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Cinema and Media Studies Program, BA

Requirements

Students wishing to major in cinema and media studies must complete the following requirements for graduation:

  • A minimum of 120 semester hours overall, including at least 42 hours earned at the 30000 level or above

  • TCU Core Curriculum requirements

  • A minimum of 31 semester hours in the FTDM major courses, including at least 12 hours at the 30000 level or above

  • A minor of at least 18 hours; all requirements of the minor department must be followed

  • A grade of "C" or better in all courses taken in the FTDM department

  • course History of Broadcasting; course History of Film; course Introduction to Film and Television Aesthetics; course Media Analysis;  course Capstone Project; course Senior Seminar.

  • Students pursuing the BA degree must demonstrate competency in a foreign language equivalent to completion of one of the following:

course

Intermediate Arabic II

3

course

Intermediate Chinese II

3

course

Fourth Semester College French

3

course

Intermediate German

3

course

Fourth Semester College Greek (Hellenistic)

3

course

Fourth Semester College Italian

3

course

Fourth Semester College Japanese

3

course

Intermediate Spanish 2

3

course

Intensive Intermediate Spanish 2

3

This requirement can be met either by satisfactory completion of coursework taken at or transferred to TCU or by presenting satisfactory scores on recognized standardized tests (AP, CLEP or SAT II). Required scores on standardized tests are in the Credit by Exam booklet available from the Office of Admission. For languages not taught at TCU, 6 semester hours at the sophomore level, transferred to TCU from another accredited institution, will satisfy this requirement. Students may also provide evidence of competency in the non-English language by successfully completing one academic year in a secondary or post-secondary institution in which the language of instruction is other than English, for which the student will receive 12 credit hours.

It is strongly recommended that Cinema and Media Studies majors complete their course requirements in this order:

Step One: Departmental Core Requirements (9 hours)

course

History of Broadcasting

3

course

History of Film

3

course

Introduction to Film and Television Aesthetics

3

Step Two: Additional Foundational Course (3 hours)

course

Media Analysis

3

Step Three: Complete six critical studies courses (18 hours)

Cinema and Media Studies majors must complete 18 hours selected from the following courses.

course

Film and Television Genres

3

course

American Cinema

3

course

Crime Films and Society

3

course

Media Decades

3

course

History in the Movies

3

course

Media Authorship

3

course

Television, Culture and Society

3

course

British Cinema and European Culture

3

course

Women in Television and Film

3

course

Topics in Film

3

course

Topics in Television

1-3

course

World Cinema

3

course

Media and Popular Culture

3

course

Popular Music and the Recording Industry

3

course

Contemporary Media

3

course

Film Theory and Criticism

3

Step Four: Additional Requirements (1 hour)

course

Senior Seminar in Film, Television, and Digital Media

1

(to be taken in the last semester of the senior year).

Responsibility for knowing course prerequisites lies with the student. Students who wish to apply for "permission of instructor" or "permission of department" to take a class must submit a written request prior to registration. The department does not guarantee that all who wish to enroll in these classes will be accepted.