Media Studies Major

Film/Video

• One intermediate or advanced film/video production class.
• One additional course n media history, as listed above.
• Four appropriate electives, drawn from the list of all approved courses.

Digital/Electronic Media

• One intermediate or advanced digital production course.

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• One course in twentieth or twenty-first century art history:

• ARHI 181 PZ - Modern in Contemporary: Art from 1945-1989
• ARHI 185 SC - History of Photography
• Four appropriate electives, drawn from the list of all approved courses.

Critical Studies

• One additional media theory course as listed above. One of the two required media theory courses must be MS 148A PO .
• One additional course in media history as listed above.
• Four appropriate electives, drawn from the list of all approved courses.

Critical Studies: Film Studies Option

Students desiring an emphasis in Film Studies should follow the Critical Studies track, tailoring their major by selecting the following courses:

One introduction critical/theoretical course

• MS 050 Introduction to Film  at PZ or PO, or
• LIT 130 CM Introduction to Film  

One introduction production course

• MS 082 PZ , or MS 182 HM , LIT 030 CM , or ART 148 SC Introduction to Video Art  

• LIT 131 CM - Film History I (1925-1965)
• LIT 132 CM - Film History II (1965-Present)
• LIT 138 CM - Film and Mass Culture
• MS 046 PZ - Feminist Documentary
• MS 074 PZ - Sound Theory, Sound Practice
• MS 110 PZ - Media and Sexuality
• MS 197 PZ - Media Praxis
• Three appropriate film-oriented electives drawn from the list  of all approved courses

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• MS 190 JT - Senior Seminar in Media Studies

Critical Studies (or Critical Studies: Film Studies option)

Students in this concentration must complete MS 190 JT Senior Seminar in Media Studies  in the fall of their senior year. Critical Studies students will work on a significant writing project that may be used in conjunction with their senior thesis. This course fulfills the Scripps Senior Exercise requirement for students in the critical studies track. Selected students will be allowed to attempt honors in the spring by enrolling in MS 191 JT Senior Thesis in Media Studies . For the thesis (MS 191 JT), two readers will be required: one must be a member of the Media Studies faculty or affiliated faculty; the second reader may be from an appropriate discipline that reflects the content or theme of the work (e.g., history, literature, a foreign language, gender and women’s studies, and so forth); one of the two readers must be a Scripps faculty member.  MS 191 JT will count as one of the four electives required for the major.

Film/Video and Digital/Electronic

Students in this concentration must complete MS 190 JT Senior Seminar in Media Studies  in the fall of their senior year. During this course, seniors concentrating in film/video and digital/electronic will complete an approved project (film, video, printed matter, installation, etc.) and a major paper about their work. This course fulfills the Scripps Senior Exercise requirement for students in the film/video and digital/electronic tracks. Selected students will be allowed to attempt honors in the spring by enrolling in MS 192 JT   Senior Project & Paper in Media Studies. Spring projects will be supervised by members of the Media Studies faculty from the Claremont Colleges. MS 192 JT Senior Project will count as one of the four electives required for the major.

Dual Majors

Students combining Media Studies with a second major intending to complete a single senior thesis (or honors thesis/project) must integrate the skills and knowledge of both disciplines. The thesis (or honors project/thesis) must be cooperatively reviewed, read and graded by one faculty reader from each discipline; one of the two readers must be a Scripps faculty member. Dual majors may pursue honors in either or both majors. Fall or spring thesis enrollment (depending on the discipline of the other major) will be in ID 191D .

Honors Requirements

A Scripps student who wishes to graduate with honors in Media Studies must:

1. Achieve a minimum grade point average of 11.0 (A-) in the major;
2. Be selected to participate in the second-semester Senior Project or Senior Thesis; and
3. Earn grades of A or A- on their fall and spring thesis projects.

• MS 190 JT Senior Seminar in Media Studies   
• MS 192 JT Senior Project & Paper in Media Studies  

The main website for Intercollegiate Media Studies webpage can be found at https://www.pitzer.edu/ims/