2003-2004 Undergraduate Calendar

Film Studies

 

This program is co-ordinated by the Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film.

Chair

Jim Leach

Undergraduate Program Adviser

Russell Johnston

Director, Co-operative Programs

Cindy Dunne

 

General Information

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Administrative Assistant

Bridget Cahill

905-688-5550, extension 4290

Scotia Bank Hall 308

http://www.brocku.ca/cpcf/

The Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film offers three separate programs of study. A four-year program leading to the BA Honours degree and a three-year program leading to the BA Pass degree is offered in all three programs. In addition, four-year Co-op programs leading to a BA Honours degree in Communications Studies or Popular Culture and a four and one-half year program leading to a BA Honours degree in Film Studies are available.

Film Studies is a sequence of critical and historical courses that examines a variety of approaches to film. The courses explore the nature of film language and develop an analytical perspective on film as both an art and a medium. Other courses explore issues and theories in popular culture. Students have opportunities to engage in film and video production in upper year courses, in class assignments and as part of the student Spring Festival.

The Film Studies Co-op program combines academic and work terms over a four and one-half year period. Students spend two years in an academic setting, where they acquire the necessary background prior to taking the first work placement. In addition to the current fees for courses in academic study terms, Film Studies Co-op students are assessed an annual administrative fee (see the Schedule of Fees).

Students admitted to the Film Studies Co-op program must follow the Co-op program schedule. Failure to adhere to the schedule may result in removal from the Film Studies Co-op program. Eligibility to continue is based on the student's major average and non-major average. A student with a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum 60 percent non-major average will be permitted to continue. A student with a major average lower than 70 percent will not be permitted to continue in the Film Studies Co-op program. If a student subsequently raises his/her major average to 70 percent, the student may be readmitted only if approved by the Co-op Admissions Committee.

The Film Studies Co-op program designation will be awarded to those students who have honours standing and who have successfully completed a minimum of twelve months of Co-op work experience.

 

Program Notes

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1.  Some FILM courses are cycled every two years. Students should consult with the Undergraduate Program Adviser in planning course patterns and for recommended electives.  
2.  Year 3 courses are normally restricted to students with at least three 2(alpha)00 credits or special permission of the instructor.  
3.  FREN 1F90 is strongly recommended for Honours students intending to continue their studies at the graduate level.  
4.  In all 20 credit degree programs, at least 12 credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above, six of which must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above and of these, three must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above. In all 15 credit degree programs, at least seven credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above, three of which must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above.  

Honours Program

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Year 1

- FILM 1F94
- COMM 1F90
- one Social Science context credit
- one Science context credit
- one elective credit

Year 2

- FILM 2F90, 2P20, 2P21, 2P54, 2P56, 2P94 and 2P95
- one elective credit

Year 3

- FILM 3P20 and 3P21
- FILM 3P54 or 3P56
- FILM 3P93 or 3P95
- FILM 3P92 or 3P96
- FILM 3P97 or 3P98
- two elective credits

Year 4

- FILM 4P30 and 4P31
- FILM 3P54 or 3P56 (not taken in year 3)
- FILM 3P93 or 3P95 (not taken in year 3)
- FILM 3P92 or 3P96 (not taken in year 3)
- FILM 3P97 or 3P98 (not taken in year 3)
- one credit from FILM 2P80, 2P81, 2P82, 3F27, 3F28, 4F80, 4F99, COMM 2F50, 2F92, 2F95, 2P15, 3P16, 3P93, 4P23, POLI 2V71
- one elective credit
 

Film Studies Co-op (Honours only)

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Students admitted to the Co-op program must follow the program schedule as listed below. Failure to adhere may result in removal from the program.

Year 1

- FILM 1F94
- COMM 1F90
- one Social Science context credit
- one Science context credit
- one elective credit

Year 2

- FILM 0N90, 2F90, 2P20, 2P21, 2P54, 2P56, 2P94 and 2P95
- one elective credit (MKTG 2P51 and 2P52 strongly recommended)

Year 3

Fall Term:

- FILM 0N01

Winter Term:

- FILM 3P54 or 3P56
- FILM 3P93 or 3P95
- one and one-half elective credits

Spring/Summer Sessions:

- FILM 0N02

Year 4

- FILM 3P20, 3P21 and 4P31
- FILM 3P54 or 3P56 (not taken in year 3)
- FILM 3P93 or 3P95 (not taken in year 3)
- FILM 3P92 or 3P96
- FILM 3P97 or 3P98
- one credit from FILM 2P80, 2P81, 2P82, 3F27, 3F28, 4F80, 4F99, COMM 2F50, 2F95, 2P15, 3P16, 3P93, 4P23, POLI 2V71
- one-half elective credit

