Muhlenberg College To Offer Degree In Film Studies
The Muhlenberg College faculty have approved the addition of a bachelor of arts degree in film studies to the curriculum.Wednesday, February 22, 2006 01:59 PM
The interdisciplinary major, which draws courses from the departments of English, theatre, media and communication, history, sociology, psychology, religion, and languages, literatures and cultures, reflects the College’s commitment to liberal education and increasing student interest in film.
The program will be a part of the fall of 2006 curriculum. Francesca Coppa, Ph.D., associate professor of English, will be the program director, and Paul McEwan, Ph.D., assistant professor of media and communication, will be the associate director.
"Film has emerged as arguably the most powerful art form of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, besides its considerable cultural, social, economic, and even political impact in the world. It is inconceivable that a liberal arts curriculum could ignore such an important phenomenon," said Randy Helm, President of Muhlenberg College.
"Muhlenberg's media and communication department has taught some aspects of film for many years, but this new program represents a significant broadening and deepening of our curriculum in this field. As an interdisciplinary initiative, Film Studies at Muhlenberg will examine film from both the perspectives of both the humanities (aesthetics, analysis, theory, genres) and the social sciences (social implications, history), enriched with hands-on production opportunities."
Part of President Helm's Strategic Plan, the film studies major has been studied and been in the planning stages for more than a year. A planning group of eight faculty members and two staff members was chaired by Larry Hass, Ph.D., professor of philosophy.
Film studies is the first new major at Muhlenberg since the addition of neuroscience in 2004. With this addition, the College now offers 37 majors and 27 minors, as well as self-designed and self-directed inquiry.
