Media Arts & Cultures
Marshall McLuhan, the great Canadian media scholar, once said, “We don’t know who discovered water but we know it wasn’t a fish”. In other words, those who are most immersed in something often aren’t aware of what is all around them. People rarely give much thought to the incredible media ecosystem that envelops and involves them. Instead many are happy to be carried along wherever the tides and trends may lead.
In Media Arts and Cultures, we are different.
You will not only learn to see the water, you will dive deep and explore its depths. You will think critically about media and its relationship to our wider culture. But there’s more. What makes the program truly special is that you will learn about media by making media. You will not only consider, critique, and engage intellectually with media, you will the learn tools and techniques used today to create media content.
For example, we offer courses in the history and language of film, but we also offer courses in film production. We offer courses that explore the growing field of game studies, from early theorists’ thoughts on play and games in western culture to contemporary video game analysis and design. We offer courses that critically examine modern art, television, graphic design, digital culture, social media, sound, photography, film, popular culture, gender and media, horror across cultures, Canadian media, documentary cinema and much more. In these classes, homework includes traditional readings but might also include screening a film, exploring a website, or playing a game. Our students write well-researched papers and give in-class presentations, but their assignments might also be to create videos and films, photo essays, media remixes, animations, radio plays, infographics, social media content, blogs, original video games, and apps for mobile devices. In other words, we place a high value on developing university level critical reading and writing skills, but our students also do so much more.
In Media Arts & Cultures, we'll teach you to be both a critical consumer and a creative producer, both a scholar of media and an author of media.
Program Structures
Students interested in Media Arts & Cultures have a variety of options when choosing one of our programs. The most common program is the Major, which requires 12 ch of Introductory and Intermediate level courses plus 30 ch of Upper Level courses (including certain required courses). Students can also choose the "Film Production option" within the Major, or a Double Major with another disciplne.
Media Arts & Cultures also has an Honours program (as well as Joint Honours) and students interested in the "Film Production option" mentioned above can also complete that within the Honours program.
Finally, for those majoring in other areas, there is Minor in Media Arts & Cultures available that requires only 24 ch of MAAC courses.
For detailed checklists of requirements for each of these programs are available here.
Contact
Scott PrestonDirector, Media Arts & Cultures
Dept of Culture and Language Studies
University of New Brunswick
Box 4400, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3
Phone: (506) 447-3291
