Advanced Level Courses

MAAC3001Media Arts (A)3 ch
Surveys artists’ engagement with electronic and digital media, as well as media institutions, from the early 20th century avant-garde to the present. Topics may include Dada, Surrealism, Andy Warhol, experimental cinema, video art, modernism, postmodernism, electronic music, remix culture, art and public space, and new media art. In addition to traditional assignments and tests, students will complete individual and group creative projects. Students cannot obtain credit for both MM 2001 and MAAC 3001. Students who have already taken MAAC 2001 may not obtain credit for MAAC 3001.
MAAC3003Click Here!: Interactivity on the Web3 ch (LE)

The use of web applets that advertise, entertain or inform is ubiquitous, and a lexicon of good practice is developing. The course introduces the problem of designing web-browser-based interactive modules that are human-friendly. Through the completion of individual projects, students will use Flash® or HTML5 to display text, images, and computer-generated graphics as well as techniques to control the presentation of material in response to how people interact with it. Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor. Students who have already completed MM 3003 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3003.

MAAC3021Culture Matters: Critical Approaches to Studying Culture (Cross-Listed: CCS 3021)3 ch (3C) (W)
Offers critical interdisciplinary approaches to understanding culture through examination of key concepts, theories and practices in the field of Cultural Studies. Required for CCS and MAAC Majors and Honours students.
MAAC3055Gender and Media (A)3 ch (3C) (W)

Investigates key issues and theoretical approaches in the study of gender and media, with a particular focus on the ways in which popular media texts construct and communicate gender and sexuality. Using theories from media studies, cultural studies, queer studies, and gender studies, this course explores processes and practices of gender in media representations, media production and media consumption. Through readings, class discussions, presentations, and projects, students gain insight into the ways in in which gender and its intersections with sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, ability, age, and many other dynamics significantly impacts our cultural formations and media experience. Open to students who have completed 45 ch, or with permission of the instructor.

MAAC3056Queer Media and Culture (A) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3056)3 ch (3S) (W)
Explore how queer identities are shaped, performed, and represented across media and cultures. Learn how lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, asexual, two spirit, queer and questioning people have been represented and have represented themselves across various media in recent decades in the Canadian and international contexts. Examine how queer theory works to disrupt traditional notions of gender, sex, sexuality, pleasure, and bodies, and what this means for queer community making.
MAAC3057Advertising and Consumer Culture (O)3 ch (3C) (W)
Traces the origins, transformations, and current landscape of consumer culture, especially in relation to the role and impact of advertising as a form. Topics may include postmodern culture, consumer identity, gender and representation, viral marketing, activism, and resistance. Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor.
MAAC3065The Thrill of Fear: Horror Narratives Across Media & Cultures (A) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3065)3 ch (3C) (W)

Why have people in so many times and places enjoyed spooky stories? What, if any, value can we assign to tales of horror and the supernatural? Do ghost stories and monster movies differ across nations and cultures? Questions like these will guide our global study of gothic, horror and supernatural texts chosen from a wide array of media, from literature and cinema, to television, comic books, and video games. Topics may include visual culture and the sublime, Freud's notion of “the uncanny,” Jungian archetypes, gender identity, conceptions of ritual and myth, the modern and the postmodern, subcultures, folklore, religion and secularization. Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor. Students who have already completed MM 3065 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3065. Students who have taken WLCS 3065 may not attain credit for MAAC 3065.

MAAC3066Trauma and Seduction: Early German Cinema (A) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3066, FILM 3066)3 ch (3C) (W)

Beginning with the earliest silent movies and concluding with National Socialist propaganda films, this course offers an introduction to a prolific and important era in German film history: the Weimar Republic and pre-WWII period, 1918-1939. Our discussions will situate the films within larger political and cultural discourses. Emphasis will be placed on such topics as the cinematic response to the trauma of WWI; German national identity; expressionism and modernity; the politics of gender and sexuality; the impact of sound on film aesthetics; the relationship between cinema and other media; the ethics of film production. Films to be studied include features by directors such as Lang, Lubitsch, Murnau, Pabst, Riefenstahl, Sagan, von Sternberg and Wiene. In English. NOTE: Students can obtain credit for only one of GER 3066, WLCS 3066, CCS 3066, FILM 3066, and MAAC 3066.

