Objectives

• Students will be stimulated and engaged by a rich and challenging pre-professional undergraduate curriculum that spans the art, craft, and business of screenwriting.
• Students will understanding and demonstrate the theoretical, aesthetic, and practical elements of film, television, and emerging new media story development and script writing.

Learning Outcomes of the B.A. Program in Screenwriting

• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the dynamics of storytelling required for film, television, and new and emerging media.
• Students will demonstrate competency in developing stories and writing scripts for multiple media platforms.
• Students will value diverse stories that explore social justice issues and ethical and humanistic themes.
• Students will create a portfolio of screenplays and teleplays in which structure, character development, dialogue, tone, and theme are clearly demonstrated.
• Students will demonstrate proficiency in analyzing the influences of film, television, and new and emerging media on our culture, and vice versa.
• Students will demonstrate competency in discussing the aesthetics of film, television, and new and emerging media.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to offer constructive criticism and collaborate with others in a writers group.

Four-Year Planning Guidelines for Major

• Normal course load is 15 semester hours or 5 courses per semester.
• University core should be selected based on distribution of various disciplines as well as interests and availability.
• Lower division major requirements should be completed by end of sophomore year.
• 45 semester hours of upper division coursework are required; these are comprised of upper division core requirements, upper division major requirements, and upper division electives taken.
• Proper sequencing of major requirements is indicated by prerequisites of individual courses and as noted in the outline below. Please consult assigned academic advisor.

SCWR Major Lower Division Requirements (12 semester hours)

SCWR Major Upper Division Requirements (27 semester hours)

Check course descriptions for prerequisites and sequence.

• SCWR 320 Intermediate Screenwriting 3 semester hours
• SCWR 321 Rewriting the Feature 3 semester hours

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• SCWR 325 Writing the TV Situation Comedy 3 semester hours or
• SCWR 426 Writing One-Hour Episodic TV 3 semester hours

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• SCWR 329 Directing for Screenwriters 3 semester hours
• SCWR 428 Adaptation: One Medium to Another 3 semester hours
• FTVS UD Film, Television, and Media Studies:

• *Must select any two courses (6 semester hours) from FTVS 300, 400, or 500 level. FTVS courses ending in 98 or 99 by permission only.