Graduate Catalog
Program Coordinator: Assistant Professor Matthew Solomon
Center for the Arts 1P, Room 229
Email: cinemamasters@mail.csi.cuny.edu
Telephone: 1.718.982.2548 or 1.718.982.2541
(See section Graduate Courses in Selected Disciplines for cinema and media studies courses for teachers.)
Department of Media Culture Website
*See the curriculum supplement for additions and changes to the program.
The MA in Cinema and Media Studies offers an intensive study in film and media history, theory, research, and methodology. The program provides a strong foundation for those students who wish to pursue doctoral or other advanced studies in film and other media disciplines.
In addition, the program offers post-undergraduate students the opportunity to enrich and advance their career objectives in media and communications industries. Courses emphasize the study of film and media as a set of discursive and interdisciplinary practices, as signifying systems, as sets of strategies that evoke certain responses within particular interpretive communities, as a set of economic and social institutions, and as powerful ideological devices for expressing and suppressing selective aspects of national identity or race or gender. Students work closely with faculty to develop strong analytical skills to complete a written or media production thesis. The College's location enables students to pursue extensive research and internships in New York City's archives, theaters, museums, galleries, and libraries. For those students completing a media production thesis, the College houses a film and video workshop, digital media lab, and television studio with close faculty advisement.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the program are expected to have the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in a liberal arts and sciences major and to have completed with a B average the undergraduate courses required for the BA in Cinema Studies or Bachelor of Science in Communications at the College of Staten Island, or their equivalent. Applicants must also submit a one-page statement of intent detailing interest in the field, background in film and media studies, and/or research interests; a GRE exam report (CSI number is 13619); a ten- to 12-page writing sample (a short critical essay on a film topic or other related media); and three letters of recommendation.
Students transferring from other majors or other colleges will be permitted to remedy undergraduate deficiencies while working toward the MA, but courses taken to remove the deficiencies must be in addition to their regular coursework for the MA, and at a minimum they must include either CIN 100 Introduction to Film or COM 150 Introduction to Communications.
Priority deadlines for receipt of applications for admission are April 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester.
Degree Requirements
36 credits in graduate cinema and media studies courses that must include the following core requirements*:
- CMC 700 History of Media
- CMC 705 Film and Media Research Analysis
- CMC 710 Studies in Film and Media Theory
All remaining credits are to be fulfilled, following advisement, through electives offered in the graduate program in Cinema and Media Studies.
*Students who choose to complete a written or production thesis must apply to the departmental graduate studies committee for approval. Please see Options A and B below for thesis procedures and guidelines.
Note on production courses: A maximum of nine credits in film or media production may be counted toward the degree, with the approval of the candidate's graduate adviser. Graduate independent study in film production is only granted with permission of the instructor and program coordinator.
Note: Students who elect Option A or B should maintain a 3.7 GPA or higher. Satisfactory completion of one of the following three options:
Option A: Written Thesis
Topics suitable for the master's thesis span the entire range of cinema and media theory, history, and practice. Possible topics include studies of media producers, history of media production and its institutions, media and spectatorship, ideology and production of film and media works, and media in relationship to issues of race, gender, class, and nation. The thesis length should run approximately 70-80 pages. Whenever possible, the topic of the thesis should extend or at least reflect the candidate's graduate coursework. Candidates should be aware of the following steps to be taken in completing the thesis option: Written Thesis Procedures and Guidelines
(1) Each candidate is strongly advised to take CMC 705 (Film and Media Research) before undertaking the MA thesis. The course prepares students for the process of researching and writing the master's thesis. The student may also prepare the thesis proposal with faculty supervision through CMC 894 (Independent Study) or independently.
(2) Each candidate must submit a comprehensive proposal to the graduate studies committee before beginning the actual thesis. The committee must approve this proposal and may request revisions and/or a meeting with the candidate to discuss it. If the committee does not approve the thesis proposal, the candidate is required to take the MA comprehensive examination. A student seeking to appeal the committee's decision regarding the thesis may appeal in writing to the graduate studies coordinator.
