| Four Year Plan |
CA: Communication Arts (B.A.)
| Convener: | Faculty: | |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Jablonsky | Tobin Addington Marta Bautis Bonnie Blake* Regina Clark Kelly Dolak Renata Gangemi James Hollenbach Brian Hughes Patricia Keeton* |
Jonathan Lipkin* Rowlett Scott |
Concentrations: Digital Filmmaking, Design Interactive Media,
Journalism, Writing, Media Cinema Studies.
About the Major
The Communication Arts Major prepares students for a richly interdisciplinary field that exists at the intersection of media, film, and culture. Emerging in the mid-1900s to become one of the most influential disciplines of the 21st Century, the field of the communication arts is the study and practice of the many tools, languages, technologies, media and discourses of and about culture. Communication is also the study and practice of power: the power of economics and ownership, of persuasion and influence, ideology and values. The Communication Arts major that reflects the growing convergence of writing, journalism, film, media, and design and interactive media production across platforms, emphasizing the historical tradition of the Communication Arts discipline as rooted in the social and cultural uses of media.
To prepare students to produce outstanding creative work in an increasingly diverse society, the curriculum is both grounded in the liberal arts and committed to teaching the principles, aesthetics and tools of the discipline through the development of new pedagogies based on digital interactive multimedia technologies. The major includes nationally and internationally recognized filmmakers, print and interactive media designers, journalists, writers and scholars, whose work is featured in festivals, exhibitions, and museums, as well as in books and scholarly journals.
Students in the Communication Arts major begin their study with two required foundation courses that expose them to the ways in which new technologies and the globalization of media are blurring the lines between previously distinct areas of media production and reception. Students then choose one of five concentrations for further study: Digital Filmmaking, Design and Interactive Media, Journalism, Writing, and Media/Cinema Studies. Courses in theory, history, structure, criticism, writing and production engage students analytically and creatively with the social, cultural, and aesthetic issues of media.
The curriculum culminates in a senior portfolio capstone project that demonstrates each student's ability to conceptualize and execute meaningful work using the relevant technologies of his or her concentration. All majors also complete an internship or co-op with New York City area institutions, including: film, television, and interactive media companies; newspaper, magazine, and book publishers; or museums, public relations, promotions, and other commercial and non-profit organizations. Other experiential or extracurricular activities include regular Cinematheque film screenings, the Rho Phi chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Arts Honor Society; a student Creative Media Club; regular presentations by artists, professionals, and alumni, and Media Collision, the annual spring showcase of outstanding student work.
The Communication Arts Major maintains a wide range of facilities, including computer labs for digital imaging, print design, interactive multimedia production, audio postproduction, Final Cut Pro digital postproduction, and writing; a field production classroom, private editing suites, audio recording studio, student access clusters, and studio facilities for television/digital film/new media production. Students completing this program will receive a B.A. degree. A minor is not available.
Requirements of the Major and Concentrations
- Transfer students who have 48 or more credits accepted at the time of transfer are waived from the courses marked with a [W] below. Waivers only apply to General Education Requirements NOT School Core or Major Requirements.
- Double counting between General Education, School Core, and Major may be possible. Check with your advisor to see if any apply.
