Film studies majors are eligible to participate in the Departmental Honors Program
The Honors Program recognizes outstanding achievement and encourages students to undertake either independent research and scholarship or independent production work beyond what is normally included in program courses. Students seeking honors in film studies complete a two-semester honors project during their final year on topics of their choice with faculty advisers of their choice. Successful completion of the program will be acknowledged by public recognition and noted on the student's permanent academic record as “Honors in Film Studies.”
Applications to the Departmental Honors Program is initiated by the student through consultation with the program director. Interested students should discuss their areas of interest with the program director, their academic advisor, and/or a film studies faculty member.
Work on honors projects takes place over two semesters. Students enroll in FILM 491 for the first semester, which typically involves research on the honors project topic (thesis or screenplay) or preproduction work (short film). Students must earn a grade of B or higher in FILM 491 in order to continue with the project. Students enroll in FILM 492 for the second semester, which is spent completing the work for the project.
Honors projects with a film studies focus consist of an honors thesis paper. The thesis should deal with a subject not treated in film studies courses or should treat in significantly greater depth a subject that is part of a regularly scheduled course. Normally, such projects will be 30-50 pages in length. The thesis should be scholarly, with potential for application to a candidate's post-graduation career focus or planned graduate degree studies.
Honors projects with a production focus consist of either a feature-length screenplay or a short film (15-20 minutes). Both types of project should be professional quality, with potential for application to a candidate's post-graduation career focus, including film festival submissions, or else to a candidate's planned graduate degree studies.
Honors project topics for both theses and screenplays/short films must be approved by the Film Studies Advisory Committee. The Film Studies Advisory Committee also reviews the completed projects to determine whether they will receive departmental honors.
For further information, contact Vincent Bohlinger.
See the Honors Project Timeline on the next tab for more details and important dates.
Students must submit a two-to-three-page preliminary proposal to film studies faculty in the semester preceding the anticipated beginning of work on the honors project (by April 15 for projects beginning in the Fall Semester and December 1 for projects beginning in the Spring Semester). Although certainly open to change and development, proposals should be more than just statements of interest and should reflect extended thought about the topic and at least an initial awareness of relevant resources in the field.
After researching and refining their project topic in FILM 491, students must submit a revised proposal detailing the scope of the project, the thesis statement, and the points of analysis, as well as a bibliography of research sources. Revised proposals must be submitted by December 1 for projects begun in the Fall Semester and April 15 for projects begun in the Spring Semester.
After researching and refining their screenplay topic in FILM 491, students completing a feature-length screenplay must submit a one-sheet, a beat sheet, and a treatment for the screenplay. Materials must be submitted by December 1 for projects begun in the Fall Semester and April 15 for projects begun in the Spring Semester.
After completing pre-production work in FILM 491, students completing a short film must submit a one-sheet, a screenplay, a production schedule, a shot list, and storyboards for key scenes by December 1 for projects begun in the Fall Semester and April 15 for projects begun in the Spring Semester.
In order to ensure that honors thesis candidates are able to participate in year-end awards ceremonies and are listed in the Commencement program as honors graduates, students should submit a final copy of their thesis to their faculty advisor by April 15 in the Spring Semester and December 1 in the Fall Semester. All theses are evaluated by film studies faculty who determine whether or not the thesis has met the criteria to be awarded departmental honors.
In order to ensure that honors thesis candidates are able to participate in year-end awards ceremonies and are listed in the Commencement program as honors graduates, students should submit a final copy of their screenplay or a final cut of their short film to their faculty advisor by April 15 in the Spring Semester and December 1 in the Fall Semester. All production projects are evaluated by film studies faculty who determine whether or not the thesis has met the criteria to be awarded departmental honors.