Media Arts
Fries Hall, Room 106
201-200-3494
The Media Arts Department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Media Arts Department houses a full color, broadcast-quality television studio, Macintosh and PC digital media labs, radio and audio production facilities, and 16mm film production and post-production facilities. The department has a studio/classroom for multi-media production and two large projection/seminar rooms for weekly screenings. Completing the Media Arts facilities are AVID and Final Cut Pro video editing suites, and 16mm Steenbeck editing suites. Works produced in the Media Arts Department include experimental, digitally animated, documentary and narrative short subjects, and independent feature productions.
Faculty members are active in the production of original films and videos. Their work has been screened at major festivals and museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Margaret Mead Festival at the Museum of Natural History, and The Whitney Museum of American Art.
The Media Arts Department offers a single degree track, providing students with a rigorous foundation in media production, as well as the opportunity to pursue a concentration in the areas of video, film, digital media production, and audio production. Department faculty members act as advisors and mentors in the areas of film production, video production, audio production, digital media, screenwriting, and theory/aesthetics. The department offers an innovative minor program that allows students to design their own program of study under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students outside the department wishing to take media classes must complete all required prerequisites and obtain the permission of the chair before registering for 300- and 400-level courses.
The Dr. Joseph Drew Award for Excellence in Production is given every year to a graduating senior from the Media Arts Department. The recipient of the award is chosen by the Media Arts Department faculty on the basis of an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 or better, and the demonstration of a high level of technical competence in a number of production areas as well as a high level of creativity and professionalism in completed productions.
Marcin Ramocki, Chairperson
Associate Professor of Media Arts
Dartmouth College, B.A.; University of Pennsylvania, M.F.A.
Roddy Bogawa
Professor of Media Arts
University of California, San Diego, B.A., M.F.A.
Joel D. Katz
Professor of Media Arts
Oberlin College, B.A.; Hunter College, M.F.A.
Various discipline-specific concentrations that will prepare students for multiple fields of employment or areas of additional undergraduate/graduate study are noted below. Course requirements for each concentration are explained in detail. The requirements for graduation, in addition to completion of the major area, are listed on "Undergraduate Degree Requirements."
Media Arts (MEDI)
MEDI 1XX Media Arts Transfer Credit (0 Credits)
MEDI 2XX Media Arts Transfer Credit (0 Credits)
MEDI 100 Introduction to Media (3 Credits)
This course is a survey of the principles and practices of modern mass media, including the press, radio, film and television.
MEDI 102 Development of Film I (3 Credits)
This course is an historical approach to the development of the motion picture as an international art form and the industry from its inception through the 1940's. Classes consist of viewing films and discussing them in terms of social history and cinematic development.
Pre-Requisite(s): Students with a declared major of Media.
MEDI 103 Development of Film II (3 Credits)
This is a continuation of Media Arts 102. It is recommended that students planning to take both102 and 103 complete 102 first. Films from the 1950's to the present are screened and analyzed in class. Lectures explore related social issues and cinematic art.
Pre-Requisite(s): Students with a declared major of Media.
MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design (3 Credits)
This course provides a broad and rigorous orientation for all areas of media production. It begins with an activity-based study of the psychological and physiological bases for production/perception and the development of vocabularies for further work. Through the interplay between assignments in pre-production planning, design, photography, audio, film and video, students explore the underlying processes and principles of media making. Participants in the course become involved in readings, lectures, designing storyboards, viewing films and videotapes. Production experiences in sound, slide photography, multi-image, video and film animation are assigned.
Co-requisite: MEDI 210 Audio Production.
MEDI 119 Film & Critical Issues (3 Credits)
This course offers an exploration of human values and political, social, and psychological issues as expressed in contemporary films. Students are also encouraged to develop their knowledge of film aesthetics by discussing cinematography, sound, lighting, directing, editing and acting.
