Department of Media Arts
Course Offerings Spring 2005

Introduction to Mass Communication
M A 110-001
(AOA C&J 110-001)
A. Grisso
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
DSH 120, Special Fee $18
The development of the mass media with emphasis on television in the areas of programming, policy, regulations, economics, and technology. Examination of the social, cultural, and political impact of the mass media on contemporary society.
Contact Communications and Journalism Department for more information: 277-5305.

Introduction to Film
M A 210-001
James Stone
Mondays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
CA 2018, Special Fee $48
An overview of the 100-year history of film and film study, this course will feature a broad range of film types (narrative, experimental, documentary), as well as a range of approaches to understanding the aesthetic and cultural significance of the medium.

This course is a prerequisite to production courses at the 200 level and above, and to courses in history, criticism, and theory at the 300 level and above.

Latin American Cinema: After the Revolution(s)
M A 310/*410-001
Susan Dever
Thursdays, 5:00-8:30 p.m.
CA 2018, Special Fee $48
This course surveys key Latin American films from Mexico’s influential “Golden Age,” Post-Revolutionary movies, screening selections not generally shown in our Mexican Cinema course. We move through Cuban “New Cinema” of the ’60s and ’70s to recent productions, and then examine continent-wide contemporary works, continuing to focus on the cinema of rebellion. Here we look at examples of filmmaking from Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Columbia, and Chile, discussing the significance of citizenship represented in films about national and local police states. Cinematic constructions of the “national character” are juxtaposed with examinations of a “raced” and “gendered” citizenry. All films will be accessible to English speakers (though students may submit work in either Spanish or English).
RESTRICTED: Call Media Arts Department at 277-6262 for call number.

History of Film II: Sound Era
M A 327/*427-001
James Stone
Wednesdays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
CA 2018, Special Fee $48
A study of major fictional, documentary, and experimental films from around the world in relation to aesthetic, political, and social concerns that dominate the history of the sound era from its beginnings in 1927 to the present. Students will explore the nature and purposes of film as debated by filmmakers, critics, and theorists.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210, 326 or permission of instructor.

Russian Cinema: Ideology and Film in Twentieth-Century Russia
M A 330-001
(Taught with RUSS 230)
Natasha Kolchevska
Mondays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
DSH 233, Special Fee $18
This course will examine the evolution of film as a cultural product in twentieth-century Russia, especially during and after the Soviet period. We will examine different strategies for analyzing Russian film within its cultural and historical contexts. Readings for the course will come from a variety of disciplines, including history, political science, cinema studies, and literature. The idea is to provide those with a background in cinema but unfamiliar with Russian film the foundations underlying this important but little studied film tradition. For those with a background in Russian studies, the course will provide introductory readings in cinema studies that will introduce students to the discourse of film analysis. Class discussion based on viewings and readings is a critical component of the course. In addition to class participation and discussion, students' grades will be based on several short and one longer paper.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Experimental Film and the Arts
M A 330/*430-002
Nina Fonoroff
Wednesdays, 5:30–9:00 p.m.
CA 1019, Special Fee $48
Early in film’s history, artists discovered that they could work outside the boundaries of institutionalized “cinema” to explore new perceptual frontiers. In this course, students will explore major trends within what has variously been called Experimental, Avant-Garde, and Underground film. Through viewing a variety of films from the 1920s to the present, we will look at the rich history of this film practice, charting the influence of twentieth-century artistic movements such as Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, “Beat” poetics, and others. Why have these filmmakers chosen to position their work outside of mainstream practices? Can the notion of “radical” (or oppositional, subversive, transgressive) aesthetics be applied to these films? What formal and/or narrative elements characterize them? How have these filmmakers dealt with the ever-changing relationship between popular culture and “high art”? Readings of critical texts and viewings of visual artists’ work will supplement our exploration of this innovative cultural movement.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Ancient Rome in Cinema
M A 330/*430-003
Carl Mora
Tuesdays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
CA 1019, Special Fee $48
The Roman Empire has left an indelible imprint on Western culture, literature, politics, and art. Movies, from their earliest days, also found Roman topics irresistible. From silent epics like Cabiria (1914) and Ben Hur (1927) to Cleopatra (1963) and Gladiator (2000), filmmakers in Europe and Hollywood have sought to recreate the vanished world of ancient Rome, just as Western countries, in a fashion, have also been trying to do for the last 1500 years, give or take a few centuries. And such films were not just about the ancient Romans themselves; they can also tell us a great deal about the time and place in which they were made.

