Film & Media Studies

The extensive independent study field research paper produced by the student is both the centerpiece of the intern's professional engagement and the culmination of the academic achievements of the semester. During the preparatory session, IFE teaches the methodological guidelines and principles to which students are expected to adhere in the development of their written research. Students work individually with a research advisor from their field. The first task is to identify a topic, following guidelines established by IFE for research topic choice. The subject must be tied in a useful and complementary way to the student-intern's responsibilities, as well as to the core concerns of the host organization. The research question should be designed to draw as much as possible on resources available to the intern via the internship (data, documents, interviews, observations, seminars and the like). Students begin to focus on this project after the first 2-3 weeks on the internship. Each internship agreement signed with an organization makes explicit mention of this program requirement, and this is the culminating element of their semester. Once the topic is identified, students meet individually, as regularly as they wish, with their IFE research advisor to generate a research question from the topic, develop an outline, identify sources and research methods, and discuss drafts submitted by the student. The research advisor also helps students prepare for the oral defense of their work which takes place a month before the end of the program and the due date of the paper. The purpose of this exercise is to help students evaluate their progress and diagnose the weak points in their outline and arguments. Rather than an extraneous burden added to the intern's other duties, the field research project grows out of the internship through a useful and rewarding synergy of internship and research. The Field Study and Internship model results in well-trained student-interns fully engaged in mission-driven internships in their field, while exploring a critical problem guided by an experienced research advisor.

This course examines video games, including the great games, the history, the techniques, and the future of this developing medium and industry. To understand the full picture of video games it is impossible to separate the commercial elements from the artistic and the technological from the social and mental. A wide range of disciplines need to be explored and the connections between them as well as looking at the game industry itself and how it is transforming. Each week will combine the issues that surround games and an overview of the best and most complex games from multi million dollar blockbusters to the new ‘art games’ and independent games that re-invent the concept of a game. 

Making Micro Documentaries immerses students with little formal filmmaking or arts backgrounds in the process of shooting short unscripted films or documentaries. It examines methodologies for devising, producing and distributing short films, and how they can be used to support and enhance the student's own academic output. The course asks participants to use their own devices for audio and video capture, editing and post-production. During the course, students will shoot a series of micro movies to explore how moving images engage with, and represent, the real world. The practice-led program will be framed by critical analysis and historical contextualization. 

This course examines digital cultures, the critical interdisciplinary field of research into the cultural and social dimensions of digital technologies. It explores the histories, imaginaries, ideas, platforms and thinkers that inform the study of digital cultures. Students will examine tools and theories that explain the interrelated processes of digital media and communications development and social change. 

This course provides an overview of contemporary popular culture in Korea, with a focus on the media’s role in expressing and shaping it. Students will learn theoretical concepts to analyze Korean popular culture from an academic perspective, covering topics such as gender, collective memory, music, Korean wave, film, broadcasting and more. The course includes group research projects and class discussions. 

This course introduces the history of German cinema, with a special focus on the crucial role of Berlin as both production site and film set. Students engage with important milestones in the history of German cinema, many of which are set in Berlin, and learn about their historical, political and aesthetic contexts. Special emphasis is placed on the so-called “Berlin School” of filmmaking, a New Wave emerging in the late 1990s, and continuing to be highly relevant today. CIEE offers the course in German and English, and this version of the course is taught in German.

This course examines the intersection of fashion, media, and cultural history from the early 20th century to the present day. This course explores the evolution of fashion within both Western and Korean fashion history in the twentieth century. Students will explore how ideals have changed over the decades and how various cultural and historical contexts have been differently addressed in various fashion styles. Students will also explore the way ideals have been portrayed through a variety of media such as fashion dolls, fashion illustrations, magazines, advertisements, photography, television shows, films, exhibitions, fashion collections, and more. 

This course prepares students for the craft of publishing peer-reviewed scholarly articles. 

Topics include defining a scientifically systematic investigation, strategies on harnessing the resources of graduate schools, conventions about the nature of evidence and clues in research, choosing a research topic, crafting a hypothesis, and the role of good sense and judicious evaluation in relation to methodologies of investigation.  

Additionally, this course discusses document-based vs experiment-based research methodologies, the use of surveys, statistical research methodologies and case studies, how to create a well written research report, nuances of the publishing process, and the role of uniqueness in scientific research projects. 

This course’s goal is to analyze how influential media outlets cover current world affairs and main issues, and what unique topic approaches and novel storytelling ways they use that can be applied to local news coverage. This course employs the English as a Medium of Instruction–Contents and Language Integrated Learning method (EMI-CLIL).