Director: Jon Cowans

The film studies minor draws on a range of disciplines to allow students to examine a vital modern form of cultural expression. The 18-credit minor examines film as an art form, a form of entertainment, a business, and a political and social practice, tracing its evolution over time and its variants in different cultures. The minor primarily aims to develop students' abilities to think critically about a central and highly influential facet of modern life, but it also seeks to help prepare students who are majoring in other fields such as business to work in the entertainment industry. All courses in the minor require and teach writing skills. 

Students completing the minor will have learned about the historical evolution of film as an art form and a business in multiple countries; this knowledge should include an awareness of major styles, genres, directors, films, and controversies involving films; and major approaches to censorship used in various times and places, as well as arguments for and against censorship. They should be capable of thinking critically about films, identifying and analyzing many of the techniques they use (directing, casting, editing, etc.) to convey messages and images. Classes will also train students in writing about film, from reviews of individual films to essays of broader scope.