This course will provide an overview of film portrayals of ancient Rome through screenings of full-length films, selected clips, and readings. It will examine the enduring legacy of Rome and how it has been adapted to the ideological needs of the moment by filmmakers in Hollywood, Britain, Italy, and other countries.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Video Art: Current Trends
M A 330/*430-005
Bryan Konefsky
Thursdays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
CA 1019, Special Fee $48
Though media artist Bill Viola recently declared the death of video (a statement that suspiciously coincided with the conclusion of a major international retrospective of his own video work), a new generation of artists continues to discover exciting aesthetic possibilities in the unique properties of this electronic medium.

This course will examine recent artistic trends in video, including the intersection of new and old technologies. The class will consist of screenings, readings, discussions, and lectures. Students will be evaluated through written assignments and class participation.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Women and Creativity
M A 330-006
(Taught with WM ST 353-006, FA 329-006, C&J 293-006)
Ann Skinner-Jones
Thursdays, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
MH 213, Special Fee $18
Women and Creativity will present an overview of the variety and diversity of women’s experiences of creative expressions. Students will study how the processes of expressions are linked to an artist’s position in society and to female experience. The course will serve as a workshop for the examination of contemporary women from various multicultural backgrounds whose work in the expressive arts reflects their personal responses to living in today’s world. Feminist theory, feminist movement, and feminist aesthetics provide the foundation for exploration. In addition to discussing feminist creative works in class, students will begin to explore the creative possibilities in their own life experiences.

Students will participate in creative exercises in class that are intended to tap into intuitive rather than technical responses. Emphasis will be on the exploration of new modes that allow you to bring your own innovative forms to bear on the world rather than on reinforcing formulaic solutions and standardized formats. The intention is to learn from women who are actively engaged in their own forms of creative expression while supporting and stimulating ourselves in the development of our own creativity.

Ultimately the course provides a foundation for an appreciation of cultural values, creative expression, and the history and experience of human society through the arts. A high level of written expression and communication is emphasized. The course is cross-listed with Women Studies and Communication and Journalism.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Filming in the Southwest
M A 330-011
(taught with AM ST 360-011, CH ST 393-011)
Patricia Perea
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
DSH 223, Special Fee $18
Historically, the American Southwest and its people have been represented by Hollywood as inhabiting this anachronistic and untamed space. One has only to think of the hundreds of Westerns the film industry has produced. In this 300-level course, we will attempt to complicate traditional concepts of the Southwest. We will watch films that bring the Southwest up to date, and that deal with current issues and events in the region such as the influence of tourism and Mexican immigration. Some of the films we will watch include: Come and Take It Day (Jimmy Mendiola), Like Water for Chocolate (Alfonso Arau), Señorita Extraviada and The Devil Never Sleeps (Lourdes Portillo). We will also read Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko and some of the poetry of Simon Ortiz.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor. Contact American Studies department for more information 277-3929.

