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Film and Media Studies

Film and Media Studies is designed to develop critical thinking and screenwriting skills while fostering a humanistic and social scientific understanding of the media. Students combine hands-on courses in scriptwriting, with critical studies of the visual media as an art form and social force. This major is particularly encouraged for students who intend to transfer to university film and media programs or pursue careers that demand a high level of visual literacy, analytic and writing skills. The production of digital film and broadcast television are taught through the Radio, Television and Film Production program.

Degrees Offered

A.A. in Film & Media Studies

Dean Brian Rickel
Department Chair Adam Wadenius
Phone (916) 691-7171
Email wadenia@crc.losrios.edu

Associate Degree

A.A. in Film & Media Studies

The Film & Media Studies program is designed to foster critical thinking and media literacy skills, interrogate the multiple histories of film and media, and contemplate the role of film and media texts as artifacts that shape and reflect popular culture. Students engage in practical and theoretical discussions about film and media in a variety of courses on aesthetics, screenwriting, genre, narrative, and representations of race, sex, class and gender. This major is encouraged for students who intend to transfer to university film and media programs, or pursue careers that demand a high level of media literacy or analytical writing skills. The production of digital film and broadcast television are taught through the Radio, Television and Film production program.

** Students planning to transfer to a four-year institution should complete the lower division major requirements and general education pattern for the appropriate transfer institution and major. If you are interested in transferring to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in this major, it is critical that you meet with your CRC counselor and/or FMS professors to select and plan the courses for your major. Schools vary widely in terms of the required preparation. The courses that CRC requires for an Associate’s degree in this major may be different from the requirements needed for the Bachelor’s degree. Exact major requirements for UC and CSU institutions can be found on www.assist.org.

Career Opportunities: Filmmaker, Entertainment Writer or Editor, Producer, Screenwriter, Professor, Script Supervisor, Story Editor, Digital Content Producer, Film Festival Programmer, Film Publicist.

** Some career options may require more than two years of college study. Classes beyond the associate degree may be required to fulfill some career options or for preparation for transfer to a university program.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2026

Degree Requirements

Course Code	Course Title	Units
FMS 300	Introduction to Film Studies	3
FMS 305	Film History I (1895-1949) (3)	3
or RTVF 305	Film History I (1895-1949) (3)
FMS 307	Film History II (1950-present) (3)	3
or RTVF 307	Film History II (1950-present) (3)
FMS 320	Film Genre	3
JOUR 320	Race and Gender in the Media	3
A minimum of 6 units from the following:		6
FMS 310	Introduction to Screenwriting (3)
FMS 321	Film Genre: Horror (3)
RTVF 368	Scriptwriting for Film, Video & Multimedia (3)
FMS 488	Honors Seminar: Introduction to Critical Theory (3)
FMS 489	Honors Seminar: The Films of Alfred Hitchcock (3)
Total Units:		21

The Film & Media Studies Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree may be obtained by completion of the required program, and either (a) the Local General Education Pattern or (b) the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC), plus sufficient electives for a total of at least 60 units. See CRC graduation requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

Analyze, interpret and exercise critical judgment in the evaluation of film and media forms and cultures. (PSLO-1)
Recognize, articulate and judge the visual, verbal and audio conventions through which images, words and sounds make meaning in film and media texts. (PSLO-2)
Write clear, concise and well-developed analyses of film and media texts. (PSLO-3)
Demonstrate an understanding of the professional, technical and formal choices that realize, develop, or challenge existing practices and traditions in film. (PSLO-4)
Determine what type of information is needed for a research question, problem, or issue, and identify, evaluate and effectively apply this information in scholarly or visual projects. (PSLO-5)
Articulate the history, development, genre and movements of the film medium, and recognize the contributions of national, minority, diasporic and subaltern filmmakers. (PSLO-6)
Explain the processes, current structure and ethical norms of American media. (PSLO-7)
Evaluate research on and popular claims of the media's social, political and individual effects. (PSLO-8)

Career Information

Filmmaker, Entertainment Writer or Editor, Producer, Screenwriter, Professor, Script Supervisor, Story Editor, Digital Content Producer, Film Festival Programmer, Film Publicist. ** Some career options may require more than two years of college study. Classes beyond the associate degree may be required to fulfill some career options or for preparation for transfer to a university program.

Film and Media Studies (FMS) Courses

FMS 300 Introduction to Film Studies

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L3; Cal-GETC Area 3A
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course is an introduction to the system of film, and its various forms, styles, and genres. Students will study a wide variety of films to further an understanding of the conventions by which motion pictures address social, and aesthetic experience. Through the class lectures, readings, and screenings, students will be introduced to the multiple functions of film, conventional and alternative ways of reading a film text, and will develop the critical tools necessary for thinking and writing about film as both an art form, and as a medium that reflects popular culture.

