The BA program in Media Production educates future media artists and creators by developing their professional production skills in a constructive and collaborative environment. Students learn to engage creativity as a way of knowing and a means through which to communicate complex ideas. Critical Studies courses help majors develop critical perspectives that place media practices within a broad cultural and historical continuum of innovation. Studio classes enable exploration of a diverse range of production topics, offering hands-on experience with a variety of media tools. Concentrations enable students to specialize in a particular practice area – documentary media, immersive media or sound – or create a blend through the integrative media option.
Program Tracks
Documentary Media Practices
The documentary media concentration provides students with the foundation to engage with their communities and find their voices as nonfiction artists and media producers. This concentration focuses on hands-on instruction and encourages collaboration, introducing students to the theories, practices and technologies associated with contemporary documentary media production. Students will learn how to implement techniques in the field to produce creative documentary projects and to develop an ethically informed, critically aware practice that harnesses the power of documentary media to build a better world.
Immersive Media Practices
We see the future of immersive storytelling as an active, connected, social and presence-inducing experience. The immersive media concentration is designed to introduce students to technologies and mediums of the future while providing a foundation for creative thinking, considerate design, aesthetic sensitivity and engaging storytelling. This concentration introduces students to new learning experiences through instruction and hands-on experience with the technologies and techniques necessary for producing meaningful and engaging immersive content. Students will learn to question and intervene in the designed spaces of immersive media with the goal of bringing critical awareness to their cultural, social and political impacts and significance.
Sound Practices
Students in this concentration learn the tools, techniques and technologies of sonic practices ranging from sound art to electronic music to podcast production. A focus on creating a practice of deep and critical listening and exposure to a diversity of sound practitioners challenges students to think creatively and conceptually about sound in order to broaden both their technological and conceptual understandings of sound and to enable them to engage constructively and creatively with sonic worlds.
Integrative Media Practices
This option allows students to build their own concentration blending aspects of multiple practice areas. This focus teaches students to engage an audience through visual storytelling using a variety of media tools, techniques and technologies.
Requirements
General Requirements
The entry point to the Media Production major is CMDP 1400 Introduction to Critical Media Practices, a foundational course in theory and practice. Students must earn a grade of C- or above in CMDP 1400 to move forward in the program.
CMDP 1400 is the prerequisite for all subsequent critical studies courses, including two additional required courses: CMDP 2100 Approaches to Historical Media Practices and CMDP 3400 Media Aesthetics.
CMDP 1400 is also the prerequisite for the first required studio course: CMDP 2500 Media Practices I. Immediately after completing CMDP 2500 (with a grade of C- or above), majors are required to take the second Studio core course: CMDP 3600 Media Practices II. Both courses are restricted to CMCI majors and minors.
CMDP 3600 is a corequisite for concentration gateway courses (CMDP 3750, CMDP 3800 and CMDP 3840) and the prerequisite for all upper-division studio courses, including the capstone.
Majors should declare their concentration no later than the end of the semester in which they take CMDP 3600.
Concentrations consist of three upper-division studio courses and one critical studies course. The documentary media, immersive media and sound concentrations begin with a required “gateway” course, which serves as the prerequisite for advanced studio courses in the concentration area. Students in the documentary media and sound concentrations must take a designated critical studies course. Students in immersive media and integrative media have an open critical studies elective.
Majors conclude the program by taking CMDP 4900 Media Practices Capstone. The Capstone course is restricted to majors only and should be taken in a student’s final semester.
Required Courses and Credits
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Studio | ||
| CMDP 2500 | Media Practices I | 3 |
| CMDP 3600 | Media Practices II | 3 |
| CMDP 4900 | Media Practices Capstone | 3 |
| Studio Elective Courses (Rotating Electives) | ||
| Select 6 credit hours of studio elective coursework (in addition to concentration requirements) | 6 | |
| Critical Media Practices Workshop I | ||
| Exploring Culture and Gender Through Film | ||
| Critical Media Practices Workshop II | ||
| Contemporary Image Making Practices | ||
| Images and Stories | ||
| Digital Photographic Practices | ||
| Audio/Vision 360 | ||
| Multimedia Composition | ||
| Media Production Methods and Ideas | ||
| Introduction to Immersive Media | ||
| Documentary Media Poetics | ||
| Performance Media Practices | ||
| Advanced Performance Media Workshop | ||
| Sound Practices | ||
| Sonic Arts I | ||
| Hearing Image, Seeing Sound | ||
| Sound Art | ||
| Media Production Topics | ||
| Media Professional Seminar | ||
| Small Screen Storytelling | ||
| Media Environments | ||
| Introduction to Computational Media | ||
| Multimedia Sound | ||
| Collaborative Performance Media Making | ||
| Dance for Camera | ||
| Projection Practices | ||
| Installation and Performance Media | ||
| Digital Art and Emergent Technologies | ||
