Program Highlighted | Cinema Studies
Interview with | Kathe Rogers
Date | April 2002

Interview | Kathe Rogers

Kathe Rogers is an Innis College fourth year Cinema Studies Student.

Innis: Would you introduce yourself?
Kathe: My name is Kathe Rogers and I am a fourth year undergraduate at Innis College. I'm finishing a specialist degree in cinema studies with a minor in sociology.

Innis: What attracted you to the study Cinema Studies?
Kathe: I really became interested in film when I was a teenager, so the idea of studying cinema in an academic environment really appealed to me. I liked the fact that U of T offers a wide array of programs in the arts and I was immediately drawn to the variety of courses offered by the cinema studies program at Innis.

Innis: What roles did advice/influence from peers, mentors, relatives, and others play in your decision?
Kathe: My family has always loved going to the movies and my parents introduced me to a lot of the films that eventually led me to explore studying cinema at U of T (i.e. "Annie Hall," "Raging Bull," "Citizen Kane"). Over the past four years, my friends and family have never questioned my decision to pursue a degree in film and they have always encouraged me to explore my interests.

Innis: What made you think of combining Cinema Studies with Sociology?
Kathe: I wanted to take courses in a field that would complement cinema studies but that would also challenge me in new ways.

Innis: What aspect(s) of this program do you find fascinating or inspiring - curriculum, professors, practical experience, field courses, etc.?
Kathe: Personally, I'm most interested in film theory. All of the courses I've taken have fascinated me in different ways. I've also really enjoyed the fact that the program has allowed me to see films from every historical era and from countries all around the world.

Innis: How would you rate the facilities and opportunities offered by this program in the University of Toronto?
Kathe: I think the facilities are great. I think that you're exposed to a lot of films that you would otherwise not be able to see which is wonderful. I think it's great. I think we have a wonderful faculty in the program who comes from varied backgrounds and brings a lot to the classes that they teach. I think that working with the audiovisual library and facilities is great. I think it could expand, but I would just caution about if they did not to loose that intimate aspect.

Innis: Of all the courses in this program that you have taken so far, which one did you enjoy the most, and why? How did the class size or the frequency of interaction with the professor affect how you rated the course?
Kathe: I enjoyed the film theory aspect. I think strangely enough when I took film theory it's probably the most challenging film course I've taken and I've really struggled to come to terms with the concepts. But any courses that dealt with theory: film theory, contemporary film theory, the genre course; all of those classes really focus heavily on an academic and scholarly approach to film that I've really enjoyed, and that I thought was challenging in a way that my other experiences hadn't been which I liked a lot.

Innis: What are the courses you really like?
Kathe: Most courses that I took earlier consisted of a screening, a lecture, and a tutorial. As you get going through the program they become more condensed and you loose the tutorial aspect and the lectures and screening sort of merge into a lecture, but they always had the screening component that I think is really great. Sometimes I wasn't really sure what the connection was between the lecture and the screening, but it becomes clear and being exposed to cinema is probably the most challenging aspect of the program. When you first come in and you are exposed to cinema that you wouldn't necessarily see if it wasn't in a course, it makes you more aware of world cinema and different types of cinema and I think that the screening aspect is a really important part of the program, and I think almost every cinema course that I've taken has had a screening component.

Innis: What extra-curricular activities have you been involved with on campus since coming to U of T?
Kathe: Well I've always been interested in participating in CINSSU but other aspects of my experience at U of T has sort of prevented me from doing that. I'm involved on the Board of Directors at the Varsity and I've lived in the Innis Residence for three years which has been a very rewarding experience for me and had that community aspect that I think was really good for me in my first year in the program at the college. I think there are lots of ways for me to get involved. I work at U of T on campus at the Family Care office so that gave me a lot of opportunities to get involved in the student services side of university life.

