Film and Visual Media, Minor
The Minor in Film and Visual Media
Overview
Film and electronic media are a crucial part of contemporary culture and society; they constitute an important tool for under-standing social arrangements, historical changes, and play an increasingly important role in the development of aesthetic and cultural theory. The Dietrich College interdisciplinary minor in Film and Visual Media offers students the opportunity to engage with film and visual media, from theoretical framing and historical-cultural contextualization to training skills in both creating and analyzing film, as well as the development of a complex blend of creative, professional, and technical competencies.
A maximum of two courses may double count with other programs. A maximum of one course may be transferred in for requirements for the Film and Visual Media minor with the exception of the required introductory and intermediate courses.
The courses listed below are offered with at least general regularity. Participating departments may subsequently develop and offer other courses that, while not listed here, are deemed appropriate for this minor. A faculty advisor for the minor should be consulted (especially when the schedule of courses to be offered for a given semester becomes available) to identify such additional courses.
If you wish to declare a minor in Film & Visual Media, you must make an appointment to meet with the staff advisor, Laura E. Donaldson. For more information, visit our Film and Visual Media website.
double counting
A maximum of two courses from the minor may double count with other programs within or outside of the Department of English.
Transfer Courses
Students may transfer in a maximum of one advisor-approved course from an institution outside of Carnegie Mellon University, with the exception of 76-239 Introduction to Film Studies and 76-310 Advanced Studies in Film and Media, to count toward a minor.
Courses that meet the various requirements are advertised on a semester-by-semester basis. Full descriptions are available each semester on the Department's Courses web page.
Curriculum
The Film and Visual Media Minor consists of 6 courses for a minimum of 54 units.
Required Introductory Course9 units
| Units | ||
| 76-239 | Introduction to Film Studies | 9 |
Required Intermediate Course9 units
| 76-310 | Advanced Studies in Film and Media | 9 |
Film and Media Electives27 units
Complete a minimum of 27 units of course work related to film studies, visual media, digital media, screenwriting, and/or film production. Courses may include, but are not limited to, the following:
| 15-104 | Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice | 10 |
| 51-229 | Digital Imaging | 9 |
| 51-368 | Moving Pictures | 9 |
| 54-191 | Acting for Non-Majors | 9 |
| 54-342 | Costume Design for TV and Film | 7 |
| 60-110 | Foundations: Time-Based Media | 10 |
| 60-120 | Foundations: Digital Media | 10 |
| 60-125 | IDeATe: Introduction to 3D Animation Pipeline | 12 |
| 60-141 | Black and White Photography I | 10 |
| 60-142 | Digital Photography I | 10 |
| 60-143 | Photography Can Be Fun! | 10 |
| 60-166 | Photography in the Dark | 10 |
| 60-202 | Intermediate Studio: Animation Techniques | 10 |
| 60-212 | Intermediate Studio: Creative Coding | 12 |
| 60-218 | Intermediate Studio: Real-Time Animation | 10 |
| 60-219 | Intermediate Studio: Stop-Motion Animation | 10 |
| 60-220 | IDeATe: Technical Character Animation | 10 |
| 60-222 | Intermediate Studio: 3D Animation | 10 |
| 60-224 | Intermediate Studio: Expanded Cinema | 10 |
| 60-228 | Intermediate Studio: Art and Generative AI | 12 |
| 60-241 | Black and White Photography II | 10 |
| 60-242 | Digital Photography II | 10 |
| 60-245 | Portrait Photography | 10 |
| 60-281 | Intermediate Digital Photography | 10 |
| 60-333 | IDeATe: Animation Rigging | 10 |
| 60-356 | Critical Studies: Once Upon a Time: A Survey of International Folk & Fairy Tale Film | 9 |
| 60-375 | Large Format Photography: The Antiquarian Avant-Garde | 10 |
| 60-378 | Critical Studies: Science Fiction Film | 9 |
| 60-391 | Critical Studies: Korean Flicks: A History of Contemporary Cinema | 9 |
| 60-415 | Advanced ETB: Animation Studio | 10 |
