Film and Media Studies
Department website: http://www.sbcc.edu/filmmediastudies/
Film and Media Studies at SBCC explores the history, theory, and criticism of film and of evolving media that shape our everyday lives. The department offers a variety of courses, from the early years of film history to the contemporary era, including both American and international works, designed for film majors and interested non-majors who wish to enhance their knowledge of film and media as part of their undergraduate education.
Students are able to immerse themselves in research and analysis in an academic setting, as well as in current film industry practices. The department offers courses on-campus, online, and as hybrids, as well as off-campus through Study Abroad, the Internship Program, and the Film Festival Studies courses.
The department offers an AA degree, certificates, and a Skills Competency Award. Students are prepared to pursue baccalaureate degrees in a variety of film related majors with courses that articulate to UC and CSU, as well as other 4-year universities. Students transfer to campuses in the UC and CSU system, as well as at top four-year film schools such as UCLA, USC, NYU and Chapman University.
Associate Degree for Transfer
Associate Degree
Certificates of Achievement
- Film and Media Studies, Certificate of Achievement (C)
- Screenwriting, Certificate of Achievement (C)
Skills Competency Award
Film and Media Studies (FS)
FS 101 Introduction to Film Studies (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Introduction to one of the most powerful cultural and artistic mediums of our time: cinema. Focuses on the aesthetics, history, literature and creative techniques, as well as the depiction of social cultures, history and values in film. Lectures, discussions and reading are supplemented by the screening of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
UC Transfer Limit: FS 101 and 101H combined: maximum credit, one course.
FS 101H Introduction to Film Studies, Honors (4 Units)
Limitations on Enrollment: Acceptance into the Honors Program.
Hours: 90 (63 lecture, 27 lab)
Focuses on film aesthetics, history, literature and creative techniques, as well as a depiction of social cultures, history and values in film. Includes an in-depth examination of major directors and important film movements. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
UC Transfer Limit: FS 101 and 101H combined: maximum credit, one course.
FS 103 Film Noir (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Introduction to the stylized aesthetics, intricate narratives, and ambivalent themes of films that constitute the classic film noir era, as well as the contemporary American and international neo-noir period. The diverse literary and cinematic influences are assessed, and the films are examined within the context of film history, politics, popular culture, gender, sexuality, class, and race. Covers significant directors, producers, writers, actors, and studios. Lectures, discussions, and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative films.
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 104 American Film to 1960's (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of the development, history and aesthetics of the Hollywood studio system, as well as its impact on our culture. Study of classic films as forms of popular entertainment and cinematic art, including various Hollywood genres and their independent counterparts. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 105 Introduction to Television Studies (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Introduction to the basic concepts, forms, practices and policies that have guided the evolution and operation of television in the United States. Examines developments in programming, industrial and institutional structure, regulation, audiences, technological innovation and cultural significance of television. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative programs.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 107 Contemporary American Film (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of the changes to the Hollywood studio system, alternative productions, and independent film since the 1960s. Covers such topics as the decline of the studio system, the rise of American New Wave cinema, the history of the blockbuster, the parallel histories of independent and underground film, and the presence of media conglomerates.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 108A Film Festival Studies (2 Units)
Hours: 54 (27 lecture, 27 lab)
Introduction to film festivals through U.S. and international fiction, experimental and documentary films. Focuses on the role of festivals in the film marketplace, emergence of new filmmakers, national cinemas and the practice of writing film criticism. Film screenings supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings and panel discussions. Contact department for information.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 108B Film Festival Studies (1.5 Unit)
Hours: 45 (18 lecture, 27 lab)
Short course that introduces students to film festivals through U.S. and international fiction, experimental, and documentary films. Focuses on the role of festivals in representing diverse voices and emerging new filmmakers and national cinemas. Emphasis on representation of class, race, gender, sexuality, differently abled. Film screenings are supplemented by lectures, discussions, readings and panel discussions. Contact department for information.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 109 Film and Cultural Criticism (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
A study of the basic formal dimensions of cinema through the close analyses of individual films and the representation of culture focusing on gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and disability. The course focuses on close readings of films and on developing a strong film writing approach. Lectures, discussions, and readings will be supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C, SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 110 World Cinema to 1960's (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of international film history, theory and aesthetics, from the invention of cinema in the 1890s through the 1950s. Includes fictional narrative film, documentary and avant-garde film of the period. Organized around the history and development of formal devices such as the shot, montage, mise-en-scene, sound design, color technology, and classical narrative form.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C, SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 111 Contemporary World Cinema (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of international film history, theory and aesthetics, from 1960 to the present. The film medium is addressed as a technology, a business, an art form and as a medium that both reflects and creates popular culture.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C, SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 112A French Film (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of French film history, from the invention of cinema in the 1890s to the present, focusing on changes in narrative and documentary films, as well as experimental movements. Covers significant movements, periods, genres, influences, as well as major directors. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 112B Art Cinema (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of Art Cinema, beginning in the 1940s, continuing into its heyday in the 1960s, and developing into the contemporary era. Focuses on changes in narrative and cinematic styles, film auteurs, and cultural influences as well as film industries. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C, SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 112C Spanish and Latin American Film (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of Spanish and Latin American film histories from the invention of cinema in the 1890s to the present, focusing on changes in narrative and documentary films, as well as experimental movements. Covers significant movements, periods, genres, influences, as well as major directors. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 112D East Asian Cinema (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of cinematic traditions in East Asia through an analysis of films from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Students learn about each of these film industries including the extent to which they intersect with Hollywood and other international films. Course presentations, discussions, and readings will correspond to a diverse selection of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C, SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
