Courses in Media Studies provide students with a better understanding
of self and society through a comprehensive overview of media
institutions, forms, contents, creative processes, and social effects.
They assist in preparing the student for professions that require
historical, theoretical, and creative knowledge of the media, such as
education, the law, government service, the ministry, advertising and
public relations, social services, industrial communications, and the
arts and humanities. A major in the department encourages the student
to view the media, both in the United States and around the world, as a
unified field of study, while allowing a concentration in subjects and
areas of special personal interest.
The
Department of Media Studies offers work in several major areas of
study, including film and television studies, advertising and
marketing, international communications, and the media arts. Each area
is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the substance
and form of message variables in a variety of media systems, including
speech, film, radio, television, narrowcast broadcasts, the Internet,
and the World Wide Web. Students are introduced to research-oriented,
rhetorical, and aesthetic approaches. Theory and research courses are
complemented by basic and upper-level courses in film and television
production. Students may also elect a limited number of credits in
internship programs at major corporate and public institutions in the
greater New York area. They may also create special courses of study.