Media and Cultural Studies

Media and Culture Shape the Future

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Students

Media and Cultural Studies majors are creators and critics of media and cultural expressions

They make short-form media and short-form documentary production, graphic and audiovisual art, digital journalism (including blogs and videos), and more.

They analyze media and culture, such as film, video, television, art, video games, virtual reality, the built environment, multimedia, visual and digital cultures.

They understand how race, gender, class, sexuality, ethnicity, globalization, and environmental justice intersect with media and culture.

Pathways in the MCS Major

  • Media Production

    MCS media production courses include a wide range of media forms, including video, art, social documentary, music, and more. Key areas include building hands-on practical skills, understanding the histories of specific media, and learning critical strategies for organizing and presenting ideas in a range of media forms.

    • MCS 003 Immersive Media Production
    • MCS 004 Introduction to Moving Images
    • MCS 066 Screenwriting
    • MCS 106 (E-Z) Topics in Media Production
    • MCS 134 Transmedia
    • MCS 150 Intermediate Moving Images
    • MCS 155 Advanced Moving Images
    • MCS 164 Digital Media & Participatory Citizenship
    • MCS 192 Junior Seminar
    • MCS 193 Senior Seminar
    • MCS 199 Special Studies

  • Computational cultural studies merges computational methods with critical thinking to analyze how technology intersects with society.

    • MCS 002 Introduction to Immersive Media
    • MCS 003 Immersive Media Production
    • MCS 005 Intro to Media Studies
    • MCS 027 Introduction to Video Game Studies
    • MCS 108 Electric Earth: Media Ecology Theory Culture
    • MCS 109 (E-Z) Computation and Culture
    • MCS 116 On Networks: Digital Culture, Media, Technology
    • MCS 121 (E-Z) Live-Streaming and Gaming
    • MCS 146 (E-Z) Special Topics in Technoculture and Digital Media
    • MCS TBA Critical AI
    • MCS TBA Data Economies
    • MCS TBA Automation and Work
    • MCS 164 Digital Media and Participatory Citizenship
    • MCS 167 VR Beyond Images
    • MCS 187 Theorizing New Media
    • MCS 192 Junior Seminar
    • MCS 193 Senior Seminar
    • MCS 199 Special Studies

  • Digital storytelling and journalism emphasize skills in digital journalism, social documentary, web design, podcasts, live-streaming, and game development.

    • MCS 005 Media Studies: Theory & Practice
    • MCS 007 Digital Journalism and Society
    • MCS 107 History of Documentary Filmmaking
    • MCS 109 E-Z Computation and Culture
    • MCS 140 Alternative Media Production
    • MCS 146 Special Topics in Technoculture
    • MCS 150 Moving Images
    • MCS 155 Advanced Moving Images
    • MCS 162 Tool, Technology, Technique
    • MCS 167 Virtual Reality Beyond Images
    • MCS 177 Indigenous Media
    • MCS 187 Theorizing New Media
    • MCS 192 Junior Seminar
    • MCS 193 Senior Seminar
    • MCS 199 Special Studies

  • History and theory of film and media combines the study of national cinemas with courses on the film and media industries.

    • MCS 004 Introduction to Moving Images
    • MCS 005 Media Studies: Theory and Practice
    • MCS 009 Music in Movies and TV
    • MCS 015 Introduction to Television Studies
    • MCS 020 Introduction to Film Studies
    • MCS 046 Introduction to Global National or Regional Media Cultures
    • MCS 101 Race, Gender and the Superhero
    • MCS 104 Film and Media Theory
    • MCS 107 History of Documentary Film
    • MCS 110 (E-Z) Topics in Film and Media History
    • MCS 111 History of Media Theory
    • MCS 112 History of Queer Cinema
    • MCS 118 (E-Z) Topics in World Cinema
    • MCS 120 Major Figures in Film and Media
    • MCS 126 From Novel to Screen: Adaptations
    • MCS 129 Disney: Producing Race, Gender & Sexuality
    • MCS 145 (E-Z) Film and Visual Culture
    • MCS 172 Topics in Film and Media Genres
    • MCS 174 (E-Z) Comparative Studies in Film
    • MCS 192 Junior Seminar
    • MCS 193 Senior Seminar
    • MCS 199 Special Studies

  • Critical Issues in cultural studies includes courses in media analysis and material cultures, with an emphasis on critiques of hegemonic power structures.

    • MCS 102 (E-Z) Topics in State Violence, Policing, and Criminalization
    • MCS 101 Race, Gender and the Superhero
    • MCS 106 (E-Z) Topics in Media Production
    • MCS 133 (E-Z) Topics in Media, Environmentalism, and Environmental Justice
    • MCS 143 Gender, Sexuality & Visual Culture
    • MCS 144 Race, Ethnicity & Visual Culture
    • MCS 147 (E-Z) Topics in Afrofuturism
    • MCS 154 Media, Gender & Violence
    • MCS 192 Junior Seminar
    • MCS 193 Senior Seminar
    • MCS 199 Special Studies