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HWS is among the first liberal arts colleges in the country to offer a major in media studies. From its inception in 1996, the focus of the Media and Society Program has been to foster a critical analysis of the media’s pervasive influence on society and the individual. As such, it has had two fundamental goals:
"Media studies" refers to the examination of visual, aural, and otherwise textual information and entertainment as they are transmitted to mass audiences using complex and changing technologies. An inherently interdisciplinary field, Media Studies draws upon cultural studies, psychology, art and literary theory, sociology, information and propaganda theory, and economics. In addition to the study of mass media entertainment, the Media and Society program emphasizes a concern with advertising , the presentation of news, the dissemination of information, the critical and historical analysis of literature, and the role of the arts in mass culture.
The aim of the combined elements is the critical study of both mass media and the arts. Such interrogations include an analysis of the role of the artist, not only reflecting the dominant mythologies of the culture, but in reshaping them, of holding them up to scrutiny, of compelling a revision of the human potential. For this reason, students are expected to engage in self-expression by exploring their creative capacities in at least one of the visual and plastic arts, writing, dance, or music. The requirement for "hands on" experience is met through courses in documentary filmmaking, scriptwriting, digital editing, photography, digital design, and journalism, as well as through the requirement that each student complete an internship related to his or her area of academic interest.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR (B.A.)
interdisciplinary, 12 courses, plus language competency
The Media and Society Program offers an interdisciplinary major and minor. Media and Society majors explore four core areas before deciding on a concentration. All majors are required to take at least one course in the creative arts and to complete either an internship related to the study of the role of the media in society. Majors are required to complete approved courses in American history or social consciousness and social theory. The major culminates with a Senior Seminar. To remain in good standing as a MDSC major, all courses must be completed with a C- or better. The Senior Seminar must be passed with a C to count toward completing the major. The internship is graded credit/no credit.
The complete list of requirements for the major are:
Media and Society majors are also required to complete one college-level course in a foreign language. Students who have studied a foreign language in secondary school may have met this requirement; students for whom English is a second language may have met this requirement; students with a certified statement from a counselor or physician that a learning disability prevents them from learning a foreign language may petition for a waiver. Students should consult with their adviser about this requirement.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR
interdisciplinary, 6 courses (three of which must be MDSC classes or the equivalents)
MDSC 100; one course in the study of the mass media; one course in the theory of representation, or historical criticism of the arts, or creative arts. Three additional courses drawn from approved electives, one of which must be in the creative arts if not already included. Minors are not required to develop a concentration in a specific area of Media and Society.
Approved Courses
The Media and Society Program draws upon courses offered in a number of different departments. Some of the courses listed below may be withdrawn by contributing departments for various reasons and new courses offered in departments may be accepted for the Media and Society major. Listed below are the types of courses acceptable to fulfill the requirements, but students should consult their advisers to discuss other suitable courses.
Core Competencies
Majors are required to take one course in each of four core areas. Minors are required to take three courses chosen from different core areas. The same course may be listed under more than one competency; but one course cannot be used to satisfy more than one of the core competencies numbered 1 to 4 below. None of the core competency courses can be used to fulfill the concentration requirements.
