The Film and Media Studies Department is a keen supporter of EAP. Many of our majors over the years have participated in EAP and received major credit. Due to the international scope of our curriculum (for example, we teach Indian, Japanese, Latin American, French and Francophone, British, and Italian cinema courses), we are very interested in encouraging and expanding the number of Film Studies majors who participate in EAP.
One of the signatures of our new graduate program in film and media is its international focus. Research abroad or research with a global perspective is actually a requirement for our Ph.D. degree. A number of our future graduate students have already expressed interest in doing archival and ethnographic research abroad through EAP. We strongly encourage all of our students to review their study abroad options through EAP. I myself am a two-time EAP participant. I studied at Warwick University, England during my junior year and in the Paris film program as a doctoral student. Both were formative experiences in my life.
--Janet Walker
Professor, Film and Media Studies
Because of the important role of film and media in shaping global culture, our majors cover a wide range of international cinema and media courses in the course of their studies. Study abroad immerses students in a cultural experience and grants them access that they would otherwise not have.
Suddenly a “foreign film” or “Mexican television” is no longer foreign, but an expression of something we too have lived and experienced.
Film and Media Studies students have traveled and studied in countries around
the world to pursue their academic goals. Study abroad also provides students
with an opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and be challenged to
understand the world from a new perspective. As one returning student put
it, “I think you end up being a citizen of a larger world. You’re exposed to a different culture and a different perspective, but you are also put in the position of the outsider, the one who is different, who doesn’t understand his or her surroundings. It’s intimidating sometimes, but you become stronger because of it.”
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Students who want to complete areas in their major, such as National Cinemas,
Social Issues, and Media and Culture Theory, have a wide variety of options. Relevant course work can be found in universities in Australia, Central and South America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. There are applicable courses throughout the EAP universities. You can study in English or improve your
language skills. There is no better way to become fluent in a language than immersing yourself in the host country.
Here is a partial list of EAP host countries that offer unique opportunities in film studies: Australia -- Brazil -- Chile France -- Germany -- Hong Kong Hungary -- India -- Italy Korea -- Mexico -- South Africa Spain -- United Kingdom
Our students have studied in Warwick (UK), Seville (Spain), Berlin (Germany),
Santiago (Chile), Cape Town (South Africa), and Bologna (Italy). They have taken unique courses such as “Politics in a Media Culture”, “Cinema and European Modernism”, and “Dreams and Nightmares of the Modern”. Where better to study the History of Spanish Film than in Madrid? Or studying Bollywood in India? Or the growth of Asian cult films in Hong Kong?
In addition, students have the option of fulfilling requirements in the preparation
for the major area by studying other disciplines such as Art History, Drama, English, and Music.
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Film and Media Studies majors typically study abroad during their junior or senior year. This allows the benefit of planning out your core classes so that you can successfully graduate in four years. In addition, this timeline allows students
to gain language proficiency, if required, before they study abroad. Students
should consult with the Film and Media Studies Undergraduate Advisor and with
the College of Letters and Science to discuss completion of degree requirements.
Transfer students are eligible to participate in EAP but should be aware that a
year-long program may delay their ability to complete their core courses in a timely manner. For more information, visit the EAP web site.
Keep in mind that at least 20 units of upper-division major coursework (or
12 upper-division minor units) must be completed in residence at UCSB
along with other residence requirements. Consult an advisor in the College of Letters & Science for more information.
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Film and Media Studies students are advised to take as many of the core
classes for the major as possible before they study abroad. There are few equivalents for these classes. As the majority of courses taken while studying abroad through EAP are at the upper-division level, there are often many choices to fulfill the National Cinema, Social Issues, and elective areas of the major requirements. In some cases, film history and theory classes have been used to petition for core classes but they must be reviewed by both the Undergraduate Academic Advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies as well as the College.
EAP students automatically earn UC credit for the work they complete abroad. However, application of credit to major requirements is subject to the discretion of the student’s major department and approval of the College.
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Begin by identifying your goals for study abroad and then consult the EAP web pages (http://eap.ucop.edu/) to identify appropriate EAP programs. To find programs which offer particular disciplines or to search courses taken by EAP students over the last 5 years by subject, keyword and/or location, explore the resources found under Program and Course Search. Navigate to host universities’ web sites on the available links to learn more about the schools and their departments.
Stop by the EAP office at 2431 South Hall. Peer advisors who have recently returned from studying abroad as well as staff advisors are eager to answer your questions. Go see your Undergraduate Advisor in the department office and make an appointment to speak with an advisor in the College of Letters & Science.
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Film & Media Studies Department
2433 SSMS Building
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Phone: (805) 893-2347
www.filmandmediastudies.ucsb.edu
