Faculty of Fine Arts
Introduction to New Media Practices
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
This course introduces students to creative practices in new media through experimentation, iteration, and play. Emphasizing process over product, students engage with digital tools to develop creative projects and explore different approaches to media creation.
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Introduction to Animation
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
A survey of animation using traditional and contemporary techniques.
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Not counted in the core New Media courses in the B.F.A. - New Media.
What is New Media?
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 2-0-1
Students engage with contemporary questions in new media studies while developing essential skills in writing, oral communication, and research to support their academic success.
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Creative Approaches to Complex Issues
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Students explore research-creation through the in-depth examination of a social, cultural, or artistic issue. They apply creative methods while developing skills in collaboration, critical inquiry, and communication.
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Interactive Technology (Series)
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Offerings in subject areas dealing with interactive technology.
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Not counted in the core New Media courses in the B.F.A. - New Media.
Design Foundations
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Through hands-on projects, students explore essential design methods and visual communication strategies. They experiment with design across various media while considering the cultural, historical, and global influences that shape creative practices.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1000
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Digital Drawing and Animation
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
A critical investigation of digital mark-making including histories, code-based drawing, interactive drawing, frame-based animation, and exploratory drawing techniques.
Prerequisite(s):Second-year standing (a minimum of 30.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Audio and Video Foundations
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Introduces key concepts in time-based media, including sound and video. Students explore creative and technological approaches to storytelling, expression, and experimentation while examining historical, cultural, and global contexts.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1000
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Function and Culture of Design
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Exploration of topics centered on creative problem solving through design. A selection of visual, industrial, and product related design approaches are examined and foundational skills in design thinking are developed that address the functional, cultural, and philosophical aspects of design.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1000 or Second-year standing (a minimum of 30.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Critical Contexts for New Media I
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0 or
4-0-0
Students explore the historical, theoretical, social, and global contexts of new media while advancing their writing and research skills. Building on New Media 1150, the course introduces strategies for academic research and critical analysis, with a focus on writing effective research papers.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1150
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:For sections where New Media 2150 is offered twice weekly, an extra hour is required per week.
Game Design Foundations
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
This hands-on course introduces key principles of game design such as mechanics, narrative, and player experience, while critically engaging with historical, cultural, artistic, global, and industry contexts.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1000
Equivalent:New Media 3310 (prior to 2026/2027)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Programming Foundations
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Introduces creative coding, focusing on programming as an artistic and expressive practice. Students explore fundamental coding concepts and their applications across artistic, historical, and global contexts. Programming languages taught may vary.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1000
Equivalent:New Media 3380 (prior to 2026/2027)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Narrative and Storytelling Foundations
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Introduces narrative across media, including visual, text-based, linear, non-linear, Indigenous, and spatialized forms. Through hands-on creative projects, students explore how narratives are structured and experienced in diverse cultural and historical contexts.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1000
OR
Second-year standing (a minimum of 30.0 credit hours)
Equivalent:New Media 3420 (prior to 2026/2027)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Social Media and Digital Identity
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Students create and polish a cohesive online professional presence for their future careers or creative goals.
Prerequisite(s):Second-year standing (a minimum of 30.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Professional Practice I
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Students investigate the question, “What can you do with a degree in New Media?” by exploring professional and creative career paths within the field and the broader creative economy. Emphasizing collaboration and interpersonal skills, the course offers hands-on opportunities to develop professional communication and documentation across diverse contexts.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1000 AND
One of New Media 2005, New Media 2030, New Media 2310, New Media 2380, or New Media 2420
Substantially Similar:
New Media 3900 (prior to 2026/2027)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Visual Effects
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
An introduction to video compositing, motion design and computer-generated imagery (CGI).
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2030
Equivalent:New Media 3850 (Visual Effects) (prior to 2025/2026)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
3-D Computer Modelling and Animation
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 5-0-0
Theory and professional practice of 3-D computer modelling, animation, lighting, texturing and rendering.
