Communications and Media Studies

Director:
Julie Dobrow, Child Development

Associate director:
Susan Eisenhauer, Communications and Media Studies

Core faculty:
Assistant Professor Nancy Bauer, Philosophy
Assistant Professor Marina Bers, Child Development
Associate Professor Downing Cless, Drama and Dance
Associate Professor Alva Couch, Computer Science
Senior Lecturer Jeanne Dillon, American Studies
Lecturer Julie Dobrow, Child Development
Professor Lee Edelman, English
Associate Professor James Ennis, Sociology
Associate Professor Calvin Gidney III, Child Development
Associate Professor James Glaser, Political Science
Associate Professor Barbara Grossman, Drama and Dance
Associate Professor David Guss, Sociology and Anthropology
Associate Professor Deborah Pacini Hernandez, Sociology and Anthropology
Associate Professor Hosea Hirata, German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures
Associate Professor Charles Inouye, German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures
Professor Vida Johnson, German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures
Associate Professor Brigitte Lane, Romance Languages
Lecturer Nan Levinson, English
Professor Joseph Litvak, English
Associate Professor David Locke, Music
Associate Professor Karen Panetta, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Professor Christiane Zehl Romero, German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures
Associate Professor Joel Rosenberg, German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures
Professor Fred Rothbaum, Child Development
Professor Laurence Senelick, Drama and Dance
Professor Martin Sherwin, History
Assistant Professor Sarah Sobieraj, Sociology
Professor Judith Wechsler, Art and Art History
Howard Woolf, Experimental College
Associate Professor Xueping Zhong, German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures

Communications and Media Studies is an interdisciplinary program that educates students about mass media and communications. In our contemporary world, the omnipresence of mass communications demands a basic understanding of its workings and effects by every citizen. The mission of the Communications and Media Studies program is to provide students with the necessary critical tools to participate actively and knowledgeably as informed world citizens and to give them a background in media literacy to make them more careful and critical consumers and producers of media. This program is designed to aid all students in acquiring this knowledge, while also providing interested students with the opportunity to make communications and media studies a major part of their academic career at Tufts.

Each semester the program offers courses of its own through the Experimental College and lists all media-related courses available in the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Engineering, the Museum School, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. The program also offers three interdisciplinary minors: Mass Communications and Media Studies, Film Studies, and Multimedia Arts. It also registers, supervises, and grants credit for internships in all fields of communications and mass media. Special events and lectures are organized annually and are open to the entire university community.

For more information, contact the program office in 13 Miner Hall, 617-627-2007, CMS@tufts.edu.

Interdisciplinary Minor in Mass Communications and Media Studies 
Students pursuing the interdisciplinary minor in Mass Communications and Media Studies must take Introduction to Mass Media (Sociology 40) and four courses from the program's approved elective courses list. In addition, during their senior year CMS students must either complete a senior project (Experimental College 194C) or take an additional media course from the CMS list (the CMS course option). 

The four elective courses mentioned above must be from at least three departments, and they must include at least one course in the disciplinary area of social sciences and at least one course in the disciplinary area of humanities and the arts. Except with the written consent of the director, only one of the four electives may be a media practice course or credited internship where students learn skills in media production (e.g., photography, journalism, video, film, multimedia, graphic design, advertising copy). With the exception of the internship (Experimental College 99C) and the senior colloquium (Experimental College 190C), all courses taken for the MCMS minor must be taken for a letter grade. In accordance with Tufts policies, students cannot double count a course for fulfillment of a foundation requirement and for the MCMS minor, and they may use a maximum of two credits from the minor to count also toward a major, another minor, or distribution requirements.

The senior project (Experimental College 194C) is a substantial work, which can include the use of one or more forms of media (e.g., print, film, video, recorded sound, live performance, CD-ROM). The project may take the form of either a more traditional written thesis or an audiovisual project with a written component. The focus of the work will be a critical exploration of mass communications in the past, present, and/or future. Either one-half credit or one credit will be given, at the discretion of the faculty advisers. Students doing a project must take the CMS senior colloquium (Experimental College 190C), a half-year, one-half credit, pass-fail course that assists them in developing their senior projects through group study and analysis of each student's work in progress. 

