Cinema & Digital Media, Bachelor of Arts College of Letters & Science

The Cinema & Digital Media Major Program

The Cinema & Digital Media (CDM) program combines the study of audio-visual and digital media, theories about such media, and the relevant modes of artistic practice and production. CDM integrates the analysis of audio-visual and digital texts with their theoretical underpinnings and their methods of production. The program also addresses the particular impact that technology has on culture in its many forms and fields.

CDM faculty teach and research on various histories, theories, and practices of media. Current fields for teaching and research in cinema and digital media include the history and analysis of film and video, film and video production, electronic music, digital content creation and design, the digital arts, community media and activism, computer graphics, animation, and gaming—as well as the theories and politics of these various areas.

The Program

Preparatory course work involves a solid introduction to the history, ideas and current trends in cinema and digital media. For depth subject matter, students in the major select a combination of critical studies and creative  production courses. Two courses will be selected from the production/programming distribution, two from the theory/history distribution and four will be elected by the student, allowing them to take up to six production courses or six studies/theory classes, should they so choose.

Major Advisor

Information on the current Academic Advisors can be obtained at the Arts Group Advising Center at 530-752-0616.

Career Alternatives

Cinema & Digital Media is designed to prepare graduates to be highly adaptable analytical thinkers, collaborative, multi-skilled and current with the latest developments in media and technology. Perhaps most importantly is self-motivation: students do best when fueled by their own passions and plot their own directions, while held to very high standards. We feel this is the best education for living and working in a complex, rapidly changing world. Final research papers and creative production portfolios will provide graduate school admissions committees, employers or clients with tangible evidence of Cinema & Digital Media graduates' track records and talents.

Course Changes

Cinema & Digital Media is working on updating all of the existing FMS, TCS, and CTS courses to the CDM course subject code. If you have any questions regarding the course subject code changes and equivalent major requirements, please contact the Arts Group Advising Center at 530-752-0616.

Preparatory Subject Matter
Choose two:8
Introduction to Film Studies
Introduction to Technocultural Studies
Media Archaeology
Choose two:8-9
Introduction to Media Computation
Filmmaking Foundations
Filmmaking Foundations
Introduction to Games
Choose two:8
CDM 040A
(Pending Approval)
CDM 040B
(Pending Approval)
History of Cinema from 1895-1945
History of Cinema from 1945-Present
History of Cinema from 1945-Present
Media History 1, Guttenberg to Oppenheimer
Media History 2 1945-Present
Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal24-25
Depth Subject Matter
Choose one:4-5
CDM 150
(Pending Approval)
Media Theory
CTS 150
(Discontinued)
Film Theory
Choose two or more for a total of 8 units:8
Intermediate Video: Animation
Intermediate Video: Experimental Documentary
Intermediate Video: Performance Strategies
Advanced Video & Electronic Arts
Experimental Digital Cinema I
Experimental Digital Cinema II
Interactivity & Animation
Documentary Production
Feminist Media Production
Acting for Camera
CDM 108
(Pending Approval)
Community Media Production
CDM 112
(Pending Approval)
Community Networks & Social Media
CDM 116
(Pending Approval)
CDM 117
(Pending Approval)
Introduction to Sonic Arts
Introduction to Sonic Arts
Intermediate Sonic Arts
Intermediate Sonic Arts
Sight & Soundtrack
Advanced Sound: Performance & Improvisation
Fundamentals of Computer Graphics
Character Animation
Object-Oriented Programming for Artists
Electronics for Artists
Topics in Virtuality
Video Games & Culture
Special Topics in Analog Game Design
Introduction to Digital Game Development
Introduction to Analog Game Design
Introduction to Game Programming
Special Topics in Game Programming
Internship
Directed Group Study
Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates
Design on Screen
Costume Design for Film
New Radio Features & Documentary
Small Scale Film Production
Choose two for a total of 8 units:8
Media Theory
Epic Television: The Golden Age of TV? Sopranos, Wire, Girls, Walking Dead
CDM 155
(Pending Approval)
Technology & the Modern American Body
CDM 159
(Pending Approval)
CDM 160
(Pending Approval)
CDM 162
(Pending Approval)
Art & Cinema: Between the White Cube & the Black Box
Art & Cinema: Between the White Cube & the Black Box
CDM 165A
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165AS
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165B
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165C
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165D
(Pending Approval)
Nazi & Fascist Cinema: Film & other Visual Media
CDM 165F
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165G
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165H
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165I
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165K
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165O
(Pending Approval)
CDM 165P
(Pending Approval)
Topics in U.S. Film History
Topics in Film Genres
Game Studies Seminar
Game Studies Seminar
Video Games & Culture
Special Topics in Cinema & Digital Media
Research Methods in Cinema & Digital Media (Pending Approval)
Directed Group Study
Chinese Film
Modern Iranian Cinema
Italian-American Cinema
New Italian Cinema
New Italian Cinema
Film Theory
Russian Film
New German Cinema
Classic Weimar Cinema
Media Theory
Introduction to Documentary Studies
Media Subcultures
Choose four additional courses, chosen from the lists above, for a total of at least 16 units. Some courses are identified as fulfilling more than one requirement; a given course can only fulfill one such requirement.16
Depth Subject Matter Subtotal36-37
Total Units60-62