New Cinema and Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Studies Minors Approved for Fall 2011

With leadership from faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts, there are two new interdisciplinary minors offered for students - Cinema and Neuroscience.

Cinema Minor

The Cinema minor is at the heart of a growing international, interdisciplinary interest in media studies. Faculty members from art, English, history, modern languages, religious studies, Southern studies, and theatre arts are part of the effort to create the Cinema minor. A minor in Cinema will give students the critical vocabulary and perspective with which to analyze motion pictures within larger artistic, cultural, historical, political, linguistic, and global contexts, as well as provide a greater understanding of and hands-on experience with cinema production, including screenwriting, acting, directing, producing, cinematography, and editing.  Because of the variety of cinema content, analysis, technology, and distribution a Cinema minor would complement almost any major. For more information, contact Alan Arrivée, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts and Director of Cinema at arrivee@olemiss.edu or 915-4915.

The catalog requirements and approved courses are as follows: The Cinema minor is an interdisciplinary minor consisting of 18 credit hours, including THEA 250, ENGL 353, and 12 elective hours from the list of courses below. The 12 elective hours must include 3 hours from the category of cinema production courses and 3 hours from the category of cinema studies courses. The same course may not satisfy requirements for both the major and the minor. Students who complete relevant internships, study abroad courses, or special topics courses will consult with the Cinema Director prior to enrollment in the course for approval and to determine the appropriate category for the course.    

Neuroscience Minor

Faculty members from biology, chemistry, communicative disorders, exercise science, pharmacy, and psychology offer an interdisciplinary minor in Neuroscience. Students will be encouraged to take basic and advanced courses in pure and applied neuroscience from several departments. They will come to understand that neuroscience spans levels from the molecular to the psychological in both humans and other animals and learn how to apply theory to experimental or observational studies. Students from many different majors will find the scope of courses addressing brain and behavior enlightening and practical for their future careers. A requirement of the minor to take at least one 500-level course and the lab requirement will offer the practical skills necessary for application to neuroscience-related PhD programs and to gain jobs in allied health fields. For more information, contact Lainy Day, Assistant Professor of Biology and Director of Neuroscience at lainyday@olemiss.edu or 915-5444.
 
The catalog requirements and approved courses are as follows: The minor in Neuroscience requires 19-22 hours, including PSY 319, BISC 327, and four advanced courses of which at least one course must be a formal laboratory course or director approved independent laboratory course (3 credit hours minimum) and at least one course must be at the 500-level. At least six hours must be outside of the student’s major. Approved laboratory courses for the minor and other approved courses are listed below. Courses may not satisfy requirements for both the student’s major and the neuroscience minor.