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Graduate Program:
Degree Requirements
Students usually take three 12-unit subjects per semester, plus a 3-unit Colloquium. In their final semester they do a 24-unit Thesis, plus one elective.
All students will take the required
proseminars,
CMS.790 and CMS.791 Media Theories and Methods I and II; CMS.796 Major Media Texts, and CMS.801 Media in Transition.
Students must complete the workshop requirement by taking CMS.950 Workshop I and an approved course or
independent study, which will provide the student with hands-on experience in media as well as provide an intellectual challenge. Students are asked to demonstrate
their technical competency by completing the technical tool requirement. Students will have an opportunity to take
four elective courses drawn from three categories: Theory and Criticism; History, Society, and Politics; Case
Studies. The required thesis may take a variety of forms, including traditional expository prose, but students are
encouraged to choose projects that exploit other appropriate media.
Curriculum
The Comparative Media Studies program is a two-year course of study leading to a Masters of Science degree. Students normally take three twelve-unit subjects per semester, plus a
three-unit colloquium.
FIRST YEAR
Semester One
CMS.790 Media Theories and Methods I
CMS.950Workshop I
CMS.796 Major Media Texts
CMS.990 Colloquium
Semester Two
CMS.791 Media Theories and Methods II
Elective
Elective to fulfill workshop requirement
CMS.990 Colloquium
SECOND YEAR
Semester One
CMS.801 Media in Transition
Elective
Elective
CMS.990Colloquium
Semester Two
CMS.980 Thesis (24 units)
Elective
CMS.990 Colloquium
Required Proseminars
CMS.790 MEDIA THEORIES AND METHODS I
An advanced introduction to core
theoretical and methodological issues in Comparative Media Studies,
including the nature of theory, the gathering and evaluation of
evidence, the relationship of media to reality, the ethnographic
documentation of media audiences, and cultural hierarchy and taste.
CMS.791 MEDIA THEORIES AND METHODS II
Topics include globalization,
propaganda and persuasion, social and political effects of media
change, political economy and the analysis of media ownership,
privacy and intellectual property.
CMS.796 MAJOR MEDIA TEXTS
Intensive close study and analysis of
historically significant media texts that have been considered landmarks or have sustained extensive critical and scholarly discussion.
CMS.801 MEDIA IN TRANSITION
Provides insight into some key moments in history when the
existing structure of media technologies underwent profound
shifts.
CMS Workshop Requirement
The workshop sequence provides an opportunity for a hands-on project development experience and emphasizes intellectual growth as well as the acquisition of technical skills. In the fall semester, first-year students enroll in a workshop that offers practical instruction in the acquisition of technical tools. Students fulfill the second part of the workshop requirement through independent study or approved courses.
The workshops are designed to provide practical, hands-on
experience to complement the students' theoretical studies.
A two-term workshop requirement the first year will ensure
that students have direct experience working with media
and can reflect on their production experience.
Technical Tool
Requirement
To fulfill the Technical Tool Requirement, a student will demonstrate technical proficiency in a particular communications tool, as well the skills to apply this knowledge and an understanding of the resources available to expand his/her proficiency. Students can fulfill this requirement through successful completion of the program's second workshop course options.
Elective Subjects
and Courses
During the two years students will take four elective courses.
Students can choose their electives from the core CMS curriculum,
or, with permission of their advisor, take some electives
from outside the core curriculum.
Theory and Criticism
Examines concepts, philosophical premises, and analytic
procedures employed in the study of media.
CMS.830 Studies in Film (meets with 21L.706)
CMS.835 Photography and Truth (meets with 21A.348)
CMS.840 Literature and Film (meets with 21L.435)
CMS.845 Interactive and Non-linear Narrative: Theory and Practice (meets with 21L.489J, 21W.765J)
CMS.851 Feeling and Imagination in Art, Science, and Technology (meets with 24.262)
History, Society,
Politics
Focuses on the historical and cultural contexts of media, including economic and institutional structures and the role of media in political processes.
CMS.871 Media in Cultural Context (meets with 21L.715J, SP.493J, MAS.735)
CMS.872 International Studies in Media (meets with
21F.015)
CMS.873 Representing Africa and the Caribbean on Screen: Voices and Visions from Francophone Countries (meets with 21F.047)
CMS.874 Visualizing Cultures (meets with 21F.027J, 21H.917J)
CMS.875 Alternative Cinema: Male Same-Sex Desire
in International Film (meets with 21F.016)
CMS.880 Erasmus to E-mail: Technologies of the Word,
1450-2000 (meets with 21H.418)
CMS.881 Democratic Engagement and Communication Policy
CMS.888 Advertising and Popular Culture: East Asian
Perspectives (meets with 21F.036)
Case Studies
Provides the opportunity for in-depth study of a particular
medium or theme, including investigations of specific genres,
aesthetic movements and periods as well as more general
examinations of a medium's development and use.
CMS.910 Technologies of Humanism (meets with 21L.708)
CMS.915 Understanding Television (meets with 21L.432)
CMS.917 Documenting Culture (meets with 21A.337)
CMS.920 Popular Narrative (meets with 21L.430, SP.492)
CMS.925 Film Music (meets with 21M.284)
CMS.930 Media, Education, and the Market Place (meets
with 21F.034)
To fulfill the elective requirements, students may also
take classes in other departments at MIT or cross-register
at Harvard University.
Supplementary Coursework
Supplementary coursework may be arranged on an individual
or group basis with consultation with major advisor and
program officer. In addition, students may petition for
elective credit for participation (with additional assignments)
in an undergraduate subject, with permission of instructor.
CMS.990 Colloquium
CMS.995 Research in Comparative Media
CMS.998 Topics in Comparative Media
CMS.999 Topics in Comparative Media
Thesis
Students choose a thesis topic during the first semester
of their second year. The thesis may take a variety of forms,
including traditional expository prose, or more experimental
projects that utilize additional media formats appropriate
to their topic.
CMS.980 Thesis
Representative topics might include:
A systematic study of the way two newspapers are redefining
relations to local and national readerships as they move
on-line.
An exploration and critique of existing computer games
for girls and a proposal for designing alternative interfaces
based on critical inquiry informed by feminism.
Development of a prototype for an interactive media project
designed to help immigrant children better understand the
language and culture of urban America.
A cross-historical examination of Zorro as a popular Mexican-American
hero who has appeared in pulp magazines, comic strips, film,
radio, and television.
A complete list of past CMS
thesis titles is also available. |