It's interesting to ponder whether multimedia is or is not 'new' media. Curtin's multimedia program dates back to the late 1980s. In fact, at the moment, it is being completely renovated (for 2006) simply because it has, to some extent, fallen behind the 'newness' of new media (not from a technical point of view...just the conceptualisation of the course which began life in the school of design). It is also worth considering how 'new media' is being embedded within existing courses, rather than being a course of its own. One reason the BA Internet Studies which Denise so kindly mentioned was set up at Curtin was precisely because the existing course structure is highly 'professionalised', even within Arts (Curtin is a former institute of technology). Therefore it wasn't possible to introduce a small number of new media units that students would do within a liberal art/science degree - a whole course had to be introduced. Nevertheless, the main student population for the core units in Internet Studies actually comes from the BA Mass Communication. One might argue that a well-designed BA Mass Comm might be the most effective home for 'new media' since those degrees tend to permit integration of different kinds of media, with units of both creative/production and theoretical focus. Side-note: australian courses = degrees or programs in US terminology; what we call 'units' are normally referred to elsewhere. Dr Matthew Allen Associate Professor Internet Studies Associate Dean Teaching and Learning, Humanities Curtin University of Technology, CRICOS 00301J Australia m.allen@curtin.edu.au http://smi.curtin.edu.au/netstudies/allen.htm +61 8 92663511 (v) +61 8 9266 3166 (f) Vice-President, Association of Internet Researchers http://www.aoir.org -----Original Message----- From: Lamoureux, Edward [mailto:ell@bumail.bradley.edu] Sent: Sunday, 1 August 2004 7:14 PM To: Association of Internet Researchers; Association of Internet Researchers Subject: RE: [Air-l] digital media courses Bradley University offers undergraduate major and minor BA/BS in Multimedia. -----Original Message----- From: Denise N. Rall [mailto:denrall@yahoo.com] Sent: Sat 7/31/2004 9:53 PM To: Association of Internet Researchers Cc: Subject: Re: [Air-l] digital media courses Dear Lee - I actually tried to find out the number of Internet Studies courses in 2001. I came up with about eight "legitimate" courses world-wide by which I mean, courses that studied the internet rather than studied online or taught web site production. The vast number were located in Schools of Media, although a couple of these programs were centered in their own Departments. Here's a para from a paper I have submitted. Feel free to cite as long as you reference me! "Interdisciplinary programs included Internet Studies & Research is fueled by the growing number of scholars who explore the internet and its users. Besides the explosion in journals relating to the internet, a number of centers for Internet Studies have opened at universities. In 1999, the Center for Internet Studies (CIS) opened as a clearinghouse for internet-based research at the University of Washington in Seattle (www.cis.washington.edu). Brandeis University, a liberal arts college was the first to offer an undergraduate minor in Internet studies. From 1999, the program had a director, but classes were taught by staff visiting from other departments (www.brandeis.edu/programs/inet). Two more Internet Studies programs that offer minors have appeared, at the Appalachian State University (part of the University of Tennessee system), and the University of Alabama at Huntsville. The Internet Studies Program at Appalachian State University started in Fall 2002, and offers an undergraduate major concentration and a minor in Internet Studies through the Interdisciplinary Studies Department in the College of Arts and Sciences (www.internetstudies.appstate.edu) (Norman Clark, pers. comm.). At UA-Huntsville, the Internet Studies program expanded from a 'computer literacy' model adopted from a local community college. It developed into an interdisciplinary minor across multiple fields of study. Now it is comprised of a fusion of courses within the fields of graphic design, communication arts, and information technology (Mike Hubler, pers. comm.)." Also in 1997, Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia started Internet Studies with a single class (unit in Australia) called Internet 200. The program quickly moved to offer a graduate certificate in Internet Studies. By 2001, Curtin offered the first Internet Studies BA in the world. Currently, it offers certificates, diplomas, and both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the Master's and PhD level (smi.curtin.edu.au/NetStudies). [Note that graduate study in Australia and the UK is called postgraduate study]. Internet Studies at Curtin University was also one of the first to offer all of their coursework online. The program is also widely disseminated through an online learning consortium called Open Learning Australia. The OLA permits entry to the BA (Internet Studies) for non-traditional students studying completely off-campus (Matthew Allen, pers. comm.).

From 2000, graduate study in Internet Studies was offered as one area of focus in the graduate programs (MS, MA, PhD) in the Department of Rhetoric and Technical Communication at the University of Minnesota. Students interested in Internet Studies are affiliated with the Internet Studies Center (www.isc.umn.edu). Graduate students seeking full funding apply through the normal application process; those seeking additional funding through the Internet Studies Center must submit research proposals. These proposals are evaluated for their significance in illuminating some social ramification of internet use (Laura Gurak, pers. comm.)."

Ok, that's hardly conclusive, just what I found in 2000-2001 timeframe and it's not specifically Media Studies. I would reckon that almost every major university around the world would have some sort of media studies program . . . and searching via the web would be difficult, but interesting! Cheers, Denise ===== Denise N. Rall, PhD candidate, School of Environ. Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW 2480 - Mobile 0438 233 344 Sustainable Forestry Mentoring Coordinator and Casual Academic for Coastal Resource Management - Office phone: 6620 3789 Hours: TBA Presenting! AoIR 5.0, Assoc. of Internet Researchers, Sussex University http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/drall/index.html _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l@aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l _______________________________________________ Air-l mailing list Air-l@aoir.org http://www.aoir.org/mailman/listinfo/air-l