Cinema Studies
Work with Pulitzer Prize and Oscar nominees, prizewinners at major film festivals—including Sundance—and awardees of numerous university teaching awards.
Realize your vision
Cinema Studies is a unique interdisciplinary degree in which students take courses with internationally-recognized scholars and filmmakers in the School of Art and across the College of Arts & Sciences. Our faculty members have been Pulitzer Prize and Oscar nominees, prizewinners at major film festivals—including Sundance—and awardees of numerous university teaching awards. In both the major and minor, students study the history and aesthetics of movies while also undertaking their own productions. In addition to coursework, many Cinema Studies students pursue internships at one of the many production companies based in Knoxville, while also participating in student filmmaking or cinema appreciation clubs..
Programs in Cinema Studies
Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Studies
The Cinema Studies major includes both Cinema History/Theory/Aesthetics courses and Production courses in film/video. Students may choose a greater emphasis in cinema history and aesthetics or in moving image production, although all majors will take courses in both areas. Our graduates go on to work in the film and television industry; study at top-ranked MFA and PhD programs at leading film schools; or pursue broader goals (law school, the Peace Corps, etc.) thanks to the interdisciplinary approach that our program takes. Contact the School of Art office to declare a cinema studies major: (865) 974-3407 or fill out the declaration form.
Contact your Faculty Representatives:
See Undergraduate Catalog for Details
Courses
Complete
- CNST 236 – Introduction to Cinema and Video Art
- ART 102 — required prior to taking CSNT 236
- CNST 281 – Introduction to Film Studies
Select One Course
- CNST 435 – Narrative Filmmaking
- CNST 436 – Video Art
- JREM 436 – Advanced Video Production
Complete 21 Additional Hours
Select two of the following History/Theory/Aesthetic courses:
- CNST 320 – Middle Eastern Film
- CNST 323 – German Film Survey
- CNST 326 – Brazilian Cinema
- CNST 334 – Film and American Culture
- CNST 420 – French Cinema
- CNST 422 – Topics in Italian Cinema
- CNST 423 – Themes and Genres in German Cinema
- CNST 469 – Sexuality and Cinema
- CNST 482 – Special Topics in Global Cinema
- CNST 489 – Special Topics in Film
Complete 15 additional hours from History/Theory/Aesthetics, Production or Other:
- CNST 306 – Shakespeare and Film
- CNST 312 – Popular Culture and American Politics
- CNST 314 – Food, Fiction, and Film in Modern Japan
- CNST 315 – Asian Film
- CNST 320 – Middle Eastern Film
- CNST 321 – Japanese Graphic Novel/Anime
- CNST 323 – German Film Survey
- CNST 325 – Russian Film
- CNST 326 – Brazilian Cinema
- CNST 334 – Film and American Culture
- CNST 366 – Hollywood and the 20th Century
- CNST 400 – Special Topics
- CNST 420 – French Cinema
- CNST 422 – Topics in Italian Cinema
- CNST 423 – Themes and Genres in German Cinema
- CNST 433 – History of Film and Modern and Contemporary Art
- CNST 434 – Film and Visual Culture in the Hispanic World
- CNST 465 – Latin American Film and Culture
- CNST 469 – Sexuality and Cinema
- CNST 482 – Special Topics in Global Cinema
- CNST 489 – Special Topics in Film
- CNST 495 – Modern China in Film
- ARTC 401 – Experiments in Sequencing
- ARTC 439 – Special Topics in Four-Dimensional Arts
- CNST 365 – Writing the Screenplay
- CNST 431 – The Business of Cinema
- CNST 435 – Narrative Filmmaking
- CNST 436 – Video Art
- JREM 336 – Video Production
- JREM 436 – Advanced Video Production
- JREM 446 – Documentary Video Production
- JREM 480 – Media Programming in the Digital Era
- CNST 490 – Internship
- CNST 491 – Foreign Study
- CNST 492 – Off-Campus Study
- CNST 493 – Independent Study
Cinema Studies Honors Concentration
Candidates for the honors concentration must fulfill all the requirements for the Cinema Studies major and must satisfy the following stipulations:
- Complete 12 hours of honors CNST courses at the 300-level or above. Any 300- or 400-level courses approved for Cinema Studies credit, including CNST 493, may be taken through honors-by-contract with the permission of the instructor. Cinema Studies courses taken at the graduate level for undergraduate credit may be petitioned to count for honors credit in Cinema Studies.
