Programs

McGill University campusWorld Cinemas Program

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


Prospective Undergraduate Students

  1. Are you interested in studying at McGill University?
    Consult McGill Undergraduate Admissions for information related to programs, faculties, finances, and more.
  2. Interested in applying to McGill for an undergraduate degree in Arts?
    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.

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. Download: Degree Audit Sheet

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

World Cinemas Minor Concentration (B.A.) (18 credits)

Offered by: English (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 18

Program Description

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.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Required Courses (6 credits)

Expand allContract all Course List
Course Title Credits
EAST 279Introduction to Film History. 13

Introduction to Film History.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

An introduction to representative periods, movements and styles in the history of cinema, as well as questions of film historiography.

See course page for more information

ENGL 277Introduction to Film Studies.3

Introduction to Film Studies.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

An introduction to key concepts in film studies. Exemplary works from the history of film will be studied to introduce students to such topics as the aesthetics of film; sound's production of meaning; film as narrative; film and genre; period and national cinemas; film's role in culture.

See course page for more information

LLCU 279Introduction to Film History. 13

Introduction to Film History.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

An introduction to representative periods, movements and styles in the history of cinema, as well as questions of film historiography.

See course page for more information

1

Take either EAST 279 Introduction to Film History. or LLCU 279 Introduction to Film History..

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.

Expand allContract all Course List
Course Title Credits
CANS 300Topics in Canadian Studies 1.3

Topics in Canadian Studies 1.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

An historical explanation of the Canadian experience of nationalism from the Patriotes to the First Nations, with reference to politics, economics, iconography, ideology and multicultural experience.

See course page for more information

EAST 353Approaches to Chinese Cinema.3

Approaches to Chinese Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Development of Chinese film in the 20th century, with an emphasis on both critical approaches to film as well as film history.

See course page for more information

EAST 361Animation and New Media.3

Animation and New Media.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Animation and new media in East Asia, with an emphasis on postwar developments.

See course page for more information

EAST 362Japanese Cinema.3

Japanese Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

This course will study the development of film in Japan during the 20th century with a particular focus on the analysis of film form, genres and history.

See course page for more information

EAST 368Asian Genre Cinemas.3

Asian Genre Cinemas.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

This course explores the historical and aesthetic dimensions of Asian genre cinemas in a regional framework, in relation to varied social and cultural phenomena. Genres explored include the gangster film, martial arts action, horror, revenge, melodrama, period drama, and documentary.

See course page for more information

EAST 369Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media.3

Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

In this course, we examine contesting notions of gender, sexuality, femininity, and masculinity in Asian cinema and media. We study how individual works negotiate the social discourses on gender and sexual representation, identities, and performance, and how we may borrow conceptual frameworks from queer theories and histories at large to discuss them.

See course page for more information

EAST 454Topics: Chinese Cinema.3

Topics: Chinese Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Advanced seminar in selected themes and issues in Chinese film.

See course page for more information

EAST 467Topics: Japanese Cinema.3

Topics: Japanese Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Topics in the study of Japanese cinema.

See course page for more information

EAST 564Structures of Modernity: Asia.3

Structures of Modernity: Asia.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

This course explores relations between some of the principal sites which structure the experience of "modernity" in Asia (and elsewhere) - from bodies and cities, to the urban context in general. Along with general approaches (e.g. the idea of everyday life; questions of time), specific topics may include speed, music, architecture, crime, etc.

See course page for more information

ENGL 279Introduction to Film History.3

Introduction to Film History.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

An introduction to key historical moments, cinematic movements, formal styles, as well as historiographical and theoretical debates in the history of world cinema.

See course page for more information

ENGL 280Introduction to Film as Mass Medium.3

Introduction to Film as Mass Medium.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

An introduction to film's social, historical, and technological contexts, including its relationships to other mass media.

See course page for more information

ENGL 350Studies in the History of Film 1.3

Studies in the History of Film 1.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Developments in proto-cinema and early cinema through the silent era.

See course page for more information

ENGL 351Studies in the History of Film 2.3

Studies in the History of Film 2.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Developments in the Hollywood Studio Era, including rivals, imitators, and alternatives.

See course page for more information

ENGL 354Sexuality and Representation.3

Sexuality and Representation.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Topics on representations of sexuality with reference to its cultural contexts.

See course page for more information

ENGL 363Studies in the History of Film 3.3

Studies in the History of Film 3.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Developments in post-1958 cinema, from the European New Waves to contemporary global and independent cinemas.

See course page for more information

ENGL 366Film Genre.3

Film Genre.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

A discussion of an individual genre of cinema; concept of genre.