| Augmented Reality | ||
| Virtual Reality | ||
| Topics in Immersive Media | ||
| Advanced Documentary Practices | ||
| Topics in Documentary Media Practices | ||
| Undergraduate Independent Study | ||
| Sonic Arts II | ||
| Interactive Audiovisual Design | ||
| Sound and Technology | ||
| Topics in Sound Practices | ||
| Internship | ||
| Required Media Production Critical Studies Courses | ||
| CMDP 1400 | Introduction to Critical Media Practices | 4 |
| CMDP 2100 | Approaches to Historical Media Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 3400 | Media Aesthetics | 3 |
| Concentration Courses | ||
| Select a 12 credit hour concentration (descriptions below) | 12 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 37 | |
Concentration Areas
Documentary Media Practices Concentration
In addition to completing basic major requirements, students complete an additional 9 credit hours of advanced studio coursework focusing on documentary storytelling and a concentration designated critical studies course.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Studio | ||
| CMDP 3800 | Documentary Media Poetics (required gateway) | 3 |
| CMDP 4810 | Advanced Documentary Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 4830 | Topics in Documentary Media Practices (3 credit hours in any topic) | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Studio Elective | ||
| CMDP 4830 | Topics in Documentary Media Practices | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Critical Studies Course | ||
| CMDP 3350 | Modes of Documentary Media History | 3 |
Immersive Media Practices Concentration
In addition to completing basic major requirements, students complete an additional 9 credit hours of advanced studio coursework focusing on immersive media practices and complete a 3 credit hour critical studies elective of their choice.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Studio | ||
| CMDP 3750 | Introduction to Immersive Media (required gateway) | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Studio Electives | ||
| CMDP 3710 | Audio/Vision 360 | 3 |
| CMDP 4740 | Augmented Reality | 3 |
| CMDP 4750 | Virtual Reality | 3 |
| CMDP 4760 | Topics in Immersive Media | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Critical Studies Course Options | ||
| Information, Media and Technology | ||
| Research/Remix | ||
| Electronic Arts Survey | ||
| Sonic Histories | ||
| Interactive Digital Cultures | ||
| Histories of Animation | ||
| Performance Media Cultures | ||
| Modes of Documentary Media History | ||
| Critical Perspectives in Media Practices | ||
| Cultures of Digital Sound | ||
| Digital Archives in Media Practices | ||
| Screen Culture and Globalization | ||
| Media Engagement in Digital Diasporas | ||
| Topics in Contemporary Media Technologies | ||
Sound Practices Concentration
In addition to completing basic major requirements, students complete an additional 9 credit hours of advanced studio coursework focusing on music technology and a concentration designated critical studies course.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Studio | ||
| CMDP 3840 | Sound Practices (required gateway) | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Studio Electives | ||
| CMDP 3860 | Sonic Arts I | 3 |
| CMDP 3880 | Hearing Image, Seeing Sound | 3 |
| CMDP 3890 | Sound Art | 3 |
| CMDP 4640 | Multimedia Sound | 3 |
| CMDP 4860 | Sonic Arts II | 3 |
| CMDP 4865 | Interactive Audiovisual Design | 3 |
| CMDP 4870 | Sound and Technology | 3 |
| CMDP 4880 | Topics in Sound Practices | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Critical Studies Course | ||
| CMDP 3150 | Sonic Histories | 3 |
Integrative Media Concentration
Students follow the basic major requirements, but also select 9 credit hours of studio elective courses and an additional 3 credit hours of critical studies coursework.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration-Designated Studio Electives | 9 | |
| Critical Media Practices Workshop I | ||
| Exploring Culture and Gender Through Film | ||
| Critical Media Practices Workshop II | ||
| Contemporary Image Making Practices | ||
| Images and Stories | ||
| Digital Photographic Practices | ||
| Audio/Vision 360 | ||
| Multimedia Composition | ||
| Media Production Methods and Ideas | ||
| Introduction to Immersive Media | ||
| Documentary Media Poetics | ||
| Advanced Performance Media Workshop | ||
| Performance Media Practices | ||
| Sound Practices | ||
| Sonic Arts I | ||
| Hearing Image, Seeing Sound | ||
| Media Production Topics | ||
| Small Screen Storytelling | ||
| Media Environments | ||
| Introduction to Computational Media | ||
| Multimedia Sound | ||
| Collaborative Performance Media Making | ||
| Dance for Camera | ||
| Projection Practices | ||
| Installation and Performance Media | ||
| Digital Art and Emergent Technologies | ||
| Virtual Reality | ||
| Topics in Immersive Media | ||
| Advanced Documentary Practices | ||
| Undergraduate Independent Study | ||
| Sonic Arts II | ||
| Sound and Technology | ||
| Internship | ||
| Concentration-Designated Critical Studies Course Options | 3 | |
| Information, Media and Technology | ||
| Research/Remix | ||
| Electronic Arts Survey | ||
| Sonic Histories | ||
| Interactive Digital Cultures | ||
| Histories of Animation | ||
| Performance Media Cultures | ||
| Modes of Documentary Media History | ||
| Critical Perspectives in Media Practices | ||
| Cultures of Digital Sound | ||
| Digital Archives in Media Practices | ||
| Screen Culture and Globalization | ||
| Media Engagement in Digital Diasporas | ||
| Topics in Contemporary Media Technologies | ||
Secondary Area of Study
In addition to coursework required for the major, all students in MDPD must complete a secondary area of study outside of MDPD. This secondary area of study can be met by any of the following: a minor, a second major within CMCI, a double degree or any credit-based certificate program of at least 12 credit hours.
