Welcome

The film studies program is designed:

to encourage a broadly interdisciplinary and critical assessment of the roles that film and the visual media play in our lives,
to introduce students to the development of filmic traditions,
to provide them with the critical tools necessary to make informed judgments about the visual representations they encounter,
to offer a practical introduction to the construction of filmic works, and
to broaden thinking about film and media studies beyond the context provided by the Hollywood model.

Since the study of film and media has rooted itself independently in so many areas, the methodologies it employs also vary widely. Accordingly, film study at Willamette is designed to connect students with multiple critical and methodological approaches and to encourage theoretical inquiry as well as creative engagement with the practical problems of visual representation.

The Film Studies major is well-suited to contribute to the critical social engagement that the liberal arts seek to foster as well as to prepare students for career opportunities or advanced study in filmmaking, non-print journalism, and media criticism.