The World Cinemas program was established to coordinate faculty expertise and student interest in different national and international cinematic traditions. It offers courses across various departments, primarily in Arts, in order to train students to approach film studies from a variety of traditions and locations, while introducing them to different modes of cinematic practice and production from around the world.
The Minor Concentration World Cinemas instructs students in film aesthetics, history, and theory by acquainting them with cinematic practices from different national and international traditions. This interdisciplinary program draws on the already existing teaching and research activities in several departments within the Faculty of Arts and will serve as an institutional context for future teaching and research endeavors in film studies.
Program note (2024-25): ENGL 279 may also be taken in place of the required EAST 279 or LLCU 279
- Minor Concentration
- Advising
- 2024-2025 Course Offerings
- 2023-2024 Course Offerings
- 2022-2023 Course Offerings
- 2021-2022 Course Offerings
- 2021-2022 Approved Complementary Courses
- 2020-2021 Course Offerings
- 2020-2021 Approved Complementary Courses
- 2019-2020 Course Offerings
- 2019-2020 Approved Complementary Courses
- Prospective Students
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Minor Concentration World Cinemas(18 Credits)
Program Requirement:
The Minor Concentration World Cinemas instructs students in film aesthetics, history, and theory by acquainting them with cinematic practices from different national and international traditions. This interdisciplinary program draws on the already existing teaching and research activities in several departments within the Faculty of Arts and will serve as an institutional context for future teaching and research endeavors in film studies.
Required Courses (6 credits)
* Take either EAST 279 or LLCU 279.
Complementary Courses (12 credits)
12 credits selected from the course list below with the following specifications:
a minimum of 6 credits in non-U.S. cinemas;
a maximum of 6 credits from any one department.
No more than 6 credits may be taken from the same discipline as the student's other major or minor concentrations.
Advising
I want to take a new course in cinema, but it’s not listed on the course page?
Sometimes new courses are created, or topics courses are offered that we are unaware of. Please obtain a syllabus for this course and email it to undergradadvising.english [at] mcgill.ca. The course must have a significant focus on world cinemas in order to be approved. If it is deemed acceptable by the Program Director, they will advise whether it count towards Non-US cinemas, or towards the World Cinemas offerings.
I’m going on exchange, can I take courses there?
Yes. As with any student going on exchange, it is imperative that you plan your courses carefully. You will have to go through the formal procedure to have courses approved, but keep in mind that only 1/3 of courses outside of McGill may apply towards a program. That said, a student may count no more than 6 credits away from McGill towards the Minor Concentration World Cinemas.
Do I need to have the Program Director sign a degree audit sheet in order to graduate?
No. We highly recommend that students do self-audits on a regular basis and that you consult the Program Advisor to see if you are on track to graduate. You can get the Degree Audit sheet here: https://www.mcgill.ca/worldcinemas/forms.
I’m taking English Cultural Studies, but I don’t understand the problem with the courses and counting to both programs?
McGill regulations on course overlap forbid students from counting the same course for two programs, or from taking two courses that have significant overlap and having those both count towards a degree. If you are in the Cultural Studies stream, you are required to take ENGL 277 as part of that stream. It is also a required course for the World Cinemas Minor, but you are not allowed to count the course towards both programs, thus you must replace those 3 credits, with an additional 3 credits from the World Cinemas offerings. You would receive an “exemption” from ENGL 277 for the World Cinemas program, since it is being applied towards the English Cultural Studies minor.
Can I do an internship in Film?
Yes. All internships must be approved by the Faculty of Arts Internship Program, the instructor at McGill supervising the internship here, and the Program Director in order for credit to be obtained. All approval procedures must be completed prior to starting the internship. Please see complete information on internships here.
Do you have a graduate program in World Cinemas?
At the present moment we do not have a formal graduate program in World Cinemas. There are other departments who have professors who specialize in cinema, but a graduate degree would be from that department.
