Summer Springboard
Film Studies
ON THE CAMPUS OF CAL POLY SLO
ANALYZE AND CRITIQUE CONTEMPORARY CINEMA BY EXPLORING HOW FILMS BOTH REFLECT AND INFLUENCE CULTURE AND SOCIETY
Film Studies @ Cal Poly
- Learn how to interpret a film’s images and sounds, and construct persuasive arguments about what they mean and how they work.
- Get an introduction to key theories, methods, and questions in film and media studies.
- Apply film analysis tools in real time while watching and discussing a variety of teen films.
- Collaborate with your peers to plan and host a film festival.
- Meet and network with professionals from the Central Coast film community.
- Students may have the chance to screen a film at the local theater and meet with local film festival representatives.
Summer Springboard
Film Studies
About This Course
A film studies program for teens on a university campus in San Luis Obispo
Have you ever thought about how films shape our understanding of identity or how cultural values influence the characters we see on screen? In Film Studies, students explore these questions while developing critical thinking, research, writing, and communication skills—tools that are valuable in a wide range of careers, whether or not you work directly in film.
This course explores film studies and criticism through the accessible and engaging lens of teen cinema. From Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to Mean Girls (2004), teen films have long been both commercially successful and culturally influential. These films often both glorify and vilify adolescence, reflecting and shaping societal beliefs, expectations, and anxieties about teen identity.
We will take a critical cultural studies approach to analyzing how teens are represented in film and what these portrayals reveal about U.S. cultural values. This course offers an introductory survey of teen cinema as a distinct and impactful genre—one that has the power to reflect, critique, and reshape societal norms. Through our study, we will examine the teen film’s relationship to key social and cultural categories such as race, class, gender, ability, and sexuality.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
In this hands-on course, students explore how teen films reflect and shape cultural ideas about identity, adolescence, and society. Through critical analysis of iconic movies like Rebel Without a Cause and Mean Girls, students learn to interpret film through sound, image, and narrative while examining issues of race, class, gender, ability, and sexuality. Alongside learning foundational film theory and analysis, students will engage directly with the local film community and collaborate to plan a teen film festival, gaining practical experience in film critique and event production.
Career Exploration
Explore how teen films shape and reflect cultural ideas about identity while gaining valuable skills for a variety of careers. In this course, you’ll analyze films, learn the basics of film theory and analysis, and connect with Central Coast film professionals. You’ll also help plan a film festival, with the chance to screen a film at the local Palm Theater—offering real-world insight into careers in film, media, and beyond.
RESOURCES
Course Infosheet
Click here to view or download the printable infosheet for this course.
Program Catalog
Click here to request our catalog to learn more about our summer programs and courses.
Campus Page
Click here to view the website page for this campus and learn more.
“The program was everything I thought it would be. It’s an experience that will make you feel connected to other people and to the course itself. It makes you become more comfortable with who you are and the things that you’re passionate about. I really enjoyed everything about it.”
-Imani J. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Film Studies
Meet Your Instructor
Emily is an Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary Studies in the Liberal Arts Department. She received her Ph.D. from the University of South Florida in Communication Studies. Dr. Ryalls is a recipient of the 2022-2023 Distinguished Teaching Award. Her research and teaching interests are in the areas of critical/cultural studies and feminist media studies. Dr. Ryalls research has explored issues of age, race, class, gender, and sexuality in media sites such as Scream Queens, Gossip Girl, 13 Reasons Why, and The Hunger Games. Her book, The Culture of Mean: Representing Victims and Bullies in Popular Culture, is the first sustained feminist critique of the contemporary bullying narrative in media. In her free time, she can be found found watching Bravo TV and hanging with her dog, Henry.
DR. EMILY RYALLS
“An amazing experience! Everyone here is so fun and overall kind, caring and the list can go on! I learned so much during my time here and can’t wait to use the knowledge I learned here for my future!”
-Jackie S. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
Film Studies
Dates & Tuition
| 2025 Dates |
|---|
| Session 1: July 6 – July 18, 2025 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
|---|
| Residential Tuition: $5,298 |
| Commuter Tuition: $2,998 |
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
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| City: San Luis Obispo |
| State: California |
| Campus: Cal Poly |
Summer Springboard programs are not run by our campus partners (with the exception of Cal Poly and NYSID which are run in partnership with SSB). Universities and their affiliated departments and partners do not control and are not responsible or liable in any manner for any part of the Summer Springboard program.