New Media

University of California, Berkeley

About the Certificate

The Undergraduate Certificate in New Media program emphasizes the critical understanding and practice of new media through diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives. The certificate introduces students to the changing new media landscape that is transforming the way we think in the fields of art, technology, the humanities, and social sciences. Through critical thinking and making, our students learn to innovate as they question the impact of new media on the human experience and cultivate technological equity in our communities. The certificate is not an official program offered by Undergraduate Education and will not be noted on a student’s transcript.

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Certificate Requirements

Core Class

Students should take a project-based undergraduate seminar in NWMEDIA with learning goals that will include new media theory, new media tools, prototyping, evaluation methods, and collaboration methods. Any NWMEDIA undergraduate course will count towards the core class. Students can also petition the academic committee to have a course that substantially deals with new media that they have taken in another department count towards fulfilling this requirement.

Currently, the BCNM offers the following undergraduate classes:

NWMEDIA R1BNew Media Reading and Composition4
NWMEDIA 39AFreshman Seminar in New Media1-4
NWMEDIA 90Introduction to New Media1-4
NWMEDIA 150ACNew Media and American Cultures4
NWMEDIA 151ACTransforming Tech: Issues and Interventions in STEM and Silicon Valley4
NWMEDIA C166Critical Practices: People, Places, Participation4
NWMEDIA 190Special Topics in New Media1-4
NWMEDIA 191Special Topics in New Media1-4
NWMEDIA 198Directed Group Study1-3

New Media Engagement

Experience new media beyond the classroom. By petition, students can have their own new media activities and events on campus and in the community count towards this requirement. Students can also help organize and manage a BCNM conference, lecture, hackathon, or workshop.

Graduate Class — choose option 1 or 2

Option 1: Enroll in a New Media Graduate-Level Course

Students will be challenged to think critically about new media in the graduate-level courses the BCNM offers. They will produce either a design project or a substantial paper depending on the class, showing their thorough appreciation for transformations in new media. Since these courses are intended for graduates, students will need to seek instructor approval to enroll in the class. Currently, the BCNM offers the following graduate courses:

NWMEDIA 200History and Theory of New Media4
NWMEDIA 201Questioning New Media3
NWMEDIA 202New Media Methods3
NWMEDIA C203Critical Making4
NWMEDIA 204Critical Practices: People, Places, Participation4
NWMEDIA 205Locative Media4
NWMEDIA C262Theory and Practice of Tangible User Interfaces4
NWMEDIA C263Course Not Available3
NWMEDIA C265Interface Aesthetics3
NWMEDIA 290Special Topics in New Media1-4

Option 2: Produce a final project during an independent study on a new media topic

Students may enroll in an independent study with a BCNM faculty member to produce an extended paper or final project on a new media topic of their choice. Topics must be pre-approved by the BCNM Director. The paper should exhibit the student’s thorough command of new media concepts.

Related Courses

Contact Information

Center for New Media

426 Sutardja Dai Hall

info.bcnm@berkeley.edu

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Director

Tom McEnaney

tmc@berkeley.edu

Associate Director

Lara Wolfe

lara@berkeley.edu

Events Coordinator & Office Manager

Raphael Cohen

426 Sutardja Dai Hall

raphaelcohen@berkeley.edu

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