Spring/Summer Sessions:

- FILM 0N03

Year 5

Fall Term:

- FILM 4P30
- FILM 3P92 or 3P96 (not taken in year 4)
- FILM 3P97 or 3P98 (not taken in year 4)
- one elective credit
 

Pass Program

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Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

 

Combined Major Program

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Honours

- FILM 1F94, 2F90, 2P54, 2P56, 2P94, 2P95, 3P20, 3P21, 4P30 and 4P31
- two credits from FILM 2P20 2P21, 3F27, 3F28, 3P54, 3P56, 3P92, 3P93, 3P95, 3P96, 3P97, 3P98, 4F80, 4F99

Pass

- FILM 1F94, 2F90, 2P54, 2P56, 2P94 and 2P95
- one credit from FILM 2P20, 2P21, 3F27, 3F28, 3P20, 3P21, 3P54, 3P56, 3P92, 3P93, 3P95, 3P96, 3P97, 3P98
 

Minor in Professional Writing

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With the exception of students in the Co-op stream, it is possible for Film Studies majors to earn a minor in Professional Writing. For details see the calendar entry for the Department of English Language and Literature.

 

Description of Courses

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Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

 

Prerequisites and Restrictions

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Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

FILM 1F94

Introduction to Film Studies

Critical and historical approaches to world cinema. Close analysis of selected films in relation to their cultural contexts.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

FILM 2F90

Film History and Research Methods

Approaches to film history emphasizing classical Hollywood cinema, European art cinema and the avant-garde.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 1F94.

FILM 2P20

Introduction to Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 2P20 and PCUL 2P20)

Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to various forms of popular culture (film, music, television, literature, periodicals and advertising).

Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: one of FILM 1F94, CANA 1F91, COMM 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

FILM 2P21

Canadian Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 2P21 and PCUL 2P21)

Survey of the media in Canada. Studies in the popular arts, with special reference to the ways that institutions (CBC, NFB) and selected artists identify and express a Canadian cultural imagination.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: FILM 2P20 or permission of the instructor.

FILM 2P54

Documentary Film

(also offered as COMM 2P54 and SOCI 2P54)

History, theory, aesthetics and cultural implications of documentary film and other media.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.

Prerequisite: one of FILM 1F94, COMM 1F90, SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM (COMM/SOCI) 2F54.

FILM 2P56

Canadian Cinema

(also offered as COMM 2P56)

Critical and historical study of Canadian cinema.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.

Prerequisite: one of FILM 1F94, COMM 1F90, or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM (COMM) 2F97.

FILM 2P80

Italian Cinema

(also offered as ITAL 2P80)

Major film directors and cultural trends in Italian cinema. Films studied include those by De Sica, Rossellini, Fellini, Antonioni, Bertolucci, Amelio and Moretti.

Lectures, 3 hours per week; plus film lab.

Note: given in English. Knowledge of Italian not necessary.

FILM 2P81

Ethics in Film

(also offered as PHIL 2P81)

Critical examination of the development and resolution of moral problems and ethical dilemmas arising in selected (mostly recent) films.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 1F94, one credit in PHIL or permission of the instructor.

FILM 2P82

Contemporary Hispanic Film

(also offered as PORT 2P82 and SPAN 2P82)

Spanish and Latin American representations of identity crises involving issues of nationality, ethnicity, gender, and politics. Pastiche, parody, and camp aesthetics, and the envisioning of new possibilities of solidarity leading to social transformations.

Lectures, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.

Note: given in English. Knowledge of Spanish not necessary. Spanish majors complete written assignments and exams in Spanish.

FILM 2P94

Popular Cinema

(also offered as COMM 2P94 and PCUL 2P94)

Popular cinema as art and institution emphasizing film genres and cultural contexts.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 1F94.

FILM 2P95

Film Theory

Study of the major film theorists. Application of the theories to selected films.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 1F94 or permission of the Department.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM 2P91 and 3P91.

FILM 3F27

Basic Production: Film

Introduction to the theory and practice of film techniques: critique of films and production work.

Workshops, seminar, 3 hours per week; additional production time as required.

Restriction: permission of the Department.

Prerequisite: two FILM credits.

Note: enrolment is limited to 15 students. Materials fee required.

FILM 3F28

Basic Production: Video

(also offered as COMM 3F28)

Introduction to the theory and practice of video techniques: critique of videos and production work.

Workshops, seminar, 3 hours per week; additional production time as required.

Restriction: permission of the Department.

Prerequisite: two FILM credits.

Note: enrolment limited to 15 students. Materials fee required.

FILM 3P20

Television Studies

(also offered as COMM 3P20 and PCUL 3P20)

Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to television.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and STAC majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.

