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Senior
Project
The CMS Senior Project is
an original project required of CMS students to complete the
interdisciplinary minors in Mass Communications and Media Studies and in
Film Studies. This project is intended to draw together a student's
communications and media studies experience at Tufts.
For the minor in Mass Communications and Media Studies (MCMS), the
project should deal with important and substantive issues in the field of
communications. The project may take different forms, from a more
traditional scholarly research paper or thesis, to less traditional formats,
such as a magazine or newspaper series, filmmaking, program treatments,
recorded sound, web sites, live performance, computer programs, or other
interactive or audio-visual forms. All projects, however, require a
critical and self-reflective written component.
For the minor in Film Studies (FS), the project should deal with
important and substantive issues in the area of film. The project can be a
scholarly paper or thesis in film studies or a creative work using one or
more forms of film media (film, video, or screenplay). The focus of the
work will be a critical exploration of film in the past, present and/or
future. All projects, however, require a critical and self-reflective
written component.
For the minor in Multimedia Arts (MMA),
the project should be an original work that reflects an understanding of and
facility with one or more expressive and/or conceptual disciplines
associated with multimedia (e.g. animation, filmmaking, photography, music,
text, drawing, graphic design, software development, website construction).
Collaborative projects are strongly encouraged.
A committee of two to three
faculty members advises the senior project. This committee should be
formed no later than the end of the fall semester senior year. Students
should select faculty who have some interest in and competence relative to
the proposed topic. In some instances, one committee member may be a
faculty member from another university or an appropriate
communications/media professional (such as someone teaching a relevant
course in the Experimental College, a filmmaker, a professional journalist,
or a Tufts media alum). One committee member is
designated as the Project Director. The Project Director must be a Tufts
Faculty member! The CMS Director approves project committees.
The senior project may be undertaken for either a half or one full credit,
except Multimedia Arts projects, which must be taken for a full credit. The
assigned credit is determined at the discretion of faculty members directing
the Senior Project. Credit for the project is given at the end of the
spring semester (EXP194CS). Seniors graduating in the fall semester will
receive credit at the end of this semester (EXP194CF).
All senior project students also are required to take the CMS Senior
Colloquium (EXP190CF). The colloquium meets in the fall semester
of senior year. This colloquium is designed to assist seniors in
framing their projects, finding appropriate faculty advisors, and
setting reasonable parameters for their senior projects. The
colloquium earns a half credit, pass/fail, awarded in the fall semester
of the senior year.
For complete CMS Senior Project Guidelines, click here.
For the 2008 Senior Project list, click here.
For the 2007 Senior Project list, click here.
For
the 2006 Senior Project list, click
here.
For the 2005 Senior Project list, click
here.
For the 2004 Senior Project list, click
here.
For the 2003 Senior Project list, click
here.
Option Course
Instead of completing a senior
project, MCMS and FS students have the option of taking an additional
approved CMS course during the first or second semester of senior year and
submitting a paper (minimum 15 pages) written in conjunction with the
course. Minors in Mass Communications and Media Studies must take a
media-related course and write a paper on a media-related topic.
Minors in Film Studies must take a film studies course and write a paper on
a film-related topic. Students pursuing this option to the senior project
must get prior approval from the CMS Director. The paper must be
approved, advised, and graded by the course instructor. The instructor
determines whether the paper is one regularly assigned for the course, an
extension of one written for the course, or an additional paper.
For complete CMS Senior Option Guidelines, click here.
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