The CMS course option to the senior project is an additional CMS-approved media-related course taken in the senior year. Students completing the course option must submit a paper (minimum 15 pages) focusing on a media- or film-related topic written in conjunction with that course. The paper must be approved, advised, and graded by the course instructor. Students pursuing this option must also get approval from the CMS director.

Students are strongly encouraged to take at least one media-related internship.

MCMS Core Courses
Sociology 40 Introduction to Mass Media
Experimental College 190C Senior Colloquium 
Experimental College 194C Senior Project 

Approved Elective Courses
HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS
American Studies 75 American Film Studies
Art History 56 History of Photography
Art History 62 Art on Film, Film on Art
Chinese 80 Chinese Cinema: 1930s to Present
Chinese 81 Cinemas of Greater China
Drama 33 The American Musical
Drama 48 African-American Theatre and Film
Drama 49 Asian-American Theatre and Film
Drama 50 Introduction to Film Studies
Drama 60 Shakespeare on Film
Drama 61 Film in India
Drama 62 Hollywood Comedy
Drama 64 Women and Film
Drama 65 Third-World Film: Race and Its Discontents
Drama 143 Gay and Lesbian Theatre and Film 
English 5, 6 Creative Writing: Journalism
English 11A Intermediate Journalism
English 62 Film and Society
English 80 Hitchcock: Cinema, Gender, Ideology
English 81 Postmodernism and Film
English 83 Un-American Activities: Popular Culture and the Left
French 75 Classics of French Cinema
German 85 German Film
ILVS 50 Introduction to Film Studies
ILVS 100 Classics of World Cinema
Italian 75 Italian Film
Japanese 80 Japanese Film
Japanese 112 Major Japanese Film Directors
Japanese 113 Japanese Visual Culture
Judaic Studies 48 Israeli Film
Judaic Studies 142 Jewish Experience on Film
Music 13 History of Rock 'n' Roll
Music 15 Music in the U.S.A. since 1945
Russian 80 Russian Film: Art, Politics, and Society
Russian 119 Contemporary Russian Media

SOCIAL SCIENCES
Anthropology 135 Visual Anthropology
Anthropology 146 Latino Music, Migration, and Identity
Anthropology 183 Urban Borderlands
Anthropology 184 Festivals and Politics in Latin America
Child Development 167 Children and Mass Media
History 89 Rewriting America: A Survey of the Twentieth Century
History 178 The Camera and the Cold War
Political Science 112 American Politics and the Media
Sociology 185 Seminar in Mass Media Studies

MEDIA PRACTICE
Computer Science 20 Multimedia Programming
Drama 21 3-D Computer-Assisted Design
Drama 22 Introduction to the Art of Multimedia
Drama 77 Screenwriting I
Drama 178 Screenwriting II
Electrical Engineering 120 Computer Animation for Technical Communications
Experimental College 99C Internship in Communications
Studio Art: See CMS director for approved studio art courses

EXPERIMENTAL COLLEGE AND SPECIAL MEDIA-RELATED COURSES
The Communications and Media Studies program and the Experimental College offer courses applicable to the interdisciplinary minor. A maximum of two of these courses may be applied to the minor and one of its disciplinary areas. The program also approves on an ongoing basis new, or special, media-related courses. The CMS office at 13 Miner Hall has an updated list of special media-related courses.

Interdisciplinary Minor in Film Studies 
Students pursuing the interdisciplinary minor in Film Studies must take Introduction to Film Studies (ILVS/Drama 50) and four film-related courses from the program's  approved elective courses list. In addition, during their senior year CMS students must either complete a senior project or take an additional film-related course from the CMS list (the course option). 

The four elective courses must be from at least three departments. Except with the written consent of the CMS director, only one of the four electives may be a film practice course or credited internship where students learn skills in film production or practice. With the exception of the internship (Experimental College 99C), all classes taken for the film studies minor must be taken for a letter grade. In accordance with Tufts policies, students cannot double count a course for fulfillment of a foundation requirement and for the film studies minor, and they may use a maximum of two credits from the minor to count also toward a major, another minor, or distribution requirements.

The senior project (Experimental College 194C) is a substantial work which may take the form of either a more traditional written thesis or a practice-based project (e.g., screenplay, film, video) with a written component. Either one-half or one credit will be given at the discretion of the faculty advisers. Students doing a project must also take the CMS senior colloquium (Experimental College 190C), a half-year, one-half credit, pass-fail course that assists them in developing their senior projects through group study and analyses of each student's work in progress.

