Honors
Overview
Film Studies majors of superior scholastic ability are eligible to participate in the Honors Program, which recognizes outstanding academic achievement and encourages students to undertake independent research and scholarship that is more challenging than what is normally included in program courses. Students seeking Honors in Film Studies complete a two-semester honors project during their senior year on topics of their choice with faculty advisers of their choice. Successful completion of the Honors Program shall be acknowledged by public recognition and noted on the student's permanent academic record. Upon completing the program, a student is awarded the Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Film Studies.
Recent honors theses include:
- Alyson Picard, "Symphonic Expressions of Female Voice: An Analysis of Bernard Herrmann's Scores for 'Jane Eyre' (1943) and 'The Ghost and Mrs. Muir' (1947)"
- Sarah Mae Fleming, "'You see, my wife's dad is real well off' - Money and the Coen Brothers"
- Jason Marzini, “Manifestations of Masculinity in Crisis: The Noir Films of Humphrey Bogart”
- Joseph Sherry, “Mutual Aesthetics: Visual Style in the Films of F. W. Murnau and John Ford, 1928-1941”
- Adam Tawfik, “Eastern Film Corporation of Providence, Rhode Island: Resurrecting a Footnote in Film History”
- Kyle Stumpe, “Falling: Women in the Films of David Lynch”
- Erica Tortolani, “Citizenship in a Nightmare Country: German Expressionist Film and Freud’s Dream Theory”
Eligibility
- Declared Film Studies major
- Completion of a minimum of 2 critical studies courses at the 300/400 level
- Minimum GPA of 3.25 in the Film Studies major; overall GPA of at least 3.0 or consent of the Film Studies Faculty
The Program
Applications to the Honors Program shall be initiated by students through consultation with the Program Director. Interested students should discuss their areas of interest with the Program Director, their advisor, and/or a Film Studies faculty member.
The Honors Thesis should deal with a subject not treated in Film Studies Program courses or should treat in significantly greater depth a subject which is part of a regularly scheduled course. Normally, such projects will be 30-50 pages in length. The project should be scholarly with potential for application to a candidate's post-baccalaureate career or studies.
Students submit preliminary 2-3 page proposals to the Film Studies Faculty in the semester preceding the anticipated beginning of work on the honors project (by April 15 for projects beginning in the Fall semester and December 1 for projects beginning in the Spring semester). Although certainly open to change and development, proposals should be more than just statements of interest and should reflect extended thought about the topic and at least an initial awareness of relevant resources in the field.
Students whose proposals are accepted by the Film Studies Advisory Committee are enrolled in Film Studies 491. Faculty advisors report a grade at the end of the semester. Candidates receiving less than a B will be dropped from the Film Studies Honors Program. Continuing students enroll in Film 492 for the following semester.
In order to ensure that Honors thesis candidates are able to participate in year-end awards ceremonies and are listed in the Commencement program as Honors graduates, students should submit a final copy of the thesis to their advisor by April 15 in the Spring semester and December 1 in the Fall semester. All theses are evaluated by the Film Studies faculty who accept or reject the thesis for the Honors designation.
For Further Information
See Dr. Vincent Bohlinger, Director of the Film Studies Program, in Craig-Lee 042 or email vbohlinger@ric.edu.
