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
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.
Interested students should contact the cinema minor coordinator, Matt Konzett, Department of English, (603) 862-0261.
Cinema studies students are required to take five courses. Students must earn at least a C- in each course and maintain a 2.0 grade-point average in courses taken for the minor. "Double counting" of minor course credits with major course credits will be left to the discretion of existing major departments, with the exception that no more than eight credits, if approved, will "double count."
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Course | ||
| ENGL 533 | Introduction to Film Studies | 4 |
| History and Theory of Film | ||
| LLC 540 | Film History | 4 |
| 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 1 | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 20 | |
- 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.
Explore Program Details
Cinema Studies is flexible and interdisciplinary, receptive to students from a variety of backgrounds including the humanities, business, engineering, and the sciences. Instructors from various departments and colleges participate in the teaching of this dynamic and rapidly evolving field. Film is the primary medium of study for the minor, but the cinematic practices of video and television may also be included as potential areas of interest. Courses consist of interdisciplinary approaches to the analysis of cinema, covering works from the silent period to the present, from the U.S. and other nations, and from “mainstream” and “alternative” groups. Students learn the art, geography, history, technology, economics, and theory of cinema, while also learning the language for analyzing its forms and practices. The minor allows for organized and meaningful study of the moving photographic image, from a wide range of scholarly interests and approaches which complement the increasingly significant place of cinema in many major disciplines and other programs. Students in this program become keenly aware of themselves as members of a culture of the moving photographic image.
UNH Library Search
Tips for searching the UNH Durham Library Website:
- If you would like to search for a film but do not know its full name, type part of the title and select Search Catalog by "keyword" and select "Videos, DVDs and Laser Discs".
- If you know the full name of the film, type it in its entirety select Search Catalog by "Title" and select "Videos, DVDs and Laser Discs".
- To search for a director, type name and select Search Catalog by "Author" and select "Videos, DVDs and Laser Discs".
- To search for actors and actresses, type name and select Search Catalog by "Keyword" and select "Videos, DVDs and Laser Discs".
