The student will be able to:

1. Identify and describe cinematic technique and terminology
2. Critically analyze the formal properties of film (such as editing, narrative structure, mise en scene, sound design, and cinematography) through a variety of ideological perspectives
3. Recognize important historical film movements (such as German Expressionist cinema, French New Wave, and Cinema Verite) and their impact on cinematic form and ideology
4. Identify the aesthetic and historic relationships between film and other art forms and movements of the 20th century
5. Identify a range of film and video technologies (such as film stocks, color technologies, aspect ratios, HD formats) and evaluate their creative use within the film form
6. Understand the influence of the moving image in shaping values and perceptions in the U.S. and abroad
7. Examine the writings, research, and experimentation of film artists and theorists and interpret how their ideas have been implemented within the language of moving images
8. Demonstrate proficiency in cinematic language through critique and written analysis of film
9. Through research and study of international cinemas and global media, identify contributions to cinematic language made by people from diverse cultures and backgrounds

1. Language of film
   1. Film concepts and terminologies, such as mise en scene, shot descriptions, camera framing, staging, and production design
   2. Editing concepts and terminologies
   3. Cinematography terms and concepts
   4. The aesthetics of sound and music, collision of sound and image, narration
   5. Storytelling, narrative structure, and the script
   6. The aesthetics of color and black and white
2. Motion picture technologies
   1. Early sound films
   2. Development of color processes, including Technicolor
   3. Aspect ratios and widescreen formats
   4. Visual effects and current special effects technologies
   5. The film production process, including the nature of film as a collaborative medium
   6. Consumer broadcast and media technologies
   7. Future and developing technologies
3. Critical thinking and film theory
   1. Film genre studies
   2. Multi-cultural, gay, and lesbian cinemas
   3. Feminist film theory
   4. Psychoanalysis
   5. Post-modern cinema
4. Film histories and their influence
   1. Evolution of narrative fiction, documentary, experimental, and fine art film and video
   2. The history and evolution of the U.S. film business, including the impact of the production code of 1930 and the Paramount Supreme Court decision of 1948
   3. Evolution of the language of editing, contributions of important filmmakers, including E.S. Porter, D.W. Griffith, Lev Kuleshov, Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov
   4. Major international film movements (including German Expressionism, French New Wave, and Cinema Verite) and contributions of filmmakers to the art of the moving image
   5. Major film genres and their evolution
   6. Developments in experimental, third world cinemas, and global media

Screenings of films and videos either on campus or via the internet, including narrative fiction, fine art, and documentary, for completion of written assignments.

Writing assignments that require the student to select film(s) from viewing list and construct, develop, and defend an argument referencing the film and the reading materials
Quizzes that reference the reading materials, films, and discussion periods
Written journals and discussion forum when taught via Foothill Online Learning
Technical exam which requires the students to identify media concepts and techniques, and provide written rationale for answers

Lectures and presentations that present and examine course objectives
Discussion and critique of assigned reading and representative media
Cooperative learning exercises that require students to apply core media production concepts
Group project presentation followed by in-class discussion and evaluation
Screenings of media that illustrate and support course content

Barsam, Richard. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. 2021.

Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing About Film. 2014.

Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. 2020.

Prince, Stephen. Movies and Meaning: An Introduction to Film. 2013.

Thompson, Kristin, and David Bordwell. Film Art: An Introduction. 2019.

Although some texts listed are older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, they remain seminal texts in this area of study.

1. 8-10 critical film analyses (approx. 400 words each) in the form of journals or online discussion assignments
2. Analytical essay (600-1000 words) that requires the student to select film(s) from viewing list and construct, develop, and defend an argument referencing the film and the reading materials
3. Essay exam
4. Weekly reading assignments from text and online modules