Women and Film
M A 330-012
(Taught with WM ST 279-012, C&J 293-012)
Ann Skinner-Jones
Wednesdays, 5:30-8:00 p.m.
MH 213, Special Fee $18
Women and Film is an exploration and celebration of the changing images of female representation on the screen. In this introductory course, there will be in-class viewing of films and we will consider a wide variety of feminist essays by film scholars who write about gender, race, class, and feminine stereotypes in mainstream and alternative narrative fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, and independent short films. Students will look at films as a vehicle for personal change and political action and become more aware of the constructed nature of a visual representation that narrowly defines categories of gender and sexuality—who is represented, who is not, and why not. We will examine interviews with women directors who discuss the meaning of directing from a feminist perspective. We will discuss issues of spectatorship and how a critical approach to media opens up new possibilities for re-visioning healthier alternative images for individual women and women in contemporary society.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Film Theory
M A 331/*431-001
(Media Arts majors must take at 431 level)
Nina Fonoroff
Mondays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
CA 1019, Special Fee $48
Students will explore major concepts in film theory and criticism through comparative analysis of readings and films of diverse styles. We will read and discuss the ideas of historical and contemporary theorists as they pertain to a variety of films screened in class. Topics will include cinematic realism, montage editing, the development of narrative, documentary, and avant-garde theories and practices in cinema; plus psychoanalytic, feminist, and multicultural readings of films. What defines cinema as a unique art form? What elements connect films with our notions of reality? How do ideologies come to be inscribed in films? How does film resemble a language? These are among the questions that we will discuss. This course will provide the background for further studies in media history/theory, film and video making, and cultural studies.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Alfred Hitchcock
M A 337/*437-001
James Stone
Tuesdays, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
CA 2018, Special Fee $48
This course will explore the nature of suspense in relation to surprise and shock. In making such distinctions, we will look at various genres to see how Hitchcock represents and transcends them. Our central goal is to arrive at some idea of what constitutes the distinctiveness of Hitchcock’s cinema.
PREREQUISITE: MA 210 or permission of instructor.

Independent Study
(Section numbers are listed next to each professor.)
M A 497 & 597 (2-3 credit hours), Dever 003, Fonoroff 004
Arranged by faculty and students
Students create individual projects under faculty supervision in history, criticism and theory (497, 597; may include a $48.00 special fee for use of video library materials).

Each student obtains the appropriate call number from the Media Arts Office after the instructor of record agrees to work with the student.

Undergraduate independent studies are designed to serve Media Arts majors who have exceptional projects that must be conducted outside existing classes.
RESTRICTED. For more information, please call the Media Arts Department at 277-6262.

Honors Thesis (3-6 credit hours)
(Section numbers are listed next to each professor.)
MA 499, Dever 001, Fonoroff 002
Arranged by faculty and students, Special Fee $93
Directed independent study in field of special interest, culminating in a written thesis and, if appropriate, a film, video, or other moving-image project. Open only by invitation to department honors candidates.
RESTRICTED. For more information, please call the Media Arts Department at 277-6262.

PRODUCTION COURSES

Technical Intro to Video
James Roy
M A 111-001
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30–7:45 p.m.
WOOD 138, Special Fee $58

AND

Technical Intro to Video
James Roy
M A 111-002
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00-11:15 a.m.
WOOD 138, Special Fee $58
This course serves as an introduction to the technical and aesthetic aspects of video. The technical will emphasize building the basic skills of camera (multiple and single) editing, and production planning. The aesthetic will include an introduction to the history of video art through viewings and readings, as well as an introduction to conceptual thinking in the creation of video art.
This course is a prerequisite for further courses in production.

Field Production, Documentary
M A 216-001
Nina Fonoroff
Tuesdays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
CA B-125, Special Fee $93
Beginning with the proposition that it is possible to “write” in moving images, students in this hands-on video workshop will receive an introduction to the tools and methods of video making in the genre of “creative nonfiction.” Starting with short image and sound exercises, and proceeding through longer work with both traditional and innovative documentary techniques, students will explore the role of interviews, testimonials, conversations, narration, the use of historical texts and images, reenactments, and other expressive uses of image and sound, to produce nonfiction video essays. Students will be assigned both individual and group projects. Class sessions will emphasize technical instruction on both analog and digital cameras and editing systems (including iMovie and Final Cut Pro software) and critiques of student work. We’ll also screen work by other video artists, and discuss readings of essays, fiction, and other texts, as assigned. Occasional meetings outside of scheduled class time will be necessary for additional technical review.
PREREQUISITE: M A 111 and 210 or permission of instructor.