MEDI 120 Understanding Movies: The Art of Film (3 Credits)
This course introduces the student to films, filmmakers, and the vocabulary of the movies. The course will explore the techniques specific to film-from script to screen-and the functions of directors, actors, producers, writers, etc. Students will analyze and view films from historical, social, and critical contexts.
MEDI 130 The History of Media (3 Credits)
In this course, students will analyze the history of media from the beginnings of speech up until the introduction of television in the 1950s and 1060s. Through lecture, video illustration, interactive role play activities and discussions, students will become familiar with some of the major developments in the history of media and of their consequences on society.
MEDI 204 Media in American Society (3 Credits)
This course explores various issues relating to the interaction of media and the cultural life of contemporary American society. In this class, students will reflect upon the statements of artists, scholars, journalists, social activists and others relating to the impact of media on society. Students will also examine and debate critical issues relating to the study of media in American society.
MEDI 205 Digital Media I (3 Credits)
Course introduces students to concepts behind 2-D digital artwork. Students learn how to work with photographic images, how to create bitmap graphics and develop and create ideas using Adobe Photoshop.
Pre-Requisite(s): Medi 110
MEDI 209 Critical Development of Television (3 Credits)
MEDI 210 Sound Production (3 Credits)
This course is an introduction to the theory and technique of monophonic sound production as used in radio, recording, television and film. Studio exercises include the use of microphones, audio consoles, sound effects, music, tape editing and tape manipulation.
Co-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design.
MEDI 215 Introduction to International Cinemas (3 Credits)
This survey course introduces students to a variety of films and related social, cultural, historical, and aesthetic issues from film-producing nations around the world, other than the United States. Films screened and discussed may include experimental, independent, fiction, and non-fiction texts from the 1930s to the present.
MEDI 224 Analysis of Cinema: Script Writing (3 Credits)
Through screening and analyzing successful films, this course reveals how information is communicated through visual means, how action is used to build dramatic momentum, how dialog is used in scene construction and what makes a character credible and complex. Films are shown in class followed by a scene-by-scene analysis. Students are required to do their own analysis of two films in the course of the term.
MEDI 230 Photography I (3 Credits)
This is a basic course in black and white photography providing the student with both fundamental theory and practical application of the camera, film processing and printing, on which all commercial and fine art photography is based. Required: Manual 35mm camera and light meter.
MEDI 250 The Future of Media (3 Credits)
Course introduces the student to writing and developing works of new video and studio formats. Students will work on creating scripts, outlines, and treatments for music videos, industrial, scripted audio broadcasts, and other short pieces. Designed as a project-oriented workshop, the course will focus on a specific project each semester. Topics will be announced prior to the start of the semester.
MEDI 255 Media Revolution of the 1960s (3 Credits)
In this course, students will examine the impact of electronic media on the social and political climate of the 1960s. Through lecture, video illustration, workshops, written reflections and discussions, students will become familiar with the salient issues of the decade and of the profound impact new media had in framing those issues and contributing to accompanying changes in perspectives, understandings and behavior.
MEDI 260 Fantastic in Film and Television (3 Credits)
This course examines a variety of films and television programs identified as "fantastic" by traditional inclusion in modes such as Science Fiction, fantasy, and horror. Topics for analysis may include fairytales, folklore, comic books, television programs, and films which encourage the audience to question the "reality" of events, locations, and characters.
MEDI 302 Film Genre: French Film (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
MEDI 303 Film Genre: Alfred Hitchcock (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 304 Cinema and Media Studies: Film Noir (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 306 Film Genre: Western (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 307 Cinema and Media Studies: Science Fiction (3 Credits)
Cinema & Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 310 MultipleTrack Music Production (3 Credits)
This course is the continued exploration of the sound studio for stereophonic, dramatic and musical production, sound synthesis and audio collage. Audio as an integral part of film and TV production is emphasized.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design and MEDI 210 Audio Production.
MEDI 311 Video Production I (3 Credits)
Video Production I is a hands-on, participatory course in the theory and practice of video production. The emphasis is on the student becoming both a competent technician as well as a thinking producer. The technical basics of how video cameras work and how video signals are mixed and manipulated will be covered. While the primary focus is on multi-camera studio production, there is also work in camcorder field production and basic editing. Students write, produce and direct a studio project alone or with a partner.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design and MEDI 210 Audio Production.
