Media Arts & Cultures

General Information

Media Arts & Cultures is an interdisciplinary program that combines the study of media forms, texts, and contexts with a hands-on approach to creativity and technology. In this program, students learn about media by making media. They not only consider, critique, and engage intellectually with media, but also learn tools and techniques with which media content is created today. In Media Arts & Cultures, we blur the line between critical consumers and creative producers, between scholars of media and authors of media.

Honours, Majors, and Minors

Students interested in Media Arts & Cultures have the following five options

• Honours in Media Arts & Cultures 
• Honours in Media Arts & Cultures (Film Production)
• Major in Media Arts & Cultures
• Major in Media Arts & Cultures (Film Production) 
• Minor in Media Arts & Cultures

Honours programs are for students who are interested in a concentrated course of study (typically in preparation for further studies). The Film Production options are designed to allow students with an interest in filmmaking to focus their MAAC elective courses in this area. All students electing the Film Production option still complete all of the core courses for the general Media Arts & Cultures program. The Minor consists of 24 ch of MAAC courses for students majoring in other disciplines. Joint Honours and Double Majors with Media Arts & Cultures are also possible.

Honours

Admission to the Honours Program in Media Arts & Cultures is open to qualified students who have completed 45 ch of courses toward the BA degree. Normally students will have completed (or be in process of completing) 12 ch in lower level MAAC courses. Students should apply for admission to the Media Arts & Cultures Honours Program in their fourth term. Students may enter the program during their third year, if they qualify.

To be admitted to Honours, the student must have achieved an average of 3.3 (B+) in their Media Arts & Cultures courses. Also, an average of 3.3 in MAAC courses and of 2.5 in non-MAAC courses must be maintained if the student is to retain Honours standing.

Each student's program of study must be approved by the Director of Media Arts & Cultures.

• 3.3 GPA in MAAC courses and a 2.5 GPA in non-MAAC courses
• 12 ch of Introductory and Intermediate level MAAC courses (including at least MAAC 2021)
• 42 ch of Advanced level MAAC courses. 
  • These must include MAAC 3021, MAAC 3101, MAAC 3102, and MAAC 3401, as well as either MAAC 5000 (Honours Thesis)or MAAC 5980 (Honours Project).
    

Joint Honours Requirements

A student completing Honours in Media Arts & Cultures jointly with another subject follows the same requirements as Single Honours but may reduce the overall number of advanced level ch in MAAC courses to 30.

Honours in Media Arts & Cultures (Film Production)

The Department offers students wishing to concentrate in film production the following Honours option: Media Arts & Cultures (Film Production). The requirements for this program are:

• 3.3 GPA in MAAC courses and a 2.5 GPA in non-MAAC courses 
• MAAC/FILM 2999 & MAAC 2022
• An additional 6 ch of Introductory and Intermediate level MAAC courses (chosen from MAAC 1001, MAAC 1002, MAAC 2021)
• 42 ch of advanced level MAAC courses
  • These must include MAAC 3021, MAAC 3101, MAAC 3102, MAAC 3401, MAAC 4001, 6 ch from the approved Film Production courses list (List A below), 6 ch from the approved Film Studies course list (List B below), and either MAAC 5000 (Honours Thesis) or MAAC 5980 (Honours Project).

Students considering this option should discuss their plans with the Director of Media Arts & Cultures when they apply to the Honours program. All students following the Film Production option must have their course of study approved by the Director.

List B

Major in Media Arts & Cultures

A major in Media Arts & Cultures requires the completion of 42ch of MAAC courses, with a grade of C or better in each. The specific requirements are as follows:

Single Majors Requirements

• 12 ch of Introductory and Intermediate level MAAC courses (including at least or MAAC 2021)
• 30 ch of advanced level MAAC courses.
  • These must include MAAC 3101, MAAC 3102, and MAAC 3401.

Double Majors Requirements

A student completing a Major in Media Arts & Cultures jointly with another subject follows the same requirements as Single Majors but may reduce the required number of Advanced level ch in MAAC courses to 24.

Optional Majors Program: Media Arts & Cultures (Film Production)

The Department offers students wishing to concentrate in film production the following Major option: Media Arts & Cultures (Film Production). The requirements for this program are:

• MAAC/FILM 2999 & MAAC 2022
• An additional 6 ch of Introductory and Intermediate level MAAC courses (chosen from MAAC 1001, MAAC 1002, or MAAC 2021)
• 30 ch of advanced level MAAC courses
  • These must include MAAC 3101, MAAC 3102, MAAC 3401, MAAC 4001, at least 6 ch from the approved Film Production courses list (List A below), and at least 6 ch from the approved Film Studies course list (List B below)

Students considering this option should discuss their plans with the Director of Media Arts & Cultures when they declare their major. All students following the Film Production option must have their course of study approved by the Director. 

List A 

List B

ENGL 3906-9 Film Genre
ENGL 3916-9 National Cinemas
FILM/ENGL 3903 Film Theory
MAAC/CCS 3065 The Thrill of Fear: Horror Narratives across Media & Cultures
MAAC/FILM 3075 Framing Reality: Theory and Practice of Documentary Media
MAAC 3085 Television Studies
MAAC/CCS 3066 Trauma and Seduction: Early German Cinema
MAAC/CCS 3072 (Re)constructing National Identity: Contemporary German Cinema
MAAC/CCS 3082 History of Canadian Cinema
CCS 3455 The Cinema of Spain
CCS 3456 Latin American Cinema
MAAC/CCS 3795 Dark Futures:  Visions of Dystopia since World War I

Minor in Media & Arts Cultures

The Minor in Media Arts & Cultures consists of at least 24 ch in MAAC completed with a grade of C or better. MAAC 2021 and MAAC 3401 are required. At least 6 ch, and no more than 12 ch, must be from Introductory and Intermediate-level courses. Students should noe that any courses compulsory for their degree programs cannot be counted toward a Minor. Students transferring credits from another university should note that at least half the credits counted towards a UNB Minor in MAAC must be from courses taken at the University of New Brunswick.