Core Competency 1. Techniques of Performance and Creativity
(majors choose one):
ARTS Any studio art course
DAN/T Any combination of dance classes for a total of 1 credit
ENG Any creative writing course
ENG 308 Screenwriting
ENG 178 Acting I
MUS Private Instruction and Ensembles (1/2 credit per semester; two semesters required)
MUS 210 American Musical Theater
MUS 400 Orchestration
MDSC 200 Cultures of Advertising
MDSC 305 Film Editing
MDSC 308 Film Editing II
MDSC 315 Introduction to Social Documentary
MDSC 415 Advanced Social Documentary
THTR 179 Introduction to Stagecraft
THTR 225 Introduction to Lighting Design
THTR 235 Visual Design for Performance
THTR 307 Playwriting Workshop
THTR 386 Shakespearean Performance
THTR 424 Writing About Performance
THTR 900 Theatre Production (1/2 credit per semester; two semesters required)
WRRH 205 Rhetorical Bytes: Writing with Digital Technologies and New Media
Core Competency 2. Critical Analysis or Media Theory
(majors choose one):
AFS 200 Ghettoscapes
AFS 300 Black Auteurs
AFS 309 Black Cinema
AFS 310 Black Images/White Myths
ANTH 115 Language and Culture
ARTH 210 Woman As Image-Maker
ARTH 335 Femme Fatale and Film
ENG 176 Film Analysis I
ENG 230 Film Analysis II
ENG 233 Art of the Screenplay
ENG 368 Film and Ideology
ENG 375 Science Fiction
ENG 376 New Waves
FRE 241 Prises de Vue
FRNE 219 Beyond Colonialism: North African Cinema and Literature
FRNE 395 Society and culture in the Ancient Régime: Representation of Race
MDSC 203 History of Television
MDSC 204 Imagining the West
MDSC 205 America in the Seventies
MDSC 304 Media and Theory
MDSC 307 Medicine and Society
MDSC 310 Covenant with Death
MDSC 224 Age of Propaganda I
MDSC 225 Age of Propaganda II
MDSC 320 Media Economics
PHIL 220 Semiotics
PHIL 230 Aesthetics
PHIL 260 Mind and Language
POL 320 Mass Media
POL 363 Digital Networks
SPNE 226 Screen Latinos
WRRH 250 Talk and Text: Introduction to Discourse Analysis
Core Competency 3: Cultural History of the Fine Arts or Mass Media
(majors choose one):
AFS 200 Ghettoscapes
AFS 310 Black Images/White Myths
ARTH 101 Ancient to Medieval
ARTH 102 Renaissance to Modern
ARTH 103 East Asian Art Survey
ARTH 110 Visual Culture
ARTH 201 African-American Art
ARTH 208 Greek Art and Architecture
ARTH 210 Woman as Image and Image-Maker
ARTH 211 Feminism in the Arts
ARTH 221 Early Italian Renaissance Art
ARTH 222 Women in Renaissance Art and Life
ARTH 226 Northern Renaissance Art
ARTH 230 Age of Michaelangelo
ARTH 240 European Art and Architecture
ARTH 249 Islamic Art and Architecture
ARTH 250 Modern Art 1900-1960
ARTH 252 Japanese Art and Culture
ARTH 255 French Roots of Modernism
ARTH 307 Cultural Theory and Art History
ARTH 333 Art Since 1960
ARTH 335 Femme Fatale and Film
ARTH 410 Genre of the Female Nude
DAN 210 Dance History I
DAN 212 Dance History II
DAN 214 Dance History III
ENG 231 Graphic Novels/Graphic Forms
ENG 264 Globalism and Literature
ENG 287 Film Histories I
ENG 288 Film Histories II
ENG 289 Film Histories III
ENG 329 From Codex to Kindle
ENG 376 New Waves
ENG 394 Story and History
EUST 101 Foundations of European Studies I
EUST 102 Foundations of European Studies II
FRNE 255 Birth of Modern French Theater
FRNE 395 Race Society and Culture in the Ancient Regime
GERE 201 Berlin: Sin City, Divided City
MDSC 200 Cultures of Advertising
MDSC 203 History of Television
MDSC 205 America in the Seventies
MDSC 224 Age of Propaganda I
MDSC 225 Age of Propaganda II
MDSC 303 History of the Social Documentary
MDSC 307 Medicine and Society
MUS 135 Music in the Americas: 1750 - 2000
MUS 190 History of Rock & Roll
MUS 202 History of Western Art and Music: Medieval and Renaissance
MUS 203 History of Western Art and Music: Baroque and Classical
MUS 204 History of Western Art and Music: Romantic and Modern
MUS 205 Music at the Movies
MUS 206 Opera as Drama
MUS 207 Music in American Culture: Jazz and Popular
MUS 210 American Musical Theater
MUS 216 Music of Asia
MUS 217 Folk and Traditional Music of Africa and the Americas
RUSE 204 Russian Film 1917-2001
SPAN 365 Literature & Music of Hispanic Caribbean Identity
Concentrations
A concentration for the major consists of four courses from any one of the clusters below. None of the core competency courses can used to fulfill the concentration requirements. At least one must be an MDSC course unless otherwise indicated; consult the courses listed under each concentration. A minor chooses any three courses from the following as electives:
