The world may watch Hollywood productions, but Hollywood draws inspiration from international cinema. Want to further your knowledge of cinema that exists beyond Hollywood? Interested in the history and theory of international film and filmmaking? The World Film Studies (WFS) minor offers coursework in film history, theory, and aesthetics to introduce students to influential cinematic traditions from around the world. Courses for the minor are offered by individual language programs within WLC (Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Spanish) and by other units on the ISU campus (such as the Department of English and the Greenlee School of Journalism).
This minor complements a wide range of majors and provides a foundation for further studies in film, media, and visual culture at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As part of the minor program, students gain a solid knowledge of the vocabulary, theoretical concepts, analytical methodologies, and research trends of cinema studies. Students become familiar with different periods in the history of world film industry and study international auteurs whose artistic visions continue to transform filmmaking. Students learn how cinema has shaped and been shaped by societies and cultures; and how globalization and transnationalism have affected contemporary film industries. The World Film Studies minor exposes students to the art of cinema through viewing, analyzing, and discussing important films, past and present, from around the globe.
For more information, please contact wfs@iastate.edu.
General requirements
A student seeking an undergraduate minor in World Film Studies must successfully complete a minimum of 15 credits, which must include WFS 2780, or ENGL 2370 Survey of Film History and 12 credits selected from a list of electives. Of these, at least 6 credits must be from courses taught in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. The minor must include at least 9 credits that are not used to meet any other department, college or university requirement.
