Media Studies

Media Studies
https://arthistory.rice.edu/cmst-about
116 Humanities Building
713-348-4118

Michael Dango
Program Director
michael.dango@rice.edu

Media Studies is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the history, analysis, and theorization of technologically driven visual media, including film,  television, video art, the Internet, and expanded cinema.

Broader survey courses introduce students to the history of moving images and to the fundamentals of cinematic and media analysis, while advanced seminars focus on three elective areas that extend media analysis through cultural theory and practical skills: film history and aesthetics; media and  cultural theory; and media production and applied research.

The undergraduate Media Studies major and the minor in Cinema and Media Studies are housed in the School of Humanities.

Bachelor's Program

Minor

Media Studies does not currently offer an academic program at the graduate level. 

Program Director

Michael Dango

Co-Directors and Advisors, Minor

Martin Blumenthal-Barby
Lida Oukaderova

Professors 

Graham Bader
Martin Blumenthal-Barby
Marcia Brennan
Luis Duno-Gottberg
Kirsten Ostherr
Edward A. Snow

Associate Professors 

Gordon Hughes
Lida Oukaderova
Philip R. Wood

Assistant Professor

Hayley O'Malley

Professor in the Practice

Charles Dove

Lecturer

Liam Mayes

Minor Steering Committee

Martin Blumenthal-Barby
Charles Dove
Luis Duno-Gottberg
Gordon Hughes
Kirsten Ostherr
Lida Oukaderova

For Rice University degree-granting programs:
To view the list of official course offerings, please see Rice’s Course Catalog.
To view the most recent semester’s course schedule, please see Rice's Course Schedule.

Cinema and Media Studies (CMST)

CMST 201 - HISTORY OF CINEMA AND MEDIA I: INVENTION TO 1945

Short Title: HISTORY OF CINEMA AND MEDIA I

Department: Cinema and Media Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: This seminar will introduce students to the history of cinema from its inception to 1945 by considering individual cinematic artifacts in their technological, economic, aesthetic, political, and social contexts. Cross-list: GERM 280.

CMST 202 - HISTORY OF CINEMA AND MEDIA PART II: 1945-PRESENT

Short Title: HISTORY OF CINEMA AND MEDIA II

Department: Cinema and Media Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: Introduction to major movements, practices and theories of film and media from 1945 to present.

CMST 203 - INTRODUCTION TO FILM AND MEDIA ANALYSIS

Short Title: INTRODUCTION TO FILM ANALYSIS

Department: Cinema and Media Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of film analysis. We will focus on the visual and narrative organization of film and moving images; examine the evolution of film form in specific historical contexts; and work on developing critical and interpretative skills for understanding, and writing about, cinema.

CMST 204 - INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA STUDIES

Short Title: INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA STUDIES

Department: Cinema and Media Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: Our world is saturated with media. But what does that mean for us? This course explores the study of media in two ways. First, it introduces students to a range of theoretical perspectives on the role of media within society. Second, it guides students through the analysis of different forms of media, including social, broadcast, print, journalistic, and digital. This course pays special attention to how dynamics of class, race, gender, and generation affect media’s production and consumption. By the end of the semester, students will have developed a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of how media shape our lives.

CMST 238 - SPECIAL TOPICS

Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS

Department: Cinema and Media Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Internship/Practicum, Laboratory, Lecture, Seminar, Independent Study, Lecture/Laboratory

Credit Hours: 1-4

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: Topics and credit hours vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.

CMST 301 - WOMEN’S FILMMAKING SINCE THE 1970S

Short Title: WOMEN’S FILMMAKING SINCE 1970S

Department: Cinema and Media Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level

Description: This course introduces students to a rich cinematic tradition: movies made by women. Starting in the 1970s and moving to the present, our fifty-year survey will be a global one and consider a range of genres, aesthetics, and production modes. We will also examine the broader artistic, political, and social contexts that have shaped and been shaped by the cinematic work of women. We will ask: what does the world’s film history look like through the lens of women filmmakers? And what methods are needed to appreciate and engage critically with such work? Students cannot receive credit for CMST 301 if previously taken HART 364 or SOCI 389.

CMST 477 - SPECIAL TOPICS

Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS

Department: Cinema and Media Studies

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar, Lecture, Laboratory, Internship/Practicum

Credit Hours: 1-4

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level

Description: Topics and credit hours vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.

Description and Code Legend

Note: Internally, the university uses the following descriptions, codes, and abbreviations for this academic program. The following is a quick reference: 

Course Catalog/Schedule

  • Course offerings/subject codes: CMST, MDIA

Department (or Program) Description and Code

  • Media Studies: MDIA

Undergraduate Degree Description and Code

  • Bachelor of Arts degree: BA

Undergraduate Major Description and Code

  • Major in Media Studies: MDIA

Undergraduate Minor Description and Code

  • Minor in Cinema and Media Studies: CMST

CIP Code and Description1

  • MDIA Major/Program: CIP Code/Title: 09.0102 - Mass Communication/Media Studies
  • CMST Minor: CIP Code/Title: 50.0601 - Film/Cinema/Video Studies