Movie poster for La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc with this title at the bottom of the image.  Above in a cell-shaded style, a woman with a shaved head in the foreground holds her hand to her heart as a beam of light shines on her.  Several men surround her with expressions of scorn, curiosity, disgust, and stoicism.
Poster for 1928's La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc [The Passion of Joan of Arc]

Director: Jon Cowans

The Film Studies minor draws on a range of disciplines to allow students to examine a vital modern form of cultural expression. The 18-credit minor examines film as an art form, a form of entertainment, a business, and a political and social practice, tracing its evolution over time and its variants in different cultures. The minor primarily aims to develop students’ abilities to think critically about a central and highly influential facet of modern life, but it also seeks to help prepare students who are majoring in other fields such as business to work in the entertainment industry. All courses in the minor require and teach writing skills. 

Students completing the minor will have learned about the historical evolution of film as an art form and a business in multiple countries; this knowledge should include an awareness of major styles, genres, directors, films, and controversies involving films; and major approaches to censorship used in various times and places, as well as arguments for and against censorship. They should be capable of thinking critically about films, identifying and analyzing many of the techniques they use (directing, casting, editing, etc.) to convey messages and images. Classes will also train students in writing about film, from reviews of individual films to essays of broader scope.

In order to declare the minor, complete a declaration of minor form (OAS Version, Updated March 2021) and submit it for signature to the History Department via email  (history@newark.rutgers.edu) or in person (323 Conklin Hall). Forms will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar and the minor should be reflected on student records in approximately one week.

Below is a list of courses that qualify. To inquire about a specific course, consult with Professor Cowans.
 

AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES

014:255           Race and Gender in American Film      
                                                                           

ANTHROPOLOGY

070:319           Anthropology Through Film
 

ART HISTORY

082:305           Problems: Middle Eastern Cinema
 

ENGLISH

350:227           Race and Gender in American Film
350:245           Reading Film
350:305           Fiction into Film
350:363           Special Topics in Film: Hitchcock                 
350:363           Special Topics in Film: Gangster Films                            
350:363           Special Topics in Film: Film Noir                                   
350:364           Special Topics in Film: Shakespeare and Film
350:364           Special Topics in Film: Westerns and Gangsters
352:368           Special Topics in American Literature: Street Stories: HBO Series The Wire     
 

HISTORY

510:301           Film and History
510:313           Cinema and Society in the 20th Century
510:314           Film and Colonialism              
510:405           Ancient History and the Cinema                                                                                      
512:313           Visions of the City in American Cinema                        
512:394           New Viewpoints in American History: HBO's Westworld                         
28:510:300     (NJIT) Historical Problems of the 20th Century Through Film
 

PORTUGUESE

810:348           Portuguese Film & Literature                                                
810:349           Brazilian Film & Literature                                                    
810:350           Literature & Film of Portuguese-Speaking Africa             
810:440           Topics in Portuguese, Brazilian Literature: Gangs in Brazilian Film and Literature     
 

SOCIOLOGY

920:394          Topical Issues in Sociology: Human Rights on Film
 

SPANISH

940:348          Hispanic Film & Literature
 

VIDEO PRODUCTION

089:256           Art and History of Film
089:445           Screenwriting
 

WOMEN'S AND GENDER STUDIES

988:389           Topics in Women’s Studies: LGBT Images in Literature and Film