Understanding Media Studies: 

Understanding Media Studies is a required colloquium for all Media Studies students in their first semester of study. Students must register for the Monday night lecture and an online discussion section. Online-only students will also register for the lecture and discussion section, and will access recorded lectures and lecture materials through Blackboard. Every week, members of the Media Studies Principal Faculty and other invited guests from the University and the wider field of media studies and practice will share their own work and methods, thereby exposing students to the varied dimensions of research and practice in the field, and particularly in our Department. Over the course of the semester, students will meet the instructors, support staff, and colleagues with whom they will work throughout their graduate studies; become familiar with useful University resources; and develop skills and practices needed for graduate study.

Students will complete several reflective and exploratory exercises leading incrementally toward the completion of a comprehensive academic plan, which will help students to map their own paths through the program and will serve as an essential advising document.