Silhouette of person in a narrow lit doorway in a dark hallway

Major in Cinema and Digital Media

DSLR on tripod displaying outdoor café scene with patrons on its LCD screen
A DSLR is used to film students at the Memorial Union porch. (courtesy)

About

The Cinema and Digital Media (CDM) program combines the study of audio-visual and digital media, theories about such media, and the relevant modes of artistic practice and production. CDM integrates the analysis of audio-visual and digital texts with their theoretical underpinnings and their methods of production. The program also addresses the particular impact that technology has on culture in its many forms and fields.

CDM faculty teach and research on various histories, theories, and practices of media. Current fields for teaching and research in cinema and digital media include the history and analysis of film and video, film and video production, electronic music, digital content creation and design, the digital arts, community media and activism, computer graphics, animation, and gaming—as well as the theories and politics of these various areas.

Clarification on the Major

Cinema and Digital Media is the major offered by the Department of Cinema and Digital Media.

Majors no longer offered: 

  • Film Studies (however, a minor in Film Studies is available to non-Cinema and Digital Media majors)
  • Technocultural Studies

The Program

Preparatory course work involves a solid introduction to the history, ideas and current trends in cinema and digital media. For depth subject matter, students in the major select a combination of critical studies and creative production courses. Two courses will be selected from the production/programming distribution, two from the theory/history distribution and four will be elected by the student, allowing them to take up to six production courses or six studies/theory classes, should they so choose. See the CDM Major checklist for complete details.

UC Davis alumna Anna (Eunah) Oh '14 talks about her study abroad experience on the Summer Abroad "Americans in Paris" program. Anna graduated with a double major in Film Studies and American Studies.