FMS 305 Film History I (1895-1949)

Same As:RTVF 305
Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L3; Cal-GETC Area 3A
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course is an introduction to the early history of motion pictures (1890s to 1949), with an emphasis on examining how film functions as a telling historical document. We will explore the evolution of cinema around the world, investigating the emergence of various styles and movements, the contributions of seminal directors and performers, the effects of developing technologies, and the evolution of cinematic storytelling techniques. **Please Note: FMS/RTVF 305 is not a prerequisite of FMS/RTVF 307 and the courses can be taken in any order, or concurrently**. This course is the same as RTVF 305 and only one may be taken for credit.

FMS 307 Film History II (1950-present)

Same As:RTVF 307
Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L3; Cal-GETC Area 3A
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course is an introduction to the modern history of motion pictures (1950s to the present), with an emphasis on examining how film functions as a telling historical document. We will explore the evolution of cinema around the world, investigating the emergence of various styles and movements, the contributions of seminal directors and performers, the effects of developing technologies, and the evolution of cinematic storytelling techniques. **Please Note: FMS/RTVF 305 is not a prerequisite of FMS/RTVF 307 and the courses can be taken in any order, or concurrently**. This course is the same as RTVF 307 and only one may be taken for credit.

FMS 310 Introduction to Screenwriting

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:ENGL C1000 with a grade of "C" or better, or placement through the assessment process.
Transferable:CSU; UC
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course is an introduction to the craft of screenwriting, and to the various approaches used for developing an original screenplay or teleplay. We will be primarily concerned with narrative structure and character development as key components in storytelling. Students will analyze canonical film and television scripts as examples, participate in writing exercises and workshops, and complete a final treatment for a film, or show bible for a television series.

FMS 320 Film Genre

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L3; Cal-GETC Area 3A
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course is an introduction to the basic concepts and theories of film genre. Students will examine the structures, styles, and major themes of film genres such as comedy, horror, science fiction, teenpics, action-adventure, social problem films, disaster movies, and the western. Special attention will be paid to the tension between Hollywood filmmaking and auteur cinema.

FMS 321 Film Genre: Horror

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L3; Cal-GETC Area 3A
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course performs a close examination of popular horror films in order to understand how they function as representations of cultural fear and anxiety. Throughout the semester we will analyze the multiple functions of the genre, including its social significance, the different reasons why horror appeals to mass audiences, seminal theories of horror, and its overall development and impact on film history. The course will be divided into three sections: the first will cover the early period of physical monsters; the second will examine psychological monsters, slashers and body films; and the third will look at post-9/11 horror to investigate contemporary themes of identity.

FMS 488 Honors Seminar: Introduction to Critical Theory

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Enrollment Limitation:Enrollment is limited to Honors Program students. Details about the Honors Program can be found in the Cosumnes River College Catalog and on the College's website.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L3; Cal-GETC Area 3B
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course investigates questions of interpretation and representation in film, literature, media, and culture. Students examine historical and contemporary critical and cultural theories, then apply these theories in analyzing various works, including films, literary texts, commercials, music videos, and more. Theories introduced include, but are not limited to, semiotics, psychoanalysis, Marxism, critical race theory, gender theory, and postmodernism. Students intending to transfer into arts, film, literature, humanities, and cultural studies programs will find this course particularly useful in understanding the critical language of the university. As an honors course, this is a seminar with advanced teaching methods focusing on complex theories, major writing, reading, and research assignments, in-depth film analysis, student class lectures, group discussions and interactions. Distinguishing features include a deep focus on research, analysis, application, strong communication, and critical thinking. Enrollment is limited to Honors Program students. Details about the Honors Program can be found at the front of the Catalog and on the CRC website. This course is the same as HONOR 350, and only one may be taken for credit.

FMS 489 Honors: Director's Cinema

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Enrollment Limitation:Enrollment is limited to Honors Program students. Details about the Honors Program can be found in the front of the Catalog and on the CRC website.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L3
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This course is a critical examination of the historical and artistic career of a range of seminal directors in film history, with a particular focus on their impact on popular American culture. Students will investigate the filmography of selected directors, read articles and criticisms of their work, and discuss the cultivation of their filmmaking aesthetics. The course examines the visual style of filmmakers from different backgrounds, analyzing their thematic concerns and cinematographic techniques, while also introducing major theoretical approaches to director studies.
This honors course offers rigorous preparation in critical thinking, and analytic reading and writing skills for students intending to transfer to a four-year college or university. It provides an opportunity to engage contemporary political, economic, and social issues through small group discussion, a structured sequence of papers requiring higher-level thinking tasks, and collaborative projects. Research projects require extensive analysis of topics such as film theory, film history, director style, auteur studies and the tensions between mainstream and art cinema. Paper requirements are designed to challenge and motivate.
Details about the Honors Program can be found in the front of the Catalog and on the CRC website. This course is the same as HONOR 352 and only one may be taken for credit. Enrollment is limited to Honors Program students.

FMS 495 Independent Studies in Film and Media Studies

Units:1 - 3
Hours:54 - 162 hours LAB
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

An independent studies project involves an individual student or small group of students in study, research, or activities beyond the scope of regularly offered courses. See the current catalog section of "Special Studies" for full details of Independent Studies.

FMS 499 Experimental Offering in Film and Media Studies

Units:0.5 - 4
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2026

This is the experimental courses description.