PDF reflects print Institute for Multimedia Literacy
(213) 743-2198
Fax: (213) 747-8357
Email: iml@cinema.usc.edu
iml.usc.edu
Director: Holly Willis
Overview
The Institute for Multimedia Literacy offers undergraduate students an opportunity to approach their chosen major field(s) of study through the critical application of multimedia scholarship and expression in the networked world. Students can pursue either a minor in digital studies or the honors in multimedia scholarship program. IML courses are open to students from all departments and schools. No prior experience with multimedia is required, but students should be willing to engage with new media technologies, ways of thinking and modes of expression.Honors in Multimedia Scholarship
Program Overview
A century of mass media and the advent of digital communication have transformed the way ideas are expressed and understood across the university. As a result, the notion of literacy, which has traditionally referred to the reading and writing of printed materials, has fundamentally expanded to include new forms of expression. The Honors in Multimedia Scholarship program offers students an opportunity to learn new approaches to the production of knowledge through the critical application of multimedia.The program includes a systematic introduction to the history, theory and practice of multimedia scholarship within a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts. Over the four-year program, students develop and refine their abilities to conduct research and publish work in methods appropriate to their field of study: video, audio, image, Web or some integration of these forms. The program is open to students from all disciplines.
In the Honors in Multimedia Scholarship program, students participate in small classes taught by leading faculty members. The program enrolls primarily freshman and sophomore students, but also juniors and seniors who are interested in integrating multimedia courses into their program of study.
Students are expected to integrate theory into the practice of multimedia scholarship; for this reason, courses include discussion of historical and theoretical material, instruction in basic research practices, as well as opportunities to develop skills in multimedia authorship, collaboration, leadership and creative thinking.
Year 1: Foundational study of the contexts, concepts and competencies of multimedia literacy, embodied in the languages of new media.
Year 2: Beginning integration of multimedia approaches within chosen disciplines and/or in conjunction with the university’s general education requirements.
Year 3: Development of proficiency with multimedia as a scholarly tool within a student’s own discipline or field of study.
Year 4: Completion of a year-long project that demonstrates mastery of discipline-based multimedia authorship.
Students may earn Honors in Multimedia Scholarship by completing a minimum of 16 units of required course work culminating in a capstone thesis seminar during their final year.
To maintain small classes and allow for extensive discussion and project development, the Honors in Multimedia Scholarship program requires students to be highly motivated; there is extensive reading, writing and multimedia authoring. The required courses are not available for pass/no pass registration.
Information about courses and other program offerings can be obtained from the student advisor at the Institute for Multimedia Literacy office. Email iml@cinema.usc.edu or call (213) 743-2198.
| COURSE REQUIREMENTS | UNITS | |
|---|---|---|
| IML 104 | Introduction to Digital Studies, and | 2 |
| IML 140 | Workshop in Multimedia Authoring, or | 2 |
| IML 140 | Workshop in Multimedia Authoring (taken twice), or | 2-2 |
| IML 201 | The Languages of Digital Media | 4 |
| IML 346 | Methods in Digital Research and Execution | 2 |
| IML 440 | Honors in Multimedia Scholarship: Thesis Project I | 4 |
| IML 444 | Honors in Multimedia Scholarship: Thesis Project II | 4 |
| IML Elective Course | 2 | |
| 16 | ||
| ELECTIVES | UNITS | |
|---|---|---|
| IML 140* | Workshop in Multimedia Authoring | 2 |
| IML 295L | Race, Class and Gender in Digital Culture | 4 |
| IML 340 | The Praxis of New Media: Digital Argument | 2, max 4 |
| IML 400 | Dynamic Multimedia for Web Infrastructures | 4 |
| IML 420 | New Media for Social Change | 4 |
| IML 466 | Digital Studies Symposium | 4 |
Minor in Digital Studies
The minor in Digital Studies 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 projects, from photo essays to Web-based documentaries, from interactive videos to sophisticated Websites, 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.
Course Requirements
A total of 20 units is required to complete the minor: 4 units of core IML course work, 12 units of upper-division IML course work and 4 units of upper-division elective course work.| Course Requirements | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| IML 104 | Introduction to Digital Studies, and | 2 |
| IML 140 | Workshop in Multimedia Authoring, or | 2 |
| IML 140 | Workshop in Multimedia Authoring (taken twice), or | 2-2 |
| IML 201 | The Languages of Digital Media | 4 |
| 12 units (minimum) from the following: | ||
| IML 340 | The Praxis of New Media: Digital Argument | 2 or 4 |
| IML 346 | Methods in Digital Research and Execution | 2 |
| IML 400 | Dynamic Multimedia for Web Infrastructures | 4 |
| IML 420 | New Media for Social Change | 4 or 8 |
| IML 466 | Digital Studies Symposium | 4 |
| Electives (4 Units minimum) | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| AHIS 475 | Blackness in American Visual Culture | 4 |
| AMST 446 | Cultural Circuits in the Americas | 4 |
| ANTH 470 | Multidisciplinary Seminar in Visual Anthropology | 2 or 4 |
| ANTH 472 | Visual Techniques in Anthropology: Stills | 4 |
| ANTH 475 | Ethnographic Film Analysis | 4 |
| ANTH 476 | Ethnographic Film Theory From an Historical Perspective | 4 |
| COMM 411* | Communication Criticism | 4 |
| COMM 412 | Communication and Social Movements | 4 |
| COMM 422 | Legal Issues and New Media | 4 |
| COMM 450 | Visual Culture and Communication | 4 |
| COMM 455 | Advertising and Society | 4 |
| COMM 456* | Entertainment, Marketing and Culture | 4 |
| COMM 458* | Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts | 4 |
| COMM 465 | Gender in Media Industries and Products | 4 |
| CTAN 330 | Animation Fundamentals | 2 |
| CTAN 432 | The World of Visual Effects | 2 |
| CTAN 448 | Introduction to Film Graphics – Animation | 4 |
| CTCS 400 | Non-Fiction Film and Television | 4 |
| CTCS 411 | Film, Television and Cultural Studies | 4 |
| CTCS 412 | Gender, Sexuality and Media | 4 |
| CTCS 478 | Culture, Technology and Communications | 4 |
| CTCS 482 | Transmedia Entertainment | 4 |
| CTIN 309 | Introduction to Interactive Entertainment | 4 |
| CTIN 400 | Fundamentals of Procedural Media | 2 |
| CTIN 462 | Critical Theory and Analysis of Games | 4 |
| CTIN 483 | Introduction to Game Development | 4 |
| CTIN 488 | Game Design Workshop | 4 |
| CTPR 327 | Motion Picture Camera | 3 |
| CTPR 335 | Motion Picture Editing | 3 |
| CTPR 385 | Colloquium: Motion Picture Production Techniques | 4 |
| ITP 300x | Database Web Development | 3 |
| ITP 301x* | Interactive Web Development | 4 |
| ITP 404x* | Intermediate Web Development | 3 |
| ITP 411x | Interactive Multimedia Production | 3 |
| JOUR 330 | Photojournalism | 4 |
| JOUR 405* | Non-Fiction Television | 4 |
| JOUR 420* | Advanced Photojournalism | 4 |
| JOUR 421 | Photo Editing for News Media | 4 |
| JOUR 422 | Visual Journalism | 4 |