New Media Studies (NMS)
Professors Gilbert, Lopez-Isnardi, R. Riley and Vickery; Associate Professor Thall; Assistant Professors Collamati and Diels; Instructor Bare.
The New Media Studies major is a multidisciplinary program that combines theory and practice in the study of emerging forms of media, digital information and technology. Through rigorous interdisciplinary coursework, hands-on media experience, and required internships students integrate media history, theory, research and law with applied project work. New Media Studies prepares students for graduate study and work in media industries including: graphic design, audio and visual arts, social media, gaming and simulation, e-text and web publication, and instructional technology. Representative fields of application include education, entertainment, advertising, journalism, promotion, media research and advocacy.
Major Requirements
Forty-four credits in NMS and 12 credits of cognate work in allied areas of study. Cognates may count toward second majors and minors.
- Core: Twenty credits that must include NMS 101, 120, 201, 204, 220.
- Concentration: Twenty-eight credits that must include NMS 300; and 12 additional credits, 8 of which must be upper level, from NMS 104, 114, 210, 250, 281, 282, 320, 381. Must also take 12 credits from ART 224, 230, 232, 390; COM 327; CSC 204, 335; ENG 202, 270, 370; MUS 215; PHL 224; SOA 328 or other course pre-approved by the Department.
- Capstone: Eight credits of NMS 385 (4 credits), 450 (4 credits).
Departmental Honors
Completion of all NMS major requirements, 3.5 GPA in the major, and completion of a senior thesis of honors caliber (NMS 500).Minor Requirements
Twenty-eight credits that must include 12 credits of NMS 101; 201; and one of 120, 204 or 220; NMS 450; 8 credits, 4 of which must be upper level, choosing from NMS 104, 114, 210, 250, 281, 282, 300, 320, 381. Must also take 4 credits from ART 224, 230, 232, 390; COM 327; CSC 204, 335; ENG 202, 270, 370; MUS 215; PHL 224; SOA 328 or other course pre-approved by the Department.
| NMS 101. | Introduction to Digital Media | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 credits | ||
| Introduction to technical, social and cultural aspects of new media. Topics include media convergence, interactivity, social networking and participatory culture. Includes laboratory work exploring basic principles of effective communication employing a variety of digital media for designing and delivering graphics, audio and video. Emphasis on creating multimedia projects for delivery over digital networks. Laboratory. | ||
| NMS 104. | Copyright, Ethics and Digital Practice | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Examines recent legal battles in the context of the historical and ideological relationships between authorship, technology, commerce, law and culture. Uncovers important issues for cultural participation in a digital world: who gets to speak, what they can say, who will hear, under what conditions communication can occur and with what consequences. Explores how the law acts as an arena for the collision of authorship and the market, technology and expression, individual and institution, culture, and power. | ||
| NMS 114. | Introduction to Web Development | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Introduction to the theory and practice of communication in a digital format, including text, hypertext, visual, audio and video. Surveys the technologies underlying the World Wide Web, including Web page construction and site management. Explore both structural and presentational principles in Web design including XHTML markup for layout and arrangement, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for presentation and style, as well as valid methods for embedding multimedia (photos, video, audio, etc.) to convey both informative and persuasive messages. Laboratory. | ||
| NMS 120. | Principles of Visual Design | |
| 4 credits | $100 | |
| Investigation of foundational elements and principles of visual design, as components of visual communication. Two dimensional design and time-based media are explored traditionally and digitally, using programs such as: Illustrator, Photoshop Lightroom, iMovie and others. Topics include color theory, composition, narrative and non-narrative storytelling, among others. | ||
| NMS 180-*280-*380. | Topics in New Media Studies | |
| 1-4 credits | ||
| 4 credits in NMS or Permission | ||
| Selected topics in new media innovations, issues and effects. May be taken more than once for credit. | ||
| NMS 199-*299-*399-*499. | Independent Study | |
| 1-4 credits | ||
| Permission | ||
| NMS 201. | Media Systems and Influence | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Introductory study of the major media industries and effects. Emphasis on analyzing how media technologies affect information flow and social networks and the influence of media on human perception, behavior and identity. | ||
