{"id":161,"date":"2023-02-21T13:33:32","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T21:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/vsgc\/?page_id=161"},"modified":"2026-08-11T11:57:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T18:57:12","slug":"courses","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/vsgc\/courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n  \n  \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--two-column-ctas \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--two-column-ctas\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      <div class=\"group\">\n\n                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          VSRI seminars [2026-2027]\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      \n              <ul>\n                      <li>\n                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--link\">\n\n    \n    \n  \n<a \n  class=\"link\"\n  href= https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1-zqJa3bY4CD98oKMZgDuDnvEKMgXSiCo\/view?usp=sharing\n    aria-label=\"Read more about VSRI 2026-2027 seminars\"  \n>\n    VSRI 2026-2027 seminars \n  <svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 35 35\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 35 35\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><polygon fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" fill=\"#000\" points=\"19.3,27.5 29.3,17.5,19.3,7.5 16.3,10.4 21.4,15.4 6.7,15.4 6.7,19.6 21.4,19.6 16.3,24.6 \"\/><\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n            <\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      \n    <\/div>\n      <div class=\"group\">\n\n                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n           VSRI pre-approved seminars list [Fall 2026]\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      \n              <ul>\n                      <li>\n                  \n<div class=\"f--field f--link\">\n\n    \n    \n  \n<a \n  class=\"link\"\n  href= https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1qc2uPiXnnHu6hR1FBhjwEJkEn683aAQH\/view?usp=sharing\n    aria-label=\"Read more about VSRI pre-approved seminars list 2026\"  \n>\n    VSRI pre-approved seminars list 2026 \n  <svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 35 35\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 35 35\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><polygon fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" fill=\"#000\" points=\"19.3,27.5 29.3,17.5,19.3,7.5 16.3,10.4 21.4,15.4 6.7,15.4 6.7,19.6 21.4,19.6 16.3,24.6 \"\/><\/svg>\n<\/a>\n\n\n<\/div>\n            <\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      \n    <\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--spacer \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--spacer\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><b>Required Courses:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Any courses taught by members of the VSRI Executive Committee or Advisory Board are automatically approved and will count toward the VSGC certificate requirements.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>VISS 501<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><b>Introduction to Visual Studies, Methods and Debates<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">David Abertson <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">THH 308 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mon<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">day 2-4:50pm<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A critical introduction to the field of visual studies focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">images, objects, and visual technologies as well as key texts and interpretive debates.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Pre-approved Seminars:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>AHIS 51<\/b><b>6<\/b><b>: <\/b><b>Seminar in the History of Photography and Visual Culture<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vanessa Schwartz <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">THH <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">308 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">u<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:50p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explores the history of photography with emphasis on the way the medium has been used as a form of communication and knowledge transmission.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>CSLC 501<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: <\/span><b>Introduction to Comparative Media Studies<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edwin Hill <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">THH 207 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mon<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">day 2-4:50pm<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ways of thinking about the differences and relations among different cultural media: literature, <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">film, video, manga\/comics, &#8220;new media,&#8221; and so forth.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>CTCS 500: <\/b><b>Seminar in Film Theory<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thomas Pringle<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SCA <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">316 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:50p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduction to classical and contemporary film theory; exploration of their relationship to filmic experimentation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>CTCS 502: <\/b><b>World Cinema After 1945<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Priya Jaikumar <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SCA <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">110 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wednesday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:50p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Historical survey of film from a global perspective from 1945 until the present.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>CTCS 51<\/b><b>8<\/b><b>: <\/b><b>Seminar: Avant-garde Film\/Video<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jennifer Wild <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SCA <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">214 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">u<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:50p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aesthetic, historical and ideological issues in avant-garde film and video.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>IML 600: <\/b><b>Seminar: Historical Approaches to Media Arts and Culture<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vicki Callahan<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SCA <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">406 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:50p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduction to the historical specificities of old media (painting, print, photography, film, video, television) and to consequences of the convergences produced by new media forms.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>CTCS <\/b><b>564<\/b><b>: <\/b><b>Seminar in Film and Television Genres<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Todd Boyd <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SCA <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tues<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">day 2-<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:50pm<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advanced study of a selected genre of film and\/or television its relationship to history, <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">society, and culture, as well as to genre theory.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>CRIT 510: <\/b><b>History and Theory of Art and Exhibitions<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amelia Jones<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ATM <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">113A <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">u<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10am<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:20p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gives broad and deep overview of history of art as a conceptual and practical category, emphasizing development of exhibitionary sites and engagement with public sphere.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>COMM 563: <\/b><b>Black Popular Culture: Theory and Central Debates<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taj Frazier <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ASC <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">236 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">u<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9:30am<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:20p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Examines black popular cultures as indexes for historical struggles over race, gender, nationalism, identity, subjectivity, aesthetics, institutional resources, political\/cultural autonomy, and ideology.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>COMM 580: <\/b><b>Media and Politics<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daniel Schnur <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ASC <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">240 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">h<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">u<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">r<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:20p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mass media in American political life, including political reporting, election campaigns, non-electoral politics, and the media as a political issue.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>COMM 658: <\/b><b>Science Fiction as Media Theory<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hector Amaya <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ANN <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">405 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monday <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:50p<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">m<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considers science fiction as a genre that has consistently reflected on communication technologies and their consequences and the ways science fiction metaphors have shaped media and cultural theory.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-content-detail.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-161","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Courses - Visual Studies Graduate Certificate<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/vsgc\/courses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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