Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Film Studies

Film studies is something of a fortunate anomaly within the Humanities at Caltech. For more than any other humanistic field, film studies is largely the inspiration of a single individual. In the last decade, Caltech cultural historian Robert Rosenstone has become one of the leading world figures in the field of film and history. Together with Professor Catherine Jurca, who comes to film through her interests in modern American literature, he has worked to make film a viable part of the Caltech curriculum. Thus, although there has never been a separate program in film at Caltech, students have the opportunity to indulge their always keen interest in the subject through courses that cover a wide range of European, American, and "world" cinema.

In such courses as Cinema and Society, Film as History, Science Fiction Film, the Films of Oliver Stone, and Postwar Fiction and Film, students learn about the social function and historical importance of film, the technological developments that shape film style, the differences between film and other media, the role of the studios in Hollywood filmmaking, and film theory. In addition, students are expected to develop a basic vocabulary with which to talk and write about film.

Part of the value of film courses lies in their capacity to foster new kinds of literacy in an age dominated by visual and electronic media. Given the interest of many students in pursuing careers in Hollywood, these courses are predictably among the most popular in the Humanities.

Recently, courses in film at Caltech have been coordinated with public film series. Last year's Science Fiction Film Series brought over two thousand people to Caltech, generating terrific publicity for the Division and the Institute. Future offerings include a course, series, and conference in 2003 on the films of Frank Capra, one of Caltech's most famous undergraduates.