MAAC3072Contemporary German Cinema and Media (O) (Cross-Listed: FILM 3072, MAAC 3072)3 ch (3C) (W)

This course covers recent German cinema and media with a focus on acclaimed productions by new directors for film, television, and streaming platforms. The creative work of women directors, and themes of gender, subjectivity, and intimacy are especially highlighted. Other topics include: The Berlin School and its visual and narrative style, the continued preoccupation of filmmakers with the nation’s past, comedy and satire in Germany, and the influence of the 1970s (the feminist film movement, the New German Cinema, etc.) on the new generation. 

Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed at least 30 ch of university courses or by permission of the instructor. NOTE: Students can obtain credit for only one of GER 3072, WLCS 3072, CCS 3072, CCS 3074, FILM 3072, and MAAC 3072.
MAAC3075Framing Reality: Theory and Practice of Documentary Media (A) (Cross-listed: FILM 3075)3 ch (3C)

This course surveys the history and aesthetics of non-fiction filmmaking from the birth of cinema to the digital age. It will examine epistemological and ethical questions raised by documentary's encounter with reality and its attempt to present “the truth.” Films screened are drawn from an array of nations and range from the personal to the political as well as more experimental and avant-garde works. The course includes a film production component as students will apply what they have learned in class by producing a short non-fiction film as a final project. NOTE: Students can obtain credit for only one of MAAC 3075 and FILM 3075.

Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed at least 45 credit hours at the university level.
MAAC3082History of Canadian Cinema (A) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3082, FILM 3082)3 ch (3C) (W)

Focuses on the first half-century of filmmaking in Canada and the nation's long struggle to develop and sustain a functioning film industry in the shadow of Hollywood. Readings and screenings trace the history of the movies in Canada from the silent era to the 1970s. Issues raised may include Canadian/American relations, national and regional identities, tensions between art and entertainment, media and cultural policy, representation of race, class, gender, and relation of Canadian film to other media (TV, radio, video) and other arts (painting, music, literature) in Canada. NOTE: Students can obtain credit for only one of WLCS 3082, CCS 3082, FILM 3082, and MAAC 3082.

Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed at least 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor.
MAAC3085Television Studies (A)3 ch (3C) (W)

This course explores the different approaches used by scholars to understand the cultural role of television in contemporary North American life. Special attention is paid to the impact of new technologies like colour broadcasting, satellite and cable systems, HDTV and the internet. Topics may include TV genres from sitcoms to soap operas, the rise of reality TV, fatherhood and family values, advertising aesthetics, Saturday morning cartoons, Hockey Night in Canada™, and the ethics of the evening news. Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor. Students who have already completed MM 3085 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3085.

MAAC3087Serials, Franchises and Fandom (O)3 ch (W)
This course explores the history of storytelling and fandom throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Topics include "serialitis" during the silent era of film, merchandising and serial promotion, transmedia franchises, fan-made texts, and the building of fan-communities through ongoing narratives. Media discussed may include dime novels, comic books, film, radio, television, video games, anime, podcasts, and online forums. Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor.
MAAC3095Digital Game Studies (A)3 ch (3C) (W)

Digital games are a major cultural and artistic force in the contemporary media landscape. In this course, students will have the opportunity to consider digital games of various kinds and how they might both relate to and be distinct from the other forms of media. Using critical readings, class discussion and gameplay projects, we will consider competing notions about the nature of games, gaming practices, gameplay, and gaming cultures. No previous experience with digital games is required. 

Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours including MAAC 1095, or with permission of the instructor.
MAAC3101Media Design I3 ch (LE)

Explores strategies for creative visual expression across media, working within the constraints of the design paradigm. Topics will include formal design theory, colour theory, basic typography, image construction, and an introduction to visual communications using lectures, assignments, readings, in-class seminars, group discussion and critique. Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor. Students who have already completed MM 2002 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3103. 

MAAC3102Media Design II3 ch (LE)

Provides an opportunity for students to develop further skills and broaden their understanding of visual communication. Topics will include organizing efficient design systems, producing eloquent moving image typography and developing consistent visual identity programs. The work and design strategies of leading contemporary practitioners will be examined.

Prerequisite: MAAC 3101. Students who have already completed MM 3001 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3102.

