Cinema Studies

http://cinema.uoregon.edu

Priscilla Peña Ovalle, Department Head
541-346-8104
541-346-8144 fax
201 McKenzie Hall
6223 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-6223
cinema@uoregon.edu

The UO’s Department of Cinema Studies offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore every facet of the world of moving images. Students become skilled producers of images as well as responsible consumers and thoughtful critics. While traditional film schools teach students how to make movies, UO cinema students approach film, television and new media from a variety of disciplinary angles and perspectives. Our interdisciplinary department teaches the creative and technical aspects of storytelling as well as the broader historical, philosophical, and geopolitical contexts of this industrial art form.

Because cinema is inherently multidisciplinary, students take a diverse array of courses in history, theory, criticism, and aesthetics as well as in digital production. Students take classes across campus from a variety of departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Journalism and Communication, and the College of Design.

Faculty

Peter Alilunas, associate professor (cinema studies). BA, 2006, Oregon; MA, 2008, Texas, Austin; PhD, 2013, Michigan. (2014)

Michael G. Aronson, associate professor (cinema studies). BA, 1994, Pennsylvania; MA, 1997, PhD, 2002, Pittsburgh. (2003)

Michael Bray, instructor (digital arts, cinema). BA, 1997, Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; MFA, 2008, Oregon. (2008)

Sangita Gopal, associate professor (cinema studies). BA, 1990, Calcutta; MA, 1995, PhD, 2000, Rochester. (2004)

Erin Hanna, associate professor (cinema studies). BA, 2004, MA 2007 York (Toronto); PhD, 2014, Michigan. (2014)

Masami Kawai, assistant professor (cinema studies). BA, 2003, Hampshire College; MFA, 2013, California, Los Angeles. (2014)

Dong Hoon Kim, associate professor (cinema studies). BA, 1998, Yonsei; MA, 2002, PhD, 2008, Southern California. (2011)

Kevin May, instructor (cinema studies); multimedia assistant. BA, 2006, MEd, 2010, Oregon (2016)

HyeRyoung Ok, instructor (cinema studies). BA, 1996, MA, 2000, Seoul National; MA, 2002, New York; PhD, 2008, Southern California. (2011)

Priscilla Peña Ovalle, associate professor (cinema studies, ethnic studies). BS, 1998, Emerson College; MA, 2001, PhD, 2006, Southern California. (2006) 

Ari Purnama, assistant professor (cinema studies). BA, 2007, Padjajaran; MA, 2011, PhD, 2019, Groningen. (2020)

Andre Sirois, senior instructor (cinema studies); multimedia supervisor. BA, 2002, Central Connecticut State; MA, 2005, Maine; PhD, 2011, Oregon. (2012)

Daniel Gómez Steinhart, associate professor (cinema studies). BA, 2000, Wesleyan; MA, 2006, PhD, 2013, California, Los Angeles. (2014)

The date in parentheses at the end of each entry is the first year on the University of Oregon faculty.

Appointed Faculty

Michael Allan, comparative literature

Gabriela Martinez, journalism and communication

Affiliated Faculty

Kenneth S. Calhoon, comparative literature

Daniel L. Miller, journalism and communication

Kate Mondloch, history of art and architecture

Elizabeth M. Peterson, library

Stephen Rust, English

Biswarup "Bish" Sen, journalism and communication

Rick Silva, art

Janet Wasko, journalism and communication

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Identify, define, and apply the vocabulary used to describe and analyze the aesthetics of media. This vocabulary anchors the analytical (ideological, historical, etc.) and artistic work of the Cinema Studies curriculum.
• Historically and contextually analyze a broad range of media from newspapers to newer media to think critically about its intersections, institutions, functions, and social impacts.
• Show a basic knowledge of cinema which includes film, television, and newer media by identifying and describing the technological, artistic, and cultural histories of media in various national contexts while building researching and writing skills.
• Create, present, and constructively critique narrative films, documentaries, or video art pieces. Students will learn the basics of pre-production, production, and post-production to gain an overview of the film and art making process. Using critical thinking skills, students will develop and refine their creative and technical choices while navigating workflow standards.
• Develop artistic skills in specific areas such as screenwriting, directing, lighting, sound recording, and editing to enhance their creative, theoretical, and technical understanding of moving image production. Students will specialize in a craft that enhances their personal creative voice and critical thinking skills.
• Identify and analyze important structures including economic, industrial, legal, political, or regulatory forces that shape the production, distribution, or exhibition of cinema. Students use critical and creative thinking, writing, and/or research skills to develop analytical projects about cinema.
• Perform critical, formal, and cultural analyses of cinematic texts. Using theories specific to cinema studies, students may identify change and continuities in discourses of the auteur, star, genre, etc., or situate texts within intersectional contexts. Students will use critical and creative thinking, writing, and/or research skills to develop analytical projects about cinema.
• Identify and analyze international/transnational/global modes of production, circulation, and aesthetics, then contextualize them broadly or more specifically according to the nation or region. Students will use critical and creative thinking, writing, and/or research skills to develop analytical projects about cinema.
• Exhibit specialized skills in writing, critical thinking, and/or creative practice through capstone seminars, workshops, and/or professionalization courses. Students may also apply the methods of other disciplines to complement cinematic analyses.

Four-Year Degree Plan

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Studies