From High School Students | From Transfer Students | From Attending Students
From High School Students:
At UCSB, our emphasis is on the history, theory and criticism of film, television, and digital media within the broader framework of the liberal arts. The discipline is designed to hone student's critical and analytical skills using film and electronic media as objects of study for building those skills.
As early as freshman fall quarter. Often freshmen will take FM 54 Anatomy of An Industry in fall, and FM 46 Intro to Cinema in winter.
What is the role of production in the major?
While UCSB is not a production based department we offer a number of production classes each quarter. Most are blocked to majors only during registration but there are often a few spaces left open for “crashing” at the beginning of the quarter. There are no official crash lists held for these classes, but students should consider approaching the course instructors during their office hours or via email to gain more information about a particular course. In the case of any course that requires instructor approval prior to registration a student should plan a back up course in case are not accepted into a class. Priority for crashing spaces in a production course is not allocated by seniority Students should be aware there is no “Production Emphasis” but a number of courses can be taken while attending UCSB.
(A list of our production classes) (link to the forms page)
There is no separate application for the major. You can declare Film and Media Studies as your major of choice when you file your UCSB application. (UCSB application information)
You can either declare at the point of application or, after you have completed Film and Media Studies 46 and one other class from the preparation for major section of the requirement sheet.
No. The admissions office does not require it, nor will they look at portfolios.
There is no minor in Film and Media Studies, but a number of classes can be taken by the non-major to give a student a strong background in the field.
Our faculty has achieved significant national and international recognition in their fields. Some instructors have permanent appointments while others are invited to teach for one term or one year. The combination of permanent and visiting instructors provides our students with a diverse and continuously evolving educational environment. (A list of our faculty and their specialties.)
Each year our students publish a selection of critical essays in the Focus Media Journal. Past issues can be requested through the Film and Media Studies office via email. admin@filmandmedia.ucsb.edu In 2005-06 our production students produced a DVD compilation of the longer projects completed in our FM 106 (16mm Crew Production class). This DVD is available for purchase through the Film and Media Studies office.
Visitors are welcome to contact Joe Palladino, our academic advisor, to set up a time to talk about and walk through the department's facilities. While Friday is often a convenient day for visiting, there may be fewer classes to sit in on. Appointments can be made via phone at (805) 893-3675, or by email jpalladino@filmandmedia.ucsb.edu.
Can I sit in on a class?
You can sit in on the majority of lecture classes, but you should arrange a visit first with the academic advisor and he can clear it with the professor.
There is no imposed cap and so the number varies from year to year, but we accept roughly 60 freshmen and 40 transfer students each year.
Can you tell me the benefits of honors status?
The Letters and Science Honors Program offers individualized support in larger GE classes, with smaller seminars meeting with instructors, early priority in registration and priority in the Honors Hall for residence. We currently offer honors sections in FM 46, our introductory class and our film history series101ABCT.
What are my career prospects after graduation?
While no degree or school can guarantee a livelihood in the entertainment field, many of our graduates are presently working quite successfully as writers, producers, directors, editors, cinematographers, archivists, programmers, animators, journalists, and educators. Each year alumni return to interact with our students during our spring Career Panel, or guest lecturing in individual classes. They also offer a number of our students internships ranging from production and distribution to exhibition. Students with an interest in one of these fields should realize that the work they do at UCSB should be balanced with experiential learning opportunities such as internships, students clubs, and independent projects to further their career goals. Having acquired strong skills in critical thinking and writing, many of our graduates go on to successful careers in a wide range of other fields, including law, business, and the non-profit sector.
From Transfer Students:
The basic requirements for the major are designed to be completed in two years. But a student must take an active part in planning their schedule as some classes can fill quickly. We do offer a number of classes each summer to help in progression toward graduation.
Yes, but you may need to stay longer than two years as the requirements for Film and Media Studies are quite demanding on your time. Frequent double majors include Communication, English, Sociology, Dramatic Arts, and History.
UCSB does not admit students for the purpose of earning a second bachelor's degree. Students with a bachelor's degree in any area should consider applying to graduate programs.
The department houses The Paul N. and Elinor T. Lazarus Screenwriting Scholarship, an annual award that is given to a promising film major to cover a large portion of their fees for senior year. Each year we also offer a number of awards at graduation to honor students' work in both critical studies and production. Many of our students apply for assistance through the URCA grant for research and creative projects. This grant is housed in the College of Letters and Sciences. Entering students interested in scholarships should follow all instructions in the Scholarship section of the University of California Application for Undergraduate Admission and Scholarships.
Our department offers a variety of core and elective classes each summer.
There are a number of classes (in the preparation for major area) that can be filled at
many junior and state colleges. If you are transferring from a California college you can check which classes fill these areas using www.assist.org. In most cases we may have you take our Intro to Cinema class here.
From Attending Students:
Can I take the preparation for the major classes pass/not pass?
No. All prep classes and all upper and lower-division classes that are used to fill requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
I took a Film Studies Intro class in my last school; do I need FM 46?
