Minor in
Minor in Film and Media Studies

US Credits

UK Credits

• FILM 4101 Introduction to Film Studies

  This course explores film as a medium across cultural and historical contexts. It covers films in its varied form, from the first projections in the late 19th century to online distribution today. Using examples of noteworthy films, it takes an introductory examination of the most important film theories and concepts, in the process examining how ideologies and meanings are imbedded in this vibrant medium.

• COMM 4101 Introduction to Media and Communications

  The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the evolution of mass media and communication in a constantly changing global landscape. Starting by looking at how this has evolved from physical forms such as print and broadcast to digital forms such as different iterations of the internet, social media and the use of AI. This will incorporate both production and consumption of media within industries such as advertising, public relations, journalism, television, film, music and gaming. Important contemporary issues will be addressed alongside recent events and tools and theories to understand these issues will be applied in order to develop student’s media literacy. This will also be applied to complex topics that circumvent the media and communication world such as media ownership.

• FILM 5102 Genre Studies and the Film Industry

  This course offers a critical exploration of the complex and multifaceted relationship between media and power. By examining historical and contemporary issues, the course explores the media as a tool for propaganda, control, and influence by various entities, including governments, corporations, and social movements. Through an analysis of media structures, we investigate the impact of ownership and corporate control on the diversity of content, representation, and the democratic process. Engaging with the key theories of media power and hegemony, students learn how media contributes to the maintenance of dominant ideologies and the marginalization of alternative viewpoints, and also how it drives consumer culture, influences consumption patterns, and shapes individual and collective identities. On the flipside, the course also emphasizes the role of media activism and participation politics, examining how grassroots movements and alternative media challenge dominant narratives and create spaces for marginalized voices.

• COMM 5102 Media Power

  This course offers a critical exploration of the complex and multifaceted relationship between media and power. By examining historical and contemporary issues, the course explores the media as a tool for propaganda, control, and influence by various entities, including governments, corporations, and social movements. Through an analysis of media structures, we investigate the impact of ownership and corporate control on the diversity of content, representation, and the democratic process. Engaging with the key theories of media power and hegemony, students learn how media contributes to the maintenance of dominant ideologies and the marginalization of alternative viewpoints, and also how it drives consumer culture, influences consumption patterns, and shapes individual and collective identities. On the flipside, the course also emphasizes the role of media activism and participation politics, examining how grassroots movements and alternative media challenge dominant narratives and create spaces for marginalized voices.

• COMM 5101 Communication in Mediated Environments

  This course explores the ways in which media and communications technology impacts our understanding of the world, ourselves, and our interactions with others. Drawing on theories of mediation, representation, and technology, students will critically examine how different forms of media construct, reflect, and challenge societal norms, values, and identities. They will engage with key debates that affect our patterns of representation, consumption, interaction, participation, and self-hood, examining how these are shaped by digital and emerging technologies, such as advanced forms of artificial intelligence. Throughout the course, students develop critical understanding of the relationship between technologies and society and reflect on their own use of digital media.

• CRIM 5101 Criminology and the Media

  This course is designed to enable students understand the interaction between the discipline of criminology (and its focus on criminality and criminal justice) and the changing media landscape. The course primarily engages with the mass media, particularly television and newspapers with their reporting on crime and criminal justice, and the rise of social media, and the impact of these on both the theory and practice of criminology (for example the role of the media in causing moral panic, trial by media, and accusations of criminogenic fallout from these). Finally, students can engage with representations of crime and criminology in popular culture, from ’penny dreadfuls’ to ’true crime’ television, and in crime and forensic criminology dramas (e.g. CSI, Mind Hunters & Law and Order).

• FILM 6103 International Cinema

  This course examines global cinema while considering the extent to which cultural, political, and historical contexts have influenced the form and grammar of film during the last century. The overall focus of the course is broad, ranging across more than eight decades and many different countries; it aims to study a variety of approaches to and theories of narrative cinema. During the semester, many international film "movements" are covered, which can include the French New Wave, the Chinese Sixth Generation, and Italian Neo-Realism. In addition, the representations of non-Western cultures from an “insider” and a “Hollywood” perspective are compared.

• COMM 6101 Contemporary Issues in Global Media

  ​​This course examines current media issues in relation to cultural, social, economic, and political aspects of global society. It views media as a key player in public culture and democracy, exploring how its role as vital source of entertainment and information is impacted by an evolving technological landscape, and by new challenges posed, such as sustainability and promotion of equality, inclusivity, and diversity, within the global village. It looks at media practices and professionals, considering the impact of celebrity politics and influencers on the media environment, while also addressing the relationship between the public, government, and media institutions, as it discusses ethics, law, and regulation. Ultimately, it seeks to consider the place of media in achieving a sustainable and just world.