MAAC3113Music, Computers and Technology (Cross-Listed: MUS 3113) 3 ch (3C)

The uses of computers in music from a practical and historical perspective is identified and studied. Early uses in notation, composition, presentation, interactive media applications are explored. Project based with work in current Software applications. Open to students who have completed 30 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor.

MAAC3211Mobility, Media, and Art (O) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3211) 3 ch (3C) (W)
This course considers how artists, filmmakers, and writers use mobile media to create various forms of art, including cellphilms, soundwalks, and micro-blog. In general, mobile media art takes art out of the gallery, cinema, and city and puts it into our pockets, public spaces, rural environments. Drawing on the mobilities paradigm, we examine how mobile media artists working in screen, digital, and game spaces challenge usual forms of participation, interactivity, and accessibility. We will utilize analyze different mobile media art projects both within and outside of the classroom, which may include cellphilms, mobile phone orchestras, soundwalks, and/or soundscapes. Students have the option of creating a cellphilm, or soundwalk for their final project.
MAAC3212Lens Media I3 ch (LE)

Examines the principles of still image construction using digital technology. Covers the general theories of light in natural and artificial environments. Introduces notions of colour, form, line and texture as they relate to photographic image making. Workshop activity will provide students with skills in making still images in the studio and the natural environment.

Prerequisite: Students will have normally have completed 45 ch. Students who have already completed MM 3212 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3212.

MAAC3213Lens Media II3 ch (LE)

Explores the construction of a single image from multiple still photographs, and the concepts of aspect ratio and information density in image making.  Students will examine how these images may be used to build immersive environments, and experiment with presentation technologies that expose consideration of physical and social presence in these environments. 

Prerequisite: MAAC 3212, or permission of the instructor. Students who have already completed MM 3213 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3213.

MAAC3362Sound Design3 ch (LE)

Sound design, though often overlooked, is an essential aspect of much contemporary media. Course focuses on creativity and technology for recording, editing and mixing sound to engage audiences in film, video, drama and multimedia production. Topics include: technical and artistic application of sound design for film with regards to specific genres, foley artistry, animation, game audio, soundscape design and sound motif. Open to students who have completed 45 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor. Students who have already completed MM 3362 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 3362.

MAAC3401Digital Culture3 ch (3C) (W)

Examines major theories of digital culture and contemporary media. Using examples from a broad range of social, artistic, and cultural practices, the course analyzes the development of digital technologies and their impact on today’s culture. Topics and approaches may include cyborg theory, the information economy, convergence, media ecology, virtual worlds, remix culture, and new media aesthetics. Open to students who have completed 60 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor. NOTE: Students who have received credit for MM 3107 may not take MAAC 3401 for credit.

MAAC34023D Fundamentals3 ch (3C)

Discover the fundamentals of creating 3D characters and environments applicable to a variety of media such as games, VFX for film and television, and virtual reality. Develop a foundation in 3D modelling and texturing and build fluency with industry-standard tools and techniques. Gain experience with aestetic issues of look, style, and critical judgement in visual art.

Prerequisite: 45 ch of university courses or permission of the instructor.

MAAC3405Media & Environment (O) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3405) 3 ch (3C) (W)
This course introduces students to the literature of environmental media studies. The media landscape, from television to video games, has a profound role in shaping how we think about nature, wilderness, and the environment. The news and social media are also important sources of information about environmental issues. In addition to being crucial sources of information, however, the media create many environmental problems, such as e-waste and carbon emissions. This course reflects on the production, distribution, and associated waste of digital media alongside its role in representing the environment and environmental problems. Teaching methods include lectures and seminars. Students have the option of creating an environmental media project, e.g., a media campaign or short documentary, for their final project.
MAAC3431Global Media, Politics, and Power (O) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3431)3 ch (3C) (W)
Uses core readings and theoretical frameworks from media studies to examine the complex relationships between media, society, and politics, across the twentieth century and into the new millennium and in global perspective. Topics include media ownership and regulation; media and social movements; censorship and freedom of the press; television and digital culture in emerging democracies; the politics of the popular; media arts and activism. Students who have taken WLCS 3431 may not attain credit for MAAC 3431.
MAAC3435Media, Culture, and Change (O)3 ch (W)
This course examines the relationship between residual, in-use, and emergent media technologies with a focus on the influence of these interactions on culture and identity. Drawing from works by Indigenous, anti-racist, queer, feminist, and environmental media scholars, we will discuss the frequent association of media technologies with major societal upheaval. This course looks at various media, including the quipu and printing press, video games, and twitter, to examine key moments when changing media ecologies influence wider social, political, and economic spheres. Topics may include orality, colonialism, innovation, technological determinism, medium theory, and speed. A key aim of the course is to analyze the materiality of various media technologies. To fullfill this goal, we will particpate in a series of in-class activities and experiments, which may include storytelling, using photosensitive paper, creating flipbooks, or other residual technologies.
MAAC3501 to 3509Individual Studies in Media3 ch

