Film Studies Program

While film studies is not a department, it is an interdisciplinary program and an administrative unit offering both a major and a minor in film studies. Film is one of the major cultural forms of the 20th century, and its study has become an important part of a modern humanities education. At the University of Pittsburgh, the Film Studies Program provides a series of interdisciplinary courses concerning the history, aesthetics, theory, and production of cinema. The program provides courses in critical studies and (by special arrangement with Pittsburgh Filmmakers in Oakland) courses in film, photography, and video production. A major in film studies helps students to understand and appreciate the cinematic medium and to be aware of its impact as a cultural and artistic force. It is also appropriate for students who wish to pursue careers in film teaching, film journalism, film museum curatorial work, film library and archival work, and film and television production. As part of the Film Studies Program, internships are made available to students in many of these fields. (In the past, students have done internships at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Pittsburgh Film Office, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, and various television stations.)

Various options are available to students interested in film studies. For those students who wish to make film studies the primary focus of their undergraduate program, it is possible to pursue an interdisciplinary major in film studies. For those students who wish to major in another area but desire a focus in film studies, a minor in film studies is available. In addition, many students choose to take elective courses in film studies as part of their undergraduate curriculum.

For more information on the film studies major, see www.filmstudies.pitt.edu/.

Programs

Major

Film Studies, BA

Minor

Film Studies Minor

Courses

Film Studies

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