The Digital Audio concentration offers hands-on experience and individually assigned studio hours on cutting-edge equipment, which allow students to further their skills and knowledge through class lectures and self-experimentation. Media Arts 101 Audio Prod. I (see below) covers microphones, live recording, multitrack mixing, and mixing board concepts. Media Arts 107 Digital Audio I, Media Arts 110 Digital Audio II, Media Arts 114 Digital Audio III series of classes focus on multitrack MIDI and hard disk audio recording, editing, mixing and locking sound to a moving image. These classes are appropriate for soundtrack design, sound effects design, or straight ahead music composition and recording. A minimum of 3 hours per week of studio time is assigned to each student, and additional hours are available for larger projects. The primary software packages used are the latest versions of MOTU Digital Performer and Pro Tools for the Mac and PC.

Media Arts 100 Media Aesthetics

This required foundation course introduces students to the fundamentals of media arts and visual literacy – light, color, composition, perspective, time, motion, sound – and discusses how they are applied in the various forms of contemporary media. In a workshop environment, using media objects as texts, students also explore narrative, art history, philosophy of media, spectatorship, theories of perception and their own creativity. Three credits.

Media Arts 101 Audio Production I
Special Fee: $55.00
Offered every semester

An introduction to the art and science of audio production. Topics include basic sound theory, audio aesthetics, acoustics, sound reproduction and recording, the sound studio, remote sound recording, editing and mixing, the development of new audio technology, and creating audio for visual media. Students work individually and in teams on a variety of studio and field projects. Three credits.

Media Arts 107 Digital Audio I
(Same as Music 175)
Special Fee: $55.00
Prerequisite: Media Arts 101 or permission of the instructor
Offered every semester

An introduction to the technology and aesthetics of digital composition, sound design, multi-track recording and production using Digital Performer software and Pro Tools hardware. Workshops include computer based multi-track MIDI sequencing and audio hard disk recording, editing and processing, automated software mixing, locking sequenced MIDI and audio tracks to video and film, electronic music concepts and samplers. Weekly individual access to studios is provided. Three credits.

Media Arts 110 Digital Audio II
(Same as Music 176)
Special Fee: $55.00
Prerequisite: Media Arts 107 or permission of the instructor
Offered every Spring

An intermediate-level continuation of Media Arts 107 in a workshop environment. Topics include samples and sample editing, MIDI sequencing and audio recording, editing and production concepts as applied to Pro Tools and Digital Performer, mixing in 5.1 surround sound environment onto DVD formats (DTS, Dolby Digital., SACD), CD Rom and Internet formats, Multitrack live recording, advanced mixing using automated control surfaces, and concepts of advanced sound for picture. Weekly individual access to studio facilities is provided. Three credits.

Media Arts 114 Digital Audio III
(Same as Music 177)
Special Fee: $55.00
Prerequisite: Media Arts 110 or permission of the instructor
Offered on occasion

An advanced, project-oriented continuation of Media Arts 110. Integration of the concepts and techniques involved in digital sound and examination of music manipulation and creation. Mastery of previously studied material is stressed. Emerging formats and technology are discussed. Unconventional, interesting and experimental software is examined and used. The student’s final project may be a finished master CD, DVD, soundtrack, dance score, score for a play or an interactive CD-ROM or World Wide Web presentation. Weekly individual access to studio facilities is provided. Three credits.

Media Arts 114.2 Digital Audio IV
Special Fee: $55.00
Prerequisite: Media Arts 114 or permission of the instructor
Offered on occasion

An advanced, project-oriented continuation of Media Arts 114. Integration of the concepts and techniques involved in digital sound and/or music manipulation and creation. The student's final project may be a finished master tape, CD, soundtrack CD-ROM or World Wide Web interactive presentation. Emerging formats and technology in beta testing also are explored. Three credits.

Media Arts 119 Business of Media Arts
Special Fee: $55.00
Prerequisite: Completion of 64 credits
Offered every semester

A required course which discusses the applications of business skills for the media artist. Topics include professional development, media management principles, art and commerce, writing the business plan, and grant writing.. Media professionals are invited as guest lecturers. Three credits.

Media Arts 129 Broadcast Journalism I: Radio Journalism
For course description, see Journalism 129. Three credits.

Media Arts 150 Writing for Visual Media
Special Fee: $40.00
Prerequisites: MA 100 and three credits from English 61-64 or permission of instructor.
Offered every semester

In a writing lab environment, students follow a tailored program of writing suited to their professional orientation. Still-image students explore writing for artists - manifestos , criticism, and treatments. Moving-image students focus on story structure, script writing and concept development. Three credits.

Media Arts 152 Screenplay
Special Fee: $40.00
Prerequisite: Media Arts 100 and three credits from English 61-64 or permission of the instructor
Offered on occasion

An intermediate course for the serious writer designed to develop screenwriting skills in a workshop environment. Emphasis on the writer’s creative process, evaluation techniques and constructive feedback. Working independently and in groups, students complete a full-length screenplay as their semester-long assignment. Three credits.

Media Arts 187 Film and Television Studies
Special Fee: $40.00
Prerequisite: Media Arts 100
Offered every semester

A survey of the history and development of world cinema and television. Through screenings and discussions, students study this twentieth-century art form as developed by various countries, individuals and movements. The development of cinema and television as an industry and a part of the larger economy; as a series of technical innovations; as a history of aesthetic forms; as a social, cultural and political force; and as a reflection of the ideas of its society is explored. This is a Writing Intensive course and is required for students following a concentration related to moving image. Three credits.

Media Arts 195, 196 Honors Study

Honors Study is designed to give outstanding students an opportunity to do independent work in their major under the guidance of a member of the faculty. There are no regular class meetings. To be eligible, students must have upper junior or senior status, a cumulative quality-point ratio of 3.00 and a 3.25 ratio in their major subject, and the permission of the Director of the Department and the Dean. A total of six credits of Honors Study is the maximum allowed. Three credits per semester.

Media Arts 197, 198 Independent Study
Prerequisites: Permission of student advisor, the Department Chair and the Dean

Courses designed to give students in their junior or senior year an opportunity to do independent work under the guidance of a member of the Media Arts faculty. There are no regular class meetings. Students may undertake either a production (video, screenplay, photography etc.) or a research paper. Three credits per course.

Media Arts 199 Media Arts Internship
Prerequisites: At least 64 credits and Permission of Faculty Advisor and Department Chair

During their senior year, Media Arts majors are strongly recommended to undertake one internship with a media organization. Consultation with Director of Professional Development and approval of the Department is required. Three credits. May be taken in subsequent semesters for credit.

Media Arts 200 Series
Offered every year - Subject matter determined by the expertise of a visiting artist-in-residence. Courses vary from semester to semester and may be repeated for credit. Three credits per course.


Media Arts 201 The Musical: From Jazz to Hip Hop
Special Fee: $40.00
Offered on occasion

A survey of the history of the movie musical, paying particular attention to how musicals depict various sub-cultures and how changes in the form reflect larger developments in social taste. The course charts the musical’s transformation from fantasy narrative to documentary music video. Three credits.