My Academic Plan

The final assignment for Understanding Media Studies was to create an Academic Plan of study for our time in the program. Below is my plan, although if I learned anything from my undergraduate study at the University of Delaware, its that you can't plan everything in your studies.


My Academic Plan

Career at The New School

I came to The New School in the fall of 2007 to work in the Office of Student Development and Activities (OSDA), managing the day-to-day operations of the office. As a result of the time that I spend at the office, I will be completing the Media Studies program at a slower than average pace, taking six credits per semester and expecting to complete the program in four years. The delay is worth it. Working at OSDA exposes me to great people in The New School community who do great things. The students and staff associated with OSDA epitomize the ideals presented in The New School’s mission statement.1 They provide inspiration that will be essential for me in my time in the Media Studies Program. For this time, I have a tentative four-year plan outlined below. Pending course availability, I may have to compromise the order in which I take some courses, but the bolded yearly goals are pretty well set in stone.

Year 1: Complete Required Courses

The MA program requires me to take three courses during my first year, and I am only able to take four classes per year. As a result I don’t have many choices to make in terms of which classes to take my first year. With that said, there are many decisions I can make in terms of how to best use those classes to help me in my future in the program.

Fall 2008

Understanding Media Studies (3 credits)

The program’s introductory course allowed me to materialize my plans for the program that are outlined in this Academic Plan, in addition to allowing me to produce a blog for me to post my progress in the program. See GeorgeDanielSaad.blogspot.com

Media Studies: Ideas (3 credits)

My final project for this required course includes an essay and presentation on “thinking and the media.” What does it mean to think? Does the media encourage or discourage thought? If so, is this a good thing? These are the questions raised in my project, which is currently in progress and will be posted to the blog listed above next week.

Spring 2009

Media Practices: Concepts (3 credits)

I am very excited to be registered for this course with Virgil Wong next semester (not quite as excited about the class meeting on Saturday mornings). I’ve heard great things about Virgil from several students and teachers, and it will be good to have such a good teacher for my first production course at The New School.

WNSR Radio Lab (3 credits)

At my job at OSDA, I prepare a weekly newsletter to be emailed on Fridays called “Stu Dev” that lists Development events going on the following week. Here is the paragraph that I typically use at the top of the newsletter.

To The New School Community,

Welcome to Stu Dev, OSDA's electronic newsletter and information resource for the exciting activities, events, and programs that The New School provides or encourages its students to attend. These events may include free admission to shows, discounted tickets to sporting events, volunteer opportunities around the City, or many other exciting events.

- The Office of Student Development and Activities

I am taking the WNSR Radio Lab course in an effort to deliver the information mentioned in Stu Dev in an audio form. Hopefully this audio program will be more interesting and attractive to the New School’s students. Each episode of the audio Stu Dev will include an interview with a student, teacher, staff member, or artist that is associated with an upcoming event at The New School, like an actor in one of The New School for Drama’s shows or a president of a student organization. Such interviews can provide valuable inside information about events that I could never convey on my own. I am interested in any ideas for StuDev that others at The New School have, and if you want to suggest something, or just register for the list serve, you can email me at studev@newschool.edu (please put “add me” in the subject line if you just want to be added to the list).

Year 2: Film Form

All of my coursework during my second year in the program will be related to the film form concentration within the program (a five course sequence). My research, abstracts, and literature review for the Understanding Media Studies class were related to the hero in mythology and film, and I intend to write a story about a heroic character for the Film Form concentration. I am not sure yet what the story will be about, but I do know that the ideals that the hero fights for will be relevant and significant in the present day. I spent the summer of 2008 watching films on my future viewing list and working as a extra/background actor (represented by Universal Talent Agency: http://www.universaltalentagency.com/). Over the summer of 2009, I intend to continue these efforts in order to gain experience and help me prepare for my second year in the program.2

Fall 2009

Storytelling through Visual Analysis (3 credits)

I want to take this course when Michelle Mattere, who teaches the course, returns from her sabbatical.

Aesthetics of Editing

It is a good idea to have editing in mind before finalizing the script, and I think this course will help me do so.

Spring 2010

Projects in Digital Video Editing (3 credits)

In this class, I will apply the theory that I learned in Aesthetics of Editing to put together small projects that I can use for my reel and as experience before I make my short film.

Script Analysis and Audience Response (3 credits)

I’ve discussed research in screenplay writing at great length in my literature review, and I will continue that research in this course.

Year 3: Complete Thesis

As I enter my third year in the program, I will have completed four out of the five courses in the film form concentration. I will spend the summer of 2010 storyboarding my short film, which I will complete when I take Media Practices: Film Form. Ideally, my short film work function as part of my thesis project, which I will begin working on in year 3.

Fall 2010

Media Practices: Film Form (3 credits)

I intend to take this course with Sam Ishii-Gonzales, a challenging professor that I feel can guide me in the task of making a film.

Sampling (1 credit)
Interviewing (1 credit)
Focus Groups (1 credit)

These research methods courses fulfill a requirement for completion of the program.

Spring 2011

Thesis Tutorial (3 credits)

Since I intend to utilize the thesis option offered by the program, the Thesis Tutorial is a useful (and required) class.

Fundamentals in Sociology of Media (3 credits)

Upon completion of the Media Studies program, I intend to continue my education through the New School for Social Research’s Ph. D. in sociology program.3 I have discussed this goal with Paolo Carpignano, and he explained that Fundamentals in Sociology of Media is the first of 3 prerequisites that I will have to take.

Year 4: Prepare for a Ph. D.

Once I have completed my short film, the next goal will be to complete my thesis project, which will help me prepare for my doctoral studies in sociology. I will spend the summer of 2011 outlining, planning, and working on my thesis.

Fall 2011

Foundations of Sociology (NSSR – 3 credits)
Fundamentals in Sociology of ______ Culture (NSSR – 3 credits)

The Media Studies program does allow students to take up to nine credits in programs other than Media Studies. I have chosen these two classes because they, like Fundamentals in Sociology of the Media are prerequisites for the Ph. D. program.

Note: The blank line preceding the word culture shows that NSSR offers different classes in different, specific cultures. The culture that I choose to take the class in will depend on what is offered during the semester that I take the course. If none of the courses offered in the Fall of 2011 are particularly interesting to me, I may wait to take this course until the Spring of 2012.
Spring 2012

Complete Thesis
Prepare for General Sociology Exam

In the spring of 2012 I will finalize my thesis and prepare for the General Sociology Exam (the final requirement for entrance into the Ph. D. program).

Summer 2012 and Beyond

Once I have completed the MA in Media Studies program, completed a short film, created a thesis project, and fulfilled the requirements for admittance in NSSR’s Ph. D. in sociology program, it will be time to take a vacation. I will spend the summer of 2012 traveling before returning in the fall and continuing my education. Learning about Media Studies and its sociological ramifications is a never-ending endeavor, and I look forward to confronting that challenge for the rest of my life.