The Media and Popular Culture concentration provides students with the necessary critical skills, historical grounding, and research methodologies for interpreting the cultural and social impact of popular media (television, film, radio, and social and digital media) in our globalized society. Students will learn how to analyze shifting patterns of production and consumption of popular culture, and to contextualize these changes within broader historical and theoretical frameworks.
Our interdisciplinary graduate seminars investigate current media-related topics through different perspectives, including popular audiences, national and transnational media, media industries, the politics of media culture, media histories, and representational content. Our courses examine the impact and potential of new technologies, the power of audiovisual media in society, the role of media in the formation of identities, and aesthetic dimensions of popular culture.
This concentration will be of interest to those seeking to prepare for a PhD program or to further their careers in the film, television and digital media fields.
Course Requirements
The MA in Communication and Media with a concentration in Media and Popular Culture requires a total of 12 courses, 48 credit hours, for completion. Students must complete the following requirements:
- Three core courses
- One methods course
- Four Media and Popular Culture electives
- One Applied Communication elective
- Three graduate level electives
Media and Popular Culture Concentration Core Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must take the following core courses: | ||
| HCMN 500 | FOUNDATIONS IN GRADUATE HUMAN COMMUNICATION | |
| HCMN 510 | APPLIED COMMUNICATION: THEORIES AND CASES | |
| MPOP 502 | MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES | 4 |
Media and Popular Culture Concentration Methods Requirement
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must take one methods course: | ||
| MPOP 503 | CRITICAL ANALYSIS | 4 |
Media and Popular Culture Concentration Elective Courses
Students must take a minimum of 4 Media and Popular Culture electives (16 credit hours). Topics courses can be taken multiple times for credit as long as the specific topic differs each time.
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select four Media and Popular Culture electives: | 16 | |
| MPOP 501 | FILM AND MEDIA THEORY | |
| MPOP 505 | DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN MEDIA | |
| MPOP 506 | MEDIA LITERACY | |
| MPOP 520 | TOPICS IN MEDIA STUDIES | |
| MPOP 523 | TOPICS IN GLOBAL FILM & MEDIA | |
| MPOP 530 | NEW MEDIA AND CULTURE | |
| MPOP 541 | AUDIO DOCUMENTARY | |
| MPOP 542 | TOPICS IN PRODUCTION | |
| MPOP 550 | FANDOM AND ACTIVE AUDIENCES | |
| MPOP 575 | DIGITAL MEDIA ETHICS | |
Applied Communication Elective
Students in the Media and Popular Culture concentration must take a minimum of 1 Applied Communication Elective (4 credits).
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must take 1 Applied Communication elective: | 4 | |
| HCMN 512 | TOPICS IN APPLIED COMMUNICATION | |
| HCMN 530 | INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT | |
| HCMN 541 | ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE | |
| HCMN 548 | TEAMS, DIVERSITY AND LEADERSHIP | |
| HCMN 551 | COLLABORATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT | |
| HCMN 573 | WORK/LIFE COMMUNICATION AND WELLNESS | |
| HCMN 580 | DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING IN COMMUNICATION | |
| PRAD 594 | COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE | 4 |
General Electives
Students in the Media and Popular Culture Concentration must take a minimum of 3 general electives (12 credits). These electives can come from any of the Media and Popular Culture concentration electives, any of the Applied Communication concentration electives, and up to 2 electives can be an outside elective from a a graduate program outside of Communication and Media. Outside electives must be approved by advisor or graduate program director.