Cinematic Arts
Institute of Arts and Humanities
Ridge Walk Academic Complex, Sixth Floor
9625 Scholars Drive North
858-534-0491
https://iah.ucsd.edu/
All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.
The Major
The cinematic arts major is an interdisciplinary major for students eager to engage in the study and practices of film and filmmaking. Students will explore a wide range of film studies, including film histories, theories, directors, cultural perspectives, and more. In addition, students will take courses offering instruction in production techniques such as cinematography, directing, and upper-division courses in animation, editing, sound, visual effects, and screenwriting. The interdisciplinary nature of the major allows students to study cinematic arts through connection to related fields while completing a capstone thesis project.
The Cinematic Arts Major
Degree offered: Bachelor of Arts
The major in cinematic arts consists of seven lower-division courses and twelve upper-division courses. None of the major courses may be taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis.
Seven Lower-Division Core Courses (twenty-eight units)
Foundational Courses
All four courses are required:
FILM 71. Fundamentals of Cinematography
FILM 72. Fundamentals of Directing
FILM 73. Fundamentals of Editing
VIS 84. Film History
Choose three courses:
COMM 20. Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
COMM 30. Digital Media Literacy: Analyzing Forms, Practices, and Infrastructures of Mediated Public Life
HILD 14. Film and History in Latin America
TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
TDGE 10. Theatre and Film
TDGE 12. Topics in Cinema and Race TDTR 20. Dance on Film
VIS 6. Race, Gender, and Robots
VIS 7. Movie Magic from Melies to Marvel
VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics
Twelve Upper-Division Core Course Requirements (fifty-two units)
Studies Courses
Choose any five courses:
COMM 101T. MPL: Topics in Production
COMM 103D. CM: Documentary History and Theory
COMM 103F. How to Read a Film
COMM 106F. Film Industry
COMM 107. Visual Culture
COMM 135. Contemporary Minority Media Makers and the Festival Experience
COMM 137. Black Women Filmmakers
COMM 139. Examining Marvel’s Black Panther
COMM 140. Cinema in Latin America
COMM 142. Film Authorship
COMM 143. Science Fiction
ETHN 101. Ethnic Images in Film
ETHN 163F. Indigenous Cinema
ETHN 163FR. Indigenous Cinema
HIEA 154. Korean History through Film
LTCS 111. Special Topics in Popular Culture in Historical Context
LTCS 119. Asian American Film, Video, and New Media
LTCS 150. Topics in Cultural Studies
LTEA 120A. Chinese Films
LTEA 120B. Taiwan Films
LTEA 120C. Hong Kong Films
LTEA 138. Japanese Films
LTEA 142. Korean Film, Literature, and Popular Culture
LTWL 120. Popular Literature and Culture
LTWL 157. Iranian Film
LTWL 180. Film Studies and Literature: Film History
LTWL 181. Film Studies and Literature: Film Movement
LTWL 183. Film Studies and Literature: Director’s Work
LTWL 184. Film Studies and Literature: Close Analysis of Filmic Text
TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
TDGE 127. The Films of Spike Lee
TDGE 131. Indigenous Cinema
TDGE 131R. Indigenous Cinema
VIS 150. Landmarks/World Cinema
VIS 150A. Seminar in Media History
VIS 151. Experimental Cinema
VIS 152D. Identity through Transnational Cinema
VIS 156. Latino American Cinema
VIS 157. Environmentalism
VIS 157D. US Civil Rights in Art and Media
Production series
Choose one course:
LTWR 110. Screen Writing
TDPW 104. Screen Writing
VIS 177. Scripting Strategies
Choose any three courses:
Editing and Sound
COMM 101D. MPL: Digital Editing
COMM 101N. MPL: Sound Production and Manipulation
COMM 101K. MPL: Documentary Sketchbook
VIS 175. Editing Theory and Practice
VIS 178. Sound Theory and Practice
Animation
FILM 179. Fundamentals of Animation
FILM 180. Advanced 3D and CGI
TDGE 126. Storytelling and Design in Animation
VIS 172. Motion Design and VFX
Shooting and Staging
FILM 182. Production Studio Technique
TDAC 110. Acting for the Camera
VIS 171. Digital Cinema
VIS 176. 16 mm Filmmaking
Practicum (one course/four units)
Required:
FILM 170. Cinematic Arts Practicum
Capstone/Thesis series (two courses/eight units)
To take place across two consecutive quarters.
Required:
FILM 184A. Thesis A
FILM 184B. Thesis B