Course Offerings 2024-2025
Fall 2024
ANTH 408: Sensory Ethnography
EAST 353: Approaches to Chinese Cinema
EAST 467: Japanese Cinema
EAST 560: Screen Cultures and Media Arts
ENGL 277: Introduction to Film Studies
ENGL 354: Queer Screens/ Queer Scenes (Sexuality and Representation)
ENGL 363: American Film in the 1960s (Studies in the History of Film 3)
ENGL 391: Girlhood Cinemas
ENGL 479: Philosophy of Film
HISP 244 “Introduction to Hispanic Film”
HISP 320: Contemporary Brazilian Literature and Film
JWST 309: Jews in Film: The Jewish Documentary
Winter 2025
ANTH 207: Ethnography through Film
ANTH 304: Chinese Culture in Ethnography and Film
EAST 368: Asian Genre Cinemas
EAST 454: Chinese Cinema
ENGL 279: Introduction to Film History
ENGL 280: Introduction to Film as a Mass Medium: Adaptation
ENGL 359: Poetics of the Image
ENGL 366: Horror Film
ENGL 380: Non Fiction Media: Cinema
JWST 367: Hebrew Through Israeli Cinema
GERM 370: Special Topics in German Film
ITAL 477: Italian Cinema and Video
LLCU 300: “Decolonizing Cinema—Latin America” (Cinema and the Visual)
Course Offerings 2023-2024
Fall 2023
ANTH 304: Chinese Culture in Ethnography and Film
ENGL 381, A Filmmaker 1: Zacharias Kunuk
ENGL 378, Media and Culture: Introduction to Canadian Inuit, Métis and First Nations Literature, Video, and Film
ENGL 472: Topics: Cultural Studies 2: Feminist Cultural Studies Video and Performance
EAST 362, Introduction to Japanese Cinema
EAST 368, Asian Genre Cinemas
GERM 371: Introduction to German Cinema
HISP 439: Revolution, Dictatorship & Activism in Latin American Cinema (fall, taught in Spanish)
ITAL 374, Classics of Italian Cinema
JWST 309, Jews in Film: The Jewish documentary
RUSS 397: Tarkovsky: Cinema and Philosophy
Winter 2024
EAST 454: Chinese Cinema
ENGL 359, Poetics of the Image
ENGL 380, Non-Fiction Media: Cinema, Television, Radio
ENGL 388, Studies in Popular Culture: Canadian Inuit Film and Television
ENGL 366, Film Genre: The Teen Film in U.S. Cinema
ENGL 441, Special Topics in Canadian Cultural Studies: Feminist Media in Montreal
ENGL 481, A Filmmaker 2: Todd Haynes
ENGL 479, Philosophy of Film
FREN 315, Cinema Quebecoise (winter, taught in French)
GERM 372, Topics in German Cinema
HISP 301/LLCU 300 Decolonizing Cinema (winter, taught in English)
HISP 341, Spanish Cinema (winter, taught in Spanish)
ITAL 307, Fascism in Italian Literature and Film
ITAL 477, Italian Cinema and Video: The Spaghetti Western
LLCU 300: Cinema and the Visual
RUSS 395, Soviet Cinema: Art and Politics
Course Offerings 2022-2023
Fall 2022
ANTH 304 - Chinese Cult in Ethnogr & Film
ENGL 277 - Introduction to Film Studies
GERM 373 - Weimar German Cinema
Winter 2023
[coure link EAST 454]
ENGL 279 - Introduction to Film History / LLCU 279 - Introduction to Film History (Crosslisted)
ENGL 351 - Studies in the Hist of Film 2
[course link 472]
FREN 311 - Cinéma francophone (Taught in French)
HISP 340 - Latin American Cinema
ITAL 477 - Italian Cinema and Video
LLCU 300 - Cinema and the Visual
RUSS 213 - Introduction to Soviet Film
Course Offerings 2021-2022
Fall 2021
EAST 368 - Asian Genre Cinemas
EAST 454 - Topics: Chinese Cinema
ENGL 277 - Introduction to Film Studies
ENGL 374 - Film Movement or Period
FILM 499 - Internship: World Cinemas
FREN 310 - Cinéma français (Taught in French)
GERM 357 - German Culture in Euro Context
ITAL 374 - Classics of Italian Cinema
LLCU 279 - Introduction to Film History / ENGL 279 - Introduction to Film History (Crosslisted)
Winter 2022
CANS 300 - Topics in Canadian Studies 1
EAST 353 - Approaches to Chinese Cinema
ENGL 385 - Topics in Literature and Film
ENGL 585 - Cultural Studies: Film
FILM 499 - Internship: World Cinemas
FREN 315 - Cinéma québécois / QCST 300 - Quebec Culture and Society (Crosslisted) (Taught in French)
ITAL 477 - Italian Cinema and Video
Approved Complementary Courses 2021-2022
In addition to the courses approved on the E-calendar, this list comprises courses that will be accepted by your advisor for credit towards your Minor concentration in World Cinemas
Note: This list exceptionally applies only to these courses as they are offered in Fall 2021 - Winter 2021. Do not take these courses in a different year and assume that they will count towards your program; when in doubt contact your program advisor.
