Major requirements

Media Studies is an intercollegiate major offered jointly by Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona and Scripps Colleges. (A legacy major remains available to students who declared as Media Studies majors before Fall 2006; see below for more information)

Requirements for the Major

The Media Studies major requires the completion of 11 courses, with a concentration in Film/Video, Digital/Electronic Media, or Critical Studies.

All Media Studies majors will complete the following courses. Courses listed as fulfilling each requirement are subject to change, and other courses may be counted toward those requirements with the consent of the IMS curriculum committee.

1. One introductory critical/theoretical course:
MS 49 PO or ART 179 SC, Introduction to Media Studies
MS 50 PZ, MS 50 HM, or LIT 130 CM, Language of Film

2. One introductory production course:
ART 20 PO, Photography I
\nART 24 PO, Digital Art I
ART 141 SC, Introduction to Digital Imaging
ART 143 SC, Digital Color Photography
ART 145 SC, Beginning Photography
ART 148 SC, Introduction to Video
MS 82 PZ, Introduction to Film and Video Production
MS 85 PZ, Introduction to Film in the Digital Age
MS 182s HM, Introduction to Video Production

3. One course in media history:
LIT 131 CM, Film History I (1925-1965)
LIT 132 CM, Film History II (1965-Present)
LIT 134 CM, Special Studies in Film
LIT 136 CM, American Film Genres
MS 45 PZ, Documentary Media
MS 47 PZ, Independent Film Cultures
MS 79 PZ, Silent Film
MS 86 PZ, History of Ethnographic Film
MS 89 PZ, Mexican Film History
MS 91 PZ, History of American Broadcasting
MS 100 PZ, Asian Americans in Media: A Historical Survey

4. One course in media theory:
ART 181 SC, Theory Seminar in Studio Art and Media Studies
ART 181G SC, Topics in Art Theory
ART 183 SC, Feminist Concepts and Practices in Media Studies and Studio Art
ARHI 141B PO: Africana Cinema: Through the Doc Lens
ENGL 118 PO: The Nature of Narrative in Fiction and Film
LIT 103 HMC: Third Cinema
\nLIT 136 CMC: American Film Genres
LIT 138 CMC: Film and Mass Culture
MS 46 PZ, Feminist Documentary Production and Theory
MS 48 PZ, Media Ethnography/Autobiography
MS 72 PZ, Women and Film
MS 74 PZ, Sound Theory, Sound Practice
MS 76 PZ, Gender and Genre
MS 110 PZ, Media and Sexuality
MS 147 PO, Topics in Media Theory I
MS 149 PO, Topics in Media Theory II
MS 197 PZ: Media Praxis in Ontario

5. A senior seminar:
MS 190 PO, MS 190 PZ, or MS 190 SC (MS 190: Senior Seminar will be taught jointly effective Fall 2007.)

Each student will also complete one of the following six-course concentrations:

Film/Video

6. One intermediate or advanced film/video production class.

7. One additional course in media history, as listed above.

8-11. Four appropriate electives, drawn from the list of all approved courses that follows (note that Pitzer MS majors must select MS 194 PZ, Media Arts for Social Justice, or MS 196 PZ, Media Internship, as one of their electives).

Digital/Electronic Media

6. An intermediate or advanced digital production course.

7. One course in twentieth or twenty-first century art history:
ARHI 181 SC, Art Since 1945
ARHI 184 PO, Arts of North America, A Social History, 1900 to Present
ARHI 185 PO, History of Photography
ARHI 185T PO, Art and Time

8-11. Four appropriate electives, drawn from the list of all approved courses that follows (note that Pitzer MS majors must select MS 194 PZ, Media Arts for Social Justice, or MS 196 PZ, Media Internship, as one of their electives).

Critical Studies

6. One additional media theory course, as listed above. One of the two required media theory courses must be MS 147 PO or MS 149 PO, Topics in Media Theory I or II.

7. One additional course in media history, as listed above.

8-11. Four appropriate electives, drawn from the list of all approved courses that follows (note that Pitzer MS majors must select MS 194 PZ, Media Arts for Social Justice, or MS 196 PZ, Media Internship, as one of their electives).

