2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Media and Communication Studies
|
|
Faculty
Chair
Jason Loviglio
B.A., Wesleyan University, 1987; Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1999
Associate Professor
Rebecca Adelman
B.A., Oberlin College, 2001; M.A., Ohio State University, 2005; Ph.D., 2009
Fan Yang
B.A., Fudan University (China), 2000; M.A., Ohio State University, 2003; Ph.D., George Mason University, 2011
Assistant Professor
Elizabeth Patton
B.A., New York University, 1998; Ph.D., 2013; M.A., Drexel University, 2005
Tracy Tinga
B.A., Africa Nazarene University (Kenya), 2009; M.A., Ohio University, 2014; Ph.D., Temple University, 2019
Professor of Practice
William Shewbridge
B.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1980; M.S., Towson University, 1985; D.C.D., University of Baltimore, 2002
Senior Lecturer
Donald Snyder
B.A., University of Maryland, College Park, 1995; Ph.D., 2008
Lecturer
Kristen Anchor
B.S., James Madison University, 1996; B.A. University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2002; M.F.A., 2013
Program Management Specialist
Samirah Hassan
B.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2010; M.A., 2014
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.
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.
ProgramsBachelor of ArtsCertificateCoursesMedia and Communication Studies
|
