New Faculty of Fine Arts major to strengthen Alberta’s cultural and creative sectors

trevor.kenney — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:31:24 +0000

Southern Alberta is quickly becoming a hot spot for the film and media industry, garnering investments, job opportunities, and now, education for the growing cultural sector.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts is launching a new major in Cinema and Media Studies, a broad program that blends theory and history with hands-on studio courses to support interdisciplinary approaches to the study of visual culture and the moving image.

New Media Instructor Ryan Harper-Brown (right) instructs a student during a class.

“Students enrolled in the program will enjoy a highly distinctive approach to the study of moving image and media culture, both in terms of using and making media,” says Dr. Aaron Taylor, Professor of Cinema Studies.

The unique major will be offered as a Bachelor of Arts that has both core requirements and custom courses, allowing students to build a degree path tailored to their interests. Students in the major can enhance their creative practice, combining theoretical work with practical, applied opportunities in film and media, which prepares them for careers in the arts or further education in filmmaking.

Graduates of this program will play a key role in strengthening Alberta’s cultural and community sectors, bringing versatile skills in storytelling, media production and communication to support creative initiatives, organizations and community-building efforts across the region.

“Having a robust showing of media-savvy folk in southern Alberta shows how important we feel moving image industries are in the region,” says New Media Instructor Ryan Harper-Brown.

“We live in a media-rich world and having the tools to navigate it are a necessity. Our students and alumni are uniquely situated to take advantage of this landscape, and their flexible skill sets are extremely valuable when they enter the workforce. The rising number of productions coming to the region and the beautiful, untapped locations are ripe for more creative industries to move to the region.”

Students in the major will have access to top-of-the-line equipment and technology in the Faculty of Fine Arts and will gain skills in media analysis, communication and management. As a result, graduates of the Cinema and Media Studies program will be well positioned for careers across Alberta’s growing creative and cultural sectors, including opportunities in film and television, broadcasting, policy, research and arts administration, where labour market projections show increased job openings through 2028.

Taylor says the new major allows ULethbridge to make an impact within the larger discipline of media studies while staying true to its liberal education philosophy.

“Institutionally, ULethbridge is in an extremely fortunate position in that it has long fostered dynamic structural connections across academic units and programs that take advantage of natural existing synergies between disciplines,” says Taylor. “This new major incorporates offerings from a variety of pre-existing programs, connecting students from a range of academic cultures in a completely unique, and forward-thinking way.”

Applications for admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies are anticipated to open in February for the Fall 2026 (September-December) term. Interested applicants can email finearts.admissions@uleth.ca for information on admissions.

Elementary and U of L students combine forces to design educational apps

caroline.zentner — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:15:38 +0000

Developing a mobile app that’s educational, fun and free of ads is the goal of a unique collaboration between the Faculty of Education and the Department of New Media at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Ryan Harper-Brown, a New Media instructor, and Dr. Marlo Steed, an education professor with expertise in educational technology, have created a course that brings students from both disciplines together with elementary school children to develop educational applications on mobile devices.

The U of L students connected with Dr. Gerald Probe, Mike Mountain Horse and Coalbanks Elementary schools to talk to Grade 4 and 5 students about the kind of apps that appeal to them.

U of L students work with Grade 4 and 5 students in the classroom to develop apps.

“Our students came back and took those ideas and narrowed the focus to a particular subject and started to develop a plan,” says Steed.

One group is working on an app where users go back in time to learn about the fur trade and another group is looking at a specific location through different periods of time. The third group developed a storyline where teachers get trapped inside textbooks and can only be freed when the user correctly solves problems or answers questions.

The collaboration has given the U of L students the chance to learn new skills, both inside and outside their own discipline.

“New Media students have gotten a taste of learning how to develop a piece of software or tool for a totally different user group,” says Harper-Brown. “They’re developing something for young learners so they have to understand how they learn and observe how these children respond and interact with the app. They also have to pay attention to make sure that the story is clear and curriculum objectives are met.”

“Education students are learning about design, how students engage with digital programs and the importance of storytelling in curriculum,” says Steed. “If you’re designing an instructional activity that you want to be engaging, some of these same principles apply.”

UNews - Ryan Harper-Brown

New Faculty of Fine Arts major to strengthen Alberta’s cultural and creative sectors

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Elementary and U of L students combine forces to design educational apps

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