Film Studies

Film, along with other visual media such as television, is arguably the least understood aspect of our everyday lives, and yet one of the most powerful forces around us all the time.

In Gettysburg's Film Studies program, students may pursue either a minor or an individually designed major in Film Studies.  The programs provide a deeper understanding of film, which can be applied to other visual media as well.

Courses in Film Studies can easily be meshed with studies in other areas of our liberal arts curriculum. The minor or individually designed major will not only introduce you to the major issues that cinema raises, it will also give you some grounding in the aesthetics of film, the history of film, the production of films, and theories of how and why films affect us so much. The overall goal is to provide a set of critical skills to make you aware of something most people consume without reflection. These skills can be used for particular careers in media and broadcasting, yet they can also be utilized in all walks of life.

The college offers wide array of film studies and film-related courses to show how films actually work as films and to show the context in which films are made and seen. A course's focus may be:

• How films are constructed;
• How films are produced in or affect a larger context, often historical;
• The exploration of key underlying questions about films, often relying on theories derived from other areas of study, including philosophy and psychology.

Those interested in Film Studies should review the requirements for the minor and the individually designed major.

For more information, contact:

• Jim Udden, judden@gettysburg.edu, Associate Professor of IDS/Film Studies