Majors
	Cinema (BA), Comparative Literature (BA) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minors
	Cinema Comparative Literature
Four-year Graduation Plan
	Yes
Honors
	Yes
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

The Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature examines film, literature, translation, and other arts as they relate to each other and emphasizes their international dimensions. It also provides a foundation for the intensive study of film and for production of film, video, and digital arts.

• Why Study Cinema and Comparative
  Literature at Iowa?
• Course Work
• Resources
• Study Abroad and Internships
• Careers
• Scholarships

Why Study Cinema and Comparative Literature at Iowa?
The department is well known for integrating creative and scholarly work. Among its strengths are an interdisciplinary, internationally recognized faculty with expertise in a variety of fields. The department has especially strong resources in cinema. It also has extensive facilities and equipment for film, video, and media production.

Iowa's cinema and comparative literature students range from artists to scholars to those looking for a good way to complete an interdisciplinary degree in the humanities. They work one-on-one with faculty members, who help them apply for scholarships, awards, internships, and programs of advanced study.

The department's faculty members offer expertise in the languages and cultural study of the Americas, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Korea. Film and video production faculty are award-winning artists who work in audio production, video installation, documentary filmmaking, and narrative fiction. Expertise and direction are available in translation, film and audiovisual history, production, and theory.

The department also calls on faculty members in other disciplines, including American studies; Asian and Slavic languages and literatures; classics; communication studies; English; French and Italian; gender, womens', and sexuality studies; German; history; Spanish and Portuguese; and theatre arts.

Course Work
Students majoring in cinema or in comparative literature earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The BA requires a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.), including credit for the major.

Major in Cinema

The major in cinema requires 34 s.h. (included in the minimum 120 s.h. you'll earn for the BA). As a cinema major, you'll pursue an individualized program in the interdisciplinary study of film and the production of creative work in film, video, and interactive multimedia. You'll also get acquainted with historical, critical, and theoretical issues.

The major will help you develop cultural and artistic awareness, systematic reasoning skills, and effective cinema arts production skills as well as improve your speaking and writing skills.

You'll complete this core of courses:

• Introduction to Film Analysis
• Introduction to Critical Reading and Viewing
• Modes of Filmmaking
• A criticism and theory course
• An advanced film studies or production course
• Undergraduate Seminar
• Several cinema and comparative literature elective courses

BA in Comparative Literature

The major in comparative literature requires 33 s.h. (included in the minimum of 120 s.h. you'll earn for the BA). As a comparative literature major, you'll explore literature in two or more languages and cultures or study relations among literature and other arts. You'll also acquire training in foreign languages, gain an international outlook on literature, and learn interdisciplinary approaches to cultural study.

You'll take these common courses:

• Introduction to Critical Reading and Viewing
• Literary Classics and Film Adaptation
• Introduction to Criticism and Theory
• Undergraduate Seminar
• A comparative literature elective course

You'll also complete one of two tracks:

The Literature and Arts Track requires four or more advanced courses in a single fine arts area plus one comparative course on arts and literature. You may be able to include one course in advanced performance, practice, or production.

The World Languages and Literature Track requires three or more courses in one world literature, read in the original language, plus two or more courses in cinema and comparative literature or in a second world literature. You may be able to include one course in composition and conversation.

For More Details

See Cinema and Comparative Literature in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the department's majors and for information about graduating with honors or earning a minor in cinema or in comparative literature.

Resources
The University's International Writing Program (IWP) brings 15 to 35 established writers from around the world to the Iowa campus each fall. You may enroll in courses that study these writers in international context, and you might have the opportunity to discuss issues with them.

The Translation Workshop offers opportunities to do individual work with IWP 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. It also provides a bank of film information and film materials for faculty and students.

The Becker Communication Studies Building and the Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building house the department’s production facilities, which feature production studios and 50 digital editing stations dedicated to film, video, animation, and interactive production. For location and field production, the department has an equipment pool with film and video cameras (including HD video cameras), audio recorders and microphones, lighting packages, and accessories.

Study Abroad and Internships
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, hospitals, libraries, film festivals, 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
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.