Screen Cultures PhD

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

Students must take ten required Screen Cultures courses as part of their overall number of coursework units designated by The Graduate School (TGS). In addition to these 10 units, students may take PhD courses, with permission of the instructor, offered by affiliated faculty in other departments. With permission of the steering committee, students may take courses by non-affiliated faculty. Students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree are allowed to take up to three 300-level Radio-Television-Film undergraduate courses, in consultation with their advisor. Students are expected to spend the summers (on stipend) working with, or under the supervision, of one or more faculty members to pursue research and/or directed reading.

Four of six core courses are required, which can be taken anytime during coursework.

• RTVF 402 Television and Media Theory
• RTVF 403 Media and Cultural Theory
• RTVF 410 Historiography
• RTVF 420 Film Theory and Criticism
• RTVF 422 Textual Analysis
• RTVF 426 Global Media

In addition, two of three of the following cultural history courses are required.

• RTVF 411 Cultural History of Television
• RTVF 412 Cultural History of Film
• RTVF 413 Cultural History of New Media

At least three additional graduate topic seminars at the 400 or 500 level are required:

• At least three additional Screen Cultures seminars at the 400 or 500 levels are required.
• RTVF 502 Writing Practicum: Required for all Screen Cultures graduate students to be taken in the spring quarter before they take their PhD Exam and defend their prospectus.

Independent Studies: Students may take up to two units of graduate level independent studies. We advise students to save these for work on their prospectus and their comprehensive exam reading lists during their final year of coursework.