Undergraduate majors in Film are expected to acquire basic skills in theory, history, criticism, and practice. Core requirements are met and electives are available through curricular offerings in the Department of Theater Arts. Students may also select electives from an approved list of courses in Art, Music, and Arts & Sciences. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of film and media offerings at PCC-Cascade, Mt. Hood Community College, and Clackamas Community College, who partner with Portland State University in the Co-enrollment program. Students may also apply certain elective coursework taken at the Northwest Film Center.
Selective Admission Starting Fall 2009
For many years, the department has been increasing its commitment to excellence by raising the academic standards of our incoming students. Students will formally apply to the Film program after completing a minimum of 90 credits of appropriate coursework. Our admission standards include a minimum GPA of 2.33 GPA overall.
In previous years we had accepted only a passing grade in the Freshman and Sophomore film classes. We now require a minimum grade of C. Any course taken with a grade of C‐ or lower must be repeated to be included in the major.
Undergraduate application procedures and materials are available via PSU's Admissions website: Undergraduate Admissions. Please contact theaterarts@pdx.edu should you have any questions about the Film major application procedures and forms.
Advising
Students are urged to complete an advising appointment no later than the second term in attendance in the program. The advising appointment is required for enrollment in many film courses, including all upper division course requirements in the major core. Please contact Mark Berrettini (mberre@pdx.edu) or Professor William Tate (tatew@pdx.edu) for advising in the film major.
Requirements for a Major in Film 2009-10
The Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in Film is designed to offer students the opportunity to major in a diverse film curriculum that prepares them for a variety of careers in visual expression and understanding. Students in the program will study all forms and genres of the moving image, ranging from the silent film era to present day cinema, television, and digital video production. The faculty are committed to providing strong emphasis on written, oral and visual expression and critical thinking, diverse and international perspective, and challenging creative experiences.
Requirements for the major in Film. In addition to meeting the general University degree requirements, the major in film will plan a program with a faculty advisor that meets the following minimum requirements:
TA 131 Understanding Movies .................................................4
TA 301 Script Analysis ..........................................................4
TA 381/2/3 History of Film I, II, III (4, 4, 4) ............................12
TA 480 Film Theory ............................................................ 4
16 credits chosen from the following: ......................................16
TA 384/5 American Cinema and Culture I, II
TA 474/5 Dramatic Writing I, II
TA 484/5 Anatomy of a Movie I, II
TA 486 Topics in Film and the Moving Image (max. 8 credits)
*16 elective credits chosen from the Film curriculum courses listed
below with at least 12 carrying numbers 300 or above .................16
*Students may also seek program advisor approval to substitute elective coursework from other film courses in the university.
TOTAL 56
Courses taken under the undifferentiated grading option (pass/no pass) will not be accepted toward fulfilling major requirements. Additional courses may be required as prerequisites. All courses used to satisfy the major requirements must be graded C or above.
Graduation Pathways
Film majors who start their college career at PSU should follow the Early Declare Pathway to graduation in consultation with a Film advisor. Film majors who have completed the AA degree and/or enter PSU with 90 transfer credits should follow the Transfer Pathway to graduation in consultation with a Film advisor.
Download the BA/BS Transfer PathwaySpecialization in the Film Major
In fulfilling the elective requirement, the film major, depending on area of interest and career aspirations, should select one of 3 options (with at least 6 credits carrying numbers 300 or above): the general option; the production or performance option; the film studies option. Coursework selected in addition to the 16 elective credits may be applied to other university graduation requirements, including the 72 hour upper division requirement and general electives.
The student who chooses the film studies option should select 16 elective credits from the following recommended courses (with at least 12 credits carrying numbers 300 or above).- TA 370 Topics: Theater, Media, and Culture (4)
- TA 474/5 Dramatic Writing I, II (4, 4)
- TA 484/5 Anatomy of a Movie I, II (4, 4)
- TA 486 Topics in Film and the Moving Image (4)
The student who chooses the fim production option should select 16 elective credits from the following recommended courses, with at least 12 credits carrying numbers 300 or above:
TA 311 Scene Design I (4) [TA prerequisites required for this course]
TA 314 Lighting I (4) [TA prerequisites required for this course]
TA 321 Introd to Costume Design (4)
TA 408 Wksp: Directing Actors for the Camera (3-4)
TA 408 Wksp: The Art of Screenwriting (4)
TA 408 Wksp: Film Production (1-4)
TA 408 Wksp: Documentary Film Production I, II, III (4, 4, 4)
TA 454 Directing I (4) [TA prerequisites required for this course]- TA 474/5 Dramatic Writing I, II (4, 4)
Art 255 Two-dimensional Animation I (4)
Art 256 Three-dimensional Animation I (4)
Art 257 Video I (4)
Art 296 Digital Drawing and Painting (4)
Art 301 Processes and Practices of the Creative Industries (4)
Art 455 Time Arts Studio (4)
The student who chooses the film performance option should select 16 elective credits from the following recommended courses, with at least 12 credits carrying numbers 300 or above:
TA 252 Makeup (2)
TA 144, 344 Voice for the Actor I & II (3) (3)
TA 147 Movement for the Actor (3)
TA 241, 242 Improvisational Acting I & II (3) (3)
TA 248 Acting I: Process (4)
TA 340/341/342 Acting II/III (4, 4) & Advanced Acting (4)
TA 346 Stage Dialects (4)
TA 348 Acting for the Camera (4)
TA 408 Film/Video Performance (1-4) Requirements for a Minor in Film Studies
To earn the Minor in Film Studies, students will be required to complete 28 advisor-approved film credits to include the following:
8 Credits:
TA 131 Understanding Movies or TA 135 Classic Movies (4)
ENG 304 Critical Approaches to Cinema (4)
20 Credits:
20 elective credits from the Film curriculum with at least 12 carrying numbers 300 or aboveTOTAL 28
Courses taken under the undifferentiated grading option (pass/no pass) will not be accepted toward fulfilling minor requirements. All courses for the Minor must receive a letter grade of C or above. At least 16 credits of film studies courses must be taken in residence at Portland State University. Credits will be applicable to the student's major when appropriate.
