Film

Housed within the Department of English, the Film Minor is an interdisciplinary course of study involving collaboration among a number of departments and programs. With courses that treat films as texts and examine the cultural and historical contexts in which films are produced, the Film Minor is open to all students at Le Moyne regardless of their major.

At Le Moyne, film minors consider the aesthetic and entertaining dimensions of films, as well as the ability of film to engage with philosophy, psychology, and society. By paying attention to the relation of film to the humanities, arts, and social sciences, film minors will pursue interdisciplinary inquiry that contributes to an understanding of the technological, narrative, documentary, and experimental nature of film.

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Student Learning Goals

In the Film Minor, students will:

1. learn to watch films closely and pay attention to detail
2. gain a technical vocabulary for talking and writing about films
3. acquire an understanding of film rhetoric and respond to films as artistic productions
4. learn film history
5. analyze films from varying critical perspectives

Syracuse International Film Festival

Le Moyne’s Film Program is a major sponsor of the Syracuse International Film Festival. For more than ten years, Le Moyne has collaborated with the Festival on a number of projects of interest to Le Moyne’s students and the wider community. In addition to bringing numerous independent filmmakers to campus, the Film Program has hosted forums on such topics as Politics, Economics, and Film and filmmaking in Africa.

Other annual events include the Social Justice and Cinema Showcase, which features films and appearances by filmmakers engaging social issues of national and international concern (such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and gay activism within the church) and the annual Silent Film with Live Music at Syracuse’s Palace Theater, for which the Film Program commissions a score performed live for a classic film from the silent era.

Film Talks

The Le Moyne College Film Program collaborates with the Syracuse International Film Festival to sponsor an annual series called Film Talks. Occurring on campus and at venues throughout Syracuse, Film Talks brings prominent figures from the movie industry to speak to the Le Moyne and Syracuse community about their art and careers. Recent speakers include:

• renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami
• well-known actors Giancarlo Esposito, Peter Weller, and Siobhan Fallon Hogan
• celebrated composer Thomas Newman
• award-winning sound designer Ben Burtt and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond

The Film Minor is an interdisciplinary program that not only leads students to explore the many relations among visual media and humanities disciplines but also encourages students to hone and apply their critical thinking and writing skills. Film minors will be invited to participate in the annual Syracuse International Film and Video Festival, an exciting community event held in the fall at venues throughout Syracuse, including Le Moyne.

For more information about courses, requirements, and opportunities for the Film minor, please see the Le Moyne College catalog.