A question about critical film studies programs.

Factual Questions
1

Now, I really don’t know if anyone here is going to have the info I need. But you’re all so smart! So well-educated! And your interests are so wide-ranging! So I’m hopeful.

I went back to school to get the rest of my undergrad degree, and now I’m about to finish a film production degree at Watkins College in Nashville, TN. The most important thing I learned from attending Watkins is that while I love working on films, my strengths aren’t in production. My student films were mediocre, to be honest. You might even say they sucked. :stuck_out_tongue: However, there’s a thing everyone has to do after their Production IV class. Essentially, you sit in a room with the entire faculty and explain your personal philosophy of filmmaking. After mine, all of the teachers said the same three things: a.) That’s the best one we’ve ever heard, here or anywhere else b.) My God! You wrote an MLA-style compliant paper to go with it! and c.) GET A MASTER’S IN CRITICAL FILM STUDIES, PLEASE, PLEASE!! Now, remember, I’m being honest about my weaknesses here… my actual films might kindly be called vaguely acceptable. So now I’m looking into the graduate programs available in critical film studies. Has ANYONE here ever been in one? Does anyone here know anything about them? Do they lead to teaching jobs with tenure?? All advice appreciated. :slight_smile:

2

I can tell you what little I know about the graduate (masters and Ph.D.) studies at the University of Kansas. I got my undergrad there concentrating in production, graduated in 2001.

It’s a small program with a few teaching assistantships. Rather close-knit. A few of my old friends have gone on to teach undergraduate film at several different colleges. To get tenure, you pretty much need that Ph.D.

A lot of the classes are taught along with the undergrads, with special discussion groups and assignments for the grad students. There is a lot of support in the department for everyone, which seems awfully important.

That said, two of my profs went to U of Iowa and one went to USC. :slight_smile:

3

Oops. Meant to add: feel free to email me (in my profile) and I can get you contact information for the school, should you be interested. Most of the profs are quite forthcoming with information both about KU and about the schools they attended.