Courses of independent study in a topic of special interest to the student, to be taken under the supervision of a Faculty member. Topics will be specified in a written proposal and approved in advance by the Director of Media Arts and Cultures. Students who have already completed a MM 3501-9 course for credit may not enrol in the matching MAAC 3501-9 course.

MAAC3601Game Design I3 ch (3C)

The fundamental challenges of creating interactive gameplay are the subject of this course that introduces students to the processes employed by designers for the creation of a game. Students will interrogate notions of “gameplay” and the evolution of the medium, compare and re-design a variety of existing games, workshop ideas, and create their own game designs. This course is open to students who have completed at least 45 ch at the university level.

MAAC3602Game Design II3 ch (3C)

Building on skills learned in Game Design I, students work in groups to conceptualize and implement a digital game while examining more advanced issues in game design and development from a variety of perspectives.

PrerequisiteMAAC 3601 or permission of the instructor.

MAAC3675Games for Change (A)3 ch (3S) (W) (EL)
Examine how games can be designed for purposes beyond entertainment, such as art, education, social critique, activism. Following a project-based format, all students conceive and design their own game for change.

Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed 45 ch or with permission of the instructor.
MAAC3793East Coast Music (O) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3793, MUS 3793)3 ch (3C)
The relationship between music and East Coast identity is the focus of this course that covers a range of music styles, regional differences, and contemporary modes. The theme uniting the various case studies is the importance of music to the region's culture(s). The subject also allows for a broader reflection on music's importance to identity. Topics may range from Cape Breton fiddle, through Halifax hip-hop.
MAAC3795Dark Futures: Visions of Dystopia since World War I (O) (Cross-Listed: CCS 3795)3 ch (3C)
Offers an exploration of dystopian literature and film from a broad cross-section of cultures over the past 100 years or so. Based on an examination of texts by authors such as Karel Capek, Evgeny Zamiatin, Paolo Bacigalupi, and Sandra Newman and films such as Stalker, Late August in the Hotel Ozone, and Battle Royale, students will consider how dystopias reflect, respond to and anticipate totalitarianism, environmental degradation, dehumanization, and other social, political, cultural and technological challenges facing humanity.
MAAC3999Editing and Post Production (A) (Cross-Listed: FILM3999)3 ch (3C/WS)

An intensive hands-on course in the theory and application of post-production techniques for digital filmmaking and video production, with a focus on editing for narrative film. The course covers history of film editing, basic techniques, best practices, and changing technologies. Grading is principally based on creative assignments that grow out of engagement with this material. NOTE: Students who already have credit for ENGL 3999 "Film and Video Production", cannot obtain credit for MAAC 3999 "Editing and Post Production" or for FILM 3999 "Editing and Post Production".

MAAC4000Digital Film Production III (Cross-Listed: FILM 4000)6 ch (6WS) (EL)

This full year course takes students through the entire process of production of a professional quality short film, from fundraising, budget planning, and pre-production work through the shoot to the final edit and on to the marketing and submission of the film to festivals. Students work together as a production team, taking on a variety of responsibilities while supervised by the instructor.

Prerequisite: MAAC /FILM 2999 or permission of the instructor.

MAAC4001Advanced Production (Cross-Listed: FILM 4001)3 ch (3C/WS) (LE)

Students produce more complex films, developing a project from beginning to end, working on each other’s projects, and gaining hands-on experience in a variety of skilled positions on a film’s crew. NOTE: Students can obtain credit for only one of MAAC 4001 and FILM 4001.

Prerequisite: MAAC 2999, FILM 2999 or permission of the instructor.

MAAC4021/5021Advanced Studies in Popular Culture (A) (Cross-Listed: CCS 4021/5021)3 ch (3S) (W)

Focus on theoretical approaches to the study of popular culture. Topics and theories covered may rotate from year to year.

