Introduction to Film History

COURSE NUMBER:  MST 302 ONLINE, Fall Semester 2026

COURSE TITLE:  Introduction to Film History

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the study of international film history from the late 19th century to the present.

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• describe the technological conditions of camera and projection engineering as developed over time

• identify the theory and practice of both Hollywood-style continuity editing and Soviet montage

• describe the technological conditions of early sound recording and motion picture color systems

• describe the dynamics of lens and lighting aesthetics relative to the achievement of depth of field (deep focus photography)

• identify the major post-World War II international filmmovements (e.g., Italian neorealism, the British New Cinema, the French New Wave, the Czech “Film Miracle,” the Japanese New Wave, etc.)

• explain the effects of widescreen technologies on visual composition in both Western and Eastern aesthetics

• explain the industrial impact of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)

• demonstrate the ability to write a clear, coherent, and effective critical/analytical essay on a film (or films) screened in the course

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Class participation in discussions	20%
Three one-hour tests	60%
Critical/analytical paper	20%

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance/participation is not a graded component included in the student's final grade for this course.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

David A. Cook. A History of Narrative Film, Fifth Edition (W. W. Norton, 2016) (HNF). NB: You must have this edition of the book; earlier editions are completely different, and the entire course is organized around it. The book is available in the Campus Bookstore, as well as through Amazon and Norton Online.