An extension of the introductory filmmaking course, Social Media Production is an exploratory overview of how social media tells stories, engages audiences, and is used by businesses. Using techniques described in lectures and demonstrations, the course focuses on advanced artistic techniques. Students create projects for different social media platforms and practice different approaches to express unique messages related to their interests. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113.

Teaches the process of designing characters, illustrations, shapes, and text in motion. Building on MEDA 210 The Art of Editing, students engage in a variety to motion graphic and animation projects to create a series of short graphic projects for variety of media sources. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and MEDA 210.

Because sound is emotive, not seen or easily rationalized, it tends to be a hidden art in media. Media Sound explores different ways sound is used in narrative and documentary films, podcasts, and as a design for media presentations. Students are introduced to a number of sound design approaches, styles, and techniques. By the end of the course students will demonstrate skills they have developed by creating sound for a variety of media projects.

Artificial Intelligence is the most important and controversial development of technology in the 21st century. As AI increasingly contributes to media creation, it poses either a challenge or opportunity for creativity. As a generative tool, AI still requires human creativity to prompt meaningful stories. Students study the development and ethics of Artificial Intelligence while using AI tools to explore, research, and create media productions

The Bible, Story and Media studies stories in the Bible that express God’s relationship with Creation. Demonstrating ways these stories have been effectively told through media, students learn the literary forms of Biblical traditions, story points-of-view, and genre. By understanding how themes in the Bible are told as stories, students adapt approaches into their own creative allegorical work.

Finding people who can tell stories for businesses and organizations is in high demand by employers. Corporate Storytelling introduces ways students can tell stories for business, non-profit organizations, and ministries through motion picture, images, and social media. Students create a variety of different corporate media projects related to their personal interests to show their understanding of the scope of corporate storytelling. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113.

Filmmaking that observes and presents factual information is an essential skill for every twenty-first century media practitioner. This course surveys the history of documentary filmmaking, ethical approaches to documenting stories,techniques and artistic skills, and workflow unique to factual media. Students make a series of one-minute documentaries using a variety of genres, themes, and tactics to show their understanding reality-based filmmaking. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 2XX.

Hermeneutical approaches to understanding the Bible share a similar activity to assessing the meaning of a media production. By learning about hermeneutics, students are equipped to analyze and discover deeper meanings in the message of Jesus as portrayed through storytelling mediums. This critical skill becomes creative exercises as students explore and explain the story of Christ by telling original stories. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 2XX.

Media is entertaining, educational, poetic, and a dialectic tool that requires an ability to discern the messages behind content. Media, Meaning, Ethics, and Faith takes students through formats and platforms to study how meaning is embedded in media, ways media impact faith, and employ ethical principles to assess the moral value of the message. Students develop media projects to critically reflect on faith and values in modern media. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 2XX.

An essential skill in creating media is learning to research well and assess statistical information. Research Skills and Statistics provides an overview of research approaches and statistical analysis particular to media as students develop professional practices involved in working with businesses, non-profit organizations, government, and media platform. At the end of the course students will demonstrate their research abilities and understanding of statistical methods by creating video essays on a broad number of topics related to their particular interests. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 2XX.

Many graduates will become entrepreneurs and start their own business because of the contractual nature of media projects. Media producers need to have a working knowledge of standards, operations, and practices to successfully turn their creativity into a business. With exercises that ensure students understand and possess necessary introductory financial and management skills, this course takes students through steps required to start and operate a small media business. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 2XX.

Film is worldwide, practiced in every nation and culture over the past one-hundred-plus years. This course looks at the major social-political movements, national and regional films, and the stories of filmmakers. Students research and create video essays that compare the use of media between eras, countries, and ideas, demonstrating how media is a form of cultural and historical expression. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 2XX.

The Practice of Film Theory is a survey of the aesthetic, cultural, and social ‘isms’ of the 20th century. Students learn about modern movements as represented through media theory. Putting theory into practice, students create weekly media projects that reflect and demonstrate ideologies and theoretical movements in creative ways. Students expand their filmmaking skills as they are rehired to use unique aesthetic techniques and approaches with these projects. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX.

Media creation is a team-activity that requires organized workflow to manage people to complete projects. Advanced Project Management for Media takes students through a series of workshops to appreciate what needs to be done to produce media, organize people, and manage deliverables. Students demonstrate their project management skills as they produce projects that require effective attention to schedules, creativity, quality assurance, and workflow. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX.

Ethnography is the anthropological study of human development and practices. Media has become an important means used to record and understand our world. Similar to what was learned in documentary filmmaking, Ethnography and Media uses techniques to observe and assess behaviour. At the end of this outcome, students will create projects that they both shoot and collect to generate ideas about behaviour related to the practice of ethnography. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX.

Filmmakers have always used film as a vehicle to explore and express beliefs. Christians have used film as a means to evangelize and confirm Biblical and theological perspectives. Film as Christian Witness; Apologetics analyzes narrative and documentary films to recognize apologetic approaches in films. Students assess Christian themes and meaning behind films, comparing aesthetic approaches and effectiveness as apologetic art that reveals truth. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX.

As a business, media producers must understand financial and cash flow management. Expanding on Introduction to Business Skills for Media, students develop the knowledge to manage money and operate the finances involved in running a media business. Exercises, real-world scenarios, and challenges related to their mock business gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to manage the finances of a media business. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX.

Initially meant to show the process of thought on screen, experimental media has pushed the boundaries of what media can achieve and represent in both narrative and reality-based film and design. The History and Practice of Experimental Media explores media art, taking students through exercises that mimic techniques as they create projects that push original ideas and possibilities with experimental media approaches. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX.

The MEDA internship is a 120-hour practical experience, giving students the opportunity to work with and for a professional organization. Such work can include, but is not limited to, different forms of media, broadcast, and social media production based on the student’s interests and strengths. Potential clients include corporate, non-profit, or ministry organizations. Students work with faculty to determine an appropriate placement and are supervised by the employer, who will contribute an assessment for the student’s final mark. The internship may be paid or unpaid. (Students may not work for their church or family members.) Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX. Permission required.

A representation-of and influence-on culture, media shapes how people understand theology. Media as Culture; The Theology of Making reflects how media influences modern culturebefore exploring the theological implication of creativity. Students analyze contemporary topics where media is used to shape public theological thought, while creating corresponding content that demonstrates constructive ways that media develops theology and spiritual contemplation. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX.

Students create a project based on their personal focus at the end of their degree. This calling-card media represents their skills and interests to potential employers. Students apply what they have studied to develop fifteen minutes of media screen-time (or related project for non-time-based interests), a producer’s pitch deck, and written/graphic visualizations of the project. Prerequisites: MEDA 111 or 113, and 3 credit hours in MEDA 3XX Application required Graduate-Level Courses

Asserting their focus on media and professional craft, students connect with an organization, charity, or ministry outside the program to create, help tell their stories and provide services and expertise to help the organization with their media needs. Graduate students only.

The thesis is a significant media project related to the student’s craft. Thesis projects reflect what students have learned and how they have developed through their degree, demonstrating their competency in media specializations. Length and amount of work in the thesis will be determined by mentors based on media, content, and vision of the student. The thesis is done in collaboration and guidance with an appropriate mentor who has experience in the student’s craft. Graduate students only.

Media starts with ideas, formed into words to communicate and capture the reader’s imagination. Great media comes from meaningful stories that create cathartic experiences for an audience. Storytelling mentors students to develop thoughtful stories from page to pitches for projects related to their field of media-interest. Graduate students only.