- Complete 3 hours of CNST 493 – Independent Study
- Maintain a 3.5 GPA in all courses required for the Cinema Studies concentration
- Maintain an overall 3.25 GPA
BA in Cinema Studies
The Bachelor of Art degree with a major in cinema studies is a 30 credit hour concentration.
Advising for Current Students
The School of Art uses a combination of a professional advisor and faculty mentors to meet the needs of our students. You are assigned to our professional staff advisor, Brittany Hunt-Woods, upon admission to the School of Art. Brittany will do all primary advising (clearing registration holds, discussing graduation requirements, etc).
Minor in Cinema Studies
We make it easy for undergraduate students to take cinema studies classes while pursuing another field of study. Contact the School of Art office to declare a cinema studies minor: (865) 974-3407 or fill out the declaration form.
Requirements
Complete
CNST 281 – Introduction to Film Studies (3 credits)*
Introduction to the art of photography. Taking and processing of photographs through both traditional film/darkroom and digital.
Recommended that CNST 281 be taken before any other courses in the minor.
Select 3 Hours
- CNST 235 – Introduction to Digital Media and 16mm Film as Art (3 credits) Development of basic concepts and techniques for the creation of works of cinema and video art.
- CNST 236 – Introduction to Cinema and Video Art (3 credits) Development of basic concepts and techniques for the creation of works of cinema and video art.
- JREM 336 – Video Production (3 credits) The basics of conceiving, writing, and producing multi-platform video programs. Includes both studio and field production. Introduction to non-linear editing.
- JREM 350 – Digital News Reporting (3 credits) This course examines digital media as news platforms, including current issues, problems, and practices of online journalism. Additionally, students will learn how to use online communication tools, such as social media tools, blogging software, and visualization tools, to report on stories of local and national interest.
Select 9 Additional Hours
- any cinema studies courses
- any courses cross-listed with cinema studies
- JREM 336 – Video Production (3 credit hours) The basics of conceiving, writing, and producing multi-platform video programs. Includes both studio and field production. Introduction to non-linear editing.
- JREM 436 – Advanced Video Production (3 credit hours) Students conceive and produce video programs using advanced techniques of field acquisition and non-linear editing.
Faculty
Heather Coker Hawkins
Assistant Professor
Area of Study: Cinema Studies + Time-Based Art
Paul Harrill
Co-Chair, Cinema Studies, Professor and Dee & Jimmy Haslam Chair in Cinema Studies
Area of Study: Cinema Studies + Time-Based Art
John Kelley
Associate Professor
Area of Study: Cinema Studies + Time-Based Art
Cinema Studies News
- Kimberly D. Iles Scholarship Awards – 2023
- Cinema Studies Alumni Ben Murphy Receives Alumni Promise Award
- Elaine Sheldon’s “King Coal” a New York Times Critics Pick
- BFA Graduate Chloe Baker Begins Art Career in Knoxville
- Elaine McMillion Sheldon to Direct Narrative Feature Film on Mother Jones
- Handheld – Cinema Studies Student Screening – Spring 2023
- Ruchi Singh to Intern with Jewish Museum in NYC
- Students Establish Northeast Tennessee Cinematologists Guild
- Heather Coker Hawkins Film Screenings of Gravity Wins
- Ben Murphy, Film Editor for Avatar, Presents at University of Tennessee
- Elaine McMillion Sheldon Receives Mid-Career Excellence in Research and Creative Achievement Award
- 76th Annual Student Art Competition Awards
Cinema Studies Resources
Internships increasingly play a vital role in a students’ professional preparation during college, and their importance in helping a student securing work after college cannot be overstated. This is especially true in the world of film/video. Students in the University of Tennessee Cinema Studies program are strongly encouraged to pursue internships in Knoxville (which has a thriving production community) and beyond. Please enroll in the Canvas site to read more about securing credit for Cinema Studies/Time-Based Arts internships at UT.
Articles
Industry Resources
History and Criticism
Filmmaking