By Medea Faulkner
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) students are looking forward to the launch of the new Photography Media Arts minor, available beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.
According to the minor’s page on TMU’s website, it will provide students with a mixture of hands-on, studio-based instruction alongside lecture-based, theory and history classes.
“In this way, students are able to acquire skills and techniques associated with photographic practice while also becoming familiar with the concepts, ideas, and aesthetics connected to photography and contemporary art,” reads the minor’s description.
Arden Mailhiot, a first-year film student said, “I’m excited to take the studio classes because I’ve been so badly wanting to see the photography studio here and use it.”
Mailhiot said these courses will benefit their career pathway as film and photography have many transferable skills. “I think you’d be much more knowledgeable and successful [in film] if you had a photography background, or if you learn a little bit of photography and then apply it into film, and vice versa,” she said.
This new minor reflects the current restructuring taking place within The Creative School to bridge different departments, as previously reported by The Eyeopener. According to the photography minor website, the courses offered are the same as some offered in the photography degree program—which will allow students the opportunity to make connections outside their current program.
Kerrah McDonald, a first-year fashion design student who photographs local Toronto bands and creates show posters in her free time, is excited to develop their skills further in studio classes. “I’m in fashion design, I want to know how to take good creative pictures of my garments that I can put in my portfolio,” they said.
“I will definitely [add photography courses to my course intentions] now that I know it’s a minor,” McDonald added.
Dave Kemp, an associate professor and photography media arts program director touched on the benefits of this minor.
“A lot of the students in other areas are [now] able to do a minor in photography and get those basic foundational skills that will help them with their [program] and also satisfy their interest in photography too,” he said.
As the photography media arts minor continues to gain interest, Kemp highly encourages students to keep the course intention adjustment period in May in mind. “If we have the numbers [as shown through course intentions] we can totally add extra sections and make room for everybody,” he said.
There are two new courses created with this minor in mind: FPN 330, introduction to photo-based creativity and FPN 340, film and darkroom.
These courses are not yet included on the undergraduate calendar but are open for students pursuing the minor in the coming 2025-26 academic year, excluding students enrolled in the photography media arts program or its integrated digital option program.
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