

The cinema and media department will accept up to the equivalent of four full courses of transfer credit to count toward the cinema and media major requirements.

Credit may only be transferred to count toward the elective course requirement (including the 300-level elective course requirement).

Two types of approval are needed. (1) Approval from the Office of the Registrar that the transfer course meets Oberlin’s transfer-of-credit eligibility standards and (2) approval from the department/program chair that the course(s) may count to the major. Current students taking post-matriculation credit must secure this approval before registering for course(s). Students who enter Oberlin as transfer students will have their pre-matriculation credit evaluated by the Office of the Registrar for elective credit, and they can later seek approval from the department/program for applying coursework to major requirements.

Study Away

The cinema and media department has consortial arrangements with the Prague Film School (PFS) and with the Film Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. All film courses offered at PFS and Tisch, including those in film production, may count toward the cinema and media major.

Students interested in transferring credit from these or other off-campus programs should consult with the department chair. Both CIME 290 and one cinema and media foundation course should be taken before studying away.

Course of Study

Each student in the cinema and media major shapes their own program with the help of their advisor.

Students begin critical studies in cinema and media with 100- and 200-level courses, which are open without prerequisites; students interested in majoring in cinema and media should plan to take CIME 290 by the end of their sophomore year.

Students interested in learning film production should first take CIME 115 , which is a prerequisite for all advanced production courses. Each advanced production course may be repeated for full credit.

Senior Project

All students graduating with a major in cinema and media may complete senior projects in production through CIME 475 or through a repeated advanced production course; senior projects in critical studies may be completed through an advanced critical studies course. Students who wish to complete senior projects should consult closely with their advisors.