<p>My daughter will be going to USC this fall in SCA. Can you tell me if you took any SCA courses your freshman year and if so, which ones? Were they required? Also, did you have to finish all 6 GE's, writing, language requirement and diversity course BEFORE starting your production sequence? Finally...did any of you begin your production sequence in first semester junior year in order to finish the University requirements?...if so...will you graduate on time?</p>
<p>I am the parent of a current student. My S finish his GE’s by end of first semester soph year. He began his prod. sequence second semester Soph year. Freshman year he took some crit. studies classes and a 2 unit prod. class that freshman can take.</p>
<p>^^wow jkl2124, long time no see! I remember your posts back in 2008. :)</p>
<p>My son is a crit studies major, and he took several of those courses freshman and sophomore years, plus he managed to get into a few upper level classes with names like “Motion Picture Camera” and “Special Effects” in sophomore year. He started the production sequence with everyone else, in spring of sophomore year. He had raced through a bunch of the GE’s in Thematic Option, but still hasn’t started the language requirements. In short, he got to be heavily involved in film waaay before we expected, and has been in hog heaven :)</p>
<p>In response to the initial question, whether or not the student must finish all the GE’s before beginning the production sequence depends on the student’s major within SCA. Students who are production majors are required to finish all GE’s including language, except for the second writing course, before they start. If they are in TO, they have to finish the second writing course, too. On the bright side, the language requirement can be met through AP’s or testing out, and two of the other GE’s can be met through AP’s. Also, a number of courses are twofers that count for more than one GE requirement.</p>
<p>My sense is that a majority of production majors do finish all of their GE’s in time to start the production sequence second semester of soph year. And even with all those requirements, it is still absolutely possible to take film course beginning in freshman year, particularly crit studies courses, but also the hands on kinds of things Faux Mom mentioned.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the good information. Nester: How do you find out about the twofers? Does TO allow twofers?</p>
<p>When you go onto the USC website and look at the lists of classes that fulfill GE requirements, there are asterisks next to classes that fulfill two requirements. (If I remember correctly, these are generally classes that fulfill both a distribution requirement and the diversity requirement.) In terms of the TO classes themselves, the student must take one each of, I think, six or seven categories of classes, with no possibility of doubling up in terms of requirements. These include the two required writing classes. The TO classes fulfill most of the GE requirements. But there are GE requirements that are not fulfilled by TO including foreign language, diversity, an advanced science class, and an advanced social science class. All of these additional classes, except for diversity, can be fulfilled through AP’s (or taking a test, the first part of which can be passed online, but the second part of which has to be taken in person in the case of language), and some of them can be fulfilled through a twofer. There are film-related classes that fulfill some of the GE requirements, such as classes related to women or various minority groups in film for diversity, or film of Southeast Asia for the advanced social science. There is usually a pretty wide range of courses that can be taken to fulfill each GE requirement, such as history of jazz for diversity.</p>
<p>Although TO can be pretty intense, fulfilling the requirements within the first three semesters is not onorous (especially if the student attended a rigorous high school), it was possible to take film classes at least one of which counted for a GE requirement, and being ready to begin the production sequence second semester of soph year is completely realistic. </p>
<p>Note that students in some SCA majors other than production (I’m not sure of the requirements for all of the SCA majors, so you’d have to check.), are not required to fulfill all of their GE’s or finish TO before being allowed to take the 290 and related production courses.</p>
<p>Clarification on TO requirements:</p>
<p>The advanced science class is fufilled with a TO requirement: CORE 103. CORE 104 is the advanced Social Science class.</p>
<p>There are two “Theme courses,” one in humanities and social sciences, the other in Natural Science, both of which can double-count for some majors (my daughter was able to double-count both theme courses for her major) and both of which can be waived with an AP.</p>
<p>So, to completely fulfill GE requirements through TO, you need:</p>
<p>Six CORE classes:
CORE 102 Culture and Values
CORE 111 Writing Seminar 1 (attached to your CORE 102)