Screenwriting (two sections)
Matthew McDuffie
M A 324-001 (Taught with THEA 558-001)
Thursdays, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
CA B-125, Special Fee $18
RESTRICTED: Call Number: 13174

Screenwriting
Matthew McDuffie
M A 324-003 (AOA ENGL 324-003)
Tuesdays, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
MH 218, Special Fee $18
An in-depth workshop on the basics of character, structure, scenes, dialogue, conflict, visualization, and good old story telling as it applies to the screenplay format. Open to variations (TV, Graphic Novels, Documentary, etc.). We read scenes from scripts, watch film clips, and write at least forty pages of an original screenplay.
NO PREREQUISITE

Computer Graphics Imagery and Animation (and Advanced CGI)
M A 394/*494-001
(AOA CS 394/494)
Ed Angel
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-6:30 p.m.
ESCP 110, Special Fee $18
he Maya software from Alias/Wavefront is the most prominent 3-dimensional imaging and animation package being used in the upper echelon of industry today. It includes modeling, rendering, animation, and composing modules, all of which use a Macintosh-like graphic interface. Course lectures will present ideas and techniques used in computer image generation. The focus of the course will be divided between developing an intimacy with the software using on-line Maya training material and the production of several small individual projects, plus a team term project. A major objective of the class is to encourage conversation between disciplines associated with art, science, and computer science, and to expose students to possibilities in the industry.
RESTRICTED: contact instructor at the Computer Science Department, 277-6560 or angel@cs.unm.edu

Advanced Video Art
M A *409-001 (AOA ART ST 409/509-001)
Bryan Konefsky
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
CA B-125, Special Fee $93
In recent years a new wave of nonfiction video has emerged that intentionally questions certain conventions of film/video history in terms of subjectivity/objectivity, authenticity, and representation. Media artists exploring this approach to video making have adapted strategies and aesthetics associated with other forms of the moving image (narrative, experimental, amateur, etc.) to consider new and unique ways in which this electronic medium might negotiate its way through ideas of “truth.” In this course, students will examine their own relationship to the camera and its subject using video technology as a vehicle to create their own short, nonfiction videos in response to weekly screenings, readings, and discussions.
RESTRICTED: contact instructor at bryank@unm.edu or 277-2129.

Final Cut Pro Workshop
M A *429-001 (01 credit hours)
Bryan Konefsky
Fridays, 3:00-5:00 p.m.
CA B-125, Special Fee $81
This one-credit workshop will introduce students to the basic techniques of video editing on Final Cut Pro 3 software for the Macintosh. Instruction will include logging and capturing of video clips; file management on Firewire hard drives; arranging video and audio clips on the timeline; video and audio transitions; and advanced editing techniques.

This course is highly recommended for students enrolled in Media Arts production courses under the MA 216 number.
RESTRICTED: contact instructor at bryank@unm.edu or 277-2129

Topics in Video: Word and Image
M A *429-004
(Taught with THEA 495/529-004)
Michael Kamins
Wednesdays, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
CA B-125, Special Fee $93
What lessons about words, images, space, and time reward the commuter between stage and screen? This course joins students of dramatic writing from the Department of Theatre and Dance and Media Arts production students to create brief, narrative motion pictures. Students will work primarily with video and non-linear editing. Guest faculty from Media Arts, Theatre and Dance, and Music will be available to critique work during the semester.
PREREQUISITE: MA 111 and MA 210 or permission of instructor. Contact instructor at mkamins@knme.org

Student Production Projects
(Section numbers are listed next to each professor.)
M A 496 & 596 (1-3 credit hours), Fonoroff 002
Arranged by faculty and students
Students create individual projects under faculty supervision in film/video production (496, 596; may include a special fee of $93.00 for use of production equipment).

Each student obtains the appropriate call number from the Media Arts Office after the instructor of record agrees to work with the student. Professor Fonoroff will supervise independent work in production.

Undergraduate independent studies are designed to serve Media Arts majors who have exceptional projects that must be conducted outside. existing classes.
RESTRICTED: Contact Media Arts Department for more information: 277-6262.

MEDIA ARTS STAFF

Shelley Brisson
Administrative Assistant, 277-6262

Stephanie Eberhard
Department Administrator, 277-9745

Michael Edwards
Accountant, 277-9096

James Roy
Technical Coordinator, 277-5069

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