Cinema Studies, Minor - COLA, UNH

Undergraduate

Cinema Studies

Analyze movies, television and digital media while developing critical thinking skills that complement many majors across the university, from English and journalism to business and engineering.
Degree
Minor
Location
Durham, NH
Courses
5
Credit
20 hrs.
Full-time
- -
Part-time
- -
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Interdisciplinary Studies

The Cinema Studies minor at UNH offers an interdisciplinary exploration of film history, theory, and artistic expression. Here you'll analyze movies, television and digital media while developing critical thinking skills that complement many majors across the university, from English and journalism to business and engineering. 

Through hands-on coursework examining genre, authorship, cultural impact and visual style, you'll gain the media literacy skills valued in fields like education, entertainment and digital communications. The program also provides a strong foundation for students interested in pursuing advanced studies in film production, screenwriting or media analysis.

College of Liberal Arts

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Matthias Konzett
Principal Lecturer
Matthias.Konzett@unh.edu
Hamilton Smith Hall, Durham, NH 03824

What is cinema studies? 

The interdisciplinary cinema studies minor provides students with an introduction to the history, theory, analysis and aesthetics of the moving image. The study of film extends to the analysis of video and television from varying perspectives, including genre, authorship, culture, ideology and style. Combine the minor in cinema studies with a major in English, journalism, history or theatre, or with disciplines across the university such as business, health sciences, engineering or economics. In combination with advanced studies at a film school, the minor could even be a first step in pursuing careers in teaching, screenwriting, network television, theatre and filmmaking. 

Why study cinema studies at UNH? 

As a student pursuing interdisciplinary study at UNH, you will have a unique opportunity to study various approaches to an area of inquiry intimately connected with the contemporary landscape of social, cultural and visual media, with access to all the resources of the College of Liberal Arts and the university. 

Curriculum & Requirements

01
Program Description
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The minor in cinema studies offers a variety of opportunities to study a predominant contemporary form of narrative, aesthetic and social discourse: the moving image. Film is the primary medium of study for the minor, but the cinematic practices of video and television also may be included as potential areas of interest. Courses consist of interdisciplinary approaches to the analysis of cinema, covering works from the early cinema to the present, from the U.S. and other nations. Students learn the aesthetics, history, technology, economics and theory of cinema, while also acquiring the language for analyzing its forms and practices. The minor allows for organized and meaningful study of the moving image from a wide range of scholarly interests and approaches that complement the increasingly significant place of cinema in many major disciplines and other programs. Students enrolled in the cinema studies minor will become articulate and critical spectators in the larger cultural contexts of film and media studies.

02
Requirements for the Program
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Academic policies related to Minors.

The Cinema Studies Minor consists of completing five courses (20 credits).

Required Courses

Introductory Course
ENGL 533Introduction to Film Studies4
History and Theory of Film
LLC 540Film History4
or ENGL 618 Film Theory
Advanced and/or Focused Courses
Select two of the following:8
ENGL 616A
Studies in Film/Genre
ENGL 616B
Studies in Film/Authorship
ENGL 616C
Studies in Film/Culture and Ideology
ENGL 616D
Studies in Film/Narrative and Style
ITAL 525
Italian Cinema
Elective Courses
Select one elective course 14
Total Credits20
1

Electives are drawn from an approved list of courses for the minor, which is compiled and announced every semester. Students also may choose from the advanced and/or focused courses. Elective courses have a significant cinema studies component and may have another disciplinary focus as well. Contributing departments and/or programs include: American studies, anthropology, arts, communication, English, French, geography, German, history, humanities, Italian, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, Russian, sociology, Spanish, theatre and dance, and women's and gender studies. Students should check with the cinema minor coordinator each semester for approval of the elective.

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