- Become conversant with the history, theory, and criticism of film in a number of cultures.
- Understand the main outlines of the history, theory, and practice of film on an international scale.
- Understand the artistic development in at least one area of specialization within film studies.
- Understand the main contributions of cinematic culture to our society as a whole.
- Understand and appreciate the many contributions by women and minority filmmakers in cinema history
- Understand how film has become part of digital culture, and how it will operate in the 21st century.
- Understand how the historical and critical study of film is constantly evolving, as new discoveries enlarge the existing canon of film history.
- Develop critical and writing skills that convey the information learned as part of this process.
- Understand how the archival preservation of film texts is an essential part of Film Studies.
- Conduct both primary and secondary research (including using the library) and understand the uses and limitations of the information yielded by various research methodologies.