Film and Media Studies focuses on the historical, aesthetic, cultural and social significance of cinema, television and new visual technologies and their interconnections. It is concerned with the teaching of visual literacy as it applies to moving images since the advent of modernity and beyond, and looks at dominant practices (Hollywood cinema, global media, mass-entertainment), and alternative practices (art-film and avant-garde, local and indigenous media). The Bachelor of Arts (BA) programme in Film and Media Studies at Otago is designed to give students a thorough grounding in the analysis of film, television and new media. It is offered through the Department of Media, Film and Communication.