Prerequisite(s):Two of New Media 2005, New Media 2310, New Media 2380, New Media 2030, or New Media 2420
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Colour Theory and Digital Photo Manipulation
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0 or
4-0-0
Advanced design, with emphasis on colour theory, with relation to principles of digital photography and image manipulation.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2005
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
For sections where New Media 3040 is offered twice weekly, an extra hour is required per week for set up and clean up.
Documentary Video
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
An introduction to the craft of documentary video creation. Students will explore the techniques and strategies used in making compelling documentary video including research, storytelling, videography, and post-production. Through studio practice, students will gain an understanding of documentary and its complicated role in contemporary media.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2030
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Critical Contexts for New Media II
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0 or
4-0-0
This course introduces students to a diverse array of theories and critical approaches essential for analyzing new media. Through seminar-style sessions and peer-to-peer interactions, students will actively engage with key theoretical perspectives while applying them to practical, real-world media challenges. The course is designed to cultivate critical thinking, foster collaborative learning, and bridge the gap between academic theory and creative practice in the digital realm.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2150
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:For sections where New Media 3150 is offered twice weekly, an extra hour is required per week.
Streaming and User Generated Video
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
This project-based course explores the theoretical and practical approaches to user-generated video production including streaming, multi-camera video, and YouTubing. Students will develop and create their own channels with appropriate content and branding.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2030
OR
Music 2550
Equivalent:New Media 2230 (prior to 2024/2025);
New Media 2850 (Internet Television Production) (prior to 2021/2022)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Narrative for New Media
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
The use of script writing to facilitate content creation for new media with an emphasis on story, character, and visuals. How interplay of form and content affects narrative. Exercises in script writing for animation, film, gaming, and television.
Prerequisite(s):Drama 2100
OR
New Media 1000 and second year standing (a minimum of 30.0 credit hours)
OR
Cinema 1000 and second-year
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Web Design and Development
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Design, aesthetics, and development practices for web-based media.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3660
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
History of Animation
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
This course traces the evolution of animation from silent cinema through the 'Golden Age of Animation' to the digital age. Study areas will include the impact of television and other media on animation and focus on some of the important people, studios, and institutions that have contributed to its rich and varied tradition across the globe.
Prerequisite(s):Cinema 1000 or 15 university-level courses (a minimum of 45.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Popular Narrative
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Through close examinations of various videos, novels, television programs, games, films and comics, the course observes the ways in which narrative form operates in different media. Students will investigate the cultural politics of taste, revealing the stakes involved in separating 'high' narrative art from 'low'.
Prerequisite(s):15 university-level courses (a minimum of 45.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Mobile Application Development
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
An introduction to concepts and techniques for designing and developing hybrid mobile application using HTML, CSS, and Javascript that access device features, like geolocation, the accelerometer, and media capture.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3520
Equivalent:New Media 3850 Mobile Application Development (prior to 2021/2022)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Character Animation I
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Introduces students to character animation based on understanding of the anatomical structure of characters, mechanics of real and animated movement, timing, and animation principles. An important emphasis is placed on understanding the process of character development for 3D animation. Concepts and techniques are explored through short 2D and 3D animation assignments.
Prerequisite(s):One of New Media 2005 or a minimum of 15 university-level courses (a minimum of 45.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Principles and Practices of Networked Media
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
This course introduces the key concepts and creative applications of networked media, exploring how digital and physical systems enable connectivity, data exchange, and interaction. Through experimentation and critical inquiry, students examine the artistic, social, and ethical potential of networked systems. Topics may include real-time communication, sensor networks, distributed systems, and web-based interactivity.
Prerequisite(s):Two of New Media 2005, New Media 2030, New Media 2310, New Media 2380, or New Media 2420
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Principles and Practices of Spatial Media
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Students examine how digital and physical systems shape spatial experiences, from mapping and visualization to immersive and responsive environments. The course emphasizes creative and critical inquiry while exploring artistic, social, and ethical implications of spatial technologies. Topics may include AR/VR, projection mapping, geospatial data, 3D modelling, site-responsive media, photogrammetry, spatial storytelling, immersive visualization, environmental sensing, and spatial interaction.