| 60-416 | Advanced ETB: Documentary Storytelling | 10 |
| 62-141 | Black and White Photography I | 10 |
| 62-142 | Digital Photography I | 10 |
| 62-150 | IDeATe Portal: Introduction to Media Synthesis and Analysis | 10 |
| 62-282 | Staged Photography | 10 |
| 62-371 | Photography, The First 100 Years, 1839-1939 | 9 |
| 62-375 | Large Format Photography: The Antiquarian Avant-Garde | 10 |
| 76-207 | Special Topics in Literature & Culture For Fall 2026 only | 9 |
| 76-212 | Introduction to TV Writing | 9 |
| 76-259 | Film History | 9 |
| 76-269 | Introduction to Screenwriting | 9 |
| 76-278 | Japanese Film and Literature: The Art of Storytelling | 9 |
| 76-292 | Introduction to Film Production | 9 |
| 76-295 | Russian Cinema: From the Bolshevik Revolution to Putin's Russia | 9 |
| 76-312 | Crime and Justice in American Film | 9 |
| 76-313 | Creative Visual Storytelling in Film Production | 9 |
| 76-320 | The Writer's Room: TV Writing | 9 |
| 76-334 | Pitching to the Business of Entertainment | 9 |
| 76-339 | Topics in Film and Media * | 9 |
| 76-348 | Adaptation: Fiction to Film | 9 |
| 76-353 | Transnational Feminisms: Fiction and Film | 9 |
| 76-358 | Making the Documentary | 9 |
| 76-367 | Fact Into Film: Translating History into Cinema | 9 |
| 76-374 | Mediated Narrative | 9 |
| 76-381 | AI Filmmaking and Creative Arts Lab | 12 |
| 76-382 | Media: Past, Present, and Future | 9 |
| 76-388 | Coding for Humanists | 9 |
| 76-394 | The Video Essay: Theory & Practice | 9 |
| 76-401 | Hollywood vs. the World | 9 |
| 76-409 | History of German Film | 9 |
| 76-439 | Seminar in Film and Media Studies | 9 |
| 76-454 | Rise of the Blockbuster | 9 |
| 76-456 | Independent Study in Film & Media Studies (requires prior approval) | Var. |
| 76-461 | Refugee Stories: Literature, Art and Film | 9 |
| 76-467 | Crime Fiction and Film | 9 |
| 76-469 | Screenwriting Workshop | 9 |
| 76-481 | Introduction to Multimedia Design | 12 |
| 76-482 | Rise of the Art Film | 9 |
| 76-501 | Semester in Hollywood Program: Story | 12 |
| 76-502 | Semester in Hollywood Program: How to Pitch | 6 |
| 76-503 | Semester in Hollywood Program: Inside Hollywood | 6 |
| 79-220 | Screening Mexico: Mexican Cinema, 1898 to Present | 9 |
| 79-225 | West African History in Film | 9 |
| 79-309 | The Chinese Revolution Through Film (1949-2000) | 9 |
| 79-319 | India Through Film | 9 |
| 79-328 | Photographers and Photography Since World War II | 9 |
| 79-339 | Juvenile Delinquency & Film: From Soul of Youth (1920) to West Side Story (1961) | 6 |
| 82-183 | AI for the Humanities: Learning, Reflection, and Creative Practices | 9 |
| 82-248 | Introduction to Latin American Film and Visual Arts | 9 |
| 82-250 | Digital Realities: An Introduction to Immersive Storytelling | 9 |
| 82-253 | Korean Society through Film and Literature | 9 |
| 82-265 | Third Cinema: People, Language, and Culture in Documentary Storytelling | 9 |
| 82-268 | Introduction to Italian Film | Var. |
| 82-269 | Immersive Digital Storytelling:Using VR/AR to Explore, Language Culture Identity | 9 |
| 82-278 | Japanese Film and Literature: The Art of Storytelling | 9 |
| 82-279 | Anime - Visual Interplay between Japan and the World | 9 |
| 82-293 | Russian Cinema: From the Bolshevik Revolution to Putin's Russia | Var. |
| 82-296 | From Augustine to Avatars: Personal Narratives Across Media | 6 |
| 82-428 | History of German Film | 9 |
| 82-439 | Black Myth: Wukong and the Journey to the West | 9 |
- *
May be taken up to three times and counted for additional credit toward Film and Media Electives if topics differ.
Students should consult the academic advisor for the minor regarding courses not listed above.
400-level Film and Media Course9 units
Complete one 400-level course from the Department of English that concentrates on film/media directly or that uses it as a tool of social or cultural analysis.
| 76-401 | Hollywood vs. the World | 9 |
| 76-439 | Seminar in Film and Media Studies | 9 |
| 76-454 | Rise of the Blockbuster | 9 |
| 76-456 | Independent Study in Film & Media Studies (requires prior approval) | Var. |
| 76-461 | Refugee Stories: Literature, Art and Film | 9 |
| 76-467 | Crime Fiction and Film | 9 |
| 76-469 | Screenwriting Workshop | 9 |
| 76-482 | Rise of the Art Film | 9 |