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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2017-2018
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MFS 245 Producing Motion Pictures and Television (1)
An exploration of the role of the producer as the creative force behind motion picture and
television production. The course will guide a student from development to the screen.
MFS 250 History of Documentary Film (1)
An introductory survey of documentary film. The course will focus on some of the
major developments in documentary practice, while also considering a number of
theoretical issues in the documentary tradition, including the problem of objectivity, the
relationship between the documentary image and reality, and the mixing of fiction and
nonfiction modes. The goals of this course are to introduce students to the important
historical trends and concepts and to help develop the critical and analytical skills
needed to understand the structure, style, and rhetorical strategies of documentary film.
A Leadership Studies designated course. (Also listed as HON 250.)
MFS 270 Special Topics in Media and Film Studies (1)
An in-depth and interdisciplinary exploration of selected media and film-related issues.
Topics, disciplinary perspectives, and instructors may vary. This course may be repeated
once for credit providing that the focus of the course is different.
MFS 293, 393, 493 Independent Study in Media and Film Studies (½ or 1)
Directed study for advanced students in the major. Specific guidelines concerning
independent study projects appear in the “Exploration Term and Contract Learning”
section of this catalog.
MFS 298, 398, 498 Teaching Experience in Media and Film Studies (½ or 1)
A teaching experience course. Specific guidelines concerning teaching experiences
appear in the “Teaching Experiences” section of this catalog.
MFS 300 Media and Society (1)
An exploration of the interactive relationship between media and society from political,
psychological, economic, and sociological perspectives. This course will focus on how
media sources, such as television, film, and the Internet, influence society at group and
individual levels and how society, in turn, influences the creation and production of
media. (Also listed as PS 300; may be taken only once.)
MFS 310 Film and Media Theory (1)
A survey of film and media theory from the silent era to the present. The course focuses
on several key theorists and their ideas about the nature and function of cinema/media,
as well as the relationship between texts, spectatorship, and culture. These theories will
be situated in their historical context, and their influence on subsequent theorists and
practitioners will be examined. Prerequisite: MFS 100 or MFS 201.
MFS 470 Seminar and Senior Conference (1)
An interdisciplinary seminar on a special topic designed to engage the major’s areas of
concentration.