As the Film Studies Program celebrates its 10th anniversary, some majors are voicing concerns over the lack of tenured professors in the program. They fear that Yale may begin to lose some of its best film studies scholars if the University does not act soon to offer them tenure.
Film studies major Adam Klee, BK '96, said,"The untenured professors in the program are top-notch teachers; though they may not be offered tenure here, they will surely go on to teach and do research at other schools." Students said that their fears were substantiated with the departure of former DUS David Rodowick after he was denied tenure at Yale.
To date, there has been no tenured professor appointed solely to the film studies program. Brigitte Peucker, a tenured professor in the German Department who served as Film Studies DUS in the '90s, said, "It is necessary to have a faculty member who is exclusively dedicated to the major. We [the Film Studies Committee] are currently working on it." Associate Professor Charles Musser, BK '73, current Film Studies DUS, agreed that senior professors are essential. He said, "It takes years to master and achieve a balance between satisfying the students and working side by side with the Administration." Musser noted that there have been faculty in other departments who have worked with film for over 20 years and who would be qualified for tenure in the film studies program.
Some students consider the program's status as a cross-disciplinary major one of its greatest strengths. Klee said, "[Our professors] teach from the perspective of their expertise, which enables us to see how different disciplines interrelate and how much film is related not just to the other visual arts, but literature, architecture, history, sociology, psychology, and cultural studies as well."
Nonetheless, some students claim this "borrowing"of other departments' faculty members pressure the Administration to name senior faculty to the film studies program. There is the impression that the Administration is extremely slow in developing the program because it does not regard film studies as a serious academic discipline. Klee said, "Though there may be a strong sentiment among scholars that film studies is a significant field of study and needs to be an integral part of any academic institution, Yale will probably be one of the last to act in any significant way towards integrating film studies fully."
Peucker, though, contested the perception that the Administration is apathetic to theprogram. "The Administration has always been very supportive of the program," she said. Peucker cited Howard Lamar, Dean of Yale Collegewhen the film studies major was created, as "an important member of the Committee, and an active supporter of the use of film in the University."
Film studies major Jon Andrews, SM '96, agreed. "I don't think the Administration is not favorable towards the program. It's simply that the bureaucratic process makes the tenure process complicated and politicized," he said.
The Administration's investment in the new Film Study Center last year seems to demonstrate the Yale's recognition of the academic interest in film. While the Center is independent from the film studies program, it is an invaluable resource for undergraduate majors and other film scholars, as well the official repository for Yale's film collection.
Although students recognize that the Film Studies program has expanded tremendously since its creation in 1986, many are still dissatisfied with its offerings.
Klee, explained one concern. "We use video-VHS. I wish we could shoot on film, and there was perhaps an additional class or two in production where one could concentrate on editing, or sound, or even cinematography. We have only three production classes, while Harvard has close to 10," Klee said.
Sabrina Huff, BR '97, a film studies major, brought up another issue. "All of the faculty members are so transient. It's especially difficult when you need a teacher recommendation. Most programs would like for you to put down the recommender's job title. What can you say? 'Well she's really a grad student, but she taught our film class last year....,'" she said.
Students' criticisms reflect the difficulties film studies faces as a developing-and extremely expensive-academic discipline. Although film courses have been offered for many years, the film studies program itself is young, and has a small number of majors. In 1992, when Musser was appointed as DUS for the film studies program, there were eight majors. In 1995, the program graduated 15 students; more than 20 majors are expected as part of the class of '98.
Students attribute much of film studies' recent development to Musser's dedication. "When I arrived, the program was much smaller. However, now it is strongly consolidated and has an inherent strength. Professor Musser has done a remarkable job in organizing the program. He has been very supportive of student filmmaking," Andrews said.
Musser believes that the program's success is linked to its ability to place qualified people interested in leading their own classes. For the past four years, he has advocated the development of seminars in related departments and encouraged students to nominate TAs for Prize Teaching Fellowships. Along the same lines, the Film Studies Program is presenting its third annual Howard Lamar Prize for best Senior Essay and Best Video. The program's former lack of a senior prize "marginalized nature of the film studies program under the previous Administration," Musser said.
As the Film Studies Program celebrates its 10th anniversary, students and faculty alike are looking forward to further expansion of the film studies program in the years to come. "We are a stable and strong program. There is a large number of majors and an even larger number of people interested in film," Peucker said.
Cate Newsom contributed to this article.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
This article may be freely distributed electronically, provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice, but may not be reprinted without the express written permission of The Yale Herald, Inc. Write to herald@yale.edu for additional details.