COM 208 - Global Media
1 course unit
Provides a comparative analysis of the principles guiding the organization, development, and operations of media systems in different political, economic, social, and cultural contexts. Considers the global expansion of mass media and the increasing connections of world citizens in a “global community.” Compares the production, distribution, reception, and effects of mass mediated messages in countries around the world. Topics explored include media systems and their social and political contexts, media and revolution, global media intersections with local audiences, and politics of international news and entertainment flows.
Meets general academic requirement DE. Meets EXC requirement GP.
COM 212 - New Information Technologies
1 course unit
Explores the prospects and problems that surround the introduction and diffusion of new information technologies in society. Students consider the social, political, economic, and cultural impacts of new information technologies on personal privacy, self-identity, social relationships, information access, and global citizenship. Thematic focus varies from semester to semester with case studies drawn from gaming, social media, virtual communities and realities, and computers and the organization of work and learning.
COM 220, 221 - Free Culture
1 course unit
This course explores current debates surrounding free culture, specifically, 1) the history and development of notions of copyright in the nineteenth century and “intellectual property” in the twentieth century, 2) processes of media convergence and digitalization in today’s media, 3) the development of the free, open source software (FOSS) movement in the late 1970s and the challenge to proprietary software found in the Linux operation system, 4) digital distribution of music, the Napster debate, and remix culture in the music industry, 5) Wikimedia and the new power of “crowdsourcing” in knowledge labor, 6) Net neutrality, and 7) the philosophy and development of the digital commons, enshrined in the Creative Commons license and the legal implications of such licenses for artists, musicians, audiences, and citizens. Students will use an open source computer OS (Linux) and free software tools to contribute to a class digital project on a topic related to the free culture movement.
Meets general academic requirement SL (and W when offered as 221). Meets EXC requirement HS (and W when offered as 221).
COM 223, 224 - Feminist Media Studies
1 course unit
Feminist scholars have long studied the relationship between gender and media. This course will explore how television, film, popular music, and cyberculture play a central role in representing, defining, circulating, and constructing gender. This class takes a multi-media approach; for example, we will study how cultural forms depict different gendered characters on TV shows like Sex and the City and Modern Family, how certain genres are particularly open to queer interpretations like the musical, and how teen girls appropriate the magazine format to produce and circulate their own stories. This course will be oriented historically to examine how gender roles are constructed by media in specific historical contexts, and then how those representations change (or do not change) over time. Since much research on gender and the media has historically focused on femininity, this course will likewise focus on femininity, but we will also study the relationship between media and masculinity and sexuality, as well as how gendered identities are always also informed by other relations of power, such as race, class, ethnicity, and age.
Meets general academic requirement SL and a linked (IL) course when offered as 223. Meets EXC requirement CE.
COM 225 - Introduction to Journalism
1 course unit
Introduces students to the great traditions of interpretive, documentary, and advocacy journalism and photojournalism. Includes analysis of exemplary works in the tradition and provides some opportunities to develop skills through individual projects.
Meets general academic requirement SL. Meets EXC requirement HS.
COM 227, 228 - Scientific Communication
1 course unit
This course is designed to introduce students to the many aspects of science communication, exploring how the information scientists produce gets to other scientists, the media, policymakers, the public at large, and back. Students will examine the history of the field, current models and best practices, past and future barriers to effective science communication, power structures that influence the life cycle of science information, and case studies from current literature. Students will also learn to identify and create credible science resources.
Meets general academic requirement SL and is a linked (IL) course when offered as 228.
COM 240 - Introduction to Film Analysis
1 course unit
Introduces different strategies and different approaches for analyzing film and video texts, including formal, narrative, social/cultural, and feminist. Students will develop an understanding of the grammar, vocabulary, and conventions of film and video production and the factors that shape viewers’ reception.
Meets general academic requirement HU. Meets EXC requirement CE.
COM 242 - Twentieth Century Media: Film, Radio, & Television
1 course unit
Analyzes the historical development of radio, film, and television genres, technologies, and formats and considers the cultural, economic, political, and social climates in which they evolved.
Meets general academic requirement HU. Meets EXC requirement HS.
COM 246 - CopyRight & Culture
1 course unit
Copyright was envisioned in the United States as a motivating force for creativity in “science and useful arts.” Yet the scope and duration of copyright have expanded dramatically in recent decades. How does this expansion affect both the user and producer of creative works? Has copyright achieved its creative ends, or outgrown its usefulness to become a hindrance to creativity? Students in all disciplines will benefit from learning in this course the fundamentals of copyright law that pervade our everyday lives, affecting our use and authoring of creative works. The course will cover among other key elements the history of copyright, the process of acquiring copyright, the scope and duration of copyright, the public domain, fair use, acquiring permission, and the Creative Commons.
Meets general academic requirement SL and W. Meets EXC requirement HS and W.
COM 251 - Introduction to Moviemaking
1 course unit
Introduces basic concepts of time-based visual media (film, video, digital) with an emphasis on the perception, operation, and experience of moving images, kinesics, and the structure and aesthetics of cinematic language. Students will learn how to work with cameras and audio and post-production equipment
Meets general academic requirement AR. Meets EXC requirement CE.
DOC 150 - Introduction to Doc Storymaking
1 course unit
This course is an introduction to digital documentary storymaking. It merges the critical study of documentary media with the hands-on construction of documentary stories. Working with tools of the documentary arts—video, still images, audio, writing—students will acquire the foundational skills of media production and effective storytelling while absorbing and analyzing rich examples of documentary storytelling over time and place. The course provides a survey of traditions and issues in documentary media and an introduction to documentary practices and methods. Students will study representative works from a variety of documentary approaches and learn to analyze the techniques of observation and representation at use in these pieces. Finally, students will become familiar with major theoretical constructions of documentary and be able to use these analytical tools to critique both historical and emergent documentary forms. Students will complete several small documentary projects to be gathered in an e-portfolio to be further developed in the capstone.
Meets general academic requirement HU.
DOC 250 - Rights and Responsibilities
1 course unit
This course is an introduction to digital documentary storymaking. It merges the critical study of documentary media with the hands-on construction of documentary stories. Working with tools of the documentary arts—video, still images, audio, writing—students will acquire the foundational skills of media production and effective storytelling while absorbing and analyzing rich examples of documentary storytelling over time and place. The course provides a survey of traditions and issues in documentary media and an introduction to documentary practices and methods. Students will study representative works from a variety of documentary approaches and learn to analyze the techniques of observation and representation at use in these pieces. Finally, students will become familiar with major theoretical constructions of documentary and be able to use these analytical tools to critique both historical and emergent documentary forms. Students will complete several small documentary projects to be gathered in an e-portfolio to be further developed in the capstone.
Meets general academic requirement SL. Prerequisite: Doc 150 Intro to Doc Storymaking
Special Topics Courses
Special Topics Courses are not offered every year, but still count toward the major. Check the Curiculum Checklist or with your advisor to see what special topics are availble.
