Skip to Main Content

FILM 40 - Theories and Methodologies of Film and Media Studies

This is a course guide for FILM 40.

Course description

This course is designed to introduce film and media studies majors to some of the field's major scholarly methodologies and their theoretical value in explaining how texts, industries, creative artists, and audiences participate in the meaning-making processes. Students will read scholarship and participate in projects that illuminate how meaning is created and negotiated at the levels of industrial production, artistic creation of texts, and audience knowledge and engagement. The screenings, readings, and assignments will ask the student to think about the relations among his/her own position as a scholar, as an audience member, and as a creative artist. This knowledge provides a foundation for critical thinking skills necessary for the student's success in the major. The course is designed for students who have had some introductory exposure to the principles of film and/or television aesthetics and production techniques, but before they have completed their upper division major requirements.  All Film majors and Film modified majors should take this course no later than their junior year.

[Source: ORC/Catalog, 09/16/2022]; DIST: ART

In the Library's collections

Most of the books on films are located in the call number range PN 1993 through PN 1999 on Baker Level 4. You can use one of these subject headings to start your research in the library's online catalog:

Introductory reading(s)

Selected book title(s)

Other library resource(s)

Finding scholarly articles & journal title(s)

Articles and other writings about movies can be found in many publications. Our collection has several titles on the theory of film. Two are listed below. You can use Film & Television Literature Index to find more articles or the new search box at the top of the page.

Citing and Tracking Your Bibliographic References

Use this guide to help you learn how to correctly cite and keep track of the references you find for your research.

Keeping up with Film Studies journal literature

Want an easy way to keep up with the journal literature for all facets of Film Studies? And you use a mobile device? You can install the BrowZine app and create a custom Bookshelf of your favorite journal titles. Then you will get the Table of Contents (ToCs) of your favorite journals automatically delivered to you when they become available. Once you have the ToC's, you can download and read the articles you want from the journals for which we have subscriptions.

You can get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Don't own or use a mobile device? You can still use BrowZine! It's also available in a web version. You can get to it here. The web version works the same way as the app version. Find the journals you like, create a custom Bookshelf, get ToCs and read the articles you want.