Bachelor of Arts - English - Film and Media Studies

Within the liberal arts environment of Bishop’s University, the Department of English offers a diverse range of courses and programs to help students to develop their critical appreciation of texts of all kinds (literature, film, television, etc.), and to broaden their understanding of culture and its relationship to the individual, from historical and theoretical perspectives. Students of English develop analytical, research, and communication skills that are well-suited to many careers in today’s information economy. Recent graduates have pursued graduate studies and careers in fields as diverse as teaching English, advertising and marketing, film-making, law, politics, publishing, television, education, journalism, and business communications.

In the Film and Media Studies Concentration, students develop a rich awareness of the historical development of film and related moving-image media and apply a range of interdisciplinary theoretical models and critical approaches to understand these media as both individual forms of expression and industrial products promoting social cohesion. They consider how, through the interplay of their representations, these media affect us, build our ideas of the world, and shape our social interactions. Courses are offered primarily through the English Department, but additional courses offered in many different disciplines at Bishop’s (Classics, Drama, Music, religion, Modern Languages, Sociology, Philosophy, History) enrich the program with their different approaches and emphases. Students in the program have the opportunity to write and create their own films in screenwriting and filmmaking courses. They graduate with a rich understanding of the pervasive media landscape in which we all now live, ready to participate in it critically and creatively, as global citizens and active producers. In consultation with their English Faculty advisor, students in this concentration may elect to enter the Honours program in Film and Media Studies.