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Washington State University
News Travels December 2016 Newsletter Home Page

Film & Global Studies

Introducing Film Studies

The Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures offers a Film Studies minor. This minor introduces students to the critical study of cinema and media. Film allows us to travel to most places in the world and become familiar with diverse cultures, traditions, and ways of thinking. Film mirrors cultures, values, traditions, and storytelling styles. Watching world cinema allows us to understand another’s culture values and traditions. Film studies creates an appreciation for culture and art. Besides living within a culture, one of the most effective ways to learn about cultures is through studying film.

Bollywood Film Festival

Bollywood Film Festival flyer
Bollywood Film Festival flyer

This fall, we hosted the Bollywood Film Festival. Bollywood is one of the largest film industries in the world. Hollywood generated approximately one billion trips to the movies last year in comparison to Bollywood, which had four billion. Bollywood refers to films made in the Hindi language, in Mumbai, which is the Indian state of Maharashtra. Bollywood films follow a format called masala (a spice mixture). There are not genres, as western cinema knows them. Each masala film contains music, singing, dancing, drama, comedy, tragedy, and action. Bollywood films are family friendly. The aim of a good Bollywood film is to elicit emotion.

 

Global Studies

The Global Studies Minor has been identified as a preferred option for students in the WSU-Everett campus, particularly those pursuing the Hospitality Business Management and the Integrated Strategic Communication majors. The new campus sees it as a way of promoting and ensuring global citizenship among students.