Prerequisites: 60 ch of courses including MAAC/CCS 2021, or permission of the instructor. MAAC 5021 is normally open only to Honours Students. Students may only obtain credit for one of MAAC 4021 and MAAC 5021.

MAAC4025/5025Advanced Seminar in Digital Culture (A)3 ch (3S) (W)
Explore theoretical approaches to the study of digital cultures and technologies within a media studies context to build better understanding of and critical engagement with the digitally mediated aspects of our lives. Topics and theories covered include analog and digital media forms and phenomena; digital identities and embodied intimacies; creativity and remix cultures; popular culture representations of digital cultures; online communities and connections; and issues around digital inequalities, access and activism.

Prerequisites: 60 ch of courses including MAAC 2021 or CCS 2021, or permission of the instructor. MAAC 5025 is normally open only to Honours Students. Students may only obtain credit for one of MAAC 4025 or MAAC 5025.
MAAC4401Animation Principles (A)3 ch (LE)

Examines animated image making across a variety of media (film, TV, games), all of which rely on the Phi Phenomenon identified in Gestalt theory. Small project assignments will introduce students to some common animation tools and course discussions will focus on the application of animation concepts to storytelling.

Prerequisite: Students will normally have completed 60 ch. Students who have already completed MM 4401 for credit may not enrol in MAAC 4401.

MAAC4404Mobile Media (A)3 ch (3S)

This course explores the impact and influence mobile devices have had, and continue to have, on patterns of life, work and play. Examines the unique media forms and characteristic experiences emerging from the use of smart phones, tablets and other handheld digital devices. Discussions, readings and assignments encourage critical reflection on the relationship between technology and culture in a mobile world.

Prerequisite: 60 ch, or permission of the instructor.

MAAC4405Creative Mobile App Design (A)3 ch (3C)

The course provides an overview of principles of human interface design associated with creating, designing, and prototyping applications for the iPod®, iPhone® & iPad®. Topics covered may include gaming, augmented reality, creative play, or information presentation. Students will explore practical problems associated with planning game-play scenarios, integrating computer-generated imagery, or creating well-designed information displays for mobile devices. Individual and group project work will focus all the steps needed to produce a finished prototype for the app. Mobile devices will be provided for classroom use. Open to students who have completed 75 credit hours, or with permission of the instructor.

MAAC4951Professional Practice3 ch (EL)

Individual internship consisting of 80 hours of work in one term on a project for an organization in the community that involves skills and/or ideas directly related to the Media Arts & Cultures program. A faculty member will supervise the progress of the student and a final report on the project undertaken will be evaluated for academic assessment. Subject to faculty and placement availability. The final course grade will be reported as CR/NCR.

Prerequisites: MAAC 3101, and at least 75 ch completed.

MAAC4952Professional Practice3 ch

An internship consisting of 80 hours of work in one term on a project for an organization in the community that involves skills and/or ideas directly related to the Media Arts & Cultures program. A faculty member will supervise the progress of the student and a final report on the project undertaken will be evaluated for academic assessment. Subject to faculty and placement availability. The final course grade will be reported as CR/NCR.

Prerequisites: MAAC 3101, and at least 75 ch completed.

MAAC4992Topics in Media Arts & Cultures (O)3 ch (3S)

An advanced seminar in theory of Media Cultures and/or practice of Media Arts. Topics will vary from year-to-year.

Prerequisites: 75 ch, and MAAC 3401, or permission of the instructor. NOTE: Students who already have credit for MM 4992 may not enrol in MAAC 4992.

MAAC5000Honours Thesis6 ch (W)

A reading and research course open to students qualifying for Honours in Media Arts & Cultures. To enrol in this course, students must first arrange for a professor to supervise their thesis. The course will result in the writing of an Honours Thesis, normally 40-60 pages in length. Student may not enrol in both MAAC 5000 and MAAC 5980.

MAAC5980Honours Project6 ch (W)

A reading, research and creative practice course open to students qualifying for Honours in Media Arts & Cultures. To enrol in this course, students must first arrange for a professor to supervise their project. The course will result in the creation of a Media Arts Project along with a 10-15 page Project Paper. Students may not enrol in both MAAC 5000 and MAAC 5980.