Cinema Studies, Minor
Learn to analyze film, television and other moving images.
"I appreciated connecting classes in the cinema minor to my major in history. I enjoyed discussions about the history of film and directed a student film set in historical places on the Oxford Square."
Cathryn Grace Guntharp (B.A. in History, minor in Cinema Studies '18)
About the Minor in Cinema Studies
The College of Liberal Arts offers the interdisciplinary minor in Cinema Studies. It offers courses from across the arts, humanities, and social science disciplines to study cinema as works of art and culture.
Cinema Studies is at the heart of a growing international, interdisciplinary interest in media studies. Students gain the critical vocabulary and perspective to analyze motion pictures within larger artistic, cultural, historical, political, linguistic, and global contexts. Because of the variety of cinema content, analysis, technology, and distribution, a cinema minor complements almost any major.
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Program Information
Degree
Required Credit Hours
18
Program Type
Minor
Program Location
School
Academic Requirements
- Anth 302: Anthropological Films
- Art 384: Digital Video I
- Art 484: Advanced Digital Video
- Art 584: Digital Video
- Chin 361: China through Film and Literature
- Cine 396: Festival Programming
- Cine 398: Study Abroad in Cinema
- Eng 304: Screenwriting Workshop
- Eng 310: Introduction to Cinema Studies
- Eng 311: Studies in Cinema/Media Genres
- Eng 312: Studies in Cinema/Media History
- Eng 313/Mlll 361: Introduction to World Cinema
- Eng 314: The Cinematic South
- Eng 315: Studies in Black Film
- Eng 386/G St 386: Gender on Film
- Eng 403: Advanced Screenwriting Workshop
- Eng 411: Special Topics in Cinema/Media Studies
- Eng 412: Sp Topics Cinema/Media Theory, History
- Eng 413: Special Topics in Media/Cultural Studies
- Eng 414: Special Topics in the Cinematic South
- Eng 427: Shakespeare on Film
- Fr 361: French and Francophone Cinema
- Fr 362: Regional Identity in French Cinema
- Fr 399: Special Topics in Film
- Fr 561: Advanced Topics in French and Francophone Cinema
- Germ 361: German Cinema
- Germ 561: Advanced Topics in Cinema in German
- G St 350: Gender and Sexuality in Cinema
- Hst 481: Topics in History and Film
- Hst 482: Samurai in Film
- Ital 361: Italian Cinema
- Mlll 302: China through Literature and Film
- Mlll 361: Introduction to World Cinema
- Phil 355: Philosophy of Film
- Port 361: Brazilian Cinema
- Rel 386: Religion and Film
- Russ 361: Russian Cinema
- Span 361: Cinema in Spanish
- Span 561: Advanced Topics in Cinema in Spanish
- S St 535: Anthropological Films
- S St 537: Documenting the South in Film
- Thea 202: Introduction to Cinema
- Thea 203: Drama in Film
- Thea 204: Comedy in Film
- Thea 205: Film Survey I
- Thea 206: Film Survey II
- Thea 279: Costume Design for Film and Television I
- Thea 323: Film and Aristotle
- Thea 479: Costume Design for Film and Television II
Why choose Cinema Studies?
"Created in 2011, Cinema Studies is an interdisciplinary minor that introduces students to a broad range of methods and analytical approaches to critically analyze film and other moving image-based forms like television as well as animation, AI-generated content and social media platforms. Students in the minor can choose from a wide array of classes from introductory classes in film studies and film history, classes that expose them to national and international film traditions, courses in film genres or those that focus on more contemporary advancements in media technology and audience reception. Cinema Studies courses draw from the wonderful faculty and departments in the College of Liberal Arts, including Modern Languages, History, Film and Theater, and English to name a few. Given the centrality of screens and the moving image to contemporary culture, we actively encourage students to explore widely and deeply within the major so you can gain expertise and refine your critical thinking skills to appreciate moving image-based art and entertainment. "
Rich Purcell
Director of the Cinema Studies Minor and Hubert H. McAlexander Chair and Associate Professor in English
Affiliated Faculty
Richard Purcell
- Hubert H. McAlexander Chair in English and Associate Professor
Alan Arrivee
- Associate Professor of Film Production
Michael Barnett
- Chair and Professor of Theatre and Film and Interim Chair of Art and Art History
Matthew Bondurant
- Professor of English
Vanessa Charlot
- Assistant Professor of Media and Communication
Samuel Souza da Cruz
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Spanish
Leigh Anne Duck
- Associate Professor of English and Director of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Cinema
Cristin Ellis
- Associate Professor of English and Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Minor in Environmental Studies
Michelle Emanuel
- Head of Metadata and Digital Initiatives and Professor
Andrew Harper
- Director of Media & Documentary Projects and Associate Professor of Practice
Bryce Heesacker
- Assistant Professor of Art, Digital Media
Sarah Hennigan
- Associate Professor of Film Production
Chriss Alison Huff
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Film Production
Jason Klodt
- Associate Professor of Modern Languages
Diane Marting
- Professor of Modern Languages
Kathryn McKee
- Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, McMullan Professor of Southern Studies, and Professor of English
Daniel O'Sullivan
- Chair and Professor of Modern Languages
Corina L. Petrescu
- Professor of Modern Languages
Anne Quinney
- Professor of Modern Languages
Justin Raden
- Instructor in English
Theresa Starkey
- Instructional Professor in Gender Studies and Associate Director of the Isom Center
Annette Trefzer
- Professor of English
Noell Wilson
- Executive Director of the Croft Institute for International Studies and Croft Associate Professor of History and International Studies
Timothy Yenter
- Associate Dean for Capstone and Professor of Philosophy
Beyond the Classroom
Local Film Festival
The Oxford Film Festival celebrates the art of independent cinema. Through year-round programming, the festival works to encourage filmmaking in Oxford and North Mississippi as part of the global film community, while cultivating audience appreciation of cinema through screenings, workshops and educational programs that culminate in the annual festival in the spring of each year. In a partnership with the UM Film Production program, UM students have dedicated slot in the festival schedule. Many students volunteer with the festival.
What can I do with Cinema Studies?
- Content strategist, Pinnacle Ad & Marketing
- Chief Creative Officer, Thrown2Gether Productions
- Co-founder, Deer Run Media
- Video Producer, Mississippi Film Inc.
- Videographer, Landers Center
- Scripting Editor, Deluxe
- Digital Asset Manager, St. Jude Children's Hospital
- Technical Director, ESPN
- Associate Producer, Netflix
- Director of PR/Media Production, Oxford Police
Enhance your Academic Experience with an Internship
According to national surveys, employers are more likely to hire college graduates who have:
- had professional internships,
- worked with people from diverse backgrounds on community service,
- collaborated with peers on projects,
- taken multiple courses with significant writing,
- produced a senior project or thesis, and
- studied abroad.
These experiences are about core liberal arts skills of thinking, communicating, interpersonal skills, and understanding the world around us. Showcase and enhance these skills in an internship opportunity for that first step into the professional world.
We encourage students in the Cinema Studies minor to combine coursework with hands-on, experiential learning opportunities.
Next Steps
Explore Affordability
We have a variety of scholarships and financial aid options to help make college more affordable for you and your family.
Apply to the University of Mississippi
Are you ready to take the next step toward building your legacy?