Sample Four-Year Plans of Study
Documentary Concentration
Students follow the basic major requirements and complete the 3 credit-hour Documentary Concentration Gateway course CMDP 3800, 6 credit hours of Documentary Concentration Studio courses, and 3 credit hours of Documentary Concentration-designated Critical Studies CMDP 3350.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Core or Elective (3) | 4 | |
| CMDP 1400 | Introduction to Critical Media Practices | 4 |
| Quantitative Thinking | 3 | |
| Lower Division Writing | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Core or Elective (3) | 3 | |
| CMDP 2100 | Approaches to Historical Media Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 2500 | Media Practices I | 3 |
| CMCI Core Computing | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP 3400 | Media Aesthetics | 3 |
| CMDP 3600 | Media Practices II | 3 |
| CMCI Core (Natural World) | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| (CMDP3800) Documentary Concentration Gateway | 3 | |
| (CMDP3350) Critical Studies Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core (Natural World w/Lab) | 4 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| (CMDP4810) Documentary Concentration Required Studio | 3 | |
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or electives (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 7 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| (CMDP4830) Documentary Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 9 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 6 | |
| Secondary Area | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP 4900 | Media Practices Capstone | 3 |
| CMCI Core and elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 8 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Immersive Media Concentration
Students follow the basic major requirements and take 9 credit hours of CMDP coursework focusing on immersive media practices such as virtual and augmented reality. Students take CMDP 3750 Introduction to Immersive Media and 6 credit hours of concentration electives.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Core or Elective (3) | 4 | |
| CMDP 1400 | Introduction to Critical Media Practices | 4 |
| Quantitative Thinking | 3 | |
| Lower Division Writing | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP 2100 | Approaches to Historical Media Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 2500 | Media Practices I | 3 |
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Core or Elective (3) | 3 | |
| CMCI Core Computing | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or electives (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP 3400 | Media Aesthetics | 3 |
| CMDP 3600 | Media Practices II | 3 |
| CMCI Core (Natural World) | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| (CMDP3750) Immersive Concentration Gateway | 3 | |
| CMDP Critical Studies Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core (Natural World w/Lab) | 4 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Immersive Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 7 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP Immersive Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 9 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 6 | |
| Secondary Area | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP 4900 | Media Practices Capstone | 3 |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 8 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Sound Practices Concentration
Students follow the basic major requirements and complete the 3 credit hour Sound Concentration Gateway CMDP 3840, 6 credity hours of Sound Concentration Studio courses, and 3 credit hours of Sound-designated Critical Studies CMDP 3150.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Core or Elective (3) | 4 | |
| CMDP 1400 | Introduction to Critical Media Practices | 4 |
| Quantitative Thinking | 3 | |
| Lower Division Writing | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP 2100 | Approaches to Historical Media Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 2500 | Media Practices I | 3 |
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Core or Elective (3) | 3 | |
| CMCI Core Computing | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP 3400 | Media Aesthetics | 3 |
| CMDP 3600 | Media Practices II | 3 |
| CMCI Core (Natural World) | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| (CMDP3840) Sound Concentration Gateway | 3 | |
| (CMDP3150) CMDP Critical Studies Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core (Natural World w/Lab) | 4 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Sound Practices Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 7 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP Sound Practices Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 9 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 6 | |
| Secondary Area | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP 4900 | Media Practices Capstone | 3 |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 8 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Integrative Media Practices Concentration
Students follow the basic major requirements and select an additional 9 credit hours of studio electives that are approved for their Integrative Media Practices Concentration individualized plan of study.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Core or Elective (3) | 4 | |
| CMDP 1400 | Introduction to Critical Media Practices | 4 |
| Quantitative Thinking | 3 | |
| Lower Division Writing | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP 2100 | Approaches to Historical Media Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 2500 | Media Practices I | 3 |
| CMCI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMCI Elective (3) | 3 | |
| CMCI Core Computing | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP 3400 | Media Aesthetics | 3 |
| CMDP 3600 | Media Practices II | 3 |
| CMCI Core (Natural World) | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP Integetative Concentration Approved Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDP Critical Studies Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core (Natural World w/Lab) | 4 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Integrative Concentration Approved Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 7 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP Integrative Concentration Approved Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 9 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMCI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 6 | |
| Secondary Area | 6 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP 4900 | Media Practices Capstone | 3 |
| CMCI Core or electives (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 8 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing the program, students will have:
- Knowledge of, and the ability to use, the creative process as a way of knowing.
- Understanding of how to critically engage media making as experience, cognition and world-making.
- The ability to self-reflect on their roles within communication networks.
- The ability to collaborate on the conception and production of innovative works.
- Appreciation of their role as they engage with their communities, carefully considering how their work shapes society and culture.
- The ability to initiate conversations about pressing issues that transcend cultural and national divides, and communicate with diverse audiences to bring about systemic change through media, communication and information.