Prerequisite: one of FILM 2P20 and 2P21, 2F90 or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM 3F50.

FILM 3P21

Canadian Television

(also offered as COMM 3P21 and PCUL 3P21)

Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to Canadian television.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and STAC majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.

Prerequisite: FILM 3P20 or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM 3F50.

FILM 3P54

Issues in Documentary Film

(also offered as COMM 3P54 and SOCI 3P54)

Advanced studies in selected aspects of documentary film and other media.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 2P54

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM (COMM/SOCI) 2F54.

FILM 3P56

Issues in Canadian Cinema

(also offered as COMM 3P56)

Advanced studies in selected aspects of Canadian cinema.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 2P56

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM (COMM) 2F97.

FILM 3P92

Technology and Culture

(also offered as COMM 3P92 and PCUL 3P92)

Studies in the effects of technological change on cultural forms and the representations of technology in different media.

Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite: FILM 2P20, 2P21 or permission of the instructor.

FILM 3P93

Authorship in the Cinema

Issues of personal and collaborative creativity in film through the study of the style, themes and development of selected filmmakers.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 2F90 or permission of the instructor.

FILM 3P95

National Cinema

Study of selected national cinemas emphasizing their relationship to national cultural traditions.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 2F90 or permission of the instructor.

FILM 3P96

Issues in Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 3P96 and PCUL 3P96)

Specialized studies in different media, or the role of different media in specific social, historical or theoretical contexts.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: FILM 2F90, FILM 2P20 and 2P21 or permission of the instructor.

FILM 3P97

Gender and Film

(also offered as COMM 3P97 and WISE 3P97)

Gendered narratives in classical Hollywood cinema to the late 1950s emphasizing film constructions of femininity and masculinity, and the implications of spectatorship and ideology within classical film.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.

Prerequisite: one of FILM 2F90, FILM 2P20 and 2P21, WISE 2P91, or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM 3F97.

FILM 3P98

Screened Women

(also offered as COMM 3P98 and WISE 3P98)

Woman-centred films from early to contemporary cinema by women directors from different countries, contextualized in issues of feminist film theory and paradigm shifts in female representation, ideology and spectatorship.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.

Prerequisite: one of FILM 2F90, FILM 2P20 and 2P21, WISE 2P91 or permission of the instructor.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in FILM 3F97.

FILM 3V50-3V59

Special Topics in Film Studies

Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisites: FILM 2F90, 2P20 and 2P21 or permission of the instructor.

FILM 4F80

Directed Reading

Directed individual or group reading in an area of Film Studies.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 14.0 overall credits, a minimum 80 percent major average, approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.

Note: students are responsible for arranging their course with a faculty member, in consultation with the Undergraduate Program Adviser and must submit a written proposal before registration. The reading may not be on the topic of the student's FILM 4F99 thesis.

FILM 4F99

Honours Thesis

Thesis on a topic of mutual interest to the student and the instructor, with a critical, historical or contemporary focus.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 14.0 overall credits, a minimum 80 percent major average, approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.

Prerequisites: FILM 4P30 and 4P31(may be taken concurrently).

Note: to register in the Honours thesis, the student must consult the Undergraduate Program Adviser about topics, department regulations and the selection of an adviser.

FILM 4P30

Theories of Mass Culture

(also offered as COMM 4P30 and PCUL 4P30)

Studies in cultural theory and its application to mass media texts, with special reference to the work of the Frankfurt School, French Structuralism and British Cultural Studies.

Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

FILM 4P31

Theories of the Visible

(also offered as COMM 4P31 and PCUL 4P31)

Central 20th-century developments in the theories of visibility and their relevance to the field of media studies.

Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

FILM 4V50-4V59

Research in Film

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

FILM 4V52

2003-2004: British Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 4V52 and PCUL 4V52)

Mass media in Britain emphasizing issues of production, regulation and reception. Close analysis of popular texts in their social and political contexts.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

 

CO-OP COURSES

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FILM 0N01

Co-op Work Placement I

First co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.

Restriction: open to FILM Co-op students.

FILM 0N02

Co-op Work Placement II

Second co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.

Restriction: open to FILM Co-op students.

FILM 0N03

Co-op Work Placement III

Third co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.

Restriction: open to FILM Co-op students.

FILM 0N90

Co-op Training and Development

Provides a framework for the development of learning objectives by students for individual work terms. Includes orientation to the co-op experience, goal setting, career planning, resumé preparation and interview skills preparation.

Lectures, presentations, site visits, 2 hours per week.

Restriction: open to FILM Co-op students.

 
Last updated: June 26, 2003 @ 10:08AM