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 and emergent media, or sound.
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 and Emergent Media Practices
We see the future of immersive storytelling as an active, connected, social and presence-inducing experience. The immersive and emergent 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.
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 the first required studio course: CMDP 2500. Immediately after completing CMDP 2500 (with a grade of C- or above), majors are required to take the second studio core course: CMDP 3600. Both courses are restricted to CMDI 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 designated critical studies course. The documentary media, immersive and emergent media, and sound concentrations begin with a required “gateway” course, which serves as the prerequisite for advanced studio courses in the concentration area. 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 3 credit hours of studio elective coursework (in addition to concentration requirements) | 3 | |
| Critical Media Practices Workshop I | ||
| Critical Media Practices Workshop II | ||
| Intro to Digital Image Making Practices | ||
| Images and Stories | ||
| Digital Photographic Practices | ||
| Audio/Vision 360 | ||
| Multimedia Composition | ||
| Media Production Methods and Ideas | ||
| Intro to Immersive and Emergent 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 | ||
| Digital Art and Emergent Technologies | ||
| Augmented Reality | ||
| Virtual Reality | ||
| Topics in Immersive and Emergent Media | ||
| Advanced Documentary Practices | ||
| Topics in Documentary Media Practices | ||
| Undergraduate Independent Study | ||
| Sonic Arts II | ||
| Multimedia Performance and Installation | ||
| 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 (see concentration descriptions) | 12 | |
| Open Elective | ||
| Select a 3 credit-hour Open Elective (any CMDP Critical Studies or Studio course at the 2000-level or above, beyond those required) | 3 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 37 | |
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 CMDI, a double degree, or any credit-based certificate program of at least 12 credit hours.
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 3 credit hours of 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 |
| Concentration-Designated Studio Elective | 3 | |
| Hearing Image, Seeing Sound | ||
| Topics in Documentary Media Practices | ||
| Concentration-Designated Critical Studies Course | ||
| CMDP 3350 | Modes of Documentary Media History | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
Immersive and Emergent Media Practices Concentration
In addition to completing basic major requirements, students complete an additional 9 credit hours of advanced studio coursework focusing on immersive and emergent media practices and complete 3 credit hours of a concentration-designated critical studies course.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Studio | ||
| CMDP 3750 | Intro to Immersive and Emergent Media (required gateway) | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Studio Electives | 6 | |
| Audio/Vision 360 | ||
| Augmented Reality | ||
| Virtual Reality | ||
| Topics in Immersive and Emergent Media | ||
| Concentration-Designated Critical Studies Course | ||
| CMDP 3210 | Immersive and Emergent Media Histories | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
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 3 credit hours of a concentration-designated critical studies course.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Studio | ||
| CMDP 3840 | Sound Practices (required gateway) | 3 |
| Concentration-Designated Studio Electives | 6 | |
| Audio/Vision 360 | ||
| Sonic Arts I | ||
| Hearing Image, Seeing Sound | ||
| Sound Art | ||
| Multimedia Sound | ||
| Sonic Arts II | ||
| Multimedia Performance and Installation | ||
| Sound and Technology | ||
| Topics in Sound Practices | ||
| Concentration-Designated Critical Studies Course | ||
| CMDP 3150 | Sonic Histories | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
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 | |
| CMDI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMDI 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 | ||
| CMDI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMDI Core or Elective (3) | 3 | |
| CMDP 2100 | Approaches to Historical Media Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 2500 | Media Practices I | 3 |
| CMDI Core Computing | 3 | |
| CMDI 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 |
| CMDI Core (Natural World) | 3 | |
| CMDI 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) Designated Critical Studies | 3 | |
| CMDI Core (Natural World w/Lab) | 4 | |
| CMDI 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 | |
| CMDI Core or electives (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 7 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Documentary Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 9 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Open Elective | 3 | |
| CMDI 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 |
| CMDI 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 complete the 3-credit-hour Immersive and Emergent Media Concentration Gateway course CMDP 3750 Intro to Immersive and Emergent Media, 6 credit hours of I & E Concentration Studio electives, and 3 credit hours of Immersive-and-Emergent-designated Critical Studies CMDP 3210.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CMDI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMDI 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 |
| CMDI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMDI Core or Elective (3) | 3 | |
| CMDI Core Computing | 3 | |
| CMDI 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 |
| CMDI Core (Natural World) | 3 | |
| CMDI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| (CMDP3750) Immersive and Emergent Concentration Gateway | 3 | |
| CMDI Core (Natural World w/Lab) | 4 | |
| CMDP 3210 | Immersive and Emergent Media Histories | 3 |
| CMDI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 3 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Immersive and Emergent Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDP Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 7 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CMDP Immersive and Emergent Concentration Studio Elective | 3 | |
| CMDI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 9 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Open Elective | 3 | |
| CMDI 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 |
| CMDI 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 credit hours of Sound Concentration Studio courses, and 3 credit hours of Sound-designated Critical Studies CMDP 3150.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CMDI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMDI 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 | ||
| CMDI 1040: Foundational Concepts and Creativity in Media, Communication, and Information (4) or CMDI Core or Elective (3) | 3 | |
| CMDP 2100 | Approaches to Historical Media Practices | 3 |
| CMDP 2500 | Media Practices I | 3 |
| CMDI Core Computing | 3 | |
| CMDI 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 |
| CMDI Core (Natural World) | 3 | |
| CMDI 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 | |
| CMDP 3150 | Sonic Histories | 3 |
| CMDI Core (Natural World w/Lab) | 4 | |
| CMDI 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 | |
| CMDI 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 | |
| CMDI Core or elective (P/S; H & A; Hist V; Div & Global) | 9 | |
| Secondary Area | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CMDP Open Elective | 3 | |
| CMDI 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 |
| CMDI Core or elective (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 be able to:
- Understand and use the creative process as a way of knowing.
- Collaborate on the conception and production of innovative works.
- Critically engage media making as experience, inquiry and world-making.
- Understand the histories and theories of media art and how they shape and are shaped by society and culture.