Assistant Professor of Film Studies Katrin Pesch, Ph.D. (right) says the nature and environmental filmmaking minor is a response to student demand. Photos courtesy of Katrin Pesch
The film studies discipline at Eckerd College recently unveiled a major new track and minor in nature and environmental filmmaking in what is believed to be the first of its kind at an American undergraduate college or university.
The unique offering will allow film studies students to concentrate on nature and environmental filmmaking, or students can major in another discipline and earn a minor in nature and environmental filmmaking.
“In today’s world, compelling storytelling is one of the most invaluable tools to inspire and empower people to respond to the critical environmental challenges we are facing today,” the film studies department announced. “Bridging the sciences and the arts, Eckerd’s minor and major track in nature and environmental filmmaking will provide students with crucial skills to raise environmental awareness, promote solutions to contemporary issues, and mobilize movements through film and other moving image media.
“A versatile choice for all creative and environmentally-conscious minds, the major track and minor in nature and environmental filmmaking pairs especially well with Eckerd’s popular majors in animal studies, environmental studies and marine science.”
Students in the minor can take advantage of the numerous natural habitats across campus.
The major track and minor will be available beginning in the Fall 2026 semester.
Katrin Pesch, Ph.D., assistant professor of film studies, was instrumental in guiding the major track and minor from an idea to a reality. “We noticed that a lot of students are coming to film studies courses from the sciences,” she explained.
The film studies discipline will also offer nature and environmental filmmaking as a major track.
“Many of them want to combine filmmaking with science, so last year we started putting a program together.”
A major track is a specialized concentration within a major that allows students to focus on a specific topic, like U.S. foreign policy can be a track within the political science major. These tracks let students tailor their degree, which can bolster resumes and better prepare them for specific careers. A minor, on the other hand, also offers specialization, but outside of a student’s major.
“The nature and environmental filmmaking minor introduces students to the study and production of moving images that explore the scientific principles, ethical considerations, and sustainable practices essential to human beings’ relationship to the animal kingdom and the natural world,” the film studies announcement added.
““Students will be introduced to ecocritical film analysis, learn storytelling and production techniques for environmental non-fiction and narrative film, and gain insight into strategies for sustainable filmmaking.”
“Film studies majors can choose to pursue a track in nature and environmental filmmaking, which allows them to immerse themselves in the study and production of moving images that explore the scientific principles, ethical considerations, and sustainable practices essential to human beings’ relationship to the animal kingdom and the natural world.”
Pesch notes that both the minor and major track could make graduates attractive job candidates for careers that include wildlife documentary production for the Discovery Channel or the National Geographic Society; environmental content creation and production for the National Audubon Society, the National Park Service, or the Humane Society; or digital content production for non-government organizations and nonprofits.
Graduates also could be in demand, Pesch adds, in the fields of science communication, environmental journalism and sustainability in film production.
The film studies lab offers students the opportunity to borrow equipment to travel and create documentaries in different Florida ecosystems.
Gianna Barrows, a first-year student from Sagamore, Massachusetts, came to Eckerd to major in marine science but soon realized her Introduction to Filmmaking class was one of her favorites. She is now planning to major in film studies and take the nature and environmental filmmaking track. “This program brings together my love for the environment and my love for filmmaking,” Gianna says. “And we already have so many resources for this. Film studies students don’t have to pay a lab fee, and any student can check out a camera or other high-level equipment for a few days.
“Eckerd is a very environmentally focused college, and we have so much wildlife on campus. Many of the things we do in class you couldn’t do on [other campuses]. There’s so much more opportunity for environmental filmmaking.”
Nick Corrao, MFA, Nielsen assistant professor of film studies at Eckerd, says that when he arrived at the College in 2019 “it was very evident our students have an interest in the environment and natural sciences, but also in filmmaking and visual storytelling. Eckerd’s annual Environmental Film Festival is one example of the pre-existing campus offerings where these disciplines intersect. There’s always been a cross-discipline flavor.
“So Christina Petersen (Ph.D., Nielsen professor of film studies), Nate Andersen (Ph.D., professor of philosophy) and I started looking to find ways to expand film studies’ academic offerings and converge with the research being done in the sciences on campus. We could not find another undergraduate program that offered a minor or a major track in nature and environmental filmmaking in the U.S., so we saw a unique opportunity to create something that could gain some attention. Last year, Katrin took the reins and we all collaborated on the shape and structure of the program.
“Interdisciplinary is the key word,” he adds. “We believe that the students will become stronger filmmakers as they find ways to integrate their scientific research into their creative work, and they will become stronger scientists as they find ways to communicate their ideas through the tools of cinema. There’s tremendous power in that. It gives students a whole new communication toolset.”
And it gives students like Aleah Dyson, a junior environmental studies student from Montpelier, Vermont, a welcome addition to her course of study. Aleah will be taking the nature and environmental filmmaking minor this fall.
“I have no background in filmmaking, but I’m very passionate about the environment and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way I can make positive change in the world,” she says. “I did a semester abroad last year at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and I took a class in environmental activism. Watching the documentaries … it really spoke to me.
“I grew up watching (British biologist and broadcaster) David Attenborough, and my family has always been passionate about the environment. The last three years I’ve been bouncing around from idea to idea as to what I want to do … environmental law, urban planning. But I could see myself doing something more artistic, something in film.
“When I learned about the nature and environmental filmmaking minor, I immediately had to see if I could get in. And I did. It’s so special because we need to educate as many people as possible about the environment, and film is a great way to do that.”