Prerequisite(s):Two of New Media 2005, New Media 2030, New Media 2310, New Media 2380, or New Media 2420
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Principles and Practices of Interactive Media
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Students explore the concepts and methods behind interactive experiences across digital, physical, and hybrid forms. Emphasizing experimentation, collaboration, and critical inquiry, the course examines artistic, social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of interactivity. Topics may include physical computing, interactive interfaces, interactive installations, responsive environments, sensory engagement, and user experience design.
Prerequisite(s):Two of New Media 2005, New Media 2030, New Media 2310, New Media 2380, or New Media 2420
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Creative Research Methodologies
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Addresses theories of and approaches to research-creation, including considerations of the ethical implications specific to different methodologies. Students develop a preliminary research-creation project, with mentorship from instructor. The course is oriented around a central theme, question, or topic.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1690 AND
15 university level courses (a minimum of 45.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Culture, Politics, and Ethics in New Media Praxis
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
This praxis-oriented course explores theoretical and critical questions about decolonization, sustainability, engaged citizenship, history, and culture through creative practice. Students engage in self-reflexive and ethically-oriented practices.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 1690 AND
15 university-level courses (a minimum of 45.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Expanded Cinema
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
A theoretical and practical investigation of experimental moving image practices from pre- and early cinema to contemporary digital media. Areas of investigation may include, but are not limited to: locative media/gps cinema, site-specific works, installations, projection mapping, augmented/virtual reality, multi-projection, database cinema, and interactive cinema.
Prerequisite(s):One of New Media 2030, Art 2060, or Art 2061
Equivalent:Cinema 3810 (prior to 2020/2021)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Design Thinking and Creativity
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
This course investigates the application of design thinking in pursuit of creative, innovative, efficient and responsible solutions to contemporary problems in various educational and career/industry related contexts. Topics include industrial and product design, architecture and urban planning, system and interface design, and design related topics in classical philosophy, contemporary politics, behavior economics, and social psychology.
Prerequisite(s):15 university-level courses (a minimum of 45.0 credit hours)
Equivalent:New Media 3850 (Design Thinking and Creativity) (prior to 2020/2021)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Professional Practice II
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Students develop a professional portfolio, explore career pathways, and identify how to meet their career and creative goals. They will develop skills in creative problem-solving, leadership, and project management. The course may include field trips and other experiential learning opportunities.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2901
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
New Media Practicum I
Credit hours: 3.00
Other hours per term: Variable
Students undertake a supervised work placement in a professional environment, developing practical new media skills and critical reflection through engagement and mentorship.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2901 AND
a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher on all New Media courses
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Emergent Video Studio
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
A studio intensive in moving image creation. Students explore new innovations in video creation including immersive experiences and mixed-reality in the creation of advanced video productions.
Prerequisite(s):One of New Media 3020, New Media 3050, or New Media 3230
Equivalent:New Media 3850 (Emerging Video Technology) (prior to 2025/2026)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Senior Seminar in New Media
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0 or
4-0-0
This seminar course emphasizes contextualization, application of theory, self-reflexivity, and collaborative, peer-driven learning. Topics covered will arise from current or emerging issues in new media studies or practice and from faculty and student research interests.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3150
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:For sections where New Media 4150 is offered twice weekly, an extra hour is required per week.
AI, Immortality, Art and Identity
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
A cross-disciplinary discussion & hands-on exploration of the perils and promises of Artificial Intelligence.
Prerequisite(s):Fourth-year standing (a minimum of 90.0 credit hours) in a B.F.A. - New Media program
Equivalent:New Media 4850 (AI, Immortality, Art & Identity) (prior to 2024/2025)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Screenwriting
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Exploring the fundamentals of screenwriting and story development through script writing and film analysis. The importance of character and conflict is explored with an emphasis on the scene as the basic unit of the screenplay.
