OWEN HEMSATH
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

Students interested in extensive video and media production careers will have new classes and a few new minors to choose from next semester, according to an email sent out last week to select students of California State San Marcos.

The email, sent by professors in the Visual and Performing Arts, Mass Media and Communication departments, invited students in those departments to a meeting held last Tuesday where professors announced the details of these changes. According to the minutes of that meeting, a variety of new classes will be introduced next fall along with the addition of an Arts and Technology minor option for VPA students and the transfer of some Mass Media instructors to the VPA department. One such instructor, Minda Martin, is an experienced filmmaker of social and political documentaries and a recent addition to the Communication department. Commenting on the heavy theoretical basis of the Mass Media major, Martin originally expected the classes to be production based and seemed to be excited about the changes when she introduced the new classes, which includes a studio production class. Kristine Diekman of the VPA department is spearheading the changes and introduced the other instructors who would be playing a role in the new programs. According to the Diekman, the Arts and Technology minor option will be open to all VPA, Communication, Mass Media and Film Studies students, and the new classes will cover a broad range of media related fields including film production, music composition and media distribution.

Diekman also made it clear that not all lower level classes apply to the aforementioned majors would satisfy the new minor requirements and advised all interested students to meet with one of their professors as soon as possible to select their preferred courses for next term. “We would like to make our program in the VPA department accessible for all students and give them a comprehensive education in media theory and practice, video production, photography and graphic and web design,” said Diekman. Priority registration for the program begins April 25.

Photo courtesy of www.CSUSM.edu