Department of Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing

[1] Purposes

The department offers professional training in the areas of film, theatre, and creative writing. It also seeks to educate interested non-professionals who seek to become participating members of a knowledgeable audience. Additionally, through broadcast, print, cinematic, and theatrical productions, students and faculty of the department share their work with the people of Arkansas.

[2] Facilities

State-of-the-art facilities support each program in the department. The Department of Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing is housed in Stanley Russ Hall and the Snow Fine Arts Center. Stanley Russ Hall includes production soundstages, audio recording and mixing studios, two computer labs labs featuring Adobe Creative Cloud software, production areas, and a 16-seat 4K screening room with surround sound. Theatre facilities include classrooms, a well-equipped technical area, a CAD laboratory, a Black-Box studio theatre, and a 300-seat proscenium theatre in the Snow Fine Arts Center as well as the 1200-seat Reynolds Performance Hall.

[3] Honors in the Majors

[Jump to Recognition of Academic Achievement for general information about Honors in the Majors.]

Students who major in Film or Theatre may be invited by the faculty of the department to enter the Honors in the Majors program in the first semester of the senior year. To earn honors, students must major one of these areas and enroll in MCOM 3322. Students will submit a final honors project paper or performance no later than February 1 for May graduation, October 1 for December graduation, or June 1 for August graduation.

[4] Baccalaureate Degrees

[4.1] Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in Film

The degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science with a major in Film requires the successful completion of 120 hours, including (1) the UCA Core: complete 38 hours to meet lower-division UCA Core requirements and complete upper-division UCA Core requirements using designated courses; (2) specific degree requirements; (3) the digital filmmaking core courses FILM 1305 and FILM 1310; (4) major requirements and electives as described below; and (5) a minor as arranged through the student’s minor advisor.

[4.1.1] Major in Film (44 hours)

Undergraduate Core courses are used to satisfy the lower-division UCA Core requirement in Diversity, Critical Inquiry, Responsible Living, and Effective Communication, and FILM courses are used to satisfy the upper-division UCA Core requirements in Diversity, Critical Inquiry, Responsible Living, and Effective Communication. Students will take FILM 4357 Digital Filmmaking 4 as the required UCA Core capstone.

Required courses (32 hours):

Electives (12 hours, chosen from the following):

[4.1.2] Minor in Film (22 hours)

Students must complete a minor declaration form to enroll in the program.

Students seeking a minor in Film are required to complete the following:

Required (16 hours):

Electives (6 hours, chosen from the following):

[4.2] Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in Theatre

The degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in theatre requires the successful completion of 120 hours, including (1) the UCA Core: complete 38 hours to meet lower-division UCA Core requirements and complete upper-division UCA Core requirements using designated courses; (2) specific degree requirements; (3) requirements for the major as described below; and (4) a minor as arranged through the student’s minor advisor.

[4.2.1] Major in Theatre (43 hours)

Undergraduate Core courses are used to satisfy the lower-division UCA Core requirement in Diversity, Critical Inquiry, Responsible Living, and Effective Communication, and Theatre courses are used to satisfy the upper-division UCA Core requirements in Diversity, Critical Inquiry, Responsible Living, and Effective Communication. Students will take THEA 4320 Directing as the required UCA Core capstone.

Required (30 hours):

Electives (9 hours, chosen from the following):

Required Application Courses (4 hours):

Optional:

[4.2.2] Minor in Theatre (20 hours)

Students seeking a Minor in Theatre are required to complete the following:

Required (6 hours):

Electives (12 hours – at least 9 hours to be upper division) from the following:

Application courses (2 hours):

All students are required to complete 1 hour credit at any two levels. (Each level may be repeated once for a maximum 2 hours credit.) Minimum grade of ‘B’ for Minor credit.

Notes:
Note 1: Prerequisite THEA 2325 Fundamentals of Theatrical Design
Note 2: Prerequisite THEA 2390 Acting I
Note 3: Prerequisite THEA 1360 Text Analysis
Note 4: Prerequisite THEA 2331 Stagecraft

[4.4] Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing

[4.3] Major in Creative Writing (36 hours)

One Creative Writing required course (CRWR 2310, Introduction to Creative Writing) satisfies the lower-division UCA Core requirement in Diversity (D). Students may take CRWR 4324, Topics in Creative Writing, to satisfy the UCA Core capstone (Z) requirement.
Required courses (24 hours):

Creative Writing Electives (12 hours chosen from the following):

Other Writing Electives:

Note on Prerequisites

Introduction to Creative Writing (CRWR 2310) is a prerequisite to taking upper-division creative writing classes. A genre-appropriate forms class (CRWR 3320-3345) must be taken before enrolling in a corresponding workshop class (CRWR 3370-3377). Before enrolling in a senior-level course, a student must complete six hours of upper-division creative writing courses.

[2.1.5] Minor in Creative Writing (24 hours)

Required courses (15 hours):

Electives (9 hours) from the following:

Note on prerequisites:
CRWR 2310 Introduction to Creative Writing is a prerequisite to taking upper-division creative writing classes. A genre-appropriate forms class (CRWR 3320-3345) must be taken before enrolling in a corresponding workshop class (CRWR 3370-3377). Before enrolling in a senior-level course, a student must complete six hours of upper-division creative writing courses.

[5] Resources

[5.1] The Great Bear Writing Project of Central Arkansas

The Great Bear Writing Project of Central Arkansas is one of three Arkansas sites of the National Writing Project, a federally funded program that seeks to improve student writings in grades K-12. It has been recognized by the American Association for Higher Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as an “outstanding and nationally specific example of how schools and colleges can collaborate to improve American education.”  Every other year the site offers a four-week invitational summer writing institute for K-12 teachers across subject matter areas during which they study contemporary composition theory, experience of the act of writing, devise effective pedagogy, and earn 3 graduate credits. Graduates of this institute become teacher-consultants able to provide in-service workshops to local educators in teaching writing-across-the-curriculum and join a network of colleagues who meet regularly to renew and update skills and knowledge.

[5.2] The Artists in Residence Series

Residencies bring professional performing and visual artists, creative writers, filmmakers, and arts exhibitions to the UCA campus for one or more days for the purpose of expanding student learning experiences. They offer the general student body performances, lectures, and exhibits that enlarge awareness and appreciation of the arts, and provide students participating in the arts with workshops, masterclasses, critiques, etc. that enhance understanding and professionalism.

The Central Arkansas Writing Arts Series invites three to six distinguished writers to the campus each year. Visiting writers conduct workshops for students interested in creative writing and perform readings open to the community.

[6] Course Links

Follow this link for CRWR course descriptions: course link.

Follow this link for FILM course descriptions: course link.

Follow this link for THEA course descriptions: course link.

Follow this link for WRTG course descriptions: course link