Concentration in Studies in Mass Media and Politics
AFS 200 Ghettoscapes
AFS 309 Black Cinema
AFS 310 Black Images/White Myths
MDSC 205 America in the Seventies
MDSC 224 Age of Propaganda I
MDSC 225 Age of Propaganda II
MDSC 307 Medicine and Society
MDSC 315 Introduction to Social Documentary
POL 212 The Sixties and American Politics
POL 320 Mass Media
SOC 249 Technology and Society
SOC 257 Political Sociology
WRRH 303 Introduction to Publishing
WRRH 308 Seminar: Reporting Online
Concentration in Studies in Film, Television, and New Media
AFS 200 Ghettoscapes
AFS 300 Black Auteurs
AFS 309 Black Cinema
AFS 310 Black Images/White Myths
AFS 430 The Films of Spike Lee
ARTH 210 Woman As Image-Maker
ARTH 312 Women Make Movies
ASN 342 Chinese Cinema
EDUC 208 Teaching, Learning & Popular Culture
ENG 176 Film Analysis I
ENG 201 Jane Austen in Film
ENG 230 Film Analysis II
ENG 233 Art of the Screenplay
ENG 287 Film Histories I
ENG 288 Film Histories II
ENG 289 Film Histories III
ENG 294 Documentary Film History
ENG 320 History of American Independent Film
ENG 329 From Codex to Kindle
ENG 368 Film and Ideology
ENG 375 Science Fiction
ENG 376 New Waves
ENG 394 Story and History
FRE 241 Prises de Vue
ITAL 204 Italian Cinema
MDSC 200 Cultures of Advertising
MDSC 203 History of Television
MDSC 204 Imagining the West
MDSC 205 America in the Seventies
MDSC 307 Medicine and Society
MDSC 224 Age of Propaganda I
MDSC 225 Age of Propaganda II
MDSC 303 History of the Social Documentary
MDSC 315 Introduction to Social Documentary
MUS 205 Music at the Movies
POL 363 Digital Networks
RUSE 137 Vampires: From Vlad to Buffy
RUSE 204 Russian Film 1917-2001
SPNE 226 Screen Latinos
SPNE 314 Spanish Cinema
WRRH 205 Rhetorical Bytes: Digital Rhetorics & Writing with New Technology
Studies in Critical Method and Mass Media Theory
ARTH 110 Visual Culture
ENG 368 Film and Ideology
MDSC 200 Cultures of Advertising
MDSC 224 Age of Propaganda I
MDSC 225 Age of Propaganda II
MDSC 304 Media and Theory
PHIL 220 Semiotics
PHIL 230 Aesthetics
PHIL 260 Mind and Language
POL 320 Mass Media
POL 363 Digital Networks
WRRH 205 Rhetorical Bytes: Digital Rhetorics & Writing with New Technology
WRRH 250 Talk and Text
Concentration in Studies in Cultural Production: Composition and Technology
ARTS 165 Introduction to Imaging
ARTS 245 Photosilkscreen Printing
ARTS 265 Intermediate Imaging
ARTS 266 Time in Art
ARTS 268 Time in Art II
ARTS 365 Imaging Workshop
DAN 200 Dance Composition I
DAN 300 Dance Composition II
EDUC 295 Theater and the Child
ENG Any creative writing course
ENG 305 Advanced Poetry Workshop
ENG 307 Playwriting Workshop
ENG 308 Screenwriting
MDSC 200 Cultures of Advertising
MDSC 305 Film Editing
MDSC 308 Film Editing II
MDSC 315 Introduction to Social Documentary
MDSC 415 Advanced Social Documentary
MUS 210 American Musical Theater
THTR 178 Acting I
THTR 179 Introduction to Stagecraft
THTR 225 Introduction to Lighting Design
THTR 307 Playwriting Workshop
THTR 386 Shakespearean Performance
THTR 424 Writing About Performance
THTR 900 Theatre Production (1/2 credit per semester; two semesters required)
WRRH 205 Rhetorical Bytes: Digital Rhetorics & Writing with New Technology
WRRH 300 Journalism
WRRH 302 Op-Ed: Writing Political and Cultural Commentary
WRRH 308 Seminar: Online Reporting
Approved Supporting Courses
Social Theory
(majors choose one; none of these courses can be counted for the minor)
ANTH 341 Making Babies: Anthropology of Reproductive Techniques
ANTH 354 Food, Meaning, Voice
BIDS 200 Critical Social Theory
BIDS 233 Race, Class, and Gender
POL 160 Introduction to Political Theory
POL 175 Introduction to Feminist Theory
POL 238 Sex and Power
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 221 Sociology of Minorities
SOC 222 Social Change
SOC 226 Sociology of Sex and Gender
SOC 228 Social Conflicts
SOC 241 Sociology of Sport
SOC 249 Technology and Society
SOC 257 Political Sociology
SOC 259 Theory of Social Movements
SOC 260 Sociology of Human Nature
SOC 301 Modern Sociological Theory
SOC 325 Moral Sociology
SOC 331 Sociology of Art and Culture
SOC 340 Feminist Social Theory
SOC 356 Power and Powerlessness
SOC 375 Social Policy
WMST 300 Feminist Theory
WMST 357 Self in American Culture
WRRH 312 Power and Persuasion
American History and Social Consciousness
(majors choose one; none of these courses can be counted for the minor)
AMST 100 History and Forms of American Culture
AMST 310 Sex Minorities in America