(3) Once approved, each candidate must choose a thesis committee composed of three members of the full-time faculty of the Department of Media Culture. The chair of the thesis committee will direct the researching of the thesis and preparation of the manuscript through CMC 799 (Thesis Research), which may be repeated once for credit (maximum 8 credits). The other two members of the thesis committee will evaluate the thesis proposal, the completed thesis, and suggest revisions. The thesis committee may request a meeting with the candidate at any time during the process.
(4) A copy of the completed thesis is submitted to each member of the thesis committee. Successful completion of the MA thesis requires the approval of all thesis committee members, who will sign the signature page if the thesis is satisfactory. The candidate will then submit two copies of the approved thesis (with signature pages) to the CSI Library for binding and cataloging. MA thesis are available for consultation in the CSI Library and through interlibrary loan.
Option B: Original Film or Media Production Thesis
For this option, students may submit an original film or media work. Students who elect this option must also fulfill the requirements of Option C, item (1), Film and Media History. The examination will be a take-home exam and must be completed in five days. Students choosing the production thesis option may, under the advisement of the graduate faculty, need to complete an undergraduate production course(s). Production Thesis Guidelines:
(1) A film or video production thesis, whether undertaken in the fictional, nonfictional, or experimental genres, should run 20 to 45 minutes in length when complete. Ideally, the thesis project should emerge from the candidate's prior coursework in production.
Production thesis candidates should expect to be proficient technically, having fully developed the appropriate range of production and post-production skills before undertaking the thesis itself. The process, as described below, should be closely followed.
(2) The candidate must submit a comprehensive thesis proposal to the graduate studies committee before beginning the actual thesis. This proposal should be in the form of an extended written treatment, which should include, at minimum, a description of the project, a specific timeline for the stages of production and post-production, and an account of the research undertaken for the project's development, where appropriate. The student should plan to prepare the thesis proposal with faculty supervision through CMC 894 (Independent Study).
(3) If approved, each candidate must choose a thesis committee composed of three members of the full-time faculty of the Department of Media Culture. The chair of the committee will direct and monitor the stages of thesis production through CMC 799 (Thesis Research), which may be repeated once for credit (maximum 8 credits). Before completion of the production thesis, two informal reviews take place. First, the candidate must submit to the thesis committee an emended proposal, which fully details the style and mode of production and provides as much as possible a shooting script. Second, a rough cut of the film or video must be made available to the committee at an early stage of postproduction. In both instances the committee will have an opportunity to suggest revisions and improvements before the thesis can be completed.
A copy of the competed thesis in the form of a DVD or VHS dub is to be submitted to each member of the thesis committee. Successful completion of the MA production thesis requires the approval of all thesis committee members.
Option C: Examinations
This option consists of a comprehensive take-home written examination. This examination will be divided into two parts:
(1) Film and Media History: this section includes the following subject areas: periods, genres, authorship, international cinema, and media practices.
(2) Film and Media Theory: this section includes critical and theoretical writings on cinema and media, including such theoretical models as formalism, semiotics, psychoanalysis, gender and feminism, and cultural studies approaches.
(3) Each section will comprise two questions. Students must answer one question in essay form from each section.
(4) The examination will be taken only upon completion of coursework. It will be given once a year, in May. Applications to take the examination must be made no later than March 15 of the year the examination is to be taken.
(5) The questions on the examination will take into account the specific areas of knowledge covered in the required core seminars and selected elective courses. Selected bibliography as well as a list of media works will be made available to the students once the department receives notice of application for the exam. Answers to the questions should each be ten double-spaced, typed pages minimum. Completed examinations will be due ten days after issuance.
The complete examination will be read by members of the graduate Cinema and Media Studies faculty who may request a meeting with the candidate to discuss it. When the faculty approves the examination, it will be retained in the Department files, although the candidate may retain a copy.
Maintenance of Candidacy
To maintain candidacy for the MA degree, full-time students must maintain a B (3.0) average in each 12-credit semester. Part-time students must maintain a B average in each successive 12-credit sequence of courses taken.
Note: All candidates should be aware that they must pay the maintenance of matriculation fee during any semester in which they are not enrolled, unless they are not using College facilities (including the Library and screening facilities) during this period. In this case, they may pay the reinstatement fee and the maintenance fee for the semester in which they are graduating. If the candidate has not paid for each semester, the reinstatement and maintenance fee for one semester may be paid, provided that the candidate has not used the College facilities and that the request is supported by a written statement from the committee chair.