Prerequisite(s):One of New Media 3420 or Drama 2750
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Advanced Web Design
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
A survey of current theory and practice in web design for creating and managing advanced web-based media. In this project-based course, students explore concepts and techniques using interaction design software and front-end web languages.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3520
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Character Animation II
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Concentration on characterization through animation acting. Emphasis is placed on the relationships between character structural design, expressive animated motion, and character acting. This includes lip sync and phrasing of motion in relation to dialogue, sound, and shot sequencing.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3640
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Internship
Credit hours: 12.00
Other hours per term: Variable
Supervised internship providing direct involvement in the New Media industry either locally or out of town. Arrangements to be made by the Faculty of Fine Arts internship coordinator.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3900 AND
Completion of all course requirements for the B.F.A. - New Media AND
A cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher AND
A cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher on all New Media courses
Corequisite(s):New Media 4661
Grading:Pass/Fail
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Students must take New Media 4651 and New Media 4661 in the same term.
Internship Project
Credit hours: 3.00
Other hours per term: Variable
The completion of a written/media project to outline, document and assess the student's experience during the internship.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3900 AND
Completion of all course requirements for the B.F.A. - New Media AND
A cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher AND
A cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher on all New Media courses
Corequisite(s):New Media 4651
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Students must take New Media 4651 and New Media 4661 in the same term.
Convergence
Credit hours: 6.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
In this capstone experience, students synthesize creative practices and theory. Students develop, execute, and reflect on a complex research-creation project, which will be publicly exhibited.
Prerequisite(s):One of New Media 3690 or New Media 3691 AND
25 university level courses (a minimum of 75.0 credit hours)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Intended for New Media students not enrolled in the internship program. Students should be aware that this course consists of the regular weekly contact hours with the Instructor as well as considerable independent work beyond the designated contact hours.
The Dynamic Web
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
This project-based course explores the use of dynamic web technologies for producing creative web-based content as well as the use of content management software for site production and management. Students will gain an understanding of the current state of web development and related social and political implications.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 2380 AND
New Media 3660
Equivalent:New Media 3720 (prior to 2024/2025)
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Writing for Comedy
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Writing for comedy is serious business. This course explores the important difference between simply being funny, and comic, which requires an understanding of what comedy is and how it works. It covers how to write comedy for movies, television situation comedies, web series, sketch comedy, and stand up.
Prerequisite(s):One of Cinema 3203, New Media 3420, or Drama 2750
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
Theory and Practice of Motion Capture
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 4-0-0
Theory and practice of motion capture, motion editing, and motion mapping.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3670
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Studio course.
New Media Practicum II
Credit hours: 6.00
Other hours per term: Variable
Students undertake a substantial supervised work placement in a professional environment, deepening practical new media skills and critical reflection through extended engagement and mentorship.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3900 AND
a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher on all New Media courses
Corequisite(s):New Media 4902
Mutually Exclusive:
New Media 4651
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Students must take New Media 4901 and New Media 4902 in the same term.
New Media Practicum II Project
Credit hours: 3.00
Other hours per term: Variable
Students will submit documentation summarizing and critically reflecting on their New Media Practicum II experience.
Prerequisite(s):New Media 3900 AND
a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher on all New Media courses
Corequisite(s):New Media 4901
Mutually Exclusive:
New Media 4661
Lib Ed Req:Fine Arts and Humanities
Note:Students must take New Media 4901 and New Media 4902 in the same term.
Undergraduate Thesis
Credit hours: 6.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Other hours per term: 0-0-12
This is a challenging, work-intensive, studio- or combined studio and research-based course culminating in a substantive and original new media project, and written support paper if applicable. In consultation with the Thesis Supervisor, students will define the parameters of the project and expected outcomes which, upon completion, will be presented in a public forum.
Prerequisite(s):Fourth-year standing (a minimum of 90.0 credit hours) AND
A cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher AND
Completion of the 12 core New Media courses AND
A cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher in all New Media courses AND
Application to the Department of New Media
Note:Studio course.
Other hours are required for mounting and removal of the final exhibition for the course. Students should be aware that this course involves regular contact with the Thesis Supervisor as well as considerable independent work.
Internship Registration Placeholder
Credit hours: 0.00
This is a registration placeholder for B.F.A. - New Media students who have completed all other requirements in the New Media program and who are in the process of seeking an internship to complete the degree program. Students may be registered in the placeholder for no more than two terms to encompass a maximum period of 12 months.
Note:No fees are assessed for this registration.