CORE 112 Writing Seminar 2
CORE 101 Symbols and Conceptual Systems
CORE 103 Process of Change in Science
CORE 104 Change and the Future</p>
<p>Two theme courses: Humanities and social sciences, and Natural Science. Lists are distributed each semester of courses that meet the requirements, and you will choose them in consultation with your TO advisor. They can double-count for major or minor requirements or electives, and both can be waived with APs. See page 10 of the Thematic Option handbook for APs that waive these.</p>
<p>Diversity. Lists each semester available on schedule of courses. Fall Diversity courses: [Schedule</a> of Classes: Fall 2010: General Education Requirements: Diversity Courses](<a href=“http://www.usc.edu/academics/classes/term_20103/general_education_requirements/diversity_courses.html]Schedule”>http://www.usc.edu/academics/classes/term_20103/general_education_requirements/diversity_courses.html) It can double-count for a major or minor requirement.</p>
<p>**Foreign language ***if required *by your school/major. Can be waived w/AP.</p>
<p>Thematic Option handbook: <a href=“http://college.usc.edu/assets/sites/1/docs/honors/Thematic_Option_Student_Handbook_.pdf[/url]”>http://college.usc.edu/assets/sites/1/docs/honors/Thematic_Option_Student_Handbook_.pdf</a></p>
<p>My bad. Alamemom has the correct info. But now I am completely confused as to which course it was my kid waived with AP physics. Could it have been a TO course? Hmmm. Anyway, the part I did have right is that it really is possible to complete all of the requirements in 3 semesters if the students is a production major and wants to start the production sequence during soph year.</p>
<p>^ AP Physics waives the “Theme Course in Natural Science.” I agree with Nester that getting it all done in three semesters is possible. It looks like a lot, but it is possible. Look for double-counting courses!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all the great information on required classes etc. I have noticed that the SCA Film Production requires CTS 190 CTS 200 and CTS 201 but it looks like CTS 201 is a spring only course. Assuming you have to take 200 before 201 that would mean taking 200 in the first semester of freshman year and 201 in second semester in order to be able to get those in before production is supposed to begin in second semester soph year. Maybe I am missing something? Also, is there any sort of advising that happens prior to the orientation session or is that all done at orientation?</p>
<p>ecymom, USC does all advising during orientation. The reason is–requirements for each major are rather complex and sequencing will depend on APs and other programs (TO?) the student plans to complete. For instance, each TO student will attend a TO advisement session as well as the advisement session for their individual major (each SCA major has a different counseling and advisement session). They simply do not make all the information available ahead of time. </p>
<p>When my son attended orientation, I was concerned that the TO and SCA sessions were scheduled at the same time. It was impossible for him to attend both! I actually attended one of them (for his tiny major) and got all the paperwork and schedule worksheets. I also helped by going online that night and setting up a sample schedule for him with the courses he needed to take. Most TO kids will take TO CORE 102 and 111 first semester freshman year. They only hand out the actual section descriptions (there are about 8 102’s, each with a different theme, reading list, professor, and of course, time/day) so my son indicated his favorite classes and I tried to work them into some sort of a schedule (as each has discussion meetings and so on). He also took the SCA 190 class, as most SCA majors will first semester. This large lecture class shows a film a week and has one of SCA’s top professors at the helm. For his last 4 unit class, he selected another SCA class in his major. In addition, my son wanted to take a 2-unit Freshman seminar class (students are allowed up to 18 units per semester) for fun.</p>
<p>For registration, he needed to get D-clearances from his advisors, so that all happens the second day. Not too difficult–but very last minute.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>My S took 201 second semester Soph.year along with his 290 production series, he will be taking 200 this coming fall, they do not need to be taken sequentially.</p>
<p>madbean and kjl2124 thank you so much. Knowing the advisement is during orientation and that the students can take 201 and 200 out of sequence and that they don’t have to take them before the 290 series is really helpful. It appears the only GE she will get out of will be language. The other AP and IB classes she took qualify for credit but not qualifiers for the required TO courses. I did hear that some of the students start their production series first semester junior year as well so I guess if she doesn’t want the heavy load she could start a semester later and still finish in four years.</p>