Cinematic Arts and Film Studies

Program Director

Daniel Widener and Amelia Glaser - Interim Co-Directors

Academic Advising

UC San Diego undergraduate students: Please use the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) for all advising questions. Use the "Meet with Advisor" page to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor. 

Affiliated Faculty

Amy Adler, Visual Arts

Amy Alexander, Visual Arts

Gabriel Bamgbose, Literature

Marco Barricelli, Theatre and Dance

Bernard Brown, Theatre and Dance

Julie Burelle, Theatre and Dance

Amy Sara Carroll, Literature

Lisa Cartwright, Visual Arts

Alain Cohen, Literature

Jordan Crandall, Visual Arts

Zeinabu Davis, Communication

Andrew deWaard, Communication

Ben Dollar, Literature

Shlomo Dubnov, Music

Dean Erdmann, Visual Arts

Geraldine Fiss, Literature

Malik Gaines, Visual Arts

Mariah Garnett, Visual Arts

Allan Havis, Theatre and Dance

Todd A. Henry, History

Erin Hill, Communication

Jaclyn Jemc, Literature

Shawna Kidman, Communication 

Curtis Marez, Ethnic Studies

Luis Martin-Cabrera, Literature

Andrea Mendoza, Literature

Nicole Miller, Visual Arts

Daisuke Miyao, Literature

Lorena Mostajo, Visual Arts

Silpa Mukherjee, Literature

Dana Velasco Murillo, History

Hoang Tan Nguyen, Literature

Victoria Petrovich, Theatre and Dance

Babak Rahimi, Literature

Alexandro Segade, Visual Arts

Deborah Stein, Theatre and Dance

Michael Trigilio, Visual Arts

Ameeth Vijay, Literature

Daniel Vitkus, Literature 

Nadia Villafuerte Vasquez, Literature

Ping Zhu, Literature

Cinematic Arts Major (CI25)

NEW MAJOR EFFECTIVE FALL 2024

NOTE: Current UC San Diego undergraduates with junior or senior standing in academic year 2024-2025 may not be able to successfully complete the major because not all required courses will be available. Please review the major planning checklist and prerequisite resources below. If your plan will allow you to finish, please log into VAC and use the "Meet with Advisor" page to schedule a meeting. 

Students who complete the Cinematic Arts major will:

• be introduced to the fundamentals of making, understanding, and analyzing film/cinema.
• gain a broad historical and critical understanding of cinema history, including trends in the US and internationally.
• learn fundamental production techniques including: cinematography, writing, editing, sound, animation, visual effects, directing, and presentation.
• cultivate a critical understanding of their own work as filmmakers and scholars, with the ability to write and speak about the themes and impact of their work.
• receive real-world experience in the form of internships, work-study, and student-led projects.
• learn about the fundamentally collaborative nature of filmmaking, allowing them to identify areas within which they feel confident to pursue a practice beyond UC San Diego.

Requirements:

• 7 lower-division courses (28 units), distributed as follows:
  • FILM 71. Fundamentals of Cinematography (4 units)
  • FILM 72. Fundamentals of Directing (4 units)
  • FILM 73. Fundamentals of Editing (4 units)
  • VIS 84. Film History (4 units)
  • 3 electives (12 units)
• 12 upper-division courses (48 units); distributed as follows:
  • 5 Studies & History courses (20 units);
  • 4 Production courses (16 units);
    • 1 production course must be screenwriting
  • FILM 170. Cinematic Arts Practicum (4 units)
  • FILM 184A. Thesis I (4 units)
  • FILM 184B. Thesis II (4 units) 
• Courses must be taken for a letter grade. P/NP courses are approved by petition.

Resources:

• Cinematic Arts Major Planning Checklist
• Cinematic Arts Major Requirements with Prerequisites
• Cinematic Arts Official Course Catalog
• How to petition courses
• Communication Annual Course Offerings
• Literature Annual Course Offerings
• Sociology Annual Course Offerings
• Theatre and Dance Annual Course Offerings
• Visual Arts Annual Course Offerings

Cinematic Arts Minor (CI25) and Film Studies Minor

Note: The Film Studies minor was renamed the Cinematic Arts minor. The curriculum and requirements are the same, only the name has changed. We are updating requirements for both to allow minors to include film production classes; updates will reflected on the course catalog in summer 2025. 

Cinematic Arts provides students an exciting opportunity to examine the many facets of U.S. and international cinema. Students interested in exploring cinema as a multidimensional art medium will engage in the analysis of cinematic works of various forms. Study of film genres, history, theories, directors, cultural perspectives and more, allow students to gain a broad understanding of cinema as a historical and contemporary means of expression.

The interdisciplinary nature of the minor provides investigation of cinematic art through its connection to related fields such as Communication, Literature, Sociology, and Visual Arts. 