See course page for more information

ENGL 374Film Movement or Period.3

Film Movement or Period.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Study of a significant movement or period in film history.

See course page for more information

ENGL 3793

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

ENGL 381A Film-Maker 1.3

A Film-Maker 1.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Studies in the history of film: the works of a major director. Topic varies each year.

See course page for more information

ENGL 382International Cinema 1.3

International Cinema 1.

Terms offered: Summer 2025

Studies in the history of film by period or nation. Topic varies by year.

See course page for more information

ENGL 385Topics in Literature and Film.3

Topics in Literature and Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

A topic in literature and film. Topics vary by year.

See course page for more information

ENGL 391Special Topics: Cultural Studies 1.3

Special Topics: Cultural Studies 1.

Terms offered: Summer 2025

Current issues in cultural studies. Topics will include contemporary debates on high culture and the literary canon, and the question of aesthetic value and aesthetic judgment.

See course page for more information

ENGL 393Canadian Cinema.3

Canadian Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

A study of Canadian cinema.

See course page for more information

ENGL 451A Period in Cinema.3

A Period in Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

In-depth examination of a significant historical period in cinema's development, early silent era to present.

See course page for more information

ENGL 476Alternative Approaches to Media 1.3

Alternative Approaches to Media 1.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Study of alternative uses of contemporary media with particular emphasis on the forms of independent video and community television and their relationship to mainstream television and film.

See course page for more information

ENGL 479Philosophy of Film.3

Philosophy of Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Philosophical approaches to and topics in the study of cinema.

See course page for more information

ENGL 480Studies in History of Film 1.3

Studies in History of Film 1.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Studies in the history of film.

See course page for more information

ENGL 481A Film-Maker 2.3

A Film-Maker 2.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Studies in the history of film.

See course page for more information

ENGL 482International Cinema 2.3

International Cinema 2.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Intensive study of a particular tradition or movement in international cinema.

See course page for more information

ENGL 483Seminar in the Film.3

Seminar in the Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

In-depth study of a topic related to film. Topic varies by year.

See course page for more information

ENGL 484Seminar in the Film.3

Seminar in the Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

In-depth study of specific topics related to the film, which vary from year to year.

See course page for more information

ENGL 492Image and Text.3

Image and Text.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Study of the relationship between verbal and visual aspects of a range of cultural artifacts. Topics may include iconography; illuminated manuscripts; book illustrations; cartoons and caricature.

See course page for more information

ENGL 585Cultural Studies: Film.3

Cultural Studies: Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Advanced study of a specific topic in film.

See course page for more information

FILM 499Internship: World Cinemas.3

Internship: World Cinemas.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Internship with an approved host institution or organization.

See course page for more information

FREN 310Cinéma français.3

Cinéma français.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Étude d’oeuvres ou de courants du cinéma français.

See course page for more information

FREN 311Cinéma francophone.3

Cinéma francophone.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Étude d’oeuvres ou de courants du cinéma francophone.

See course page for more information

FREN 315Cinéma québécois.3

Cinéma québécois.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Étude thématique du cinéma québécois à travers ses principaux films.

See course page for more information

GERM 357German Culture in European Context.3

German Culture in European Context.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

A comparative examination of selected moments in German literary, artistic and cultural history in relation to broader European movements; focus on influences, exchanges and dialogues across national boundaries.

See course page for more information

GERM 369The German Novel.3

The German Novel.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Sustained engagement with the major texts of the German novel from Grimmelshausen to the present.

See course page for more information

GERM 370Special Topics in German Film.3

Special Topics in German Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Intensive study of selected topics and periods in German film history.

See course page for more information

GERM 373Weimar German Cinema.3

Weimar German Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Weimar Cinema brought to the screen a world populated by monsters, lunatics, workers, vamps, strangers, and doubles. These figures embodied the tensions and fears of the Weimar period (1919-1933) in a manner that continues to attract audiences today. This course explores the cultural and political history of the Weimar period through Weimar cinema. It aims to introduce the student to the fundamentals of film analysis, especially formal analysis and textual analysis.

See course page for more information

HISP 340Latin American Cinema.3

Latin American Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

A study of representative films, directors and movements of the region. Topic specified by instructor.

See course page for more information

HISP 341Spanish Cinema.3

Spanish Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

A study of representative films, directors and movements of the region. Topic specified by instructor.

See course page for more information

HIST 435Topics in South Asian History.3

Topics in South Asian History.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

In-depth discussion and research on a topic in the history of South Asia.