| NMS *204. | Foundations of Digital Audio and Video | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Overview of digital audio and video applications and the work flows designed to produce and manipulate digital sound and moving images. Includes music and sound for video, animation, and using audio and video on the Web. Students are introduced to important media standards such as NTSC, HDV, MIDI, QuickTime, MPEG and various SD and HD formats. (Cross listed with MUS 201.) | ||
| NMS *210. | Motion Graphics and Animation | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Introduction to 2D and 3D visual effects, animation and compositing. Critical study and theory of motion and animation principles; concepts of key framing, applying behaviors, tweening animations, symbols, generators and particle emission, chroma keying and rotoscoping. | ||
| NMS *220. | Introduction to Media Programming and Computation | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Write programs to manipulate images, sounds and movies, developing knowledge and skills in problem solving, data representation, data manipulation, and programming principles including recursion and object-oriented design. Introduction to basic ideas in hardware, software and computing. | ||
| NMS *250. | Media Economics and Law | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Introduction to the business practices and regulations that shape the American media industry. Emphasis is placed on the roles of audience characteristics and media technology in shaping the content of media, and the role of the First Amendment as the basis for media regulation. | ||
| NMS *260. | Visual Communication | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Focus on understanding images in culture from a psychological, photojournalistic and communication perspective. Work from a range of disciplines, including anthropology, communication, media and cultural studies, sociology, psychology and design. | ||
| NMS *281. | Hypermedia and the Read-Write Web | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Explores emerging Web trends and practices, from blogs to wikis to RSS, social networks and semantic search engines. Students study, research and experiment with commonly deployed free and open source code libraries, including JavaScript frameworks, Google development tools, and other available resources to build interactive Web components, widgets and functions. | ||
| NMS *282. | Network Analysis | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Examination of tools and techniques used in analyzing social relations, focusing on substantive and theoretical origins and applications of these techniques. Emphasizes basic network concepts and common approaches to network analysis. Introduces advanced methodologies for analyzing social networks. | ||
| NMS *300. | Media Theory and Culture | |
 |
4 credits | |
| Survey key benchmarks and texts in the history of media and new media technologies, while also introducing critical readings of 20th and 21st century media culture, both from the theoretical field of media studies and the creative works of artists, filmmakers and writers. | ||
| NMS *320. | Computer Game Design and Interactive Narrative | |
| 4 credits | ||
| NMS 120; NMS 220 or CSC 120 | ||
| Using coursework and team projects, students explore the process by which games go from conception to formal design to implementation. Explore all facets of the game development process, from brainstorming techniques, to art and sound design, to testing and marketing. Laboratory. | ||
| NMS *381. | Documentary Video | |
| 4 credits | ||
| Combines theory, history and practice, exploring documentary video production through an overview of the history and major styles, field exercises, screening, discussion and critique. Participating in collaborative work with classmates, students are exposed to a range of storytelling, production, aesthetic, and artistic issues. Hands-on demonstrations, field exercises, screenings, readings, lectures and discussion prepare students to produce short documentary videos. | ||
| NMS *385. | Internship in New Media | |
| 2-4 credits | ||
| Junior Standing and 12 credits in NMS, or Permission | ||
| Application of new media concepts and skills through participation in communities, institutions, agencies, schools and businesses. Supervision by faculty and sponsoring organizations. Includes interpretive journal and substantive paper or project. | ||
| NMS *450. | Seminar in Media Applications and Implications | |
|
4 credits | |
| Senior Standing | ||
| Explores proposed and possible digital media forms, functions, contents and systems. Investigates applications of media tools and how new developments in media may both represent and transgress cultural and professional assumptions about the nature of media and mediated communication. Requires completion of a senior studio or research project. | ||
| NMS *500. | Senior Thesis | |
|
2-4 credits | |
| Senior Standing and Permission | ||
| Development and completion of original scholarly/creative work. May be applied, interpretive, critical, empirical or theoretical. Required for departmental honors. | ||