Mar 19, 2024  
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Film and Video Studies BA, Screenwriting Specialization


Students who elect to pursue the screenwriting specialization will learn the key elements of creating scripts for film, serial media (TV, Webisodes, Mobisodes) and video games. Starting with the fundamentals, students will focus on story structure, plot, scene development, characterization and dialogue. As students advance through the required and elective courses, they will begin to hone their voice through a series of writing assignments designed to guide students toward mastering the basics of narrative storytelling in an environment designed to simulate the world of the professional screenwriter.

To complete the learning experience and help students  prepare for the job market, all students pursuing the screenwriting specialization are expected to compile a portfolio. COM 327 Scriptwriter in Development and Production and FVS 489 Senior Colloquium are designed to facilitate this goal.

Those students wishing to continue on to graduate film school may also want to complete an independent scriptwriting project. FVS 492 Practicum and FVS 496 Individual Study are designed to fill this role.

Students must maintain a 2.4 GPA or higher with a minimum grade of C- in all courses counted toward fulfilling the film and video studies major or minor requirements.

Film and Video Studies Core Requirements


Total Core Credits: 26


Select one of the following: Credits: 4


Select one of the following: Credits: 4


Total Required Courses Credits: 34


Total Elective Credits: 15


Total Credits: 75


Film and Video Studies Program Information


College of Arts and Humanities
Ellensburg
Bouillon Hall, room 224

509-963-1067
www.cwu.edu/film-video
    See website for how this program may be used for educational and career purposes.

Faculty and Staff
Program Co-Directors

Jon Ward, MA, film studies
Liahna Armstrong, PhD, English

Professors
Toni Culjak, PhD, English
Jeffrey Dippmann, PhD, philosophy and religious studies
Stella Moreno, PhD, world languages
Michael R. Ogden, PhD, communication
Steven Olson, PhD, English
Michael J. Smith, MFA, theatre arts

Associate Professors
Christina Barrigan, MFA, theatre arts
George W. Bellah, MFA, theatre arts
Roxanne Easley, PhD, history
Matt Manweller, PhD, political science
Lene Pederson, PhD, anthropology
Christopher Schedler, PhD, English

Assistant Professor
Maria Sanders, MFA, communication

Lecturers
Melissa Johnson, English, women’s studies
Michael Caldwell, MFA, film
Helen Harrison, communication
Jason Tucholke, theatre arts

Program Information
The Film and Video Studies Program is an innovative, interdisciplinary, undergraduate program leading to a BA in film and video studies. Students complete a sequence of core courses and choose a specialization in cinema studies, production or screenwriting. Minors are available in cinema studies and screenwriting.

Program Standards
A film and video studies specialization or minor can be selected by students using the normal major or minor declaration process and with assistance from a faculty advisor. Any student who has taken COM 201 and FVS 250 and passed with a combined B average or better and has a minimum CWU grade point average of 2.4 or higher may be admitted to this program. Students must maintain a 2.4 GPA or higher with a minimum grade of C- in all courses counted toward fulfilling the film and video studies major or minor requirements.

Majors, Specializations and Minors
The Film and Video Studies Program provides students the opportunity to pursue a course of study in either the critical study of film, the production and technical aspects of the moving image or writing for the screen. The film and video studies program employs a scholarly, creative, and professional approach to the study of both film and television and seeks to help each student discover his or her talent as an independent critic, artist, and communicator. The program provides an education in the history and theory of film, television, and digital media art forms and basic learning experiences in production within the context of a liberal arts education.

The film and video studies specializations require a sequence of core courses. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the core (except for FVS 489) prior to the beginning of their junior year. After completing the core (23 credits excepting FVS 489), students will be required to choose one of three specialization focusing on either cinema studies which examines the history, theory, criticism and aesthetics of both film and television (50 credits), production (50 credits), which exposes students to the fundamentals of the production processes in film and video, or screenwriting (50 credits), allowing students to develop mastery in a variety of narrative screenplay and teleplay writing disciplines. Students may choose to pursue a double specialization in cinema studies and either production or screenwriting, or a double specialization in production and screenwriting: however, they may count only the core requirements toward satisfying the requirements of both specializations. Minors are also offered in cinema studies and screenwriting.

The program encourages students to look at moving images from the vantage point of other disciplines. To this end, the film and video studies program includes courses from a number of other departments and programs on campus, including anthropology, communication, English, world languages, philosophy, political science, religious studies, sociology, and theatre arts.
 

Bachelor of Arts
(NOTE: Students seeking a BA degree must complete one year college/university study or two years high school study of a single world language.)

College of Arts and Humanities Information


Administration and Organization

Dean
Stacey Robertson, PhD (Hebeler Hall, room 202)

Interim Associate Dean
Katharine Whitcomb, PhD (Hebeler Hall, room 202)

Mail Stop 7518
509-963-1858
Fax: 509-963-1851
www.cwu.edu/arts/

Overview
The College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) is comprised of 12 departments and programs, which represent the disciplines of the arts and humanities. All of the departments and some of the programs of CAH offer undergraduate degrees as well as minors which supplement other degree programs. Five departments offer Master’s degrees. In addition to its role in providing degree programs, CAH is responsible for many of the course offerings of the general education programs as well as extensive service coursework for the entire university. The college also plays a major role in Central’s teacher education programs, offering bachelors and master’s degrees for students preparing to be secondary teachers and providing coursework in educational foundations and discipline-specific methods for teacher education majors. Building on a legacy of teaching excellence, college faculty are engaged in research, creative activities and service, involving students in the scholarship and practical applications of their various academic specializations, while making important contributions to the intellectual tradition and to society at large. There are no special requirements for admission to the college, but some departments have requirements that are described under the respective department and program headings in the catalog.

Mission
The College of Arts and Humanities advances knowledge, promotes intellectual inquiry, and cultivates creative endeavor among students and faculty through teaching informed by scholarship, creative activity, and public and professional involvement. We are committed to helping students develop intellectual and practical skills for responsible citizenship and the challenges of contemporary life in a global society. The college offers disciplinary and interdisciplinary programs of the highest quality, acts as a steward of the foundational disciplines upon which all inquiry is based, and serves as a cultural center for arts and humanities for the university and the region.

Vision
The College of Arts and Humanities will be recognized as a distinguished learning community known regionally for scholarly and creative excellence, innovative, and rigorous foundational liberal arts education, and undergraduate and graduate programs that are outstanding and unique in the state.

Departments and Programs
Africana and Black Studies Program: Bobby Cummings, PhD (Michaelsen Hall, room 104)
Art: Gregg Schlanger, MFA (Randall Hall, room 100)
Asia/Pacific Studies Program: Jeffrey Dippman, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 337C)
Communication: Marji Morgan, PhD (Bouillon Hall, room 232A)
English: George Drake, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 423)
Film and Video Studies Program: Liahna Armstrong, PhD  and Jon Ward (Bouillon Hall, room 225)
History: Jason Knirck, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 100)
Latino and Latin American Studies Program: Stella Moreno, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 102J)
Music: Todd Shiver, DMA (Jerilyn S. McIntyre Music Building, room 144)
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Matthew Altman, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 337)
Theatre Arts: Scott Robinson, MFA (McConnell Hall, room 106)
World Languages: Laila Abdalla, PhD (Language and Literature Bldg., room 102)