Critical Studies: Film Studies Option

Students desiring an emphasis in Film Studies should follow the Critical Studies track, tailoring their major by selecting the following courses:

1. MS 50 PZ or LIT 130 CM, Language of Film

2. MS 82 PZ, Introduction to Film and Video Production; ART 148 SC, Introduction to Video; or MS 182s HM, Introduction to Video Production

3. MS 147 PO, Topics in Media Theory I; or MS 149 PO, Topics in Media Theory II

4. One course in film theory such as: LIT 103 HMC, Third Cinema; LIT 138 CMC, Film and Mass Culture; LIT 139 CM, Film Theory; MS 46 PZ, Feminist Documentary Production and Theory; MS 72 PZ, Women and Film; or MS 76 PZ, Gender and Genre; MS 48 PZ, Media Ethnography/Autobiography; MS 74 PZ, Sound Theory, Sound Practice; MS 110 PZ, Media and Sexuality; MS 197 PZ, Media Praxis in Ontario; or ARHI 141B PO, Africana Cinema: Through the Doc Lens

5-6. LIT 131 CM, Film History I (1925-1965) and LIT 132 CM, Film History II (1965-Present)

7. MS 190 PO, Senior Seminar

8-11. Four appropriate film-oriented electives drawn from the list of all approved courses that follows (note that Pitzer MS majors must select MS 194 PZ, Media Arts for Social Justice, or MS 196 PZ, Media Internship, as one of their electives).

Senior Exercise

(Note: This model for the senior seminar will be implemented in Fall 2007. Senior majors can take either MS190 PO, MS190A PZ or MS190B PZ during the 2006-2007 academic year.)

The senior exercise consists of a topical senior seminar jointly taught during the fall semester by faculty from each of the concentrations. This seminar asks students to bring together the various aspects of their course of study, producing an appropriate culminating seminar project that demonstrates their command of the fields and the forms of critical and creative practice that they have studied.

During this seminar, all senior Media Studies majors will be given the option to develop a proposal for a second-semester Senior Project. These proposals will be reviewed by the Media Studies faculty, and selected students will go on to complete an independent project under the supervision of two members of the Media Studies faculty or appropriate affiliated faculty members from the Claremont Colleges. The Senior Project course will count toward the four electives required for the major.


Legacy Pomona Media Studies major

(available only to students who declared the Media Studies major before Fall 2006)

Twelve total courses are required for the major. Media Studies courses taken at the other Claremont Colleges count toward the major. Study abroad or non-Claremont Colleges courses require prior approval. No more than four introductory courses will count toward the 12 course total.

Media Studies courses are designated as Theory, Analysis or Practice. Theory courses are the foundation of Media Studies; they are devoted principally to the intensive study of the media as media, focusing on the philosophical and cultural underpinnings of their modes of representation. Analysis courses critically examine a significant number of media-related materials in context, considering the historical development or social implications of particular media forms. Practice courses include a hands-on production or performance component, offering students a thoughtfully integrated approach toward developing their analytic and technical skills.

Majors must take four core courses:

  • Introduction to Media Studies (49 or ART 179 SC)
  • Topics in Media Theory 1 (147) or Topics in Media Theory 2 (149)
  • Senior Seminar (190)
  • Senior Thesis (191)

Of the remaining 8 courses, at least one course must be designated Practice and at least three must be designated Analysis.

Media Studies courses are also divided into seven fields: Studio Art; Art History; Literature; Film/Video; Multimedia; Social Sciences; and Theatre. Students must take at least one course in three of these seven fields. At least one course out of the 12 course total must be a social science or science course.

Senior thesis: Majors write their senior thesis (191) in the second semester of their senior year. Each student will work on an independent basis under the guidance of two faculty -- a primary and secondary faculty adviser -- selected before the end of the fall semester of the senior year (the primary adviser should be a faculty member teaching a course or courses in Media Studies -- see list below) and will work closely with these faculty members throughout the semester.

The P/NC option is allowed only by petition to the program coordinator. With rare exceptions, for the major, two P/NC courses are allowed.