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The Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature presents literature, other arts, translation, and film as subjects of international and interdisciplinary study. It provides a basis for intensive work in film study and the production of film, video, and digital arts.
The department encourages study in comparative arts, particularly cinema, where the program’s resources are especially strong.
Why
Study Cinema and Comparative Literature at Iowa?
Among the department’s strengths are an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary faculty with expertise in a variety of fields, as well as extensive facilities and equipment for film production. Also, it is known for its integration of creative and scholarly work.
Students
Students in cinema and comparative literature at Iowa range from artists to scholars to those who find the department a good way to complete an interdisciplinary degree in the humanities.
Faculty
Faculty members offer expertise in the languages and cultural study of the Americas, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, North Africa, Spain, and sub-Saharan Africa. Specific expertise and direction are available in translation, film and audiovisual history, production, and theory. Faculty work one on one with students, helping them apply for scholarships, awards, internships, and programs of advanced study.
In addition to its own faculty, the department calls on faculty members in other departments and programs for instruction, including American studies, women’s studies, classical languages, Asian and Slavic languages and literature, communication studies, English, French and Italian, German, history, Spanish and Portuguese, and theatre arts.
Course
Work
BA in Cinema
In addition to meeting General Education Program requirements for the BA degree,
cinema majors complete a minimum of 33 semester hours (s.h.), including a core
of five courses:
- Introduction
to Film Analysis
- Introduction
to Critical Reading and Viewing
- Modes
of Filmmaking
- Criticism
and Theory
- Undergraduate
Seminar
The undergraduate major in cinema provides an individualized program in the interdisciplinary study of film and the production of creative work in film, video, and interactive multimedia. The program is designed to promote cultural and artistic awareness, to increase speaking and writing skills, and to develop systematic reasoning skills and effective production in cinema arts.
All students are expected to gain a perspective on both the study and the production of film, video, or digital media while becoming acquainted with historical, critical, and theoretical issues.
BA in
Comparative Literature
Comparative literature majors explore literature in two or more languages and cultures or study relations among literature and other arts. Students acquire training in foreign languages, gain an international outlook on literature, and experience interdisciplinary approaches to cultural study.
This major can be drawn together from several hundred available courses, so the sharing of interests between student and advisor is the best guide to forming an undergraduate curriculum. Advisors are faculty members with training and experience in teaching and research.
The BA in comparative literature requires a minimum of 33 s.h., including three common courses:
- Introduction
to Critical Reading and Viewing
- Undergraduate
Seminar
- Introduction
to Critical Theory
Students
then choose from two concentrations, with 15 s.h. required in each area:
- The language and literature concentration requires 9 s.h. of courses in one foreign literature, read in the original language, plus an additional 6 s.h. One course in composition and conversation may count toward the major.
- The literature and arts concentration requires 12 s.h. of advanced work in a single fine arts area, plus an additional 3 s.h. With consent, one course in advanced performance, practice, or production counts toward the degree.
Honors
To graduate with honors in cinema and comparative literature, students meet the standards of the University of Iowa Honors Program. Students identify an area that extends beyond regular course work and complete a project in consultation with one or two cinema and comparative literature faculty members, including the student’s major advisor.
Minor
Students majoring in other disciplines may earn either minor in the department by completing 15 s.h. of course work with a minimum 2.00 grade-point average (GPA).
Resources
The International Writing Program brings 15 to 35 established writers from around the world to the Iowa campus each fall. Students may enroll in courses that study these writers in international context and discuss issues with them.
The Translation Workshop offers opportunities to work individually with these writers while studying and practicing literary translation as a creative art.
The Institute for Cinema and Culture sponsors major film retrospectives, proseminars, and national conferences on a broad spectrum of film matters and serves as a bank of information on films and film materials for faculty and students.
The Becker Communication Studies Building houses the department’s production facility. It features three studios, each configured for a different style of shooting, and many areas dedicated to film, video, and interactive (CD-R and web site) production. Included are postproduction facilities for 16 mm film and digital video nonlinear editing, multitrack audio, and both film and digital animation. For location shooting, the department has an equipment pool with film and video cameras, audio recorders and microphones, lighting packages, and accessories.
Other
Opportunities
For both cinema and comparative literature majors, study abroad and internships are strongly encouraged. Students recently have studied in West Africa, Ireland, Italy, England, France, Spain, and Austria. Interns have worked for television stations, museums, and the entertainment industry.
Careers
Graduates have found professional work as filmmakers, critics, scholars, teachers, librarians, arts and entertainment executives, and as producers in film, video, and digital media. Some students prepare themselves specifically for further study or creative work in the humanities, arts, translation, and cinema.
Scholarships
The cinema and comparative literature department awards numerous scholarships to its students. Some are open to first-year students. Others, available to upper-level students, include the Helen K. Fairall Endowment, offering $4,000 to a comparative literature major born and educated in Iowa, with a minimum 3.00 UI cumulative GPA.
Refer to the Office of Student Financial Aid for
a complete list of available scholarships.
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