Learn More and ApplyMedia and Cinema Studies (BA)

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CMN2

The College of Communication, located at the Loop Campus, offers a variety of courses leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media and Cinema Studies. The BA in Media and Cinema Studies strategically combines faculty expertise, cutting-edge facilities, and a variety of course offerings within Communication, the School of Cinema and Interactive Media (CIM) (e.g., Digital Cinema), and other University units to provide students with the critical frameworks, creative opportunities, and technological expertise to become socially responsible leaders in the growing and converging areas of media studies. The major combines a rich course selection in four areas of study: film, radio, TV, and new media. Coursework combines theory and critical analysis with production courses taught at both the Lincoln Park (e.g., radio) and Loop campuses (e.g., television/video and cinema studies).​​​

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
College Core Requirements 16
Liberal Studies Requirements 84
Major Requirements 52
Open Electives 40
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

​Students will be able to:

  • Explain and/or demonstrate an understanding of the complexities of human communication.
  • ‪ Examine media representations across registers of nation, citizenship, class, ability, religion, labor, gender, diasporas, race, migration, and/or ethnicity.
  • ‪Explain the potential relationships between and/or ethical issues regarding media, social movements, and local, national, and/or global cultures.
  • Interpret media cultures within the contexts of technology, economics, and/or industry.

College Core Requirements 

Modern Language Requirement 

Modern Language Option

All majors in the College of Communication consist of a four-course common core plus an additional combination of program requirements and electives.

College Core Requirements

Four core courses are required of all College of Communication students:

Course Title Quarter Hours
CMN 101INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION4
CMN 102INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION4
CMN 103INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION4
CMN 104PUBLIC SPEAKING4

Students are encouraged to complete all four prior to taking additional coursework in the major.

Modern Language Requirement

Students who intend to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Communication will be required to demonstrate a measure of competence in a modern language, as defined by the college. Such competence may be demonstrated in one of several ways:

  • completing the last course in a second year high school course work in a modern language or Latin
  • completing the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language
  • completing a college course beyond the first-year level in any language
  • achieving a satisfactory score on any of the Modern Language placement examinations administered at DePaul
  • achieving a satisfactory rating in a proficiency examination accepted by DePaul
  • achieving a score of 3 or higher on the Advance Placement (AP) test for any language (must be completed during high school)
  • achieving a score of 5 or higher in the Language B assessment from a Standard or Higher Level International Baccalaureate (IB) program
  • achieving a satisfactory score on the CLEP examination. 

Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Requirement. Students with some modern language training should consult with the Modern Language Department about the course with which they should begin. Students with little or no previous work in the language will be required to complete the entire three-course introductory sequence.

Modern Language Option

The Modern Language Option is available to all BA students who wish to study a modern language beyond the level necessary to meet the College’s modern language requirement. Students selecting the option may substitute a three-course language sequence for three learning domain courses, or two upper-level courses in the same language for two learning domain requirements. Modern language option  waivers cannot be applied to courses in the Math and Computing Domain or courses in the Scientific Inquiry domain. Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Option.

Any substitutions must be consistent with the principle that students complete at least one course in each learning domain. ​​​​​​

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
LSP 112 FOCAL POINT SEMINAR 4
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
MAT 120 QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 4
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE 4
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Required 4
Senior Year
Capstone
CMN 396 CAPSTONE IN COMMUNICATION 1 4
1

Students must earn a C- or better in this course.

2

Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by credit already earned for advanced math coursework or by passing a dedicated proficiency exam. Students who complete MAT 120 and both a Computational Reasoning course and a Statistical Reasoning course in the Math and Computing Domain take one less Learning Domain course. Students may not apply the course reduction to any Domain where only one course is required, and cannot be applied to the SI Domain.

