Film & Media Studies
The Film and Media Studies (FMS) Program consists of a minor that approaches film and media from an interdisciplinary humanities and social science perspective, providing students with a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of media within their experience and their world. Students enrolled in the 21-credit FMS minor will complete seven courses drawn from a set of 35, offered in 13 departments and programs. The Program will guide students into the field systematically, directing their attention to three major approaches to the understanding of film and media: Theory, History, and Aesthetics; Film, Media and Culture; and Technical Aspects. The Program is open to all students working toward any major on either the Lawrenceville or Princeton campuses.
Students are required to take one of two foundation courses: ENG 284 Language of Film Analysis or SOC 252 Media, Culture and Society. These courses are designed to show students how to look at and appreciate film and other media both aesthetically and in the context of culture, industry, and ideology. Because these courses offer fundamental knowledge, students are advised to fulfill this requirement early in their study. Later in their study, students are required to take one 300-level FMS course. FMS courses are designed to provide models for understanding and forging connections among the various courses in the Program. Typically, FMS courses examine the relationship between film and other traditional media; between film, media and the arts; and they examine film and media in the age of the Internet and new technologies. From the intersecting perspectives of form, industry, and influence, FMS courses expand attention to the study of production and consumption of film and media texts—with production including not only the creation of film/media projects, but also attention to the industry that produces, distributes and exhibits film and media texts, and with consumption including not only audience reception of media products but also audience consumption of related products (DVDs, CDs, spin-off products), as well as audience reception as expressed through internet blogs and short internet films produced by consumers in both national and global contexts. (Please see the FMS course checklist).
FMS students and faculty work with the Cinema Studies Concentration in the Department of English and extra-curricular groups to provide screenings and events for the campus film community.
For more information, please contact FMS Program Director Cynthia Lucia in the Department of English (clucia@rider.edu; 609-896-5206)
March 2, 3, and 4 - Film and Media Studies Symposium
Consider submitting your essays and films to student panels and join in activities involving professional filmmakers, film scholars, and film critics.
