Introduction to Media Production   (MCS-101)

An introductory course in the art and craft of video production. Coming to understand film as a method of storytelling, students learn and practice film aesthetics and techniques, including all the elements of preproduction, production, and postproduction. Students will collaborate to plan, shoot, and edit short videos while learning the basics of filmmaking equipment and software. Students will reflect on the nature of film and the practice of filmmaking through a faith lens. Materials fee applies.

Introduction to Media and Communications   (MCS-121)

This course introduces students to the rise of mass media and communication and its impact and influence on modern society. Basic media forms and their function in society will be surveyed and students will develop a Christian perspective on media and its role in both the production and consumption of culture. Students will examine the application of a Reformed Christian worldview to understanding communication and communication-related vocations. The relationship between Christianity and professional communication, including professions in the media, will be discussed.

Motion Picture Production   (MCS-201)

Students will work in small groups to develop, shoot, and edit experimental and dramatic projects with more advanced camera equipment. Materials fee applies.

Prerequisites:

MCS-101, MCS-225

The Art of Editing Motion Pictures   (MCS-225)

Students will explore digital editing theories, as well as practices of digital film editing and other elements of the postproduction process. Students will develop skills that include engagement with non-linear software and organizing and structuring short pieces. In addition, students will learn how shot selection, pacing, rhythm, sound, etc. shape both scenes and final productions.

Prerequisites:

MCS-101

Screenwriting   (MCS-231)

This course covers the theoretical and applied components of script writing for film and television production. In the process, it cultivates among students a Christian understanding of audiovisual storytelling. Topics will include conflict, character development, structure and plot creation, genre, and mood, among others.

The Language of Media   (MCS-233)

This course provides students with a nuanced understanding of how film and television articulate meanings. Grounded in the historical eras and practices that range from the silent to the digital era, students will learn formal analyses and close readings of cinematic and televisual texts with special attention to narrative constructions, lighting, production design, acting styles, editing, genre, sound, music, and point of view. The course will also emphasize how such analyses should consider various contexts.

Prerequisites:

MCS-121
or permission of the instructor

Advanced Motion Picture Production   (MCS-301)

In this course, students will explore the theoretical and practical elements of the pre-production and production phase, including concept development and shooting techniques so as to collaboratively write, produce, shoot, and edit short pieces. Students will develop their skills in audio and sound production, camera work, lighting, directing, and producing. Materials fee applies.

Prerequisites:

MCS-201

Media Ethics   (MCS-302)

A course in the moral dimensions of communication, with special attention given to working in communication and media professions. The course cultivates a Christian understanding of the topic through attention to theological and philosophical issues and through wrestling with a range of cases and controversies.

Prerequisites:

MCS-121
Year 3 or 4 standing. MCS-302 is the Capstone Course for the MCS major and is required in the 3rd or 4th year.

Theories of Media, Art & Communication   (MCS-311)

This course establishes the basic framework of core knowledge concerning the nature of human interaction. It will survey theories and research in communication as it is applied to various social, political, and cultural contexts. Students will develop a broad Christian framework for understanding, critiquing, and utilizing these theories.

Prerequisites:

MCS-121

Documentaries   (MCS-326)

In this class, students will learn about the history, aesthetics, and politics of the documentary film tradition. Drawing on films from the silent era to the digital age, the course explores movements, techniques, philosophical underpinnings, and limitations of cinema verite, direct cinema, investigative documentary, activist media, personal video essays, and mockumentaries. Cultivating a Christian understanding of the history and practice of this genre, students will participate in the tradition of documentary filmmaking and produce various short form documentaries. Materials fee applies.

Prerequisites:

MCS-201

Audio for Media   (MCS-327)

This course introduces the basics of audio production and post production. Students will learn how to capture sound in a studio setting and in field work. They will also explore audio editing, audio processing, and mixing. Both audio production and postproduction components will cover the applications of music, radio, and moving images.

Content for the Digital Age   (MCS-332)

Information is audiovisual and text in the Digital Age. In this course, students will study the emergence of digital technology and its impact on commercial and social cultures. Students will also learn how to communicate an effective story online using 21st century digital tools, including video, photographs, audio, and text. Materials fee applies.

Prerequisites:

MCS-101, MCS-121

World Cinemas   (MCS-361)

Aiming to put a question mark on the end of the phrase, “what are world cinemas?”, this course offers an atlas of world cinemas as a mode of film making comprised of a wide intersection of contexts. As such, the complex phenomenon of world cinemas opens up the opportunity to engage the limits of our own Western imaginations.

Internship in Media Production I   (MCS-380)

This internship will consist of 120 hours of on-site work in professional writing or digital media. Such work can include, but is not limited to, journalism, blog and web content, and film and television production. See page 45 of the Academic Calendar for information on internships.

Prerequisites:

Year 3 or 4 standing

Cultural Studies and Criticism Seminar   (MCS-403)

The course draws on the insights from cultural studies and postmodern reflection, enabling students to identify and describe embodied issues facing our moment (globalization, colonialism, nationalism, gender, etc.), to understand the contours and limitations of a Westernized, Christian imagination, and to dare to imagine healing and reconciliation in the midst of these issues and limitations. Imagining reconciliation means, in part, doing the work of sharing a story, a vision, and an identity with those who are not like us.

Prerequisites:

Year 3 or 4 standing in the major.

Studies in Religion & Media   (MCS-405)

A study of an issue or a theme at the intersection of religion and the media. The particular focus of the course varies from year to year. This course explores the religious nature of cultural formation relative to the intersection of everyday life and the digital age. This course does so grounded in the historical tradition of Christian virtue ethics as it emerges after the particularist turn in philosophical and theological ethics.

Prerequisites:

Year 3 or 4 standing in the major

Internship in Media Production II   (MCS-480)

This internship will consist of 120 hours of on-site work in professional writing or digital media. Such work can include, but is not limited to, journalism, blog and web content, and film and television production. See page 45 of the Academic Calendar for information on internships.

Prerequisites:

MCS-380

Senior Thesis   (MCS-495)

This course provides advanced students the opportunity to apply their academic and/or artistic insights, skills, and areas of interest in a focused, self-directed large project or series of related projects. Materials fee applies.

Prerequisites:

Year 4 standing in the B.CoMS program