The University’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) will launch a new graduate minor in screen cultures beginning in Fall 2010. The minor—a non-degree, credit-bearing course of study—was approved at the Graduate Council meeting of January 25, 2010.
In announcing approval of the minor, Gregory E. Sterling, dean of the Graduate School, said that the new minor “is yet another way in which Notre Dame is expanding its offerings in the arts.” Prof. Donald Crafton, chair of FTT, added that the minor “will add expertise in film, television, and new media to graduate students in a variety of fields—particularly English and literature. The minor will enrich the University’s overall graduate offerings and strengthen already existing graduate work in film and media studies. Very importantly, earning this credential will help our graduate students with placement, as media studies is a highly sought-after area in current faculty listings. Through the screen cultures program, doctoral students will receive professional training that will make them more attractive candidates for a wide range of tenure-track positions both in their graduate disciplines and in various fields associated with screen cultures.”
The minor is open to doctoral students in any field and in any college at the University. As approved by the Graduate Council, its requirements are:
- A gateway course: Methods and Issues in Screen Cultures (3 credits);
- Two elective graduate courses in film and media (6 credits);
- A Practicum in Teaching Screen Cultures during a student’s first year of teaching (1 credit);
- An examination question in an area of film and media related to the student’s home discipline, to be incorporated into the normal departmental candidacy exam structure;
- A substantial portion of a dissertation in film and media written under the supervision of a faculty member with competence in that area and/or a substantial research paper in a film or media topic intended for publication in a scholarly journal.
A graduate minor is defined by the Graduate School “as a guided academic credit‐bearing course of study designed to supplement work in a primary degree program with an additional substantial expertise.” Two other graduate minors are available to Notre Dame students: gender studies and quantitative psychology.