Often referred to as “FAMS,” the Film and Media Studies program is open to students at all levels of experience. In both critical studies and production courses, students explore how audio-visual media enables us to have a rich understanding of the histories and contemporary cultures that shape us and the world we live in.
The FAMS major is dedicated to the critical study and production of moving image media. Over the course of their work in the major students learn the art of an integrated, critical and creative practice.
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Each semester, our students create original films, videos and research projects.
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Our Black Box Studio classroom is designed to provide students with space for film and video production, as well as moving-image installations.
Our events feature established and burgeoning filmmakers, critical historians and theorists, and writers and producers in film, television, video and new media.
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Together, Amherst’s arts programs foster a lively environment for the multidisciplinary study, creation and presentation of the arts.
Learn MoreThe course will introduce key terms and critical approaches for the study of modern media in their specificity in an era of digital mediation. We will ask questions such as: What are the formal and technical features of different media?
This introductory course is designed for students with no prior experience in video production. The aim is both technical and creative—we will begin with the literal foundation of the moving image.
The course will then turn to three case studies of contemporary serials made for different networks and/or platforms that showcase the investigative form and, indeed, the powers of detection of television as a medium.
A former military police officer attempts to reconcile his love for music with the memory of hearing it used as a weapon while stationed at Guantanamo Bay. An immigrant family from Cuba mourns the loss of their wife / mother / grandmother thousands of miles from the place they know as home. These are the real stories behind two documentaries filmed, edited and produced by Ashley Blasczyk '15 and Joyzel Acevedo '15 as part of their Film and Media Studies senior thesis projects.
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