Please Note: The Minor in Film Studies is an interdisciplinary program, available to all undergraduates admitted to PSU. Students may elect to pursue the minor in the Departments of Theatre Arts, Communication, or English and should consult their department advisor for a complete list of courses that would apply to the Minor from offerings in Theater Arts, English, Communications, and allied departmental offering.
Elective Options in the Film degree programs:
TA 135 Classic Movies (4)
TA 252 Makeup (2) [restricted to majors]
TA 311 Scene Design I (4) [restricted to majors]
TA 314 Lighting I (4) [restricted to majors]
TA 321 Introd to Costume Design (4) [restricted to majors]
TA 348 Acting for the Camera (4)
TA 370 Topics: Theater, Media, and Culture (4)- Shakespeare on Film, Film Genres, Hitchcock, 1950s Media and Culture, Musicals, The New Musical, The Road Movie, Robert Altman, Film Goes to War, Gangster Films, Vietnam on Screen, The 70's Film/TV Renaissance, The Western, The Western Since 1960 (Back in the Saddle Again), Scorsese, Film Stardom,Gangster Films & Musicals, The Films of Warner Bros, Mocumentary, Wes Anderson, The Indy Film Since 1980, European Directors, Reel Nature
- TA 384, 385 American Cinema and Culture I, II (4, 4)
TA 408 Wksp: Directing Actors for the Camera (3-4)
TA 408 Wksp: Film Production (1-4) [restricted to majors]
TA 408 Wksp: The Art of Screenwriting (4) [restricted to majors] - TA 454 Directing I (4) [restricted to majors]
- TA 486 Topics in Film and the Moving Image (4)
- Irish Theater and Film, Contemporary Irish Cinema, Reel Shakespeare
- TA 474, 475 Dramatic Writing I, II (4, 4) [restricted to majors]
- TA 484, 485 Anatomy of a Movie I and II (4, 4)
- ENG 305 Topics in Film (4)
- Hollywood in the Thirties, Hollywood in the Seventies, Films of Alfred Hitchcock, Films of Orson Welles, Film Noir, Independent Cinema and the Films of Sundance, Asian American Film and Video, Images of Disability in Literature and Film, Trading Places: Racial and Gender Transformations in Film and Visual Culture, Immigrant Experience in Literature and Film, Native American Cinema, Vampirism in Cinema, Science Fiction Cinema, The Films and Times of Charlie Chaplin, Women and Film, Civilized Nightmares: Utopia and Dystopia in Film, Film & Social Justice, War Culture & Film, Postmodern Popular Culture
ENG 367 Immigrant Experience in Literature and Film (4)
ENG 494 Topics in Critical Theory and Methods: Feminist Film Theory (4)
WR 416 Screenwriting (4)
DANE 361 Danish Films from Dreyer to Dogmer (4)
FR 305 Topics in French Film (4)
GER 399 History of German Film (4)
GER 410 Modern German Film (4)
JPN 361 Japanese Literature through Film (4)
RUS 331 Russian Film (4)
SPAN 436 Cine-Lit: Latin American Film (4)
SOC 410Sociology Through Film (4)
SP 399 Media, Law and Politics (4)
SP 399 Film Studies, I, II, III (4, 4, 4)
SP 410 Women in Contemp Film (4)
Art 255 Two-dimensional Animation I (4)
Art 256 Three-dimensional Animation I (4)
Art 257 Video I (4)
Art 296 Digital Drawing and Painting (4)
Art 301 Processes and Practices of the Creative Industries (4)
Art 455 Time Arts Studio (4)
ArH 291 History of Animation (4)
BSt 424 African-American/African Culture in Cinema (4)
BSt 425 Black Cinema: The 1970s (4)
BSt 426 Contemporary African-American Cinema (4)
BSt 427 African American Films and Film Makers (4)
ENG 304 Critical Theory of Cinema (4) -
*Students may also seek program advisor approval to substitute elective coursework from other film courses in the university.
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