Course Descriptions

Course descriptions for courses that apply as FMS major credit are listed below. For a more complete list of course descriptions, consult the OU Catalog.

FMS Catalog of Courses

FMS 1013Introduction to Film and Media Studies – An examination of the history, role, impact, nature and delivery systems of film and media in the United States and the international community. (F, Sp, Su) [IV-AF]

FMS 1113Introduction to New Media– Provides students with an overview of new media studies, focusing on digital culture and computerized technology. Focuses on issues including convergence, the blurring of producer and consumer, and social aspects of media. (F, Sp) [III-SS]

FMS 1123History of Video Games– Presents the history of video games as an expressive and artistic medium. Focuses on the technological, cultural, and economic factors that influence game production and reception. (F, Sp) [IV-AF]

FMS 1313Narrative Production Basics– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013 or concurrent enrollment. Students will be introduced to common American strategies for fictional narrative digital cinema production from development and preproduction through distribution. Emphasis is placed on application of practical knowledge of production techniques, technologies, protocols and aesthetic conventions for narrative storytelling. (F)

FMS 2013Film and Media History to 1960– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013. Survey of world film and media history from the origins of cinema through 1960, including silent cinema, the transition to sound, classical Hollywood and important international film movements. Emphasizes an understanding of cinema in aesthetic, technological, economic and social terms. (F)

FMS 2023Film and Media History: 1960 to Present– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013. Survey of Hollywood, independent and world film and media since 1960, including various new cinema movements, New Hollywood, media conglomeration and globalization. Emphasizes an understanding of the aesthetic, economic and social dimensions of film and media at the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries. (Sp)

FMS 2033Writing About Film– Pre-Requisite: 1013, ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213. This course teaches specialized writing skills for writing about film. Topics covered will include the vocabulary of film writing, basic cinema research skills and techniques to write for academic and general audiences. (F, Sp)

FMS 2123Acting for the Camera– Pre-Requisite: 2033. Covers the requirements, techniques and discipline of working on camera for film and/or television as a professional actor. (F, Sp)

FMS 2970Special Topics/Seminar Special Topics– 1 to 3 hours. Special topics course for content not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. May include library and/or laboratory research, and field projects.

FMS 3213Media Theories & Methodologies– Pre-Requisite: 2013 or 2023. Familiarize students with classical film theory that evolved during the early days of cinema up through contemporary film and media theory, as a foundation for understanding and analyzing the way media shape and reflect culture. (F)

FMS 3223Topics in Film Genre– Pre-Requisite: 1013. May be repeated once with different genres; maximum credit six hours. Offers students a systematic in-depth study of one or two specific genres such as westerns, romantic comedy, horror, film noir, and melodrama. (Irreg.)

FMS 3233Filmmakers Up Close– Pre-Requisite: 1013. May be repeated once with change of filmmakers; maximum credit six hours. An in-depth study of one or two filmmakers through the study of their films. Filmmakers include directors, screenwriters, actors, and others who have a significant role in making movies. (Irreg.)

FMS 3243Hispanic Cinema– Pre-Requisite: 1013. Analytical study of exemplary motion pictures from the Hispanic world: Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, and Argentina. (Irreg.) [IV-AF]

FMS 3313Digital Cinema Production– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013. Film and media production with narrative structure. Students will learn to handle equipment and edit in-camera. (F, Sp)

FMS 3323Editing: History, Theory, Practice– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013. Combines the history, theory, and practice of digital editing in a narrative context. Explores early experimentation in film editing, the evolution of equipment and techniques, major montage/ editing theories, and famous editors, while also providing hands-on shooting and editing experience. (Irreg.)

FMS 3413Asian Cinema– Pre-Requisite: 1013. A survey of major Asian films, exploring aesthetic and narrative traditions from Japan, China, and India as its major concern. Films from other Asian cultures will be offered as availability permits. Students will refine critical, written and verbal skills. (Irreg.)

FMS 3513Children's Cinema– Pre-Requisite: 1013. Examines recurring archetypal narratives, figures, and visual grammar of children's film throughout film history as well as analyzes film production strategies and values in a variety of sub-genres. Looks critically at how film narratives currently address audiences of children and how they have done so historically. (Irreg.) [IV-AF]

FMS 3683Social Issues and Film – Pre-Requisite: 1013. Analytical study of films that engage one or more social issues such as race relations, gender roles, class conflict, nationalism and imperialism. Focus will be on their various aesthetic approaches such as social realism, anti-realist techniques, and satire. (Irreg.) [IV-AF]

FMS 3703Topics in Film and Media Production– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013. May be repeated once with change of content; maximum credit six hours. An in-depth critical and applied study of a particular type of production, with topics such as Advanced Single-Camera Production, Aesthetics and Practice of the Short Film, and Making the Feature Film. (Irreg.)