ANTH 222 Native American Religion
ARTH 210 Woman as Image-Maker
HIST 105 Introduction to American Experience
HIST 204 History of American Society
HIST 208 Women in American History
HIST 215 American Urban History
HIST 227 African-American History I: The Early Era
HIST 228 African-American History II: The Modern Era
HIST 240 History of Immigration and Ethnicity in America
HIST 246 American Environmental History
HIST 258 Transformation of Rural America
HIST 306 Civil War and Reconstruction: 1845-1877
HIST 310 Rise of Industrial America
HIST 311 20th -Century America: 1917-1941
HIST 312 The U.S. Since 1939
HIST 314 Aquarian Age: The 1960s
HIST 337 History of American Thought Since 1865
HIST 340 Faulkner and Southern Historical Consciousness
LGBS 101 Introduction to Lesbian and Gay Studies
MUS 190 History of Rock & Roll
MUS 207 Music and American Culture
WMST 100 Introduction to Women’s Studies
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
100 Introduction to Media and Society The course considers the cultural meanings conveyed in popular entertainment, children's television, and advertising; the political economy of mass media ownership; and how the press mediates the public's sense of political and social realities. Students examine serious issues raised by the pervasive influence of mass media, including the concentration of ownership over public communications, the commodification of culture, and how the media affects the process of political persuasion. This course is intended for students interested in gaining a better understanding of how we are influenced by public communications. (Staff, each semester)
200 Cultures of Advertising Advertising is among the most pervasive forms of cultural representation in our global society. In this course, we approach advertisements as economic, aesthetic, and ideological forces whose analysis reveals crucial information about cultural attitudes and ideologies of their time and place. We will study the industrial and aesthetic history of advertising by analyzing advertising campaigns as well as their strategies, themes, and practices. Our materials will be drawn from both corporate and non-profit campaigns, global and local campaigns, and from anti-consumerist actions and other resistant practices. Our work will cover diverse media, including: print culture, television, film trailers, mobile marketing, social networking sites, and new media branding and marketing campaigns. (Shafer, offered annually)
203 History of Television An in-depth look at television history, from TV's theoretical beginnings to its current incarnation as a turbulent mirror for "reality," this course critically examines television texts and criticism of the medium as entertainment and as a contested force in social and cultural practices. Students consider significant technical and aesthetic shifts in programming, and arguments about the negotiation of race, ethnicity, class, and gender in TV. While some attention is paid to other national industries, the chief focus of the course is on television in the United States and western hemisphere. (Shafer, offered annually)
204 Imagining the West: The Myth and The Media The image of the West in American culture is both real and imagined, historical and mythic. The so-called "frontier experience" has defined significant aspects of cultural life and continues to exert a hold on the imagination of Americans—and those beyond our shores. This class examines the West as an ideological construct formed by both facts and legends, but most importantly, communicated and sustained by the mass media. Indeed, television and film productions have made the West a vital part of American history and a continuing facet of our everyday lives, and that is the focus of the class. (Friedman, Fall)
205 America in the ’70s It is easy to make fun of the '70s with its big hair, bad music, and blighted fashions. Many historians see the first half of the decade as a pounding hangover from the radical '60s and the second half as a counterbalancing prelude to the conservative '80s, denying the '70s any identity of its own. But beneath the glittering disco globes, a fundamental shift in the culture, society and ideology that defined American life—one reflected and refracted in the era's mass media and popular arts—took place from 1970 to 1979. This class explores the '70s from the perspective of its cultural productions, paying particular attention to the critical intersections where the arts both influence and mediate the major historical events and intellectual currents of this decade. (Friedman, offered annually)
