Taking the Past into the Future

by Matt Vesliño

A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON

The guilt washes over me once more as I reread the title I had given for this article: what’s in a name? Indeed, what was in such a name change from “Broadcast Communication” to “Broadcast Media Arts and Studies” that got everyone in a twist? Well, during the last registration period for the now-ending first semester of this academic year, things were in complete chaos because of that rebranding.

Imagine the scene: what should be the serenity of Plaridel Hall’s air-conditioned lobby was suddenly mired with flustered registration assistants and confused freshmen, shiftees, and transferees who were all just looking for some good, old-fashioned units from the ever-reliable Computerized Registration System. I was just one of many people looking to just print my Form 5 and leave, but I came out of registration having halved my units for a brand-new set of majors I did not have any intention of acquiring in the first place. Suffice to say, registration period was a wild time.

But it was only wild because of the many unanswered questions we still had. Why the change? Why now? Why did Matt make me read his shortened life story, when I just want to know how to survive the BMAS curriculum? All valid questions that were left unanswered by then. Given the time between then and now, I was able to interview Prof. Jane O. Vinculado, the current Chairperson of the Department of Broadcasting at the College of Mass Communication at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She had been on this presumably “abrupt” curriculum change for a full seven years already before its implementation, even having been on her first term as Chairperson way back then. In our department orientation, she explained that the restructured Broadcast curriculum is a culmination of evolution, change, and the pressure to keep up with the former two factors, but our interview revealed a lot more than I had already known.

Mass communication and media, as whatever we know it to be, are evolving constantly, and they are dynamic institutions with characteristics that change and adapt with the technologies surrounding us. The traditional forms of broadcast media--radio and television--will always be there, but it is now joined by a barrage of digital and emerging media that simply were not being tackled enough in the old Broadcast Communication (BC) curriculum. With these changes being instituted as the new socio-cultural norm, the Broadcasting Department had to adapt, and so began their revision of the curriculum. Of course, these revisions are also welcomed by the fact that the first K-12 graduates were set to emerge very soon from their high school cocoon, so the Department had to take fast action in order to accommodate these soon-to-be college butterflies. Part-in-parcel of these revisions is also that through the ladderized K-12 curriculum, senior high school graduates were also taught common Maskom areas of expertise like media literacy and oral communication, therefore rendering the old curriculum somewhat moot in those areas; change had to occur, and this curriculum was what became of that change.

Right off the bat, Prof. Vinculado dispelled the common public misconception about what had occurred during registration period, though: it’s all just a name. We were led to believe that these changes in our program were drastic because of the literal name change, but throughout my interview with her [Ma’am Jane], I realized that it really was just in the name. The curriculum itself didn’t even change too drastically; it had been founded in the BC curriculum, yes, but was adapted to better-suit the needs of the incoming batches. With technology’s constant evolution, sometimes even happening day-to-day, the only real, sort-of-dynamic change was with the incorporation and integration of digital and emerging media, but again, the whole process of change wasn’t in an instant, as if at the drop of a hat.

For some, change and compartmentalizing from one part of life to the next is as easy as the snap of a finger, but when you’re trying to create an educational system that shapes and molds future media practitioners who critically create content and are aware of the socio-political issues that plague society, then change can take for as long as seven years, and that’s okay.

WHAT MAKES A BROADCAST MEDIA ARTS AND STUDIES PROGRAM?

Enough about history, though. I think I’ve made my point and answered my question: what’s in a name? Well, apparently, it’s preconceived notions of change. But now, it’s time to get into the real meat of things: what is the new Broadcast Media Arts and Studies curriculum? How is it structured? What are the new courses, and why does Matt keep prolonging this article any more than it should be?

I. The Gateway Courses, otherwise known as that first-year slump of soul-searching, but also that time where you start to really discover your niche post-high school.

The first set of courses that Broadcast Media Arts and Studies undergraduates must take are composed of subjects that are all intended to act as a foundation for their future classes. In short, the basics that act as the gateway to the future of Broadcast undergraduates!

II. The Cornerstone Courses, or the truly evaluative phase of college life, where the very foundations of what you know are now put to the test.

Now shaping the ideals and molding the ideal Broadcast student and future graduate, these cornerstone courses are intended to put students to the test, thrusting them head-first into production classes and deeper theory courses. Of course, all that suffering on-paper isn’t for nothing; everything has a designed purpose and reason, and in this case, the cornerstone courses are meant to really shape the next generation of critical media practitioners.

III. The Specialization Courses, or the-- no, wait, never mind, this is the year you begin to really search your soul for your true passions in life.

Now backed by all of the information and practical experiences in broadcast media arts and studies, undergraduate students can now decide their own paths by choosing their free elective courses. They could enhance their writing skills through courses from the College of Arts and Letters, or perhaps focus on the other aspects of broadcasting by choosing to take courses from other colleges! Either way, specialization courses are really just meant to hone in on the already-existing skills and assets of an equipped Broadcasting major.

IV. The Capstone Courses, where you are finally trained to become a future corporate sla-- I mean, a future media practitioner who is not only responsible, but also dedicated and guided by your sense of greater societal responsibility.

So, BMAS undergraduates have bested everything so far, and gone against all the odds to finally make it to what could potentially be the last stretch of their college lives: the capstone courses. Applying everything in their internship and capstone project, the media practitioners of tomorrow now have to gather everything within their wheelhouse to create a fully research-backed thesis regarding anything under the sun within the realm of broadcast, digital, and emerging media.

WHAT NOW?

If you’ve made it to the very end of this relatively long read of an article, then I applaud you, and I give you my absolute praise if you also happen to be a student with a major that doesn’t even involve Broadcast Media at all.

The change in the Broadcasting program within the College of Mass Communication, may, again, seem like a drastic one; however, it was with years of changes within the overarching industry, as well as shifts in societal ideology that has contributed to these changes. Change comes gradually. It isn’t always going to be in an instant, and perhaps, it’s high-time people start looking at our education system as a whole. Maybe it’s time for a systemic revision of its own?

But seriously, moving past my radical pipe dream, the newly-instituted Broadcast Media Arts and Studies program is still finding its footing. Trust me, I can vouch that it’s still trying to grasp what it’s trying to be, but I’m excited to see it through. It may not have been what most people expected it to be, but it’s a welcome change, and the future remains to be seen.