Courses
CMC 700 History of Media
4 hours; 4 credits
The class provides students with a comprehensive history of media practices and debates in media studies. Students are introduced to the relationships linking social and economic history, the development of new media technologies, forms of “texts,” and the dissemination and impacts of mass media. This course, as well, examines the history of the field of media studies, allowing students to think about their future research for the MA thesis. Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor; required of all matriculated candidates for the MA degree in Cinema and Media Studies
CMC 705 Film and Media Research Analysis
4 hours; 4 credits
This course provides an overview of methodological research practices for film and the other media arts. Research skills and tools are developed in order to prepare for the master's written thesis, media production thesis, or for the examination. Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor; required of all candidates for the MA degree in Cinema and Media Studies Students are encouraged to enroll in the class during their first semester.
CMC 710 Studies in Film and Media Theory
4 hours; 4 credits
This course considers theories of media and film in relationship to issues of social, institutional, and cultural production. This course may be repeated for credit; see Degree Requirements. Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor; required of all matriculated candidates for the MA degree in Cinema and Media Studies
CMC 711 Film and Video Workshop
4 hours; 4 credits
Research and production of thesis-level films and videos, especially for students pursuing the production thesis option. Prerequisites: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema/Media Studies program and permission of instructor
CMC 712 Non-Linear and Multimedia Production
4 hours; 4 credits
Intensive study of the techniques and aesthetics in contemporary media technologies. Students are encouraged to develop their own thesis-level projects and to apply the technologies covered directly to their own creative work. The course also examines the contemporary artistic field, especially through the effect of evolving technologies on distinct genres such as documentary, personal essay, and fine-art approaches to film, video, and multimedia. Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema/Media Studies program or permission of the instructor
CMC 713 Studies in Authorship
4 hours; 4 credits
Intensive study of the works of one or more media author(s), with attention to theories of media authorship. This course may be repeated for credit; see Degree Requirements.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 725 Contemporary Media Practices
4 hours; 4 credits
This seminar introduces the terms and techniques of contemporary media arts production and analysis. Students are encouraged to write criticism about contemporary activity in the field or produce a media-based work (with permission of instructor).
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 731 Studies in International Cinema
4 hours; 4 credits
Intensive study of world cinema from geolinguistic, geopolitical, and geoaesthetic perspectives, highlighting cinemas of various cultural origins and traditions as well as major cinematic events, movements, and developments across time and space. This course may be repeated for credit; see Degree Requirements.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 741 Experimental Film and Video
4 hours; 4 credits
The history and theory of alternative visions expressed in the cinema, single-channel video, and digital domains. A range of historical material and theoretical issues is considered, from the visual and counter-narrative experiments of avant-garde film to video's deployment as both a fine-art medium and critical outlet.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 742 Studies in Media Genres
4 hours; 4 credits
Historical, theoretical, and critical studies of major program formats across various media (film and television genres, book and magazine genres, musical genres, etc.). This course may be repeated for credit; see Degree Requirements.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 743 Nonfiction Media
4 hours; 4 credits
Historical, theoretical, and critical study of nonfiction, documentary, and reality-based media. Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 744 Media and Ideology
4 hours; 4 credits
This course explores the various issues of media and ideology involving media texts, audiences, fields of production, and institutions.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 745 Global Media
4 hours; 4 credits
This seminar examines contemporary media as global phenomena, stressing the multidirectionality of media flow, influence, power, and practices.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 746 Cinema and Gender
4 hours; 4 credits
Intensive study of the representation and spectator-position of gender in relationship to the cinema. There will also be an emphasis on the making of film by those groups and genres not traditionally categorized with dominant forms of filmmaking. Students will become acquainted with the tradition of feminist and gender theory as it has informed critical film studies.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 749 Interdisciplinary Media Arts
4 hours; 4 credits
This course provides a forum to discuss media in an interdisciplinary model and through the filter of one or more alternative scholarly disciplines. The scope of the course includes, but is not exclusive to, painting, literature, dance, historical period studies.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in the graduate Cinema and Media Studies program or permission of instructor
CMC 799 Thesis Research
Vary, 1-8 credits
This course may be repeated. No student may apply for more than a total of eight credits of Thesis Research toward the degree. Please see Options A and B for details.