MEDI 312 Film Production I (3 Credits)
This course introduces 16mm film production to students. Students learn the theoretical and practical applications of reflex viewing and focusing, editing, and montage through a progression of lecture/discussions and exercises of increasing complexity. n.
MEDI 320 Radio Production (3 Credits)
This course provides an advanced exploration of the use of the sound studio for stereophonic, dramatic and musical productions, sound synthesis, advanced signal processing and audio collage.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design and MEDI 210 Audio Production.
MEDI 321 Film Genre: The Musical (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 322 Cinema and Media Studies: Horror (3 Credits)
Cinema and Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 324 Film Genre: Orson Welles (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 325 Film Genre: Italian Film (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 326 Cinema and Media Studies: Avant-Garde (3 Credits)
Cinema and Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 327 Cinema and Media Studies: Women in Film (3 Credits)
Cinema and Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
MEDI 328 Film Genre:Latin-American Film (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 329 Cinema and Media Studies: Documentary (3 Credits)
Cinema and Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 330 Media Writing (3 Credits)
This course introduces writing for the media. Students move from writing profiles, opinion pieces and news reporting, through interviewing assignments, and radio and television news. Journalistic ethics and legal issues are also discussed.
MEDI 331 Screenwriting (3 Credits)
This course introduces the fundamentals of writing for film. Students experience the same creative process as a professional screenwriter, moving from the initial concept, to completing a 30-page screenplay for a half-hour film. Plot structure, character development and economical dialogue is emphasized. Scenes and sequences from well-known films are analyzed in class. (Note: Students who have successfully completed this course may elect to continue their work in an independent study under supervision of the instructor.)
MEDI 332 Writing Commercial Copy (3 Credits)
This course is an introduction to persuasive writing and to the creative/conceptual side of the advertising business. Students research and develop ad campaigns, transforming their strategies into concrete executions for print, radio and television. The history of advertising and theories of consumer behavior, as well as the legal and ethical environment are also discussed.
MEDI 333 Film Production II (3 Credits)
This course is an advanced production course in which students create a sound sync movie. Students have the opportunity to explore the potential of sound on film and to discover the possibilities of manipulating time and space through the editing process. A major emphasis will be placed on the technical and aesthetic problems involved in lighting design, pre-production planning and post-production editing. Professional, standard 16mm equipment is used in all phases of production.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design, MEDI 210 Audio Production, and MEDI 312 Film Production I
MEDI 335 Cinema and Media Studies: Race/Ethnicity in Film (3 Credits)
Cinema and Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
MEDI 336 Cinema and Media Studies: Contemporary European Film (3 Credits)
Cinema and Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
MEDI 338 Film Genre: American Directors (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 339 Film Genre: Male Image in Film (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 343 Film Genre: John Ford (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
MEDI 346 Film Genre: Contemporary Black (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 347 Film Genre:Films of the 60'S (3 Credits)
MEDI 348 Film Genre:Films of 80's-90's (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
MEDI 349 Film Genre: (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
MEDI 350 Film Genre: Film Music (3 Credits)
Film Genre is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema. Film Genre topics, which change every semester, are announced prior to registration.
MEDI 351 Cinema & Media Studies: Asian Film (3 Credits)
Cinema & Media Studies is a detailed study of one particular film subject, director or national cinema.
MEDI 357 Practicum TV Production (3 Credits)
MEDI 362 Strange Fruit: A Song and Its Legacy (3 Credits)
Southern trees bear a strange fruit. Blood on the leaves and blood at the root. These are the opening words to one of the world's most famous protest songs, named "Song of the Century" by Time Magazine in 1999. Its music and lyrics are often attributed to Billie Holiday, who first integrated nightclub. The song's history spans many of the great social movements of the 20th century, from the history of lynching to Communism and anti-Communism to the alliance between American Jews and African-Americans in the struggle for civil rights. This course examines Strange Fruit's social history, from its authorship in the mid 1930's through contemporary resonance with issues of racial and social justice and injustice. Students will study the song in the context of early twentieth-century social history, investigating how the song resonates in literature, art, politics, and culture.
