Pitt-Bradford launches cinema studies minor

Pitt-Bradford has a new minor in cinema studies that combines visual arts, culture and music.

The minor is now available and requires six courses: Introduction to Cinema, Film and Literature or Modern African-American Cinema, Music in Film, Bollywood: Popular Indian Cinema, American Cinema, and Visual Communications.

Dr. James Salvo, assistant professor of speech, directs the program. Salvo said the idea for the minor came about when one day he and Jeff Guterman, chairman of the Division of Communication and the Arts, noticed that the university already had several popular cinema classes.

Faculty members were recruited to revive or create new courses. New courses are Bollywood, taught by instructor Rekha Gajanan, and African-American Cinema, which will be taught by Dr. Kevin Ewert, professor of theater.

The new classes also provide additional options for students looking to fulfill general education requirements.

Salvo said that the current cinema offerings have been popular with students inside and outside the Division of Communications and the Arts, which is home to broadcast communications, English, interdisciplinary arts, public relations and writing majors.

“In an era of saturation in both traditional and new media, media literacy is necessary for critical media consumption,” the program description reads.

Salvo said the minor will help students “cultivate an interest in films that they wouldn't regularly be exposed to” and also teach students to critically examine an artwork.

For more information, contact Salvo at (814)362-5098 or salvo@pitt.edu.