Media and Communication Studies

Faculty

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Director

Jason Loviglio

Lecturer

Donald Snyder

Assistant Professor

Rebecca Adelman
Fan Yang

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Courses in this program are listed under MCS.

Media and Communication Studies is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes a broad liberal arts approach toward the teaching of critical media literacy, intercultural communication and new digital media skills. These skills include a critical understanding of the emerging forms of digital technologies of communication, information, surveillance and entertainment. Students will learn how to integrate new communicative practices into their liberal arts education.

The program uses materials and methodologies from various disciplines. It also emphasizes learning through seminar experiences and independent projects. The focus in the core curriculum on applied experience, undergraduate research, critical thinking and interdisciplinary approaches to study of media is part of the program's fundamental liberal arts orientation. Core courses build one upon the other, developing students' critical skills, historical background, and theoretical sophistication so that they progressively develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the social, political, economic and cultural issues at stake in human communication.

The elective courses reinforce the commitment to a broad liberal arts education. Students choose electives in three areas: critical media literacy, intercultural communication and technology and applied communication.

Career and Academic Paths

Through the combination of applied learning experiences, a required depth-of-field area of study, and a capstone research project, students are well-prepared for many academic and professional fields of study including, advertising, broadcasting, communications, gaming, history and culture (museums and cultural institutions), education, journalism, law, marketing, public policy, public relations, social and public service, social work and web development.

Bachelor of Arts (37 Credits)

CORE (16 credits):

MCS 101 Media Literacy

MCS 222 Introduction to Media and Communication Studies

MCS 333 History and Theory of Mass Communication and Media Studies

MCS 334 Media, Communication and Globalization

MCST 499 Senior Seminar Capstone

Required Applied Experience (3 credits):

MCS 404 Internship

Six Electives (18 credits)

(At least 9 of the 18 credits must be at the 300 or 400 level)

B.A. students must choose two courses from each area:

Critical Media Studies
Coursework on the cultural history of specific media, critical media analysis, industry analysis, audience studies and special topics in media genres.

Intercultural Communication
Coursework on intercultural communication; race, gender, ethnicity, social class and media; comparative studies and media; U.S. media in global perspective.

New Media and Applied Communication
Coursework in video, audio and digital production; Web content design; technical writing; journalism and oral communication

Additional Information:

Depth of Field Required

Must take an additional UMBC minor or certificate. Students with a second major are exempt from this requirement.

Counting Credits

A total of nine credits towards the completion of the major may be "double counted" towards the completion of an additional major, minor or certificate.

Statement on Study of Foreign Languages

Knowledge of at least one foreign language and familiarity with foreign cultures beyond the language and culture requirements of the General Education Program are important for understanding media and communications under the conditions of globalization in the 21st century. Therefore, MCS students are strongly encouraged to study a foreign language to at least the 202 level (with appropriate exemptions made for native speakers of languages other than English). Study abroad is also strongly encouraged, for it can provide not only understanding of another culture but also important perspectives on U.S. culture and media.

Certificate (24 credits)

CORE (13 credits)

MCS 101 Media Literacy

MCS 222 Introduction to Media and Communication Studies

MCS 333 History and Theory of Mass Communication and Media Studies

MCS 334 Media, Communication and Globalization

Required Applied Experience (3 credits):

MCS 404 (Internship)

Three Electives (9 credits)

(At least 6 of the 9 credits must be at the 300 or 400 level)

Certificate students must take all nine credits in only one of the three areas

Critical Media Studies
Coursework on the cultural history of specific media, critical media analysis, industry analysis, audience studies and special topics in media genres.

Intercultural Communication
Coursework on intercultural communication; race, gender, ethnicity, social class and media; comparative studies and media; U.S. media in global perspective.

New Media and Applied Communication
Coursework in video, audio and digital production; Web content design; technical writing; journalism and oral communication

Additional Information:

Counting Credits

A total of nine credits towards the completion of the certificate may be "double counted" towards the completion of an additional major, minor, or certificate.

