Minor in Digital Studies

The 20-unit minor in Digital Studies offered through the School of Cinematic Arts explores the rich potential of digital media for critical analysis and creative discovery. Learning the exciting and dynamic potential of a broad array of tools and technologies, students create innovative, scholarly projects, from photo-essays to Web-based documentaries, from interactive videos to sophisticated Web sites, and from typography in motion to 3-D visualizations. Elective courses explore media for social change, the ethics of virtual worlds, transmedia expression and more, allowing students to use media in pursuit of their own interests and to enhance their major.

All Digital Studies courses combine theory and practice in lab-based seminars featuring hands-on tutorials to support students in producing sophisticated media-rich work. Participants in this minor gain powerful skills useful in future endeavors within or beyond academia, where the ability to work effectively with media is a crucial job skill.

The minor differs from the IML’s Honors in Multimedia Scholarship Program in that it includes elective courses in Journalism, Visual Anthropology, American Studies and Animation, among other options, and it does not require a senior thesis project. The Digital Studies Minor presumes no prior experience with media production.

Declaring the Digital Studies minor

Most students choose to declare the minor after taking their first IML course – students may also wait longer if necessary, but it is not encouraged. Declared students will receive first priority in advising, as well as first consideration in student research opportunities.

To declare an IML program, please contact the IML advisor, or make an advising appointment (see “Advising” section).

Required Courses

IML 104 Introduction to Digital Studies, 2 units AND
IML 140 Workshop in Multimedia Authoring, 2 units OR
IML 201 The Languages of Digital Media, 4 units
IML 310 Professionalism for Media Arts, 2 units

12 units (minimum) from the following*:
IML 309 Integrative Design for Mobile Devices, 4 units
IML 340 The Praxis of New Media: Digital Argument, 2 units (max 4 units)
IML 346 Methods in Digital Research, 2 units
IML 388 Computational Thinking and Design, 4 units
IML 400 Creative Coding for the Web, 4 units
IML 404 Tactical Media, 4 units
IML 420 New Media for Social Change, 4 units (max 8 units)
IML 422 Information Visualization, 4 units
IML 466 Digital Studies Symposium, 4 units

*Students in good standing may elect to take graduate (500-level) IML courses, pending departmental approval.

4 units (minimum) from the following:
AHIS 429 Studies in Art, Science, and Technology, 4 units
ANTH 476 Ethnographic Film Theory From an Historical Perspective, 4 units
ARCH 432 People, Places and Culture: Architecture of the Public Realm, 4 units
COMM 306 The Communication Revolution, Entertainment and the Arts, 4 units
COMM 310 Media and Society, 4 units
COMM 339 Communication Technology and Culture, 4 units
COMM 411* Communication Criticism, 4 units
COMM 412 Communication and Social Movements, 4 units
COMM 422 Legal Issues and New Media, 4 units
COMM 440 Music as Communication, 4 units
COMM 450 Visual Culture and Communication, 4 units
COMM 455 Advertising and Society, 4 units
COMM 456* Entertainment, Marketing and Culture, 4 units
COMM 458* Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts, 4 units
COMM 465 Gender in Media Industries and Products, 4 units
CTAN 330 Animation Fundamentals, 2 units
CTAN 432 The World of Visual Effects, 2 units
CTAN 448 Introduction to Film Graphics – Animation, 4 units
CTCS 400 Non-Fiction Film and Television, 4 units
CTCS 411 Film, Television and Cultural Studies, 4 units
CTCS 412 Gender, Sexuality and Media, 4 units
CTCS 478 Culture, Technology and Communications, 4 units
CTCS 482 Transmedia Entertainment, 4 units
CTIN 309 Introduction to Interactive Entertainment, 4 units
CTIN 400 Fundamentals of Procedural Media, 2 units
CTIN 462 Critical Theory and Analysis of Games, 4 units
CTIN 483 Introduction to Game Development, 4 units
CTIN 488 Game Design Workshop, 4 units
CTPR 327 Motion Picture Camera, 3 units
CTPR 335 Motion Picture Editing, 3 units
CTPR 385 Colloquium: Motion Picture Production Techniques, 4 units
ENGL 392 Visual and Popular Culture, 4 units
FADN 332ab Typography, 2-2 units
FAIN 315 Internet Studio: Online Experimentation and Expression, 4 units
IOM 443 The Business of Interactive Digital Media, 4 units
IR 444 Issues and Theories in Global Society, 4 units
ITP 300x Database Web Development, 3 units
ITP 301x* Interactive Web Development, 4 units
ITP 404x* Developing Web Services & Application Program Interfaces, 3 units
ITP 411x Interactive Multimedia Production, 3 units
JOUR 330 Photojournalism, 4 units
JOUR 381 Entertainment, Business and Media in Today’s Society, 4 units
JOUR 405* Non-Fiction Television, 4 units
JOUR 420* Advanced Photojournalism, 4 units
JOUR 422 Visual Journalism, 4 units
MUSC 465 Music, Television and American Culture, 4 units
PAS 371 Art in the Public Realm: Contemporary Issues, 4 units
PHIL 446 Aesthetics and the Film, 4 units
REL 341 Technology, Culture and Ethics, 4 units
SOCI 365 Visual Sociology of the Urban City and Its Residents, 4 units
THTR 403 The Performing Arts, 4 units
THTR 406 Theatre on the Edge, 4 units

*Prerequisite required

The word “multimedia” scares me! Do I need any previous experience to take these classes?
No! All courses in the Digital Studies Minor are suitable for students of all levels, and no prior experience is necessary.

What are some of the things I’ll learn in the Minor in Digital Studies?
Students in the Minor in Digital Studies learn how to use a broad array of software applications and social media tools, working toward an understanding of how to use media effectively to communicate. You will also learn about the history and theory of new media, and you will gain valuable skills, including how to do strong, sophisticated online research (yes, there’s more to it than Wikipedia and Google!), how to craft strong media-based presentations and how to use wikis, blogs and social bookmarking for academic purposes. Students will also become proficient in several software applications, and will learn basic design skills.

What are examples of assignments or projects?
These vary from class to class. Students in IML 101 create image collages, short videos and interactive web-based projects. Students in IML 340 create web-based documentaries using media from an archive, while students in IML 420 work with social media tools, and students in IML 466 will work with InDesign to create interactive PDFs and e-books for the iPad.

Where do the classes take place?
Most of the Minor in Digital Studies courses take place at the IML, in our state-of-the-art Macintosh labs. Here, you will also have access to other equipment, a podcasting room and more.

Do I need to buy a special computer or camera or anything?
No! The labs are equipped with computers for your use, and any equipment required for assignments, such as video cameras or tape recorders, are available for check-out. That said, we do offer a set of recommendations for students hoping to purchase their own computer and software.

I’m worried about my grades; how are multimedia projects graded?
All multimedia assignments in the program come with specific details explaining how you will be graded.

I’m in Thematic Option. Can I enroll in the Digital Studies Minor courses too?
Yes. The unit requirements for the Digital Studies Minor are relatively small compared to many other minors, making it well-suited to TO students.

Making media-based projects sounds like a lot of extra work. Why should I do this?
The pragmatic answer is that it’s a great chance to gain skills that you will use throughout your time at USC, as well as in your future, and these are skills you can list on your resume. In short, the Minor gives you a competitive edge. It is also a way to explore creative approaches to scholarship.

Further questions: please contact Sonia Seetharaman, Academic Program Coordinator (see Advising section).