Why I Decided to Minor in Digital Studies

By: Lauren Liang ‘23

If you’re anything like me, you’ve combed through USC’s course catalog more times than you can count, scouring the website for the perfect minor. The one that compliments your major and will make you the most employable fresh grad. Alternatively, it might be what you actually wanted to major in but your parents said no (theatre minors rise!). Or maybe you just need access to a certain school’s resources. Did you know Annerberg students get free Adobe Creative Suite?

When I first arrived at USC, I knew I wanted to double minor and take advantage of as many of USC’s broad academic and artistic opportunities as possible, but I wasn’t quite sure what minors to choose. After hours of deliberation, cross-checking my academic progress, and exploring required courses for a plethora of minors, I decided to declare my first minor in Digital Studies, within the School of Cinematic Arts (SCA). 

According to the Course Catalog, the “minor in digital studies explores the rich potential of digital media for critical analysis and creative discovery…from photo essays to Web-based documentaries, from interactive videos to sophisticated Websites, and from typography in motion to 3-D visualizations. Elective courses explore media for social change, tangible computing, transmedia expression and more, allowing students to use media in pursuit of their own interests and to enhance their major.”

As someone with a professional interest in UX and digital product design (fields that require visual and media design skills), I knew that it would be wise to develop aptitude in adjacent fields, even if the classes in the Digital Studies minor aren’t directly focused on product design. For example, IML 230 (Fundamentals of Media Design) is largely a graphic design course, but teaches skills like client research and how to use Adobe Creative Suite. IML 300 (Reading and Writing the Web) teaches Javascript, HTML, and CSS, which are coding languages that can be useful when it comes to online portfolio building and presentation. 

Another benefit of being a Digital Studies minor is that I get to be on SCA’s mailing lists and have access to SCA career resources which allows me to be relatively up to date on screenings and professional events. 

What I’ve learned, however, is that there is no perfect minor. Some courses I’ve taken for the Digital Studies minor have been much more stressful than my major courses.

 If you happen to be looking for a minor in new and emerging media, Digital Studies might be the right fit for you. 

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