Revised 05/2025

CST 151 - Film Appreciation I (3 CR.)

Course Description

Provides students with a critical understanding of film through the discussion and viewing of motion pictures with emphasis upon the study of film history and the forms and functions of film. Students will develop skills to analyze the shared social, cultural and historical influences of films and their contexts. Parts I of II. This is a Passport and UCGS transfer course. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

Provides students with the ability to effectively discuss and write about film narrative and film history. 

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Fluency in Standard American English. Recommend proficiency in reading and writing at English 111 level.

Course Objectives

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Identify a wide variety of film genres
• Describe the key historical moments in film history
• Name the major directors, scriptwriters, critics, and cinematographers and describe their various contributions to the development of cinema
• Recognize the value of the diversity of cultures and opinions demonstrated through this medium
• Write clearly about film, in regard to basic technical elements of film production, including music and sound, editing, composition, and camera work
• Explain the dramatic structure in a film

Major Topics to Be Included

• History of the cinema
• Genre in film
• Film theory and criticism
• Fictional Narratives
• Documentary
• Film language and technical considerations