The MAVA is an interdisciplinary program. Training in film production is provided by the School of Cinema-Television.
Prior courses and/or degrees in anthropology, cinema or journalism are not required to be considered for admission. However, students who have deficiencies in the prerequisite courses in these areas will be required to make them up during the first semesters of enrollment.
Teaching assistantships and other forms of financial aid are available to qualified candidates. The department is also able to assist with funding for a number of student film and video projects each year.
A minimum of 34 units is required.
| Required courses | Units | |
| ANTH 501 | Ethnological Theory I | 4 |
| ANTH 502 | Ethnological Theory II | 4 |
| ANTH 510 | Urban Anthropology | 4 |
| ANTH 503 | Regional Ethnography, or | |
| Any other graduate-level Anthropology course | 4 | |
| ANTH 562 | Research Methods in Ethnography | 4 |
| ANTH 575 | Seminar in EthnographicFilm | 3, max 9 |
| ANTH 576 | Ethnographic Fieldwork Practicum | 3, max 9 |
| ANTH 577 | Ethnographic Media Seminar | 3, max 9 |
| CNTV 507x | Production I | 6 |
| (School of Cinema-Television prerequisite only; | ||
| not for graduate credit) | ||
| ANTH 594abz | Master's Thesis | 2-2-0 |
A total of 34 units is required. Twenty-four must be at the 500 level or above, excluding 594abz. Students enrolled in 594abz must also be concurrently enrolled in either 576 or 577.
A thesis is required based on supervised field work in social anthropology and involving the use of film or video production techniques.
The Ethnographics Laboratory is a part of the Center for Visual Anthropology which provides archival and computer facilities for students and faculty who work with nonlinear editing systems and interactive media in anthropology. The primary mission of the Ethnographics Lab is to promote the integration of all forms of information, whether text, graphics or time-based media, into a new synthesis of anthropological knowledge. It provides support for research and representation in multimedia formats carried out in a new laboratory facility based on computer AV technologies and software.
The Jane Goodall Research Center is the designated repository of field data from Jane Goodall's work among the primates of Gombe National Park in Tanzania. A computer interactive multimedia archive of these materials is being implemented to make them available to students, faculty and other interested scholars.
These include 16mm sound synchronized cameras and Nagra tape recorders, Super 8 systems, highband 3/4" as well as 1/2" videos. Editing facilities include 16mm flatbeds, Super 8 editors, JVC 1/2" editing systems, a Sony 3/4" time code system, and an on-line editing system. Editing and viewing facilities are also located in the School of Cinema-Television. The CVA maintains a complete still photography lab and darkroom.
All films and videos produced with school equipment, funding or facilities are the property of USC. Any income from distribution of student-produced films and videos will be used for the benefit of CVA students through production budgets, equipment purchases or scholarships.
Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995