Fall 2021
HISP 454 - Major Figures: Span Lit & Cult (Taught in Spanish)
Course Offerings 2020-2021
Fall 2020
EAST 279 - Introduction to Film History / ENGL 279 - Introduction to Film as Art (Crosslisted)
EAST 353 - Approaches to Chinese Cinema
EAST 564 - Structures of Modernity: Asia
ENGL 277 - Introduction to Film Studies
ENGL 351 - Studies in the History of Film 2
ENGL 365 - Studies in the History of Film 3
ENGL 484 - Seminar in the Film
Winter 2021
EAST 368 - Asian Genre Cinemas
EAST 454 - Topics: Chinese Cinema
ENGL 385 - Topics in Literature and Film
ENGL 585 - Cultural Studies: Film
FREN 315 - Cinema Quebecois / QCST 300 - Quebec Culture and Society (Crosslisted)
GERM 357 - Germain Culture in European Context
HIST 435 - Topics in South Asian History
ITAL 477 - Italian Cinema and Video
Approved Complementary Courses 2020-2021
In addition to the courses approved on the E-calendar, this list comprises courses that will be accepted by your advisor for credit towards your Minor concentration in World Cinemas
Note: This list exceptionally applies only to these courses as they are offered in Fall 2020 - Winter 2021. Do not take these courses in a different year and assume that they will count towards your program; when in doubt contact your program advisor.
Winter 2021
ANTH 304 - Chinese Culture in Ethnography and Film
ANTH 408 - Sensory Ethnography
COMS 354 - Media Studies of Crime / ARTH 354 - Selected Topics Art History (Crosslisted)
EAST 250 - Introduction to Asian Media Studies
Course Offerings 2019-2020
Fall 2019
EAST 361 - Animation and New Media
EAST 454 - Topics: Chinese Cinema
ENGL 277 - Introduction to Film Studies
ENGL 374 - Film Movement or Period
ENGL 391 - Spec Top:Cultural Studies 1
ENGL 484 - Seminar in the Film
FILM 279 - Introduction to Film History
FILM 499 - Internship: World Cinemas
GERM 373 - Weimar German Cinema
HIST 435 - Topics in South Asian History
Winter 2020
COMS 354 - Media Studies of Crime / ARTH 354 - Selected Topics Art History 2 (Crosslisted)
COMS 361 - Selected Topics Comm Studies 1
EAST 369 - Gen & Sex in Asian Media
EAST 454 - Topics: Chinese Cinema
ENGL 280 - Intro to Film as Mass Medium
ENGL 382 - International Cinema 1
ENGL 385 - Topics in Literature and Film
ENGL 388 - Studies in Popular Culture
FILM 499 - Internship: World Cinemas
FREN 315 - Cinéma québécois / QCST 300 - Quebec Culture and Society (Crosslisted)
Approved Complementary Courses 2019-2020
In addition to the courses approved on the E-calendar, this list comprises courses that will be accepted by your advisor for credit towards your Minor concentration in World Cinemas
Note: This list exceptionally applies only to these courses as they are offered in Fall 2019 - Winter 2020. Do not take these courses in a different year and assume that they will count towards your program; when in doubt contact your program advisor.
Prospective Undergraduate Students
Are you interested in studying at McGill University? Please consult McGill Undergraduate Admissions for this, as well as information related to programs, faculties, finances, and more.
Interested in applying to McGill for an undergraduate degree in Arts? Please consult Enrolment Services for undergraduate admissions requirements and procedures. Applications for undergraduate programs are done through Enrolment Services, not individual departments. If you have a program specific question about the Minor in World Cinemas, please email our advisor.