Innis: Were there any connections between the extra-curricular activities and the programs that you're in?
Kathe: I wasn't really looking for a connection. I was looking for activities outside of my academic experience that would be different, so I think I had a pretty good balance. I think that some people look to expand their academic career into the real world, and I was looking to diversify my experience a little bit. I've volunteered at the Film Festival and that obviously draws on experience, and I've worked on a cultural magazine. I think the good thing when you're studying an arts program, I think whatever you're studying is making you think critically about the world no matter what you necessarily do, sort of take that knowledge out there.

Innis: Given your heavy course load and the organizations that you're involved with, how did you manage to organize your time?
Kathe: That was always very difficult. I'm the type of person that needs to have a definite deadline to push myself to get things done. But I think that you find your own balance between work and school and things you want to do in your social life. I think that it's something that comes with time, and it comes with your own personal priority, what's important to you. I know that in first year I was not balanced in any means whatsoever, but I know by now I've figured out what's important to me and what I have to put before other things.

Innis: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is interested in pursuing this program?
Kathe: I would recommend coming in with an open mind. And I would suggest that if you're coming into arts and you're not sure what you want to take to take a variety of things in your first year. I think you really do find your niche if you give yourself that freedom to do so. I think if I had come in thinking Cinema Studies I might have changed my mind, rather I came in with an open mind. I tried different courses and different disciplines that I was interested in. I think that's the key. To study what you're interested in and what you're passionate about, especially in arts because like I said I don't necessarily think that university is always a means to an end. I think you should enjoy your time here, the scholarly aspect of it is really interesting.

Innis: Of all your achievements here at the University of Toronto, which one are you most proud of?
Kathe: Well I think it would be the completion of my independent study. I did a half year independent study. It turned out to be a 34 page paper. The reason I'm most proud of this is because I think it really was the combination of my four years at U of T, and whether or not I necessarily used all of the information and knowledge that I've learned. I think it was really an important background to being able to write it. I also got to work closely with a professor, which made me feel that the gap between the students and the lecturer kind of closed a little bit. It's definitely a rewarding experience because I designed the project, I researched and wrote the project. It's something that when it's finished I'm really proud of and also really demonstrates to me how rewarding my entire experience at U of T and the Cinema Studies has been.

Innis: What type of career are you interested in developing in the future?
Kathe: That's a very difficult question, and I know a lot of people who are graduating are struggling with and its not one that I'm really prepared to answer. I don't think that I'll necessarily be in one position for my entire life. Right now I'd like to explore different opportunities. But I'm looking more towards academia and possibly pursuing my studies in graduate school and other post gradual work. But that's the big question that I've wrestling with all year and I think that it's just something that I have to explore and see what's available. I'm not setting any limits on what I'm looking for and what experiences I want to have and just trying be as open as possible and not stress.

Innis: Are there any other things you would like to say to Innis students?
Kathe: I'd say to take advantage of the opportunities given to you at U of T. I think that it's a cliché, and lots of people say it, but I think now being in my last year I look back on the opportunities I had. I think university is a struggle on many levels, but I think that it's really important to take advantage on what you can while you can, and to enjoy it and to really follow what you're passionate about. Obviously you have to be realistic, but I think that its really important to be passionate about what your study because it'll be more rewarding to you in the end.

Innis: How are your feelings on graduation?
Kathe: I decided to take a y ear off, so for me the idea of suddenly realizing that you're not coming back to school is really two sided. It's scary, because it's uncertain, I don't know what I'll be doing, where I'll be living. But at the same time it's also exciting because I won't be coming back to school and I don't know where I'll be living. I have a lot of options and I think that the scariest aspect when graduating is balancing your hopes and dreams with the realistic aspects of the fact that you have to live somewhere, you need to work somewhere, you need to have stable income, and I think that's a struggle. I'm trying to look more on the side that it's a very exciting time, as opposed to a very scary time, but I think that they both go hand in hand.

On behalf of Innis College I would like to thank you for giving your time so generously …

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