Film Studies

student holding a camera


Minor
School of Arts and Sciences

Overview

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.

Key Benefits

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.

About the Program

What You'll Learn

The minor in Film Studies is an ideal accompaniment to a major in any of the humanities, arts, or social sciences.

The Film Studies program at Westminster offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the multifaceted and complex medium of film. Film blends the arts of words, pictures, theatre and music; studying these elements builds awareness of how film uses narrative and rhetoric to tell stories and influence beliefs. The ability to think critically about film helps us develop a critical awareness of our world and how it is represented.

The program includes core courses in both film literacy and scholarship. Students will explore the interdisciplinary potential of film, investigating both the elements that comprise film as well as film's relation to cultures.

Ultimately students will be prepared to:
  • 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.
View Program Requirements
View Course Descriptions

Career Opportunities

Potential 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.

Learn More About the Film Studies Program

Check Out the Film Studies Department

Other Film Studies Programs

We also offer Film Studies as an emphasis in the Arts Administration major, for students interested in the business of film.

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