Next fall the College of Arts and Humanities will offer a Film Studies minor.

No longer will film be non-regular and wandering item.

“Film is the wandering child on campus,” said Jeffrey Lynch associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, about the state of film on campus right now.

“The program was thought up during the summer of 2005” said English professor Robin Murray who will advise students who take the minor.

In spring of 2006, a plan was drafted for the college committee to look at and approve the minor.

“The minor was approved last month by the college committee” she said.

In order to get the minor a student must complete Communications Studies 3530 Film Communications and English 3504 Film and Literature as well four core list of elective courses. The elective courses are film-specific material that will be discussed in class. With all the courses together, the credits needed to obtain the minor will be at least 19 hours.

“I am very excited” Murray said. On top of the program being added Lynch believes that new courses with a concentration in film will be added to university.

With the completion of the Doudna Fine Arts Center, a special film classroom where many film classes will take place will be available to students. Film classes have bounced around campus halls including Coleman and Buzzard as well as classes taking place in Booth library. The classroom in Doudna will hold 125 students.

“It’s more like a screening room,” Lynch said. “It’s a state-of-the-art film room.”

With 125 seats it allows for a very intimate setting for a movie on a big screen, he said.

Many students have already shown in interest in picking up the minor. Students from the English, communications studies and philosophy departments have shown the most interest in the major so far.