2007-08 - Pitzer College

164 MEDIA STUDIES
Minor: A minor in Media Studies requires completion of six graded courses, which must
include the following:
1. One introductory critical/theoretical Media Studies course
2. One introductory media production course
3. One intermediate/advanced level Media Studies course
4. One media service or media internship
5. One media theory course
6. One elective in Media Studies.
Combined Major: For combined majors, one Introduction to Media course, one
production course, one media theory course, the Senior Seminar, and four additional
Media Studies courses are required. The combined major must reflect a coherent
integration of the two fields.
Double Major: Students must complete the requirements for both majors, including any
theses or honors requirements. Normally, no more than two courses can be counted to
fulfill the requirements in both fields.
Honors: Media Studies majors with at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA will be invited to have
their senior project or thesis evaluated for honors. Students whose senior project receives
a grade of “A” will be recommended to the Media Studies Field Group for honors.
Students in production courses have access to equipment for course work. The
Production Center provides digital camcorders, 16mm and Super 8 film cameras,
microphones, lights, and other production equipment. Post-production facilities include
Final Cut Pro digital editing systems and basic film editing equipment.
All courses are not offered each academic year. Please check appropriate catalogue for
precise offerings.
43. Beyond Road Movies: Immigration, Exile and Displacement in Media. This is a
survey of contemporary media productions that address the displacement of peoples in
diasporic cultures. In this course, we will focus on the cultural, social, and political
conditions that led to mass migrations around the world, and how these conditions have
influenced media artists in their practice. Prerequisites: MS 50, or PO 49 or equivalent,
and permission of instructor. M-Y. Ma. [not offered 2007-08]
45. Documentary Media. This course involves production, a historical survey of
documentary practices in photography, film and video, and a discussion of the ethical
and ideological issues raised by the genre. Students will be expected to produce two
short documentary projects in any media. J. Lerner. [not offered 2007-08]
46. Feminist Documentary Production and Theory. Women have made politicized
documentaries since the invention of the motion picture camera. Students will learn this
complex theoretical, historical and political tradition while producing their own feminist
documentary. Prerequisite: MS 50, PO MS 49 or equivalent, or MS 82. Enrollment is
limited. Course fee: $150. A. Juhasz. [not offered 2007-08]
MEDIA STUDIES
47. Independent Film Cultures. While Hollywood is the dominant film system, it is by
no means the only structure through which films are made or enjoyed. Artists, political
people, counter-culture types, and many others who oppose mainstream culture have
created independent film cultures including avant-garde, “indie” and digital cultures.
Course work will explore these 3 cultures through readings, screenings, written papers,
and production projects. A. Juhasz. [not offered 2007-08]
48. Media Ethnography/Autobiography. This integrated production/theory course will
survey the rich traditions of autobiographical and ethnographic media production while
also reading theories and histories of these practices to consider the diverse ethics,
strategies, contradictions, and motives of using a camera for knowledge of self and other.
Students will produce media ethnographies and autobiographies, as well as written analyses
of these practices. Prerequisite: MS 82. Course fee: $150. A. Juhasz. [not offered 2007-08]
49 PO, SC. Introduction to Media Studies: Print Media, Television and Popular
Culture. This course will focus on the history and critical analysis of print media,
television and popular culture with an emphasis on developing critical skill sand
interpretive strategies. Fall, Staff/Spring, Staff.
50. Language of Film. Film and video are often considered to be a distinct semiotic
system or art form with their own “language.” This course surveys the variety of
structures which can organize moving pictures: from Hollywood continuity editing,
Soviet montage and cinema verite to voice-over documentary, talking heads and
postmodern voices with no center at all. The course includes silent film, classic
Hollywood narrative, avant-garde film and video, documentary and activist video.
Enrollment is limited. [not offered 2007-08]
165
55. Introduction to Documentary Film. Journeying through the landscape of
documentary, from its simple ethnographic beginnings to the complex creative expression
of personal, social and political reality that it is today, we will learn to analyze, through
screenings and readings, the styles, ethics, choices and techniques employed by
important filmmakers. Fall, V. Mudd.
61. Pan-American Vanguards. An introduction to a range of modernist vanguard
movements from 20th century South, Central and North America, this course surveys the
literary, cinematic and fine arts production of these groups. Emphasis is placed on the
close analysis of primary texts and comparative studies across genres, media and national
boundaries. Spring, J. Lerner.
Soc 70. Media and Society. (See Sociology 70.) [not offered 2007-08]
Soc 71. Sociology of Popular Music. (See Sociology 71). Fall, D. Basu.
72. Women and Film. An investigation of both the oppressive and oppositional potential
of the fiction film as it either captures or constructs cultural understandings of women’s
sexuality, agency and identity. This introduction to feminist film theory and scholarship
will consider the representation of women in a variety of classic Hollywood film genres
as well as how women represent themselves in both Hollywood and avant garde film and
video. Prerequisite: MS 49 (PO) or MS 50 or equivalent. A. Juhasz. [not offered 2007-08]