The Department aims at producing professionals: who study various phenomena of visual culture focusing on films; analyze contemporary culture; and plan new cultural production. With an aim of "theoretical practice and practical theory", the curriculum includes courses on film studies, screen culture, visual culture of East Asia, and others.
Practical education by linking theoretic studies to the field
The curriculum is based on theoretical courses on film history, theory, criticism, culture study, and aesthetics. It includes practical courses for film criticism, video (project) planning and internship focusing on the application of theoretical studies to the film industry. There are programs on film and cultural theories including global and local film histories. The curriculum also covers: courses to discuss the issues of contemporary film and screen culture in-depth; theory and criticism to understand the process of production; and workshops on criticism, planning, production to learn about the role of creative planners. project-type courses help students experience industrial and public aspects of screen culture.
Specialized curriculum by majors
For undergraduate programs, the freshman and sophomore years focus on building a theoretical basis regardless of major. In the junior and senior years, courses are divided for cinema studies and project planning based majors focusing on seminars and workshops. For theory majors, professional film critics in the field lead seminars and workshops so that students learn how to analyze and evaluate film text from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Students of project planning based major take practical courses linked to the fields of visual culture, industry, and policy. The courses prepare students to become professionals in the areas of film festival curating, planning & development, screen culture and film policy studies. Graduate programs intend to: nurture students as researchers and critics by providing in-depth courses on visual theory; and serve as alternative in visual theory and culture studies in East Asia. To this end, there are many other activities underway including establishing research institutes, holding international symposiums, running a web-based magazine, and publishing an academic journal.