Film Studies Minor

Program Coordinator/Contact

Jason McEntee, Professor and Director
School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies
Pugsley Center 301, Box 2218
605-688-5191

Program Information

As an interdisciplinary program across Schools of Design, English and Interdisciplinary Studies, and Communication and Journalism, the Film Studies minor promotes media literacy and critical appreciation/understanding of the media in the world today. Graduates of the program will be more knowledgeable of the audiovisual elements that help to drive an increasingly digital economy. They will not only be more capable of cultural critique in an abstract sense, but better able to understand and manipulate audiovisual imagery in business and other practical contexts.

Student Learning Outcomes

Film Studies students will:

• learn fundamentals of cinematic language.
• acquire a broader perspective on film and cinematic aesthetics and methods of storytelling, achieved through courses offering wide variety of approaches to filmmaking (international, documentary, experimental, narrative).
• explore the role of film and other media in contemporary American and world society.
• express themselves through filmmaking, achieved through applied courses in film, video, animation, writing, or a combination.
• acquire additional skills in effectively and persuasively presenting their ideas in oral, audiovisual, and written presentations.
• learn to balance theoretical and practical approaches to understanding or manipulating audiovisual imagery as encountered in multiple contexts, both inside the university and in the workplace.

Course Delivery Format

Faculty deliver program coursework on the campus in Brookings, South Dakota. The courses are both theoretical and practical in nature. The three required courses will lay the foundation for acquiring the vocabulary and theoretical and historical background necessary for understanding film as an art form and as a powerful influence on society. The three additional elective credits will allow students to pursue specialized interests in animation and film production or in film history and aesthetics.