The CMS course option to the senior project is an additional CMS-approved film-related course taken in the senior year. Students completing the course option must submit a paper (minimum 15 pages) focusing on a film-related topic written in conjunction with that course. The paper must be approved, advised, and graded by the course instructor. Students pursuing this option must also get prior approval from the CMS director. 

Students are strongly encouraged to take at least one film-related internship.

Film Studies Core Courses
ILVS/Drama 50 Introduction to Film Studies
Experimental College 190C Senior Colloquium
Experimental College 194C Senior Project

Approved Elective Courses
FILM STUDIES COURSES
American Studies 75 American Film Studies
Anthropology 135 Visual Anthropology
Anthropology 183 Urban Borderlands
Art History 62 Art on Film, Film on Art
Child Development 167 Children and Mass Media
Chinese 80 Chinese Cinema: 1930s to Present
Chinese 81 Cinemas of Greater China
Drama 33 The American Musical
Drama 48 African-American Theatre and Film
Drama 49 Asian-American Theatre and Film
Drama 50 Introduction to Film Studies
Drama 60 Shakespeare on Film
Drama 61 Film in India
Drama 62 Hollywood Comedy
Drama 64 Women and Film
Drama 65 Third-World Film: Race and Its Discontents
Drama 143 Gay and Lesbian Theatre and Film 
English 62 Film and Society
English 80 Hitchcock: Cinema, Gender, Ideology
English 81 Postmodernism and Film
English 83 Un-American Activities: Popular Culture and the Left
French 75 Classics of French Cinema
German 85 German Film
History 178 The Camera and the Cold War
ILVS 50 Introduction to Film Studies
ILVS 100 Classics of World Cinema
Italian 75 Italian Film
Japanese 80 Japanese Film
Japanese 112 Major Japanese Film Directors
Judaic Studies 48 Israeli Film
Judaic Studies 142 Jewish Experience on Film
Russian 80 Russian Film: Art, Politics, and Society
Sociology 40 Introduction to Mass Media 

FILM PRACTICE COURSES
Drama 77 Screenwriting I
Drama 178 Screenwriting II
Experimental College 99C Communications Internships (must be a film-related internship)
Studio Art: See CMS director for approved studio art courses

EXPERIMENTAL COLLEGE AND SPECIAL FILM-RELATED COURSES
The Communications and Media Studies program and the Experimental College offer courses applicable to the interdisciplinary minor. A maximum of two of these courses may be applied to the minor. The program also approves on an ongoing basis new, or special, film-related courses. The CMS office at 13 Miner Hall has an updated list of approved special film-related courses.

Interdisciplinary Minor in Multimedia Arts
The multimedia arts program provides a framework for the analysis of and practical training in emerging digital media. The minor includes--and often mixes--work in animation, filmmaking, photography, music, text, drawing, collage, graphic design, software development, Web site construction, user interface strategies, and human factors theory. Through coursework and collaboration on the part of students in liberal arts and students in technical disciplines, the minor aims to foster the development of a body of shared knowledge and ideas and, in so doing, to break down barriers that have traditionally hindered such cross-fertilization.

The interdisciplinary minor in multimedia arts requires a minimum of five courses within the guidelines noted below. Students pursuing the minor must take the Communications and Media Studies senior colloquium and complete a senior project. Prior to that, they need two multimedia practice courses (selected from the program's approved courses list) which introduce students to the tools, methods, and theories current in the field, and two electives selected from courses offered by the supporting departments--Art and Art History, Drama and Dance, Music, Electrical and Computer Engineering--or those listed and approved by the program (e.g., Experimental College courses). Except for the senior colloquium, all courses taken as part of the multimedia arts minor must be taken for a letter grade and may not be used toward fulfillment of the foundation requirement. (See Interdisciplinary Minor Program for details.)

For specific information about the policies governing requirements and electives, visit www.excollege.tufts.edu/mma.

Communications Internship Program
The internship program grants academic credit for internships in communications (Experimental College 99C). Students can arrange to work at newspapers, magazines, film companies, advertising and public relations firms, television stations, radio stations, and publishing houses. Interns are required to work a minimum of 150 hours (approximately 12 to 15 hours each week), keep a journal, and meet regularly with the faculty adviser. Contact Susan.Eisenhauer@tufts.edu for eligibility and course requirements.