Course Descriptions
Students entering the University of San Diego and/or declaring a major during 2026-27, should follow information contained in the printed course catalog (also known as the "catalog of record") published on April 1, 2026. Access the catalog of record at https://catalog.sandiego.edu.
FILM 101
Introduction to Cinema
Units: 3
This course is an introduction to film form and the historical, industrial, and cultural contexts that make form significant for analysis. This class aims to equip students to look purposefully, critically and contextually at the moving image, mindful of the ways that meaning is produced and received.
FILM 301
Introduction to Film Theory
Units: 3
A survey of the major concepts of film theory, this course emphasizes the ways that film engages the viewer through form, social meaning and the particularities of the brain and bodily senses. Screenings, lectures and texts examine the aesthetic, social, philosophical and psychological aspects of the cinematic medium, and include examples reflecting a transnational approach. Prerequisites: FILM 101 or ARTH 144.