Requirements:

Resources:

• Cinematic Arts Minor Checklist 
• Film Studies Minor Checklist
• Cinematic Arts and Film Studies minor Official Course Catalog
• How to Declare a Minor
• How to petition courses

2024-2025

Refer to the official UC San Diego General Catalog for a complete list of approved courses that will count toward a major or minor in Cinematic Arts.

Course offerings are constantly changing. Please refer to the Schedule of Classes for the most up-to-date listing.

(*) Indicates course may be petitioned for credit. Instructions on How to Petition Courses.

Fall 2024

• ANSC 156. Mad Films: Cultural Studies of Mental Illness in Cinema
• COMM 103D Documentary History & Theory
• HILD 14. Latin American History and Film 
• LTAF 120. Literature and Film of Modern Africa
• LTEA 120C. Hong Kong Films
• LTEA 142. Korean Film: Literature, and Popular Culture: Pop Cultures of Two Koreas
• LTWL 183. Film Studies and Literature: Director’s Work
• SOCI 105. Ethnographic Film: Media Methods
• SOCI 184. Gender and Film
• TDGE 10. Theatre and Film 
• TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
• TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
• TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film: Great Acting Moments in Film
• TDPW 104. Screenwriting
• VIS 84. History of Film 

Winter 2025

• COMM 10 - Introduction to Communication
• COMM 20 - Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
• COMM 30 - Digital Media Literacy
• COMM 101 - Introduction to Audiovisual Media Practices (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101D - Nonlinear/Digital Editing (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101K - Documentary Sketchbook (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101N - Sound Production and Manipulation (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101T - Topics in Production: Intro to Animation 2D (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101T - Topics in Production: AI and Generative Image Culture (major only, not minor)
• COMM 103D - Documentary History and Theory
• COMM 107 - Visual Culture
• COMM 137 - Black Women Filmmakers
• LTCS 111 - Special Topics in Popular Culture in Historical Context: US Cinema of the 1980s
• *LTCS 131 - Topics in Queer Cultures/Queer Subcultures: Queer Latin American Cinema
• LTEA 138 - Japanese Films: Introduction
• *LTEU 141 - French Literature in English Translation: French New Wave Cinema 
• LTWL 180 - Film Studies and Literature: Film History: Queer Cinema
• LTWL 184 - Film Studies and Literature: Close Analysis of Filmic Text: Bollywood
• SOCI 150 - Madness and Movies
• TDGE 11 - Great Performances on Film
• TDGE 124 - Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
• TDGE 127 - The Films of Spike Lee
• TDGE 131 - Indigenous Cinema
• TDPW 104 - Screenwriting
• USP 164 - Cities in Film
• VIS 6 - Race, Gender and Robots
• VIS 150 - Landmarks of World Cinema
• VIS 157D - US Civil Rights in Art and Media
• VIS 174 - Media Sketchbook

Spring 2025

• COMM 10. Introduction to Communication
• COMM 20. Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
• COMM 30. Digital Media Literacy
• COMM 101. Introduction to Audiovisual Media Practices (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101D. MPL: Nonlinear/Digital Editing (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101K. MPL: Documentary Sketchbook (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101N. MPL: Sound Production and Manipulation (major only, not minor)
• COMM 101T. MPL: Topics in Production (major only, not minor)
• COMM 106F. CI: Film Industry
• COMM 139. Examining Marvel’s Black Panther
• COMM 143. Science Fiction
• ETHN 101. Ethnic Images in Film
• FILM 71. Fundamentals of Cinematography
• FILM 72. Fundamentals of Directing 
• FILM 73. Fundamentals of Editing 
• LTEA 120A. Chinese Films
• *LTEN 181. Asian American Literature: Transoceanic Film Corridors
• *LTWL 128. Introduction to Semiotics
• LTWL 180. Film Studies and Literature: Film History: Indian Cinema and Anger
• LTWL 184. Film Studies and Literature: Close Analysis of Filmic Text
• RELI 150. Religion and Cinema
• SOCI 150. Madness and Movies
• TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
• TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
• TDGE 125. Jewish American Film Directors
• TDTR 20. Dance on Film
• USP 164. Cities in Film
• VIS 70N. Introduction to Media 
• VIS 150A. Seminar in Film History & Theory
• VIS 152D. Transnational Cinema
• VIS 171. Digital Cinema
• VIS 172. Motion Design & Visual Effects
• VIS 174. Media Sketchbook
• VIS 177. Scripting Strategies 

Summer Session I 2025

• COMM 10. Introduction to Communication
• COMM 20. Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
• COMM 137. Black Women Filmmakers
• COMM 143. Science Fiction
• HILD 14. Film and History in Latin America
• *LTAF 120GS. Literature and Film of Modern Africa
• *LTCS 172GS. Special Topics in Screening Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
• LTEA 142. Korean Film, Literature, and Popular Culture
• LTWL 180GS. Film Studies and Literature: Film History
• LTWL 181. Film Studies and Literature: Film Movement
• SOCI 184. Gender and Film
• TDGE 10. Theatre and Film
• TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
• TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
• TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film: Shakespeare on Film
• TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film
• TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film: Freedom Dreams: Art & Activism
• TDGE 127. The Films of Spike Lee