FMS 3713Topics in Writing for the Screen– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013. May be repeated once with change of content; maximum credit six hours. An in-depth critical and applied study of a particular screenwriting topic such as "Writing for Television," "Writing the Short Film," and "Advanced Screenwriting." (Irreg.)

FMS 3800Internship– 1 to 4 hours. Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013, junior standing, and permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of internship; maximum credit four hours. Participation in supervised internship with submission of journals describing work performed, regular reports, on-site supervisor evaluation, assigned readings, and final assessment of experience. (F, Sp, Su)

FMS 3801Career Planning in Film and Media Studies– Pre-Requisite: FMS 1013. Designed to help students professionalize themselves by gaining general career skills (developing a resume, interviewing skills), information specific to careers in film and media (on-set etiquette and performance expectations), and introductions to industry professionals (through guest lectures and informational interviews with FMS alumni). (Irreg.)

FMS 3810Variable Topics– 1 to 3 hours. Pre-Requisite: 1013 or permission of instructor. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit twelve hours. Varied projects concerning particular aspects of film and media history, genre, and methods of film or digital cinema production. (Irreg.)

FMS 3833Masterpieces of World Cinema– Pre-Requisite: 1013. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit six hours. Survey of world film and the principles underlying historical and critical approaches to the cinema, emphasizing an appreciation of international cinema as an aesthetic, economic, and social factor in the twentieth century. (Irreg.)

FMS 3843Topics in National Cinema– Pre-Requisite: 1013. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit six hours. Analytical study of exemplary motion pictures in terms of major periods, themes, and formal parameters in relation to national cultural histories, such as the French New Wave, Film Noir or American silent film. (Irreg.)

FMS 3853Feature Screenwriting– Pre-Requisite: 1013 and permission of instructor. An introduction to writing for the screen, including a variety of assignments leading up to developing and writing a feature screenplay. (F, Sp)

FMS 4013Capstone in Film and Media– Pre-Requisite: Majors only; 24 hours of major credit; senior standing. Special problems or topics in film and media studies selected by the instructor and indicated by its particular title. Emphasis will be on the individual preparation of a research paper and/or creative project in the topic area. (Sp) [V] (August 2018)

FMS Approved Guided Electives

AFAM 4233: Blacks & the Movies
ANTH: 4443: Visual Anthropology
*ART 2873: Video for the Artist I
*ART 3823: Concepts in Electronic Media
*ART 3853: Intermediate Traditional Photography
*ART 3863: Intermediate Digital Photography
*ART 3873: Video for the Artist II
*ART 4813: Media Arts Special Topics
*ART 4973: Film/Video Studio Topics
*ATC 2853: Image - Intro Studio Practice
*ATC 2873: Time - Intro Studio Practice
*ACT 3883: 2D Animation
*ATC 4883: Narrative Animation
COMM 4643: Mass Media Effect
*DRAM 2503: On-Camera Acting
ENGL 2243: Film Narrative
ENGL 3023: Thematic Approaches to Literature [film topic]
ENGL 3243: Special Topics in Film
ENGL 3363: Films & Context
ENGL 3423: Film & Other Expressive Forms
ENGL 4013: Major Figure [film topic]
GEOG 3113: Media Geographies
HIST 3313: Israeli Culture through Film
HIST 3430: Topics in U.S. History [20th Century U.S. in Film or Jews & Hollywood]
HON 3993: Honors Colloquium [African Cinema]
HSCI 3493: The History of Media
*JMC 2643: Sound, Light, and Motion
*JMC 3011: Practicum [film/broadcast Topic]
*JMC 3143: Photojournalism
*JMC 3504: Introduction to Professional Writing
*JMC 3613: Single Camera Production
*JMC 3633: Audio Production
*JMC 3703: Photojournalism
JMC 3723: Introduction to Documentary
JMC 3753: Electronic Media Criticism
*JMC 3763: Narrative Screenwriting
*JMC 4623: Multi-Camera Production
*JMC 4633: Advanced Single Camera Production
*JMC 4643: Advanced Audio Production
*JMC 4683: Multimedia Content Management
*JMC 4733: Advanced Narrative Screenwriting
*JMC 4753: Documentary Research & Writing
*JMC 4763: Documentary Production
*JMC 4773: After Effects
JMC 4813: Media Law
JMC 4853: Race, Gender, & the Media
MLLL 3133: Soviet & Post-Soviet Cinema
MLLL 3223: Japan through Film & Literature
MLLL 3373: Italian Cinema
MLLL 3763: Chinese Cinema
MLLL 3993: Contemporary Brazilian Cinema
MUNM 2413: Music in Film
MUSC 4970: Undergraduate Seminar [Hollywood Movie Musical]
SOC 3993: Sociology of Gender and Sexuality in the Media
WGS 3703: Female Heroism in Hollywood
WGS 3713: Gender & James Bond

ART, ATC, DRAM, or JMC courses marked with an asterisk (*) may be used to fulfill Creative Skill Requirement.