Film and Television Studies

What is Film, Television and Media Studies?

LMU’s Film, Television and Media Studies (FTVS) major gives students the opportunity to explore the multi-faceted ways in which the media is used as a vehicle for personal expression as well as a tool for making sense of the world around us.

What Film, Television, and Media Studies majors do?

Film, Television and Media Studies provides students with the historical and theoretical foundations needed to understand the issues and concerns underpinning the discipline while giving them the tools to critically examine the ways in which their own perceptions have been shaped and influenced by the media.

Courses invite students to reflect on how visual texts circulate in transnational and transmedia contexts. Through the film/media texts we screen, class discussions and assigned readings, we aim to expand students’ understanding of various cultures, national histories and religious points of view, while imparting a global perspective.

Students are encouraged to take part in LMU’s Study Abroad programs as well as to take elective courses that highlight the creative arts in order to integrate the critical and creative. Suggested creative arts courses include screenwriting (SCWR), production (PROD), recording arts (RECA) and animation (ANIM) courses open to non-majors; creative writing courses offered by the English department; and art, music, theatre and dance courses available to non-majors. 

Additionally, we encourage students to pursue a minor that complements their Film, Television, and Media Studies major courses. Recommended options include: English, Theatre Arts, Political Science, Psychology, History, Environmental Studies, Philosophy, Theology, Asian Pacific Studies, Modern Languages, Classics and Archaeology, African American Studies, Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies. 

Is this major right for you? 

You might be a Film, Television, and Media Studies major if you:

  • Wish to explore the moving parts of the media machine
  • Are eager to investigate how the media shapes and influences identities and perceptions
  • Have a globally-curious mind
  • Are a history buff
  • Love film and television
  • Enjoy discussion amongst peers

Representative courses

Our courses have included:

  • Art of Cinema
  • Art of Screen Media
  • World Cinema 1
  • Introduction to Film/Media Theory
  • World Cinema 2
  • TV Studies
  • Global TV Studies
  • American Cinema
  • European Cinema
  • Asian Cinema
  • African/Middle Eastern Cinema
  • Latin American Cinema
  • South Asian Cinema 

More resources (links)