SCRW 110 Introduction to Film
This course offers a broad overview of film studies and nurtures students' development of cinematic expression. Students will critique films from a wide range of cultures and historical periods. Through film analysis, they will: examine the formal elements, aesthetic tools, and techniques filmmakers use to convey meaning, evoke emotion, and articulate ideas and themes; explore diverse representations of the human experience and connect cinema to broader cultural movements. In addition to critical interpretation, students will experiment with their own expressive, creative voices and explore their own cultural perspectives through ideation prompts and screenwriting exercises.
4 Undergraduate credits
Effective December 15, 2025 to present
Learning outcomes
General
- Identify the formal elements, aesthetic tools, and techniques used by cinematic production and connect these to artistic and humanistic expressions of film
- Examine films as artistic sites of cultural debate about unequal power dynamics in contemporary society, including but not limited to Environmental Justice Movement(s), Feminist Movement(s), Anti-Racist Movement(s), Anti-Colonial Movement(s), LGBTQ+ Rights Movement(s), and Civil Rights Movement(s)
- Engage in critical, artistic, and technical discussions about films within their social, political and cultural contexts with special emphasis on the experience and contributions (political, social, economic, etc.) of those groups that have suffered discrimination and exclusion
- Identify and analyze film groupings by genre, traditions (e.g., formalism, realism, classical Hollywood), narrative modes (documentary, experimental, fiction), and distinctive aesthetic styles across American cinema movements
- Develop their artistic voice through creative exercises in cinematic expression, including character writing, visual storytelling experiments, and revisionist scene work to engage critically with aesthetic and interpersonal skills