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

  • 2 Courses Required

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Math and Computing (MC)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 CR Course and 1 SR Course]

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 Lab Course and 1 SWK Course]​

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)  

  • 2 Courses Required

Note

Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Course Title Quarter Hours
Required Courses:16
MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES
STORYTELLING & STYLE IN CINEMA
HISTORY OF TELEVISION & RADIO
MEDIA ETHICS
Select one of the following:4
HISTORY OF CINEMA I, 1890-1945
HISTORY OF CINEMA II, 1945-1975
HISTORY OF CINEMA III, 1975-PRESENT
Select four History/Criticism courses from the following:16
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP
COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP SPECIAL TOPICS
RESEARCH PRACTICUM 3
STUDY ABROAD
INDEPENDENT STUDY 3
INTERNATIONAL/GLOBAL COMMUNICATION
ASIAN-AMERICAN MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS
HISTORY OF CINEMA I, 1890-1945
HISTORY OF CINEMA II, 1945-1975
HISTORY OF CINEMA III, 1975-PRESENT
INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
TELEVISION STYLE AND NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
SPACES OF CINEMA IN ROME
CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN CULTURE THROUGH FILM
IMAGINING ITALY: CINEMA AS A COLLECTIVE NARRATIVE OF THE ITALIAN PEOPLE
MEXICAN CINEMA
TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: BUILDING A NARRATIVE WORLD
INTRODUCTION TO FAN STUDIES
FAITH,REDEMPTN,& TRANSCENDENCE IN INTERNATIONAL CINEMA
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN CINEMA AND TELEVISION
COMICS STUDIES
BAH HUMBUG! CHRISTMAS MOVIES/TV AND MEDIA METHODS
MEDIA & CINEMA STUDIES WORKSHOP (VARIABLE TOPICS) (2.0 quarter hours) 4
SOUND AND VISION
TOPICS IN DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
TOPICS IN RADIO STUDIES
THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION: HOLLYWOOD IN THE 1960s
TOPICS IN FILM GENRE
TOPICS IN FILM STUDIES
TOPICS IN GLOBAL CINEMA
TOPICS IN TELEVISION STUDIES
TOPICS IN NEW MEDIA
TOPICS IN MEDIA STUDIES
TOPICS IN MEDIA AND MATERIAL CULTURE
SEX IN THE BOX: U.S. TELEVISION, SEX, AND SEXUALITY
TOPICS IN COMICS STUDIES
TOPICS IN CULT STUDIES
B-MOVIES
FANDOM & PARTICIPATORY CULTURE
BLACKNESS IN AMERICAN TV
TOPICS IN FAN STUDIES
MONSTERS IN POPULAR CULTURE
HORROR FILMS
COMMUNICATION, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
SPORTS FANDOM
MUSIC INDUSTRIES AND CULTURE
TIME TRAVEL ON TELEVISION
ADAPTATION: MOVIES/TV/NOVELS/COMICS/TOYS/VIDEO GAMES
WRITING TELEVISION CRITICISM
DIGITAL CULTURE AND NEW MEDIA
LATINO/A TELEVISION AND MEDIA
LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA
BOARD GAMES AS MEDIA
TALKING ABOUT FILM: THEORY & CRITICISM
SEMIOTICS, STORYTELLING, & FILM FORM
TOPICS IN ADVANCED MEDIA ETHICS
Select one Production course from the following:4
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD WORKSHOP (2.0 quarter hours) 1, 4
RADIO PRACTICUM (1.0 quarter hour)
MEDIA & CINEMA STUDIES WORKSHOP (VARIABLE TOPICS) (2.0 quarter hours) 1, 4
RADIO BROADCASTING
AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
AUDIO PRODUCTION FOR RADIO AND THE WEB
TOPICS IN MEDIA PRODUCTION
DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION II
DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION I
CINEMA PRODUCTION II
MEDIA LITERACIES
CINEMATOGRAPHY I
EDITING I
SOUND DESIGN I
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING
INTRODUCTION TO TELEVISION WRITING
WRITING THE FEATURE SCREENPLAY
PHOTOJOURNALISM
ANIMATION FOR NON-MAJORS
MOTION GRAPHICS FOUNDATIONS
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY
Select three additional electives 212
1

Must be taken 2x w/ different creative topics to count for Production elective.

2

Select from any College of Communication course or from the Digital Cinema offerings listed above, provided that the DC classes in question have not already been taken under a MCS course number.

3

Students may take up to 4 hours of credit in this course toward graduation requirements. 

4

A maximum of 8 credits from two credit College of Communication courses can be applied to major requirements. 

Internships

Students in the major may take CMN 394 and/or CMN 395 (when work relates to the major). In order to take CMN 394 or CMN 395, students must have completed two of the four communication core classes (CMN 101, CMN 102, CMN 103, CMN 104), two courses in the chosen major and have fulfilled internship program eligibility requirements.

Open Electives

Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours. ​