Terms of Art

        In any discipline, certain words and phrases become popularly understood in special ways that only "insiders" in the discipline understand.  They communicate more than just simple meanings, because their significance depends upon their being understood in the context of some theoretical model for operating within the discipline, and using some methodology to make meaning from the discipline's primary sources.  For instance, economists might use the following terms of art to describe marketing: "costing," "pricing," "price-point" and "customer profile."  For basic terms of art necessary to practice film studies, click here.  For basic terms of art used by literary critics, click here.