FILM-BA - Film and Media Studies (BA)

The department offers courses of study in:

1. Art History

2. Art Practice (studio)

3. Film and Media Studies

4. Film Production

leading to the following degrees: B.A. degree in Art History; B.A. degree in Art Practice; B.A. degree in Film and Media Studies; M.F.A. degree in Art Practice; M.F.A. degree in Documentary Film and Video; Ph.D. degree in Art History.

The undergraduate program is designed to help students think critically about the visual arts and visual culture. Courses focus on the meaning of images and media, and their historical development, roles in society, and relationships to disciplines such as literature, music, and philosophy. Work performed in the classroom, studio, and screening room is designed to develop a student's powers of perception, capacity for visual analysis, and knowledge of technical processes.

Suggested Preparation for the Major

Students considering a major in Film and Media Studies should take course and are encouraged to take either course or course during their freshman or sophomore year. These courses anchor the major through exposure to film language, genre, and visual and narrative structures. Majors are required to take one course in the fundamentals of film and video production.

How to Declare the Major

Students who wish to declare the Film and Media Studies major must meet with the Student Services Specialist. At that time, the student selects a faculty advisor in consultation with the Student Services Specialist and FMS faculty, declares the major on Axess, and selects a concentration. Majors are required to attend an orientation session, presented by the professional staff of the Art and Architecture Library, which introduces the tools of research and reference available on campus or through the Internet. This requirement should be completed no later than the quarter following the major declaration.

Concentrations

Concentrations within the major are approved by the student's major advisor and are not declared on Axess; they do not appear on the transcript nor on the diploma. Concentrations include:

• Culture and Criticism

• Screenwriting

Degree Requirements

A student declaring a major in Film and Media Studies must complete 61 units of coursework as detailed below. Students must declare their concentration by Winter Quarter of their junior year.

Courses may not be offered every year and are subject to change. Consult your major advisor or the Student Services Specialist if a course is not listed below.

Students can take a maximum of two courses (10 units) away from Stanford; this includes transfer courses from other universities and Stanford Overseas Studies. A student must meet with their advisor and with the Student Services Specialist before planning an overseas campus program.

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program.

Students in historical studies are expected to demonstrate:

1. knowledge and awareness of art and/or film terminology and concepts;

2. ability to develop effective and nuanced lines of interpretation;

3. improved critical thinking skills using primary and secondary source materials;

4. improvement in analytical writing skills and close reading skills;

5. ability to form and validate their own and others' opinions through knowledge of artistic movements and sociohistorical events.

Students in creative art are expected to demonstrate:

1. enhanced awareness of the role of art in intellectual and cultural life;

2. problem solving skills to organize, analyze and interpret visual information;


3. mastery of techniques and materials of a discipline with awareness of historical and current practices;

4. selection of materials, processes, form, and content to achieve poetic and expressive relationships to artistic media;

5. ability to apply critical analysis to the student’s own work and the work of others;

6. effective techniques for the preparation and presentation of work consistent with professional practices in the field.