The recent reorganization of the Modern Culture and Media department has resulted in the elimination of the department's previous introductory course, MC 11: "Introduction to Modern Culture and Media," and the restructuring of the first-year curriculum into two new classes.
The reform was the result of conversations between faculty and students in the MCM department that began in fall of 2003. The group agreed change was needed because MC 11 was attracting students for "very different reasons," according to Ellen Rooney, professor of English, modern culture and media and gender studies and chair of the MCM department.
Meetings of the entire MCM faculty as well as meetings of the Undergraduate Studies Committee addressed the issue of students' goals in the department. "Students have plans of how MCM will or will not fit into what they want to do, and they have different intellectual trajectories," Rooney said.
Rooney said the purpose of the reorganization was to "systematically address a broader group of students" by offering intensive introductory level courses as well as broader survey courses.
In the past, the syllabus of MC 11 strained to both expose students to the range of media expected of a survey course and provide the focus necessary for students planning to continue in the MCM department, Rooney said.
Instead of MC 11, the department decided to offer two introductory level courses to accommodate the diverse "intellectual projects" and intentions students have in mind when signing up to take MCM courses, Rooney said. MC 10: "Introduction to Media," is being offered this fall, and MC 15: "Readings in Theory of Media and Modern Culture" will be offered in the spring.
Rooney said that in the reorganization, it was important to retain the concentration's em-phasis on "representation and interpretation" in both of the introductory classes as well as introduce "criticism and theory oriented towards specific kinds of media." The more theoretical component will be introduced in MC 15.
MC 10 is not a required course for students concentrating in MCM; however, it is listed as a prerequisite for many upper-level courses and is a requirement for a concentration in Art/Semiotics. The course can also count toward the 11 MCM courses required of concentrators.
Megan Goetsch '09, currently enrolled in MC 10, said she thinks she will end up concentrating in MCM. "We live in such a media-immersed society, and it's interesting to understand how it has developed into such an important factor in our lives," she said.
Goetsch said she definitely plans to take MC 15 in the spring, saying, "I'm excited for MC 15, it sounds interesting and more detailed."
Rooney said the syllabus for MC 15 has not yet been finalized.
MC 15 is required for MCM concentrators. Rooney said it will be the class where "we treat representation and interpretation as the primary materials." These fundamental components of the study of MCM are needed to move upward in the department, she said.
In contrast to the restructuring of the introductory track, the renumbering of MCM courses this year - intended to make the department easier to navigate - is a more superficial change. Previously, the numbers of lower-level courses dedicated to individual kinds of media varied widely, confusing students as to courses' relative difficulty.
Now these courses will be consolidated into course numbers in the 20s and will be offered on a rotating basis. This year's offerings are MC 23: "Digital Media" and MC 26: "Cinematic Coding and Narrativity." The goal of these courses "is to go into depth (with different subject matters) having already had experience with media and media analysis" from introductory courses, Rooney said.
The intention of the renumbering was to help students "progress through the curriculum and navigate more easily through the courses," Rooney said.
"MCM has a very broad scope, from print to digital media, and we hope the 20-level courses will act as a gateway to the different kinds of media," he said.
Some of the 20-level courses are new to the department and depend on faculty interests, she added.
Currently, most of the students currently enrolled in MC 10 are first-years, although Rooney said she expects upperclassmen to eventually enroll in the course as well.
"I feel that a lot of people are (in MC 10) because it's a prerequisite and because they are interested in continuing with MCM courses," said Ashley Harris '09, who is currently taking MC 10.
Rooney expects that in the coming years, when students become more familiar with the reorganization, "sophomores and juniors might realize they should be in the class."
"In the spring, we will take stock of these two new courses and see what works and doesn't work," Rooney said.
