Source Requirements for Weekly Assignments
Each week, you are required to make a discussion board post about your chosen film for that week. In this post, you also need to incorporate a scholarly film studies article about the film. If you need a reminder on what a scholarly source is, visit the scholarly sources page of this guide or review the video and resources provided in your canvas course.
On this page you will find resources to help you locate these types of sources for your paper. You have the option two options for finding these kinds of sources:
- Search directly in a film studies journal for an article
- Use a database to find an article from a film studies journal
There are pros and cons to both ways of searching. If you can't find an article using one method, try the other. If you are still having difficulty, click on the research help page of this guide to connect with a librarian who can help you.
Film Studies Journals to Search In
Below you will find specific journal publications listed in your syllabus to search in for your weekly assignments. Once you click on the journal title, you can search in the specific journal by clicking one of the options available under "view online." Begin using a simple search for the title of your film.
While searching, make sure the source you select is a scholarly article, and not a review or editorial. You may come across these when searching in journals. If you have trouble with any of this, click on the research help page of this guide to connect with a librarian for help
Film Studies Journals
- AlphavilleAlphaville offers a dynamic international forum open to the discussion of all aspects of film and screen media history, theory and criticism through multiple research methodologies and perspectives. It cultivates inspiring, cutting-edge research, and seeks work that displays a clear engagement with current debates and with methodological issues.
- BioScope: South Asian Screen StudiesBioScope: South Asian Screen Studies is a blind peer-reviewed journal published biannually, starting January 2010. We encourage theoretical and empirical research both on located screen practices and wider networks, linkages, and patterns of circulation. This involves research into the historical, regional, and virtual spaces of screen cultures, including globalized and multi-sited conditions of production and circulation
- Black CameraBlack Camera, a journal of Black film studies, is devoted to the study and documentation of the Black cinematic experience and aims to engender and sustain a formal academic discussion of Black film production. We include reviews of historical as well as contemporary books and films, researched critiques of recent scholarship on Black film, interviews with accomplished film professionals, and editorials on the development of Black creative culture.
- Studies in Spanish & Latin American CinemasThis peer-reviewed journal explores the cinemas of Spain and Spanish-speaking South, Central and North America, including the Caribbean and Brazil. Maximizing the opportunities for contact between academic disciplines such as media, film studies, Latin American, Hispanic and postcolonial studies, the journal encourages an inter-cultural and interdisciplinary focus.
- Camera ObscuraA scholarly quarterly journal providing feminist perspectives on international film, television, and visual media. Introduces emerging writers, and publishes debates, essays, interviews, and summary pieces covering a variety of media practices, including avant-garde, alternative, fringe, international, and mainstream. Also explores feminist work in relation to race studies, postcolonial studies, and gender studies. Includes book and film reviews.
- Cinema JournalPublishes essays on a wide variety of subjects from diverse methodological perspectives. A "Professional Notes" section informs Society of Cinema and Media Studies readers about upcoming events, research opportunities, and the latest published research.
- Discourse: Berkeley Journal for Theoretical Studies in Media and CultureDiscourse has been committed to publishing work in the theoretical humanities with an emphasis on the critical study of film, literature, the visual arts, and related audiovisual media. The journal seeks contributions that explore the relations of these and other cultural phenomena to questions of language, philosophy, politics, psychoanalysis, history, and area studies, as well as theories of gender, race, and sexuality.
- Film & PhilosophyFilm-Philosophy is dedicated to the engagement between film studies and philosophy, exploring the ways in which films develop and contribute to philosophical discussion. The journal also provides a forum for the thoughtful re-evaluation of key aspects of both film studies and philosophy as academic disciplines.
- Film CommentSince 1962, Film Comment has been the home of independent film journalism, publishing in-depth interviews, critical analysis, and feature coverage of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world.
- Film CriticismA refereed, scholarly journal that publishes original research in film theory. Articles examine and deconstruct films from a variety of critical, political, and aesthetic viewpoints. Unusual aspects of films and symbolism are discussed in great detail. Occasionally, the body of work by a specific filmmaker is analyzed. Special features include book and film reviews. Academic and professional interests.
- Film QuarterlyFilm Quarterly has published substantial, peer-reviewed writing on cinema and media for nearly sixty years, earning a reputation as one of the most authoritative academic film journals in the United States, as well as an important English-language voice of cinema studies abroad.
- FrameworkDedicated to theoretical and historical work on the diverse and current trends in media and film scholarship.
- Journal of Film and Video OnlineThe Journal of Film and Video, an internationally respected forum, focuses on scholarship in the fields of film and video production, history, theory, criticism, and aesthetics. Article features include film and related media, problems of education in these fields, and the function of film and video in society. The Journal does not ascribe to any specific method but expects articles to shed light on the way we view and teach the production and study of film and video.
- Jump CutPublishes material on film, television, video, new media, and related media and cultural analysis.
- UWGB Library List of Film JournalsFind a list of 131 journals you can search in to find scholarly articles related to film studies.
Database Keyword Tips
When using databases to find scholarly film studies articles, try searching for the title of the film you are researching. If you are getting results not related to film studies, try adding in search terms like:
- film criticism
- film studies
- film critique
Note on Searching with Databases
As you find articles using databases, make sure the article is coming from a film studies related journal. Check the publication information to find the name of the journal. You can see in the image below, this article is from the journal, Literature/Film Quarterly, which is a film studies journal.
Sometimes the title will make it obvious it is a film studies journal. If you aren't sure, Google the title of the journal to find out more information about it.
Recommended Databases for Film Studies Research
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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A wide range of subjects covered. Find academic journals, reviews, articles, and books & book chapters.
When searching, limit by subject to "film studies." - Project Muse This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Subjects covered include humanities, arts, and social sciences. Find academic journal articles & books. - Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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A wide range of subjects covered; multidisciplinary database with significant full text. Find scholarly, trade, and popular titles. - MLA International Bibliography (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
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Subjects covered include literature, language and linguistics, folklore, literary theory & criticism, and dramatic arts, as well as the historical aspects of printing and publishing. Find scholarly articles, books & book chapters, and editorial content. - Humanities International Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include humanities, area studies, classics, linguistics, literature, philosophy, religion, and performing arts. Find articles, academic and trade journals, books, and book chapters.
