Undergraduate Studies: Comparative Media Studies

The undergraduate program in Comparative Media Studies offers students an opportunity for interdisciplinary study of film, television, game design, virtual worlds, digital artworks, civic media, interactive writing, and other communications media.

Options include a major, minor, and concentration and a concentration in Education. While students are free to choose from among all of our required classes and electives to construct a major which best meets their unique interests, our classes can been seen as being broadly grouped into three clusters: Games and Interactive Media, Film/Television, and  Media Cultures.

Major

Requirements for the CMS Full Major

One Introductory Subject:
CMS.100 Introduction to Media Studies

One Media Practice/Production Subject from the Following List:

CMS.301 Introduction to Game Design Methods
CMS.335 Short Attention Span Documentary
CMS.362 Civic Media Collaborative Design Studio
CMS.590 Design and Development of Games for Learning
CMS.609 The Word Made Digital
CMS.627 Imagination, Computation, and Expression Studio
CMS.628 Advanced Identity Representation
CMS.633 Digital Humanities: Topics, Techniques, and Technologies
CMS.634 Designing Interactions
21W.752 Making Documentary: Audio, Video, and More

One CI-M from the Following List:
CMS.400 Media Systems and Texts
CMS.405 Visual Design
CMS.407 Media and Methods: Sound
CMS.614 Network Cultures
CMS.618 Interactive Narrative
CMS.336 Social Justice and The Documentary Film

One Capstone Subject:
CMS.701 Current Debates in Media

Six Electives
Six additional classes from the list of CMS required classes or electives.

Major Advisors

Students with questions about the Major in Comparative Media Studies, how to declare a CMS Major, or how the Major requirements can be fulfilled, should make an appointment with any of following individuals.

T.L. Taylor Director of Undergraduate Studies tltaylor@mit.edu

William Uricchio Major Advisor uricchio@mit.edu

Shannon Larkin Academic Administrator slarkin@mit.edu

Joint Major

Joint Major in Humanities and Engineering

The Humanities and Engineering (21E) degree and Humanities and Science (21S) degree are offered in CMS in combination with a field in engineering or science. Students completing a joint degree are required to complete 8 CMS subjects and 6 subjects in an engineering or science major. For more information on these degrees, contact  Academic Administrator Shannon Larkin, slarkin@mit.edu.

Minor

The Comparative Media Studies minor requires six subjects, mapped out as follows.

One Introductory Subject:
CMS.100 Introduction to Media Studies

One Intermediate Subject:
CMS.335 Short Attention Span Documentary
CMS.362 Civic Media Collaborative Design Studio
CMS.400 Media Systems and Texts
CMS.405 Media and Methods: Seeing & Expression
CMS.407 Media and Methods: Sound
CMS.590 Design and Development of Games for Learning
CMS.595 Learning, Media, and Technology
CMS.609 The Word Made Digital
CMS.614 Network Cultures
CMS.622 Applying Media Technologies in the Arts and Humanities
CMS.627 Imagination, Computation, and Expression Studio
CMS.627 Advanced Identity Representation
CMS.633 Digital Humanities: Topics, Techniques, and Technologies
CMS.634 Designing Interactions
21W.752 Making Documentary: Audio, Video, and More

One Capstone Subject:
CMS.701 Current Debates in Media

Three Electives
Three additional classes from the list of CMS required classes or electives.

Minor Advisors

Students with questions about the Minor in Comparative Media Studies, how to declare a CMS Minor, or how the Minor requirements can be fulfilled, should make an appointment with either of the following individuals.

Fox Harrell Minor Advisor fox.harrell@mit.edu

Shannon Larkin Academic Administrator slarkin@mit.edu

Concentration

The Comparative Media Studies concentration requires four classes from the list of CMS required and elective classes.  See possible areas of study below.

Concentration Advisors

Students with questions about the Concentration in Comparative Media Studies, how to declare a CMS Concentration, or how the Concentration requirements can be fulfilled, should make an appointment with either of the following individuals.

Ed Barrett Concentration Advisor ebarrett@mit.edu please email for info

Justin Reich Concentration Advisor – Education Track jreich@mit.edu

Shannon Larkin Academic Administrator slarkin@mit.edu

Areas of Study

Computing and Society

See Computing and Society Concentration CMS.314J Phantasmal Media: Theory and Practice, HASS-A CMS.360 Introduction to Civic Media, HASS-H CMS.361 Networked Social Movements, HASS-S CMS.595 Learning, Media, and Technology, HASS-S CMS.614J Network Cultures, HASS-H CMS.616J Games and Culture, HASS-S CMS.701 Current Debates in Media, HASS-H

Education

See Education Concentration CMS.586J Introduction to Education: Looking Forward and Looking Back on Education CMS.587J Introduction to Education: Understanding and Evaluating Education CMS.590J Design and Development for Games and Learning CMS.591J Education Theory and Practice I CMS.592J Education Theory and Practice II CMS.593J Education Theory and Practice III CMS.594 Education Technology Studio CMS.595 Learning, Media, and Technology