Finding a Minor: Documentary and Web Development Specialization

from class at SCA

by Tamanna Sood ‘24

One of USC’s greatest benefits is that virtually any field of study that piques your interest is available for you to pursue in greater detail. While having access to so many different opportunities is exciting, it can also be challenging to narrow down and choose what discipline best suits you. Conversations with your peers and gaining insight from other students can help narrow down your search. That's why I’m here to share with you why I chose to minor in Documentary at SCA and specialize in Web Development at Viterbi!

My Documentary Minor

I decided to pursue documentary filmmaking at the beginning of my junior year. Previously, I had explored another minor – Marketing in Marshall – during my sophomore year. However, I soon realized that this field of study didn’t align with what I was truly seeking and decided to drop. At the end of fall semester of sophomore year, I was feeling dejected and believed that I was wasting my time and units by not being able to pick a minor. I made sure to spend my spring semester searching for a minor that was perfect for me.

I initially picked Marketing as my minor because I have always loved the creative aspects of marketing and advertising, but I quickly began to realize that the minor mostly focused on the strategy of marketing. While that can be useful, it didn’t quench my thirst for creation and innovation. I was really craving a hands-on field of study. 

 As a journalism major, I have always been drawn to visual storytelling and content creation in the digital medium, but the idea of being a filmmaker always felt inaccessible. I had never been technically trained on how to use a camera, and most of the videos I created for school were through a TV news perspective. Minoring in something at SCA felt impossible. My impression of the renowned school was that the curriculum of the school would be far too advanced for me and that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. However, through speaking to some of my peers who were also minoring in SCA, I learned that most students also start off with no technical skills, and the courses are designed to teach students of all backgrounds.

I chose Documentary as a minor because it builds upon a lot of the tenets of journalistic storytelling that I was already learning in Annenberg. Interviewing, storytelling, storyboarding, and generally just being able to capture someone’s story on camera are all things that I enjoy. 

The Documentary minor requires students to finish 16 units of credits in SCA with the main core requirement being CTCS 400: Non-Fiction Film and Television and 12 units of electives.  I am currently in my last elective course, CTPR 474: Documentary Production. This class requires me to create a short documentary about fifteen minutes long collaborating with a partner. The class is an amazing culmination of all the skills I have accumulated throughout the two years studying film. While my previous electives, IML 340: Remixing the Archive and IML 477: Embodied Storytelling and Immersive Docu-Narrative,  focused on the bigger picture and how to effectively communicate with an audience, my current class puts together the pieces of the process to create a documentary. The program at SCA is truly exceptional, and I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve learned numerous skills through my minor that I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. I genuinely wish I had begun earlier so I could take more classes. 

Though I am writing from a journalist’s perspective, minoring in documentary filmmaking can greatly benefit students from all backgrounds. It teaches the art of storytelling and filmmaking without the pressure of creating a cinematic feature film. It’s a great way for anyone interested in film to dip their toes in and learn more about the field of cinema. I highly recommend any student interested in filmmaking to try out a production class. 

SCA is an internationally renowned film school with an alumni list that speaks for itself.  As a USC student, regardless of discipline and school, you already have an advantage in accessing the school’s resources. If committing to a minor seems too extensive for you, participating in an elective class is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the school and learn more about the culture of SCA!

Web Development Specialization

While web development and documentary filmmaking might appear to be two vastly different fields of study, they both give the opportunity to create something unique. Prior to college, I had absolutely no interest in coding or knowledge of how to do it. Similar to filmmaking, coding always felt beyond me. That changed when I was required to learn it for my major during sophomore year. Annenberg requires all journalism students to take JOUR 320: Introduction to Coding for Storytelling that goes over basic HTML, CSS, and Javascript required to make a webpage of your own. I approached the class with virtually no expectations and was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the work felt intuitive to me. I enjoyed attending class and learning more skills that would enable me to develop something of my own.

Though I loved the class and wanted to delve deeper into that field of study, my imposter syndrome made me doubt my ability to handle the more advanced classes required to complete the minor. I realized that I didn’t quite have to commit myself to a minor if I didn’t want to. The ITP (Information Technology  Program) offers specializations to students interested in their programs, allowing students to gain credit for their classes without the burden of completing a full 18 units. If the specialization program didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have been able to have my time spent learning coding recognized because I wouldn’t have been able to finish a second minor in time to graduate. 

Now I know what you are thinking: what is the difference between a minor and a specialization? At USC a minor involves a curriculum of core requirements from 4-14 units, along with mandatory electives ranging from 4-12 units. On the other hand, a  specialization only requires students to take the essentials needed to learn a new skill. 

For example, my specialization only requires me to complete 10 units of courses:  ITP 104: Web Publishing (2 units), ITP-301: Front-End Web Development, and ITP 304: Back-End Web Development. In contrast, the minor is 18 units, with 14 units comprising core requirements and 4 units comprising elective courses. The specialization essentially mirrors the core requirements of the minor except for one course,  ITP 460: Web Application Project. I can learn all languages and skills needed to be a successful web developer without the additional requirements. 

I am currently in my second-to-last class for my specialization, ITP 301, and I won’t deny that it can be challenging at times. However, I love all the work I’ve done in class and am proud of all the things I have learned. Web development classes get me to think in a different way than I do for my journalism classes. They satiate my curiosity for problem solving and help me create something tangible that I can use in the future. 

While I genuinely wish I had picked up this discipline earlier, as I would have liked to have completed a minor,  I highly recommend anyone who is interested in the ITP program to take a class. The courses are designed to teach beginners everything from the ground up. From the applied analytics to technical game art, the program covers a myriad of different disciplines and is completely open to beginners. Professors and TA’s are extremely helpful and make sure to walk students through lessons and questions thoroughly. Whether you’re anxious to pick up a minor or surveying your options, I would recommend browsing through the catalog of minors and specializations on the ITP website. You might find a new passion!

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