New Media Track

The New Media track is designed for students interested in the computer as a humanistic or artistic medium. Students develop both creative and critical approaches through a cross-disciplinary curriculum.

Students choose from designated classes in Communication (COMM), Computer Science (COMP) and the School of Information and Library Science (INLS). Students are encouraged to take courses in the ISIS Program at Duke.

Requirements:

The New Media track has the same degree requirements as the Communication major, with two differences.

1. New Media students take different Media Production prerequisites. Instead of COMM 130 and 230, students take COMM 150 and COMP 110. [See Section I].
2. New Media students are required to take nine credits from outside the department that would contribute to the new media track. Three of these credits are Introduction to Programming in the COMP Department. The other six are selected from the list below [See Section III].

Students in the New Media track take seven courses in the Department of Communication, for 21 credits.  Nine credits are outside the department (see #2 above).  These classes are listed below.

I. New Media prerequisites:

COMM 150    Introduction to New Media

COMP 110     Introduction to Programming

II. Existing production courses that qualify for New Media track:

COMM 431    Advanced Audio Production

COMM 490    Special Topics in Media and Popular Culture (based on topic)

COMM 636    Interactive Media

COMM 638    Game Design

COMM 646    2D Animation

COMM 650    Cultural Politics of Global Media Culture

COMM 654    Motion Graphics, Compositing, and Special Effects

COMM 690    Advanced Topics in Communication (based on topic)

III. Cross-disciplinary Courses:

New Media students choose two concentration courses from other departments, listed below. These courses would also qualify for COMM credit for New Media students. Other courses may be added when identified.

Computer Science:

COMP 180      Enabling Technologies

COMP 185      Serious Games

COMP 380      Computers & Society

COMP 382      Introduction to Cyberculture

COMP 416     Introduction to WWW Programming

School of Information and Library Science:

INLS 151        Retrieving and Analyzing Information

INLS 161        Tools for Information Literacy

INLS 201        Foundations of Information Science

INLS 318        Human-Computer Interaction

INLS 560        Programming for Information Science

INLS 572        Web Development I

IV. Courses at other institutions:

The classes below would be useful for the study of New Media, but are not required. Should students take one of these classes, the Director of Undergraduate Studies will approve them for COMM credit. Since these courses are taught at another university, faculty in Media Production will evaluate the appropriateness on an ongoing basis.

ISIS (Duke):

72                    Artificial Life, Culture, and Evolution

100                  Perspectives on Information Science and Information Studies

110FCS           Authoring Digital Media: Theory into Practice

155S                Foundations of Interactive Game Design

165                  Media Remix: Sampling Theory

170FCS           Constructing Immersive Virtual Worlds

V. Departmental Requirements (from catalog):

Please visit the Undergraduate Bulletin for the departmental requirements.

Workshops

Workshops sponsored by the New Media Track include basic electronics, introduction to Arduino, circuit bending, Kinect interaction, and sensors and motor control.

Dr. Lee Weisert (Music Dept.) conducts a circuit bending workshop.