224 Age of Propaganda I: 1914-1945;
225 Age of Propaganda II: 1945-2001 The advent of modern or mechanized warfare brought awareness that propaganda directed at the home front, the enemy, and neutrals was as essential to victory as effective deployment of resources, weapons, and soldiers. Propaganda techniques developed during World War I have had significant influence over the later emergence of public relations and advertising. This course examines the history and influence of war propaganda especially but not exclusively of the United States during the twentieth century, the Age of Propaganda. (Robertson, Spring, each offered alternate years)
303 History of the Social Documentary Photography and moving images have been used to enlighten those who do not suffer to the lives of those who do, to forward social change, and to influence social policy, sometimes progressively and sometimes not. This course examines visual social documentary's influence, largely confined to consideration of American social documentarians, including influence of photographers of immigrants' conditions in major cities during the early 20th century; government-sponsored documentation of rural Americans' lives during the Great Depression; and documentary films which have shaped social conscience from consciousness. (Robertson, Spring, offered alternate years)
304 Media and Theory This course provides an in-depth study of media forms and their modes, methods, and themes. We will explore the role of media in shaping social consciousness, material culture, and the experience of modern life. We will survey key theoretical works in media studies and cultural studies by reading them along with primary documents such as film texts, radio broadcasts, television programs, magazine and newspaper articles, soundtracks, digital environments, and more. Consumer attitudes, narrative forms, artistic practices, and modes of production will be investigated for their ideological underpinnings. (Shafer, offered annually)
305 Film Editing I This course offers an introduction to the art of film editing, with an emphasis on the practical aspects of editing. Students learn basic editing techniques for narrative and documentary film, using either Final Cut Pro or Avid. In addition to actual editing exercises using unedited rushes or dailies, students study film sequences to learn various editing styles and techniques. Finally, students study the relationship of a novel, its screen adaptation and the film in order to understand the relationship of editing to narrative. (Jiménez, offered annually)
315 Introduction to Social Documentary This course is an introduction to the power of the visual social documentary as a force for social change. Students will study the history of social documentary photography and film and learn how to research, develop, shoot, edit, and critique social documentary videos using introductory level cameras and editing software. Considerable time must be spent working independently and collaboratively outside of regular class time. (Robertson, Spring, offered alternate years)
400 Senior Seminar This course is required of all Media and Society majors. Normally, seniors will enroll in this course; however, juniors may also enroll with the recommendation of their advisers. This seminar, which is a capstone course for the major, will focus on a topic determined by the instructor. This is a research-intense course. (Staff, Spring, offered annually)
415 Advanced Social Documentary This course is for students with a serious interest in documentary videography. The course will concentrate on developing a television-quality documentary. The focus of the course will be on developing a concept, scriptwriting, filming, and editing for the purpose of informing, persuading, or convincing an audience. The topics will include a contemporary issue, or a history that sheds light on a contemporary issue. Students enrolling in this course should expect to spend considerable time outside of the ordinary class period in research, production and post-production. The ability to work well as the member of a collaborative team is essentia. Prerequisites: MDSC 300 or instructor's consent. (Robertson, Fall, offered alternate years)
MDSC 450 Independent Study
MDSC 495 Honors
