Tufts offers a surprising number of film courses, ranging from Associate Professor Brigitte Lane's "Classics of French Cinema" and Professor Susan Napier's "Cinema of Apocalypse" to Don Schechter's "Making Movies" and Experimental College Associate Director Howard Woolf's "Advanced Filmmaking." In any given semester, Tufts will offer close to 25 courses related to film theory, practice or studies. Through programs like Communications and Media Studies and International Literary and Visual Studies, as well as the Experimental College, Tufts has gathered interest and momentum in establishing an official film major.
A group of faculty members has been holding regular meetings about this endeavor all semester long. This working group includes Woolf, Jennifer Burton, a professor of the practice in the drama department, and Nancy Bauer, dean of academic affairs for the School of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of philosophy. Richard Fleischer, media coordinator at the Tisch Library, has also provided input in the process.
There are clearly established goals and objectives to consider when taking on the large task of introducing a new major at a university, but the working group is operating carefully and constructively to ensure a smooth undertaking. Bauer said that the establishment of the working group is "a way to coordinate all the film efforts across campus."
"We all have the same goal in mind," Burton added, explaining that the goal is to create a new major in that is necessary in this day and age.
At the beginning of this school year Tufts alumni endowed a faculty chair in Professor Sol Gittleman's honor.
"Dean [of the School of Arts and Sciences] Joanne Berger-Sweeney consulted with [Gittleman] and they agreed that it would be wonderful for the first holder of the Sol Gittleman Professorship to be a professor in film studies," Bauer said.
Formulating an all-encompassing description for this position is one of the most immediate concerns for the working group.
Burton said that many working group members feel the holder of the Sol Gittleman chair must have "a vision that is in line with Tufts values and with all of these strengths that they have to work with already." Both Burton and Woolf agree that it is essential to have a global emphasis, particularly in this day and age where, as Fleischer said, "connectivity opens up all new structural changes." Finding the right person to fill the professorship is essential in creating a major so dependent on the ever-changing landscape of media and technology.
Recent developments in film and media studies have played crucial roles leading up to this moment. Indeed, the past 15 years have paved the way for a film studies major, with the creation of the film studies minor - currently housed in the Communications and Media Studies program - and the International Literary and Visual Studies major, which includes a film emphasis option. Every professor, course, program, major, minor and department that has any involvement in film has made it possible for the current recognition of film studies, theory and practice on campus.
It is important to note that the potential film studies major does not currently have an official title, as the area of focus would not rest solely on film. In these modern times, it is hard to distinguish film as a unique medium, considering the immense crossover with television, video games, web videos, music videos and countless other media available at our fingertips.
One of the critical factors in the inclusion of a film studies major would be the emphasis on reaching "an actual, grounded education in media literacy," Burton said.
"The real world is looking for technical skills, even for a non-media job," Fleischer explained. He believes film studies should be a bifurcated major, with equal parts theory and practice.
"In this day and age, visual literacy is very important, and there is no structure right now in our curriculum that guarantees and ensures that our students will have some exposure to that," Bauer said.
The consensus surrounding the importance of media literacy heightens the significance of a structured film studies major that will allow for this sort of education.
The working group emphasized its comitment to look at things from the student's perspective, in terms of what a student may need looking ahead. This is where the Digital Design Studio - or, as Woolf puts it, the "library of the future" - comes in. The DDS was added to the third floor of Tisch Library in September 2011, ensuring that any Tufts student could have access to editing software. The formation of the DDS took years of planning, not only for space but also for equipment and availability, but its success has proven the necessity for this kind of facility.
"We see the Digital Design Studio and the Tisch Media Center as a support system for students and faculty," Fleischer said. "[The goal is to] increase the scope of the DDS to help out more with film production than with just class assignments."
The DDS could provide support for a film studies major.
"As this groundwork gets laid, we'll then be able to productively bring students in and get people involved because it's critical to get students' perspective," Bauer added.
Apart from the general interest and support shown throughout the administration, Bauer has a personal interest in this endeavor, given that she has taught and written about film for years. The fact that film can be combined with a wide variety of subjects only strengthens the argument that it could and should be able to hold itself as a major at Tufts. Moreover, the introduction of a film studies major would open up opportunities such as visiting artist programs, which would in turn enhance the program's reputation at Tufts. At this point, it's not a matter of if the major will be established, it's a matter of when.
Once the Sol Gittleman Professorship is chosen, there will still be questions and considerations ranging from administrative proposals and departmental housing to ensuring equipment and facilities for film studies students. However, one thing is certain: A film studies major will soon join the Hill as Tufts' newest major.
