For information on eligibility, guidelines, requirements, and deadlines, see the Honors Program website: www.colorado.edu/honors
Assistant Professor Melinda Barlow is the Honors Representative for Film Studies. Her office is ATLAS 333, and she may be reached at 303-492-3291 or
Honors in Film Studies (Departmental Honors)
BA Honors
A written Honors Thesis is usually approximately 30-35 pages in length, but may be longer or shorter depending on the nature of the project. It may develop from a shorter paper written for another class, but must expand upon the initial ideas put forth in that paper and demonstrate originality of thought and breadth of research. A paper or project written for another class may not be submitted for the purpose of obtaining Honors without revision or expansion into a new Honors Thesis.
BFA Honors
To obtain BFA Honors in Film Studies, a student must make a film and write a paper. The film may be either a substantial revision of a 4500 film or a new film. The 15-20 page paper must be both scholarly and technical. It must demonstrate considerable research, place the film in a personal, historical and aesthetic context, and include an analysis of the film's form and content. Contact Associate Professor Melinda Barlow to see a sample of this kind of essay (contact info above). Students who make a new film must enable Honors Committee members to view the film before the defense by giving each committee member a copy of the film on either dvd or vhs a full two weeks before the defense. Students who choose to make substantial revisions to an existing film must also give all committee members a copy of the revised film on dvd or vhs a full two weeks before the defense. In either case students may be asked to screen examples from their new or revised films during the defense. Students who have revised a 4500 film as an Honors thesis must bring cued-up copies of both the original film and the revised film to the defense in order to clearly demonstrate the nature of the revisions to the Honors committee members.
Credit for Honors Research
Students may register for three Honors Independent Studies credits the semester he or she is working on either a BA or a BFA Honors Thesis. Students will be graded for these Independent Studies projects. Because Film Studies is currently seeking its own Honors Thesis Independent Study course number, students who wish to register for such credits next semester should check with the Film Studies Honors Representative to see what course number to use (one may be obtained from the Honors Program if our own is not yet in place). The Honors Thesis Advisor also serves as the supervisor of the Honors Thesis Independent Study. Students must fill out an Independent Study course form and have it signed by the Chair of Film Studies, making clear that the credits in question pertain to an Honors Thesis project.
Please note: Because an Honors thesis often transforms over the course of writing and filming, it is common to have to re-write the original prospectus for inclusion in the finished thesis. Sample theses and prospectuses are available in the Honors Office for your perusal.
Film Studies Program, ATLAS room 329, Film Studies, , Campus Box 316, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0316. ph 303.492.7574 fx 303.492.1362
