Bulletin Archive
This archived information is dated to the 2009-10 academic year only and may no longer be current.
For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.
Explore Degrees Archive, 2009-10
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Alphabetical Index
Film and Media Studies
Undergraduate Programs in Film and Media Studies
The Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies provides an introduction to film aesthetics, national cinematic traditions, modes of production in narrative, documentary, and experimental films, the incorporation of moving image media by contemporary artists, and the proliferation of new forms of digital media. The program is designed to develop the critical vocabulary and intellectual framework for understanding the role of cinema and related media within broad cultural and historical concepts.
Graduate Programs in Documentary Film and Video
The Master of Fine Arts program in documentary production provides a historical, theoretical, and critical framework within which students master the conceptual and practical skills for producing nonfiction film and video. The M.F.A. is a terminal degree program with a two-year, full-time curriculum representing a synthesis of film praxis and film and media history, theory, and criticism. Courses provide an intellectual and theoretical framework within which students' creative work is developed. Students proceed through the program as a cohort. The program does not permit leaves of absence.
The M.F.A. degree is designed to prepare graduate students for professional careers in film, video, and digital media. Graduates are qualified to teach at the university level. The philosophy of the program is predicated on a paradigm of independent media that values artistic expression, social awareness, and an articulated perspective. Students become conversant with the documentary tradition as well as with alternative media and new directions in documentary. Training in documentary production is combined with the development of research skills in film criticism and analysis. Electives in film studies, art history, and studio art provide an intellectual and theoretical framework within which creative work is realized. The parallel focus on production and studies prepares students for an academic position that may require teaching both film studies and production.
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