This will be decided on a case-by-case basis after reviewing the course syllabus and a sample of your writing from that course. We need to see the structure of the class and your level of critical writing.
Seminar classes are not open for registration through GOLD. If you have an interest in a seminar class you should contact the instructor of the course via email. Priority for the class will fall to seniors graduating that quarter. After that, enrollment is based on a student's preparation for the concerns and criteria of the individual class. Some seminars may require previous courses in related topics. The department offers at least 2-3 seminars each quarter. You are encouraged to think about attempting to take a seminar early in the year (fall or winter), as spring often becomes a time when the demands of graduating seniors are most pressing.
In recent years, Wikipedia has become one
of the most important and useful resources on the Internet. Created by an
open community of authors (anyone can contribute, edit, or correct
articles), it has become a powerful resource for researchers to consult
alongside other established library and online resources. As in the case of
all tools, however, its value is a function of appropriateness. In the case
of university-level essays or research papers, students should keep in mind
the following two limitations, one applying to all encyclopedias, and the
other specifically to Wikipedia:
(1) As in the case of any encyclopedia, Wikipedia is not appropriate
as the primary or sole reference for anything important, complex, or
controversial. "Important" means anything central to an argument. (For
example, a paper about Shakespeare or postmodernism cannot rely on an
encyclopedia article on those topics.) "Complex" means anything requiring
analysis, critical thought, or evaluation. (For example, it is not
persuasive to cite an encyclopedia on "spirituality.") "Controversial"
means anything that requires listening to the original voices in a debate
because no consensus or conventional view has yet emerged. (For example,
cite an encyclopedia on the historical facts underlying a recent political
election, but not on the meaning or trends indicated by those elections.)
These limitations are due to the fact that encyclopedia articles are
second - or third-hand
summaries. They are excellent starting points for
learning about something. But a research-level paper needs to consult
directly the articles, books, or other sources mentioned by an encyclopedia
article and use those as the reference.
However, a Wikipedia citation can be an appropriate convenience when
the point being supported is minor, non-controversial, or also supported by
other evidence.
(2) Wikipedia has special limitations because it is an online
encyclopedia written by an uncontrolled, worldwide community of contributors
that depends on "many-eyes" policing (that is, many people looking at and
correcting articles). The many-eyes principle works impressively well in
many cases. However:
(a) Wikipedia is an uneven resource. For example, articles on
technological issues tend to be much more reliable, vetted (corrected by a
community experts), or current than articles on humanistic issues of the
sort that English majors often need to research. (This is partly because
the "tech" folks have been most active on the site, and partly because some
articles on older topics were imported from out-of-copyright print
encyclopedias).
(b) Some articles in Wikipedia are unreliable because they are the
contested terrain of "edit wars," political protest, or vandalism. Such
articles include both those on obviously controversial topics and on
unexpected topics. For a sobering sense of the limitations of Wikipedia,
consult the long list of "protected" Wikipedia articles (articles that
Wikipedia no longer, or at least not for now, allows users to edit in the
normal way in order to protect them from edit wars or other mischief) (See also the
bibliography appended below on recent controversies about the reliability of
Wikipedia.) Students should also keep in mind that Wikipedia--like the
Internet as a whole--is edited globally. This means that topics like
"United States" or "China," for example (and many others), are contested
terrain.
(c) Students should be aware that Wikipedia is a dynamic, constantly
mutating resource. Even if it is appropriate to cite it as a reference, the
citation is meaningless unless it includes the date on which the page was
accessed (which would allow a reader to use the Wikipedia "history" feature
to look up the specific version of the article being referenced). Indeed,
Wikipedia articles on some topics change so frequently (even to the extent
of vandals "reverting" to earlier scandalous misinformation) that a citation
should really include the exact hour of access.
Students should feel free to consult Wikipedia as one of the most
powerful instruments for opening knowledge that the Internet has yet
produced. But it is not a one-stop-shop for reliable knowledge. Indeed,
the term "encyclopedia" is somewhat to blame. Because it is communal,
dynamic, and unrefereed, Wikipedia is not really (or not just) an
encyclopedia of knowledge. It is better thought of as a combination of
encyclopedia and "blog." It is the world's blog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bibliography of Articles on the Controversy Regarding Wikipedia's
Reliability:
* Steven Musil, "Wikipedia's Woes," C/NET News.com, 9 December 2005
* John Seigenthaler, "A False Wikipedia 'Biography'," USA Today.com, 29
November 2005
* Daniel Terdiman, "Study: Wikipedia as Accurate as Britannica," C/Net
News.com, 15
December 2005
* Ray Cha, "Another Round: Britannica versus Wikipedia," if: book, 31 March, 2006
* Lisa Vaas, "Wikipedia Erects Accuracy Firewall," 19 December 2005
* Katie Hafner, "Growing Wikipedia Revises Its 'Anyone Can Edit'
Policy," New York Times, 17 June 2006
This document was written by:
Alan Liu
Professor of English
University of California, Santa Barbara
Version 1.0, The Humanist List, June 27, 2006
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