Summer Session II 2025

• ANSC 156. Mad Films
• COMM 10. Introduction to Communication
• COMM 20. Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
• COMM 30. Digital Media Literacy: Analyzing Forms, Practices, and Infrastructures of Mediated Public Life
• ETHN 163FR/TDGE 131R. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
• HIEA 154. Korean History through Film
• LTEA 138. Japanese Films
• LTWL 180GS. Film Studies and Literature: Film History
• LTWL 181. Film Studies and Literature: Film Movement
• LTWL 184. Film Studies and Literature: Close Analysis of Filmic Text
• SOCI 150. Madness and the Movies
• TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
• TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
• TDGE 131R/ETHN 163FR. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
• VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film

Attention Students: If you have accrued 45 or more units, use the steps below to request registration in a First Year Seminar. All others may simply register.

• Use the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) to request enrollment
• It can take several business days for the department to process your request
• Due to the limited size of 20 for seminars, approval is not always guaranteed. Please plan accordingly to make sure you are submitting your request well in advance of any specific deadlines.

What are the differences between the Cinematic Arts Major versus the Media Major in Visual Arts?

The Cinematic Arts Major places a specific emphasis on film studies, learning and understanding the various histories and approaches to filmmaking, including international, independent, and experimental films, as well as popular Hollywood cinema. The Cinematic Arts Major also has a component focusing on fundamentals of production.

The Media Major in Visual Arts is a conceptually driven major training students to use their creative voice as artists using film and video tools, as opposed to more traditional painting/sculpting/design approaches. These students are trained as artists who use filmmaking as their medium. While some students do make “films,” students are able to produce any kind of expanded artworks, including video installations, experimental Virtual Reality, performance work, and beyond.

Please see this document for a full explanation.

Does the Cinematic Arts program require a portfolio?

No, we do not require or review portfolios for undergraduate admission. 

Can I double major in Cinematic Arts and the Media Major (or any other major)? 

Yes! A student with a double major must fulfill the separate requirements of each major, and the equivalent of at least ten upper-division courses (40 units) must be unique to each major. Courses taken in fulfillment of lower-division requirements may overlap to any degree. You do not need a portfolio to apply for the Cinematic Arts major. 

See university requirements for how to declare a double major. 

What is the capstone/thesis requirement (FILM 184A and FILM 184B)? 

Students work with their faculty thesis advisor over two quarters. There are many different options depending on a student’s individual interests, so the specific parameters will be set with the student’s faculty thesis advisor. The length of the project depends on the medium. For instance, a 4-minute animation would take longer to create than a 4-minute live-action film. 

Some examples include a 10-15 minute documentary, multiple shorter films, a web series, a research project (20-30 page paper), or a podcast. The goal is for students to produce something that is portfolio-ready or submittable for grant money, to graduate school, or for publication. 

Who will own the rights to the films students make during their academic program?

Students own the rights to their own work throughout their time at UC San Diego.

What equipment and facilities do students have access to? 

Students enrolled in production courses will have access to a wide range of high-end equipment, including prime-lenses, lights, cameras, microphones, and grip items. These materials are available to students for check-out through the Media Teaching Lab. You can also view photos of the Media Teaching Lab's facilities, which include two production studios and ten editing suites. 

Students will have access to editing suites in a variety classroom "labs" too. 

Students may choose to apply to the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts Fellowship, which provides equipment and some funding to its Fellows. These items include RED and Canon cinema cameras, as well as professional cine-prime lenses and audio recording equipment.

What editing programs will be taught?

As this is an undergraduate major at a research-one university, it is unlikely that there will be any class devoted to a single piece of software or editing platform. That said, in the current slate of film-editing classes, a range of platforms are available and taught, including Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, Avid Pro Tools, Adobe After Effects, Maxon Cinema 4D, Maxon Z-Brush, and others.

Are there any film-focused student organizations on campus? 

Triton TV (TTV) is a student-run organization that has equipment, studio space, and a great network of filmmakers. Each year they stage the UC San Diego Film Festival which is all student work.

Tritons Film Society is a club for students to watch and discuss films together. 

New student organizations are constantly being created, so please check out the current list of student organizations. 

Are there opportunities for students to integrate their scriptwriting from one class into the production process of another class? 

This is at your instructor’s discretion. If you are planning to use material that you did not create specifically for the class you would be submitting it in–whether that is a script, footage, or anything else—please discuss this with your instructor to avoid academic integrity violations. 

How many classes should I take as a student each quarter? 

Please visit https://plans.ucsd.edu/ to see specific suggestions with university and college general education requirements. For FILM 71, 72, and 73, these can all be taken together; however, we recommend that you do not take any other classes if you are taking all 3 of them at the same time.  

If you are taking upper-division production courses, we recommend that you stick to no more than 2 per quarter due to how time-intensive they are.