Codirectors:
Associate Professor Karen Panetta, Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Howard Woolf, Experimental College
Core faculty:
Associate Professor Alva Couch, Computer Science
Associate Professor Eva Hoffman, Art and Art History
Associate Professor Karen Panetta, Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Assistant Professor Don Weingust, Drama and Dance
Lecturer Christine Cavalier, Art and Art History
Lecturer Paul Lehrman, Music
The multimedia arts (MMA) program provides a framework for the analysis of and practical training in emerging digital media. Linking the School of Engineering with the College of Liberal Arts, the MMA program is supported by the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Computer Science Department in concert with the Art and Art History Department, the Drama and Dance Department, the Music Department, and the Experimental College.
Interdisciplinary Minor in Multimedia Arts
The multimedia arts minor
now forms a third track within Communications and Media Studies, along with
minors in Mass Communications and Media Studies, and Film Studies. 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 minor also develops skills relevant to many careers: project design and implementation, creativity and critical thinking, media and computer literacy, oral and written communication, as well as teamwork and leadership. All undergraduates are therefore encouraged to participate.
The interdisciplinary minor in multimedia arts requires a minimum of five courses and a senior project within the guidelines noted below.
Core Courses
Students are encouraged--but not required--to take one of the
following core courses. Each of these courses also counts toward the multimedia
practice requirement.
Experimental College 12F
Designing Your Piece of the Web
Drama 22 Introduction to the Art of Multimedia
Electrical Engineering 92MM The Multimedia Revolution*
*Currently being developed--projected to be offered in spring 2006
Multimedia Practice Courses
Students must take two courses from an approved list of courses (see below)
which introduce students to the tools, methods, and theories current in the
field.
Electives
Students must take two full-credit, letter-graded courses 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). Courses taken to fulfill a
requirement for a student's major cannot be counted as multimedia arts
electives. No more than one elective can be taken from a student's major study
area. For example, music majors may fulfill one of their electives by taking a
course in art and art history. A second elective must then be in electrical
engineering, computer science, or another approved technology course. All
elective decisions must be made in consultation with a student's adviser for the
minor.
Mandatory Courses
Experimental College 190C Senior Colloquium (half-credit, pass/fail)
This is a mandatory course for students
enrolled in any of the three CMS minors. It is taken in the fall of a student's
senior year and is designed to aid in the planning and successful completion of
the senior project.
Experimental College 194C Senior Project
(full-credit, letter-graded)
The senior project is an original work which reflects an understanding
of and facility with one or more of the expressive and/or conceptual disciplines
associated with multimedia. Collaborative projects are strongly encouraged. A
thesis or project completed for the major may not be used as the MMA senior
project. On a case-by-case basis, however, a student may be allowed to create a
thematic relationship between the two projects.
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.)
Approved List of Multimedia Practice Courses
Art History 189 (introduction)/189A (advanced) Multimedia
and the Visual Arts
Drama 21 Computer-Assisted Design
Drama 22 Introduction to the Art of Multimedia
Electrical Engineering 120 Computer Animation for Technical
Communications
Engineering Science 95/Music 199 Electronic Music Instrument Design
Experimental College 12F
Designing Your Piece of the Web
Experimental College 56 Making Movies: The Study and Practice of
Filmmaking
Experimental College 101
Advanced Filmmaking
Experimental College 102
Studies in Electronic and Digital Media
Music 51/151 Music for Multimedia I (fall
and spring)
Music 52/152 Music for Multimedia II
(fall only)
Music 53/153 Electronic
Musical Instrument Design (spring
only) (Cross-listed as Engineering Science
95ME.)
Music 191 Multimedia Projects for Music-Culture Research
FAM 65A Photography and the Computer (studio art at
Museum School)
Approved courses from the Experimental College
New courses in multimedia practice as they are developed and approved by the
program
For specific information about the policies governing requirements and electives, visit www.excollege.tufts.edu/mma.
To view Course Descriptions, please go to: http://webcenter.studentservices.tufts.edu/courses/main.asp.