The Department of Screen Arts & Cultures offers a sub-concentration in Screenwriting to undergraduate Screen Arts & Cultures concentrators who demonstrate a special talent for writing for the screen. The Donald Hall Collection of screenplays and DVDs, and the James Gindin series of visiting screenwriters provide students with unique resources for deepening their knowledge of the subject and help to make writing for the screen an area of excellence within the Film and Video Studies major.
Entrance into the Screenwriting sub-concentration is highly selective. Students interested in this sub-concentration must take the same pre-requisite courses required of students wishing to declare the Screen Arts & Cultures concentration (SAC 236, 4 credits - Art of Film, SAC 272, 3 credits Classical Film Theory, and one SAC History course, 3 credits, from among SAC 351, SAC 352, SAC 353, SAC 355). At this point, students with grades above C (2.0) in each of these three courses student should meet with an advisor to declare their concentration in Screen Arts & Cultures.
Students interested in the Screenwriting sub-concentration then must take SAC 290, "Introduction to Production," AND SAC 309, "The Screenplay as Literature." SAC 309 is a studies-based course open to all students as an elective in the Film and Video Studies major but is REQUIRED of those who wish to apply for the Screenwriting sub-concentration. It should be taken before a student enrolls in SAC 310, and we recommend that it be taken simultaneously with SAC 290. After successful completion of SAC 290 and SAC 309, students interested in the Screenwriting sub-concentration must take SAC 310 as one of the two, 300 level production/writing courses required in the major.
After successful completion of SAC 310, a student may apply to the Screenwriting sub-concentration. The Coordinator of Screenwriting, in consultation with the undergraduate curriculum committee, judges the quality of the applicants' writing for the screen. The chair of the undergraduate committee will inform students whether or not they have been accepted into the sub-concentration.
If a student is NOT accepted into the Screenwriting sub-concentration, he or she may continue with the SAC concentration. The courses required of students to apply for the sub-concentration will all satisfy requirements in the general FV major, whether or not the student is successful in his/her application to the sub-concentration.
Students who receive notice of their acceptance into the sub-concentration should see Jim Burnstein, "Screenwriting Coordinator," or the Associate Director of the Program for advisement in completing general SAC concentration requirements as well as sub-concentration expectations. There is no declaration change or paperwork for students entering the Screenwriting sub-concentration. Student transcripts will continue to list these students as Film and Video Studies concentrators. Those students who are accepted into the Screenwriting sub-concentration go on to take SAC 410, "Advanced Screenwriting." Upon completion of SAC 410, some students in the sub-concentration may be accepted into SAC 427, Screenwriting Practicum. Those who are not accepted into this advanced course may still complete the sub-concentration by taking SAC 311, "Writing for Television." Students who successfully complete the sub-concentration will have that listed on their transcript.
SAMPLE PATH TO SUB-CONCENTRATION :
Freshman or Sophomore Year:
Fall Winter
SAC 236 - Art of Film (4 Credits) SAC 290 - Intro. to Production (3 Credits)
SAC 272 - Classical Film Theory (3 Credits) SAC 309 - Screenwriting as Lit. (3 Credits)
Total 7 credits FV History course from among SAC 351,
SAC 352, SAC 353, SAC 355 (3 Credits)
Total 9 credits
**Other courses as needed to **Other courses as needed to complete the FV major complete the SAC major
NOTE: Students may declare the FV concentration upon successful completion of SAC 236, SAC 272, plus ONE FV HISTORY COURSE with a grade of C (2.0) or above in each of the three courses. Thus, on this sample path, the student could declare after successful completion of the courses listed above, and have two additional courses completed (SAC 290, SAC 309) that are important to the sub-concentration.
Junior Year:
Fall Winter
SAC 310 - Screenwriting 1 (3 Credits) SAC 410 -Advanced Screenwriting (3 CR)
A second FV History course from among (by permission)
SAC 351, SAC 352, SAC 353, SAC 355, (3 Credits ) A second theory course from among SAC's 372, 375, 376 or 461 (3 credits)
**Other courses as needed to **Other courses as needed to complete the SAC major
*After successful completion of SAC 310, students may apply to the screenwriting sub-concentration.
Note: After successful completion of SAC 410, students with a GPA of 3.5 or above in the SAC concentration and 3.4 GPA overall may with to declare Honors in Screenwriting. Please consult with the Coordinator of Screenwriting concerning your interest in Honors and pick-up the Honors Booklet from the SAC office, 6525 Haven Hall.
Senior Year
Fall Winter
SAC 427 - Advanced Writing Practicum A student accepted to honors would again
(3 credits) (by admission only) elect SAC 490.
(A student accepted into Honors would take SAC 427 as a SAC 490 for 3 credits)
OR SAC 311 - Television Writing (3 Credits)