FS 113 Experimental Film (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Introduction to the development, history, theory and aesthetics of avant-garde, experimental and non-narrative cinema. Study of significant works, figures and movements related to these non-traditional cinematic forms. Examines representative examples of non-narrative films and explores their function as a counterweight to the more dominant forms of narrative and documentary.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 114 History of Animation (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Overview and study of the history of animation films, from its prehistory in the late nineteenth century to current and emerging digital animation technologies. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical analysis of representative films.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 115 The Vietnam War in Film (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of how America's longest and most controversial military conflict has been portrayed cinematically, and how films about the Vietnam War fit within the context of American cinema. Focuses on the diverse perspectives filmmakers have brought to cinematic explorations of the war, as well as on the technical, narrative and aesthetic techniques they have employed.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 116 Gender and Sexuality in Film (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Survey of gender and sexuality in film, including formation of stereotypes and social messages as reflections of the ages in which they were conceived. Film theory introduced, as well as examination of female directors, their work and contributions to the canon. Covers cinematic representations of masculinity, femininity and alternative sexuality, from early cinema to present.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C, SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 118 Film Genres (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Genre study of the components of film as art and social expression. Investigates the origins, evolution and transformations of various film genres, including film noir, the Western, science-fiction, musical, horror, war, or crime film. Covers the thematic conventions of each genre and the genre as a reflection of the social environments that produced them.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 119 Film Comedy (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Survey of significant American and international comedic films and how they have helped to advance and define the art of cinema. Landmark comedies, featuring major directors and comic actors, analyzed in terms of theme, structure and cinematic technique. Cultural relevance of comedies in mirroring and satirizing historical and social trends are explored in depth.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 120 Visionary Filmmakers (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of diverse filmmakers and how their work has advanced and defined the art of cinema. Landmark films by celebrated filmmakers of all genders and races, both international and domestic, are analyzed in terms of theme, structure, and cinematic technique. Emphasis is placed on the role of the auteur and to directorial contributions specific to film genres.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C, SBCCGE Area E5
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, IGETC Area 3A, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 121 Documentary Film (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Introduction to the history and theory of documentary film. Traces the changing conceptions of "reality" by various international filmmakers and writers. Through the stylistic study of classical and less conventional films, the aim is to problematize notions of objectivity, truth, and knowledge and to place the films within a historical, cultural, and political context.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSUGE Area C2, IGETC Area 3A, IGETC Area 3B, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 122 Gaming and Visual Culture (3 Units)
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Comprehensive critical study of the impact of game design and game aesthetics on popular culture focusing on the history and evolution of game technologies, formats, and genres through theoretical readings. Students will learn how games circulate in our wider visual culture and interact with other art forms, most notably cinema. Consideration will be given to analyzing the fundamentals of game aesthetics, production, design, promotion, and distribution and how the elements of the production process produce certain types of game audiences with analysis of how video games reflect the beliefs, aspirations, and values of the cultures where they flourish. Lectures, discussions and readings are supplemented by the screening and critical and theoretical analysis of representative games. For each historical era studied, the influence of video games on popular culture will be demonstrated through film, television, print, and music.
SBCC General Education: SBCCGE Area C
Transfer Information: CSUGE Area C1, CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
FS 173 Screenwriting I (3 Units)
Same as: ENG 173
Prerequisites: English 070 and English 098 or by placement exam.
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of the elements of dramatic writing for the cinema: the three-act structure, character delineation and motivation, conflict development and pacing, dialogue and subtext, and unifying the message. Analysis of feature film screenplays for their structure, pacing and characterization; writes scenes in correct format; and completes a treatment for a feature film or television.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
UC Transfer Limit: FS 173, FS 174, FS 179 and ENG 173 combined: maximum credit, 1 course.
FS 174 Screenwriting II (3 Units)
Prerequisites: FS 173 or ENG 173.
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Study of the structure, development, pacing and revising of a completed screenplay. In addition to analyzing feature film and television screenplays, the student completes a screenplay, learns how to research a story, how to pitch a story, and how to market a script.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
UC Transfer Limit: FS 173, FS 174, FS 179 and ENG 173 combined: maximum credit, 1 course.
FS 179 Screenwriting III (3 Units)
Prerequisites: FS 174.
Hours: 72 (45 lecture, 27 lab)
Advanced study of the structure, development, pacing, and revision of a completed screenplay. In addition to analyzing feature film and television screenplays, the student completes a final draft of a screenplay in a workshop setting, learns how to edit and revise it, how to pitch it and how to market it.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable, UC Transferable
UC Transfer Limit: FS 173, FS 174, FS 179 and ENG 173 combined: maximum credit, 1 course.
FS 295 Internship in Film and Media Studies (2-4 Units)
Limitations on Enrollment: Completion of two courses (in applicable discipline) at SBCC prior to enrolling in an internship course.
Course Advisories: FS 101.
Hours: 210 (210 lab)
Structured internship program in which students gain experience with community organizations related to the discipline.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable
FS 299 Independent Study-Film and Media Studies (1-4 Units)
Limitations on Enrollment: To be eligible for independent study, a student must have completed a minimum of 12 units at the District, with a 2.5 GPA, and a minimum of four units, with a 3.0 GPA within the department.
Course Advisories: FS 101.
Hours: 192 (192 lab)
Advanced study of film and related fields under the direction and supervision of the Film Studies Department faculty.
Transfer Information: CSU Transferable