Pre-Requisite(s): 8 Gen Ed Courses across Tier 1 and Tier 2.
MEDI 366 Cinema (3 Credits)
MEDI 401 Issues in Media Arts (3 Credits)
An analytic consideration of recurring contemporary controversies in the electronic media, such as competition versus protectionism; diversification versus concentration of control; freedom of expression versus mandated programming responsibility; cable franchising, and federal funding for public broadcasting. Laws, administrative regulations and procedures, and court decisions are examined in detail.
MEDI 402 Film Aesthetics (3 Credits)
This course is an advanced analysis/critical thinking class that requires extensive reading and writing. Students should expect to complete between 18-60 pages of revised writing during the semester. Class participation and in-class exercises stress close analysis of film texts; students must also view several films on their own time, outside of class. Students should have a working familiarity with technical aspects of video and film production. Students study Classical Hollywood narrative films, foreign films, art cinema, and independent films as a means of examining stylistic and technical choices, and their impact on the subject, themes, characters, and components of film and video.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 102 Development of Film I or Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 103 Development of Film II
MEDI 408 Basic Interactive Media (3 Credits)
Interactive Media is a course for students with some expertise in the digital field. It introduces a wide variety of approaches to web-based interactivity based on Macromedia Flash software. Students are exposed to various vector based multimedia creation techniques, vector animation and basic Action Script Programming elements.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design and MEDI 205 Digital Media 1
MEDI 409 Advanced Interactive Media (3 Credits)
Advanced Interactive Media is an advanced course in multimedia authoring using Macromedia Director and Lingo. This class covers both conceptual interactive problems and Object Oriented Programming in Lingo.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 205 Digital Media 1, and MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design
MEDI 410 Video Field Production (3 Credits)
Video Field Production covers all stages of single channel remote television production, from writing a proposal to post-production editing. Careful pre-production planning and thoughtful structuring of projects will be stressed. Production skills involving camera, lighting, and audio are covered, as well as both linear and computer-based non-linear editing. After completion of a series of short exercises, which are designed to build an understanding of each step of the video making process, students each produce a final project. Critique and analysis of completed works is a critical component of the course. This is a cross-genre course in which documentary, narrative, and experimental forms are all discussed.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design, and MEDI 210 Audio Production, and MEDI 311 Video Production
MEDI 411 Advanced Video Production (3 Credits)
Advanced Video emphasizes students' evolution as video producers and the development of the directorial "voice". This course concentrates more on ideas, conceptual issues and storytelling than on technical instruction. A considerable amount of time is spent screening, discussing and analyzing works by outside directors. Video will be examined as a distinct medium with its own history, course of development, and aesthetics. Contemporary trends in independent video production are explored, the relationship of form to content is discussed and issues of genre, ethics, journalism and narrative are explored. Each student will produce several exercises designed to explore these issues as well as an independent final project.
MEDI 412 Film Directing (3 Credits)
This course is an advanced examination of directorial manipulation and control of the components of film production including ideas, actors and equipment. Students prepare or continue directorial projects, focusing on location issues, crew breakdowns, scheduling and practical solutions to production work. MEDI 412 Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110, MEDI 210, and MEDI 312.
MEDI 413 Television Production Workshop (3 Credits)
Functioning as a number of integrated film and video production units, students create features that will be cablecast. Faculty and students also select the features to be contained in each program and critique the course's output on a regular basis. A professional approach to production and distribution is stressed.
MEDI 414 Film Post Production (3 Credits)
This course studies film editing as an art form. Previously shot footage is analyzed and edited according to principles of continuity and montage. The many problems facing the filmmaker after the film is shot are also discussed in depth, including building soundtracks, ADR and Foley, and sound mixing/editing.
