Dec 27, 2024

2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog

2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Cinema Studies [BS]

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The Bachelor of Science in Cinema Studies provides skills and knowledge essential for future filmmakers and passionate film aficionados alike.

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The Cinema Studies major balances critical studies and production courses. It provides students with traditional classroom experiences and opportunities for hands-on learning experiences designed to cultivate an informed, critical perspective on the American and international film cultures. Students will graduate with the skills sought after in the entertainment industry and the historical and theoretical background essential to helping this popular art form grow.

Opportunities

Students in the Cinema Studies major can complete either an internship in some area of the film and video industry or an independent study of film theory & criticism and/or history. Students who choose the independent study option could satisfy this requirement by enrolling in the Study Abroad course that spends a week in Rome (when it is offered).

After successfully earning this degree, students can pursue careers in film and video locally or nationally; potential jobs could include director, camera operator, screenwriter, sound technician, film critic, among others. Other students might opt to continue their film education at the graduate level with an eye to honing their skills for the industry or developing scholarly interests.

School Information

Communication, Media & Theatre Arts 124 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.6956

Dennis O’Grady, PhD, Director

Advisor Information

Brooke Dagnan, MFA, Associate Professor, 714F Pray-Harrold, 734.487.7865

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 39 hours

Students must earn a “C” or better in each course required for this major

Required Courses: 21 hours

Cinema Studies Core: 15 hours
CTAT 131 Introduction to Audio Production and Direction 3 hrs
CTAT 132 Intro to Television Production and Direction 3 hrs
CTAT 145 Introduction to Cinema Studies [GEKA] 3 hrs
CTAT 220 History of Cinema 3 hrs
CTAT 445 Film Theory and Criticism 3 hrs
Communication Course: 3 hours

Choose one course from the following
COMM 260 Gender Communication [GEUS] 3 hrs
COMM 274 Intercultural Communication [GEGA] 3 hrs
COMM 275 Interracial/Interethnic Communication [GEUS] 3 hrs
Internship or Independent Study: 3 hours

 Students must complete an independent study on a film-related topic of their choice, or complete an internship that is in some way critical studies focused—at a film festival or archive, for example; it should not be a production internship. If offered, the Study Abroad trip to Rome would also fulfill this requirement.

Restricted Elective Courses: 18 hours

Students will complete 18 hours of restricted electives, as follows. At least one course must be an approved Writing Intensive course.

Production Course: 3 hours

Choose one course from the following
CTAT 231 Multitrack Sound Recording 3 hrs
CTAT 333 Digital Movie Production I 3 hrs
CTAT 341 Radio-Television-Film Dramatic Performance 3 hrs
CTAT 444W Screenwriting [GEWI] 3 hrs
Critical Studies Courses: 15 hours

Choose 15 hours from the following, at least 9 hours at the 300 or 400-level.
CTAT 130 Introduction to Digital Media [GEKS] 3 hrs
CTAT 235 Global Cinema [GEGA] 3 hrs
CTAT 236 History and Criticism of Radio and Television 3 hrs
CTAT 335 Studies in Film 3 hrs
CTAT 340 Hollywood: Past, Present and Future 3 hrs
CTAT 345 American Film Genres 3 hrs
CTAT 479 Special Topics 3 hrs
No more than three hours from the following may be used toward the Critical Studies requirement:
AFC 370 Films of the African American Experience 3 hrs
LITR 400 Narrative in Literature and Film 3 hrs
PSY 460 Psychology of Film 3 hrs
With advisor approval, students may use LITR 450W - Major Authors as a restricted elective. Approval is granted for students who complete the course when offered on the topic of “Freud and Hitchcock.”

Minor Requirement:

This major requires a minor. Please see Programs for a list of available minors or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.