1. Critical Media Studies

Suggested courses:

AFST 205 Contemporary Black Popular Culture

AFST 245 Introduction to Black Music

AMST 100 Introduction to American Studies

AMST 320 Television in American Culture

AMST 321 Radio in American Culture

AMST 322 American Society and Culture in Film

AMST 324 The Road Movie in America and Abroad

AMST 325 Studies in American Popular Culture

AMST 327 Sports and Media in American Society

SOCY/ANTH 416 Cyberspace Culture

ART 215 Introduction to Art and Media Studies

ART 221 Art History II

ART 321 From the Enlightenment to the Birth of Modernism (1750-1880)

ART 323 Modernism (1880-1960)

ART 324 History of Film: Origins to 1965

ART 325 History of Film and Video 1965-Present

ART 326 History of Photo I

ART 327 Contemporary Directions in Photography

ART 342 Film/Video Theory and Criticism

ART 343 History of Animation

ART 380 History and Theory of Games

ART 423 Art Since 1945

ART 428 Theory and Practice of the Art Museum

ART 429 Seminar in Art History and Theory

ENGL 332 Literature of Non-Fiction

ENGL 324 Theories of Communication and Technology

GWST 310 Gender and Inequality

GWST 322 Gender, Race, and Media

GWST 323 Gender and Sitcoms

GWST 349 Women and Theatre

HIST 371 History and Film

MCS 370 Special Topics in Media and Communication Studies (topics vary)

MUSIC 214 History of Jazz

MUSC 217 Rock: 1950-Present

MUSC 230 Music of the World

MUSC 330 Popular Musics of the non-Western World

MUSC 336 The Beatles

POLI 433 First Amendment Freedoms

SOCY 397 Special Topics: Media and Society

THTR 210 History of Theatre I

THTR 211 History of Theatre II

THTR 349 Women and Theatre

VPA 225 Ideas in the Arts

2. Intercultural Communication

Suggested courses:

AMST 200 What is an American?

AMST 352 U.S. in Global Perspective

AMST 375 Studies in Asian American Culture

AMST 380 Community in America

ANTH 211 Cultural Anthropology

ANTH 310 Ethnographic Film

MCS 370 Special Topics in Media and Communication Studies (topics vary)

MCS 390 Transcultural Studies in Global Television

MLL 190 The World of Language I

MLL 191 The World of Language II

MLL 213 Film and Society in Spain

MLL 218 Film and Society in Latin America

MLL 220 Film and Society in China

MLL 230 World Language Communities

MLL 250 Introduction to the French-Speaking World

MLL 263 Popular Music and National Identity in German-Speaking Countries

MLL 270 Introduction to Russian Culture and Civilization

MLL 271 Introduction to Modern Russian Civilization and Culture

MLL 280 Introduction to the Spanish-Speaking World

MLL 301 Textual Analysis: Words, Images, Music

MLL 305 Introduction to Intercultural Communication

MLL 306 Intercultural Communications: Issues Confronting Immigrant and Heritage Communities

MLL 310 Intercultural Studies of International Film

MLL 320 International Feminist Filmmakers

MLL 332 Introduction to German Cultural Thought

MLL 406 History and Theory of Intercultural Media

MLL 425 Intercultural and Cross-Cultural Communication

POLI 260 Comparative Politics

POLI 280 International Politics

RUSS 315 Studies in Russian Film

SOCY 210 Class and Inequality in the US

SOCY 211 Diversity and Pluralism

3. New Media and Applied Communication

Suggested courses:

ART 210 Visual Concepts I---2 Dimensions

ART 211 Visual Concepts II---Camera Vision

ART 213 Visual Concepts IV: Time-based Media

ART 315 Video I

ART 331 Graphic Design- Art Majors Only

ART 360 Mixed-Media Book Arts

ART 361 Digital Darkroom

ART 362 Black and White Photography

ART 363 Color Photography

ART 364 Studio Photography

ART 365 Sequence and Time

ART 367 Alternative Processes

ART 369 Topics in Photography

ART 370 Silkscreen Printing

ART 395 Television Production Techniques I

ENGL 303 Art of the Essay

ENGL 380 Intro to News Writing

ENGL 382 Feature Writing

ENGL 385 New Media and Digital Literacies

ENGL 387 Web Content Development

ENGL 391 Advanced Exposition and Argumentation

ENGL 393 Technical Writing

ENGL 394 Technical Editing

ENGL 480 Seminar in Advanced Journalism

MLL 495 Intercultural Video Production

MCS 355 Social Media: Networking and Mobility

MCS 370 Special Topics in Media and Communication Studies (topics vary)

MCS 377 Desktop Publishing and the Web

MCS 395 Television Production Techniques I

SPCH 100 Public Communication

SPCH 210 Interpersonal Communication

THTR 242 Presentation Skills for Non-Actors