Note: All summer 2026 tuition rates and fees are pending approval.

 

Cinema and Media Studies

College of Arts & Sciences

  • Arab Cultures Through Film (in English translation)

    CAS CI 283

    Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required. Effective Summer 2024 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380

    Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)

    A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pm
    Giselle Khoury-Disano
    Meets w/CAS LY 283

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  • Introduction to Film & Media Aesthetics

    CAS CI 200

    Online offering. Introduction to fundamental concepts for the analysis and understanding of film and media. Key concepts of formal composition (e.g., editing, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and more) over a diverse set of media texts. Foundational skills in analysis appropriate to film, television, and moving-image media. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380

    Summer 1 (May 12-June 26)

    O1 (IND) Arranged
    Jonathan Foltz
    Online section O1: Meets online every Mon & Wed 10-11 am for a live class. Nonstandard course dates. Meets w/CAS EN 176

    Summer 2 (June 29-August 14)

    O2 (IND) Arranged
    Jonathan Foltz
    Online section O2: Meets online every Mon & Wed 10-11 am for a live class. Nonstandard course dates. Meets w/CAS EN 176
    For information about technology requirements for online courses at Boston University, see bu.edu/online/technology. BU Virtual can be reached at buvirtual@bu.edu or 617-358-1960 for additional information.

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  • Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)

    CAS CI 260

    Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380

    Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)

    A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pm
    Sarah Frederick
    Meets w/CAS LJ 283

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  • Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature

    CAS CI 325

    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema by drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380

    Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)

    B1 (IND) Mon./Wed. 2-5:30 pm
    Sassan Tabatabai
    Meets w/CAS LZ 315

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  • Film Genres & Movements

    CAS CI 330

    An intensive exploration of a particular cinematic genre or movement, paying special attention to how individual films respond to existing traditions and to the historical and cultural contexts underpinning artistic change. How do genres grow and evolve across historical, cultural and institutional settings? How do particular cinematic movements respond to particular cultural changes? Course content varies by semester. Topic for Summer 2026: Black Horror. Released in 2017 to universal acclaim, Jordan Peele's "Get Out" sparked a Black Horror renaissance in Hollywood that garnered the attention of both mainstream and academic audiences alike. This interdisciplinary, discussion-based seminar strives to answer the questions: What is Horror Noire? How do histories of oppression, anti-Blackness, gender, and sexuality find purchase in the horror genre? Divided into two - 'Before' and 'After' Peele - this course approaches the difficult task of defining Black Horror by first moving chronologically through the earliest examples of films that fall into this subgenre. For example, beginning with Spencer Williams Jr.'s "Son of Ingagi" (1940) and George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), we eventually move to Blaxploitation horror films like William Crain's "Blacula" (1972) and William Gunn's "Ganja & Hess" (1973), before closing out the 'Before Peele' half of the course with Bernard Rose's "Candyman" (1992). The contemporary half of the syllabus will include films such as Jordan Peele's "Get Out" (2017), Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour Jr.'s "Black Box" (2020), and Nia DaCosta's sequel to the original "Candyman", to name a few. Time permitting, students will be given the opportunity to submit and vote on additional films to include in the latter half of the syllabus. Effective Summer 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Digital/Multimedia Expression. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380

    Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)

    B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 9 am-12:30 pm
    Arianna James
    Meets w/CAS EN 329

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