MEDI 415 Film/Computer Animation (3 Credits)
This is an aesthetic as well as a technical course designed to combine traditional film animation techniques with modern computer graphics. Basic techniques in lighting, sound, movement and background are also discussed.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 and MEDI 205 OR Permission of Instructor
MEDI 416 Film/Television Lighting (3 Credits)
This course studies the functional and aesthetic applications of lighting for color, black and white, interiors and exteriors in film and video. Pre-requisite: MEDI 110 Foundations of Media Design, MEDI 210 Audio Production, and MEDI 311 Video Production I or MEDI 312 Film Production I.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110 and MEDI 210 and MEDI 311 or MEDI 312
MEDI 417 Advanced Cinematography: Film Practicum (3 Credits)
This is an advanced seminar designed to expand the filmmakers' skill in budgeting, production management, lighting, cinematography, filters, gels and various film stocks. Technical aspects from choice of lens to roles and responsibilities of the camera crew are examined.
MEDI 418 Human Conflict in Film (3 Credits)
Through the medium of film, this course explores the various crisis situations that people may confront in their lives. Students' perspectives are broadened through discussions of philosophy and ethics. Various filmmaking approaches and expository techniques are analyzed.
MEDI 419 Digital Media II (3 Credits)
This course is an advanced-level continuation of MEDI 205 Introduction to Digital Media. Students explore movement and animation with the medium of computer graphics. State-of-the-art computer systems are utilized to prepare students for entry-level positions and computer animation apprenticeships. Studio course.
MEDI 420 Media Arts Seminar (3 Credits)
This course is a series of discussions that bring media students together with creative and managerial media practitioners, all leading professionals in their respective fields. Students are required to write a final paper relating the seminar material to their own career orientations.
MEDI 422 Multi-Media Production (3 Credits)
This is an advanced course providing a rigorous orientation for multi-media production. Through assignments in pre-production planning, design, photography, audio and editing, students explore the processes and principles of media making. Students submit a notebook/journal, research a major film or video maker, view films and videotapes, screen and submit written critiques of work on a weekly basis, and collaborate on the design and execution of a senior thesis project using a variety of media in their work. Emphasis is placed on a professional approach to production. Students are encouraged to prepare their work for entry in festival competitions.
Pre-Requisite(s): MEDI 110, MEDI 205, MEDI 210, MEDI 311, and MEDI 312.
MEDI 423 Sound Post-Production (3 Credits)
This is an advanced course in sound where music and other sound recordings are edited and analyzed. The problems facing the sound technician and audio engineer are explored in depth.
MEDI 424 Post-Production Techniques in Video (3 Credits)
This is an advanced-level course on editing as both a technical and creative process. The course directs students to refine their technical skills in non-linear digital editing, as well as taking into consideration conceptual aspects of storytelling structure and technique. Studio course.
MEDI 430 Honors I (3 Credits)
This is an opportunity for students of proven ability to pursue an area of advanced independent study. An instructor who will supervise their work must recommend them. Pre-requisite: Permission of the Instructor and Chairperson.
Pre-Requisite(s): Permission of the Instructor and Chairperson
MEDI 431 Honors II (3 Credits)
This is an opportunity for students of proven ability to pursue an area of advanced independent study. An instructor who will supervise their work must recommend them.
Pre-Requisite(s): Permission of the Instructor and Chairperson and MEDI 430
MEDI 492 Independent Study Media Arts (3 Credits)
MEDI 1102 Development of Film I - Honors (4 Credits)
This course presents an historical approach to the development of the motion picture as an international art form, and the film industry from its inception through the 1940s. Classes consist of viewing films and discussing them in terms of social history and cinematic development.
MEDI 1103 Dev of Film II (Honors) (3 Credits)
A continuation of MEDI 102, this course screens and analyzes films from the 1950s to the present. Lectures explore related social issues and cinematic art. Note: It is recommended that students take MEDI 102 Development of Film I before enrolling in this course.