See course page for more information

ITAL 329Italian Cinematic Tradition.3

Italian Cinematic Tradition.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Italian films in original language. Films are examined from a wide historical and cultural perspective. Introduction to issues and preoccupations central to the Italian cultural tradition.

See course page for more information

ITAL 374Classics of Italian Cinema.3

Classics of Italian Cinema.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Key works in the history of Italian cinema; an in-depth analysis of a few exceptional works; emphasis on the complex web of relationship connecting each work to a wide range of cultural products and expressions, from literature to popular culture, in Italy and internationally.

See course page for more information

ITAL 375Cinema and Society in Modern Italy.3

Cinema and Society in Modern Italy.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

A survey of the most important trends in post-war Italian cinema seen in the context of the rapidly and dramatically evolving society of modern Italy.

See course page for more information

ITAL 477Italian Cinema and Video.3

Italian Cinema and Video.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Different Italian film maker or videomaker every year, presenting a selection of his/her significant works. Discussions will include script analysis, interviews, articles and books by the director in focus, in addition to theoretical and critical statements by scholars. Established and new directors will be considered alternately.

See course page for more information

LLCU 200Topics in Film.3

Topics in Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

This seminar focuses on a special topic in European and/or transatlantic film and visual culture.

See course page for more information

LLCU 300Cinema and the Visual.3

Cinema and the Visual.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

This seminar examines topics in European and/or transatlantic cinema and visual culture, including film theory, aesthetics and historiography; media archeology; cinema and the digital; film and philosophy; cultural histories of the cinema; and approaches to moving images.

See course page for more information

MUHL 330Music and Film.3

Music and Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

The modern genre of music for films, and its changing styles (symphonic, jazz, pop compilation) from the silent era to today. Includes study of major film composers in North America and other traditions; analysis of the role of music in cinematic narrative, expression and symbolism.

See course page for more information

PLAI 500Advanced Interdisciplinary Humanities Seminar.3

Advanced Interdisciplinary Humanities Seminar.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

Co-taught seminar will use and explore a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to interdisciplinary research in the humanities in the study of a selected cultural problem or topic, text, artwork, aesthetic or medium.

See course page for more information

RUSS 213Introduction to Soviet Film.3

Introduction to Soviet Film.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

This course aims to familiarize undergraduates with the topics, figures, and concerns of Soviet film history. Students will watch and analyze films by Soviet directors including Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov, Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Parajanov, Kira Muratova, Larisa Shepitko, and many others in the context of their historical periods, movements, and writings. Students will learn to analyze images and cinematic techniques, as well as assess their historical, ideological, and cultural significance.

See course page for more information

RUSS 395Soviet Cinema: Art and Politics.3

Soviet Cinema: Art and Politics.

Terms offered: this course is not currently offered.

This course explores the relationship between art and politics in the cinema of the Soviet Union. Students taking this course will gain a familiarity with the films and writings of Soviet directors. They will also learn the basics of formal, textual, and historical film analysis.

See course page for more information

Course Offerings 2025-2026

Fall 2025

ENGL 381, A Filmmaker: Zacharias Kunuk 
ENGL 374, Film Movement or Period: Indigenous Film and Television 
ENGL 351, Studies in the History of Film 2: Contemporary Cinema
ENGL 382, International Cinema 1: Global Horror 
ENGL 277: Introduction to Film Studies
ENGL 585: Ecology of Film
ITAL 375: Cinema and Society (a survey of Italian Post-WW 2 cinema)
GERM 373, Weimar Cinema
RUSS 395, Soviet Cinema, Art and Politics
JWST 209: Jews in Film

Winter 2026

LLCU/ENGL 279: Introduction to Film History
ENGL 385: Topics in Literature and Film: Adaptations of Shakespeare
ENGL 481, A Filmmaker 2: John Cassavetes and American Independent Film
ENGL 280, Film as Mass Medium: Cinematic Adaptation
ENGL 350, Studies in the History of Film 1: Films of the 1940s
ENGL 366, Film Genre: Teen Film
ENGL 472, Special Topics in Cultural Studies 2: Screening Immaterial Labor
ITAL 477: Cinema and Video (on “Adaptation and Intermediality”)
RUSS 398: Soviet Women Filmmakers

Course Offerings 2024-2025

Course Offerings 2023-2024

Course Offerings 2021-2022

Course Offerings 2020-2021

Course Offerings 2019-2020


Complementary Courses

Approved Complementary Courses 2021-2022

In addition to the courses approved on the eCalendar, 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.

Approved Complementary Courses 2020-2021

In addition to the courses approved on the eCalendar, 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.

Approved Complementary Courses 2019-2020

In addition to the courses approved on the eCalendar, 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.

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