| Subject & Course # | Title & Course Description |
|---|---|
| GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS | |
| SELECT ONE | |
| [W] OR | |
| [W] | |
| SELECT ONE | GE-MATHEMATICS CATEGORY: MATH 101-121 |
| SELECT ONE | GE-SCIENCE WITH EXPERIENTIAL COMPONENT CATEGORY |
| SELECT ONE | [W] GE-HISTORY CATEGORY: HIST 101-110 |
| [W] | |
| SELECT ONE | GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES CATEGORY |
| SELECT ONE | GE-INTERCULTURAL NORTH AMERICA CATEGORY |
| SELECT ONE | [W] GE-TOPICS SOCIAL SCIENCE CATEGORY |
| SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS REQUIREMENTS | |
| [W] (satisfies first year seminar requirement) | |
| SELECT TWO | CA Interdisciplinary courses (only one can double-count in major) |
| COMMUNICATION ARTS MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | |
There are five concentrations in the Communication Arts Major: |
|
| DIGITAL FILMMAKING CONCENTRATION | |
| Category 1: Foundation Course Requirements | |
| Category 2 : History/Theory/Criticism Course Requirements | |
| Choose one course at the 200 level: | |
| Choose two courses at the 300 level: | |
| Category 3: Writing/Production Course Requirements | |
| Category 4: Capstone Portfolio Requirement | |
| Category 5: Internship or Co-op Course Requirement | |
| Choose one course at 300 or 400-level: | |
| Category 6: Electives Course Requirement | |
| Choose two elective courses: | |
| DESIGN AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA CONCENTRATION | |
| Category 1: Foundation Course Requirement | |
| Category 2 : History/Theory/Criticism Course Requirements | |
| Take two required courses | |
| Choose one course from the following: | |
| Category 3: Writing/Production Course Requirements | |
| Choose one of the following courses: | |
| Category 4: Capstone Portfolio course requirements | |
| Choose one of the following courses: | |
| Category 5: Internship or Co-op Course Requirements | |
| Choose one course at the 300 or 400 level: | |
| Category 6: Electives Course Requirement | |
| Choose two elective courses: | |
| (was 233) | |
| JOURNALISM CONCENTRATION | |
| Category 1: Foundation Course Requirements | |
| Category 2 : History/Theory/Criticism Course Requirements |
|
| Choose one course at the 100 or 200 level: | |
| Take one required course at the 300 level : | |
| Choose one additional course at the 300 level: | |
| Category 3: Writing/Production Course Requirements | |
| Choose one of the following : | |
| Choose two of the following: | |
| Category 4: Social Science Course Requirement | |
| Choose one social science course: | |
| Category 5: Capstone Portfolio Course Requirements | |
| Choose one of the following courses: | |
| Category 6: Internship or Co-Op Course Requirement | |
| Choose one 300 or 400 level course: | |
| Category 7: Electives Course Requirement | |
| Choose two elective courses: | |
| (was 216) | |
| (was 222) | |
| (was 229) | |
| (was 233) | |
| WRITING CONCENTRATION | |
| Category 1: Foundation Course Requirements | |
| Category 2: History/Theory/Criticism Course Requirements | |
| Choose one course at the 200 level: | |
| Choose two courses at the 300-level: | |
| Category 3: Writing Course Requirements | |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| Category 4: Literature Course Requirements | |
| Choose two literature courses: | |
| (was 202) | |
| (was 204) | |
| (was 204) | |
| (was 212) | |
| (was 218) | |
| (was 223) | |
| (was 228) | |
| (was 239) | |
| (was 255) | |
| (was 268) | |
| (was 287) | |
| (was 308) | |
| Category 5: Capstone Portfolio Course Requirements | |
| Choose one of the following courses: | |
| Category 6: Internship or Co-Op Course Requirement | |
| Choose one course at the 300 or 400 level: | |
| Category 7: Electives Course Requirements | |
| Choose one of the following courses: | |
| (was 216) | |
| (was 222) | |
| (was 229) | |
| (was 233) | |
| MEDIA AND CINEMA STUDIES CONCENTRATION | |
| Category 1: Foundation Course Requirements | |
| Category 2 : History/Theory/Criticism Course Requirements | |
| Choose one course at the 200 level: | |
| Choose two courses at the 300 level: | |
| Category 3: Media/Cinema Studies Course Requirements | |
| Choose one course in media writing or production: | |
| Choose one course in media/film organization and economics: | |
| Choose two courses in media criticism and analysis: | |
| Choose one course in media writing: | |
| Category 4: Capstone Portfolio Course Requirement | |
| Choose one upper level portfolio course: | |
| Category 5: Internship or Co-Op Course Requirement | |
| Choose one course at the 300 or 400 level: | |
| Category 6: Electives Course Requirements | |
| Choose two elective courses: | |
Note: A 2.0 GPA in the major is required for graduation.
Related Information
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