University Catalog 2016-2017

University of Colorado Boulder
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Media Studies (MDST)

    Contemporary media practitioners, both professional and amateur, influence the values and behaviors of national and global populations, challenging and shaping the authority, legitimacy and control exercised by governments and other powerful social institutions. Because of this, media and cultural studies are central to research about the complex intersections of culture, politics and economics from the local to the global levels. Appropriately, the Department of Media Studies emphasizes the history, nature and impact of mediated sounds, images and texts from a wide range of inter- and cross-disciplinary perspectives.

    The Department of Media Studies examines ways of thinking about and conducting research into the intersection of media, communication and cultural practices in both historical and contemporary perspectives. Encompassing humanistic, social scientific and artistic approaches to the study of media and culture, and interdisciplinary in its theoretical and methodological approaches, the degree spans traditional boundaries between theory and practice. It fosters media “literacy” in the broadest sense by providing students with critical skills to analyze contemporary media and culture, along with technical, aesthetic and intellectual principles that facilitate strong media practices.

    Course code for this program is MDST.

    Bachelor's Degree Program(s)

    Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies

    The goal of the media studies BA is to prepare students to become intellectually engaged critics of their media environment through a commitment to rigorous scholarship and creative media practice. Students will exit the program with a vital edge as innovative, critical professionals and well-rounded, independent thinkers.

    Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours 

    Students pursuing the BA in Media Studies complete 13 courses, for 39 credit hours.

    Four required courses comprise the MDST core:

    • Media Literacy (3 hours)
    • Media Research (3 hours)
    • Media and Communication History (3 hours)
    • Digital Culture and Politics (3 hours)

    Students would then take the following courses offered by MDST, other departments or programs in CMCI or departments outside CMCI:

    • Advanced Research Methods (3 hours)
    • Media Practice (6 hours)

    The Media Practice component consists of courses involving hands-on work in the CMCI Departments of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design; Journalism; Information Science or Critical Media Practices; or in the Technology, Arts and Media program in ATLAS.

    Students will additionally explore an area of emphasis by taking four courses (for 12 credit hours) in one of the following:

    • Media and Culture
    • Media and Politics
    • Global and International Media
    • Multimedia Practice: Design and Production
    • Media History and Archaeology
    • Media Leadership: Management and Entrepreneurship
    • Media Technology and Society
    • Images and Screen Studies
    • Self-Designed Emphasis (requires faculty approval)

    Courses meeting this requirement could come from anywhere within CMCI or across the CU Boulder campus curriculum.

    MDST requires an internship (3 hours) in a field of the student’s choice, and a capstone project (3 hours), both usually completed in the senior year.

    Graduate Degree Program(s)

    The department offers programs of study leading to the MS and PhD in media studies. Interested students should contact the department for current admission and degree requirements