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In 2020, the U of A welcomed its first cohort of students in the Faculty of Arts’ new major, Media Studies. Housed in the Department of Media and Technology Studies, this new interdisciplinary program brings together media and cultural studies, history, game studies, digital humanities, audiovisual design and more. After a year in the major myself, I sat down with Dr. Jaimie Baron, the Area Coordinator for the program and a professor of mine, to dig a little deeper into the major and why you should consider it.
What Will I Learn in Media Studies?
First, let’s think about what media is. The term “media” goes from language to virtual reality and everything in between. “What unifies the discipline is an interest in mediated communication right and communication broadly,” Dr. Baron explained. In the media studies program, you’ll learn how to “navigate, analyze, critically evaluate, and contribute ethically to today's global media landscape.” Put simply, you’ll learn how to consume the media that surrounds you daily more critically. Though the students who walk through the university doors are more and more media-savvy every year, the program explores how the media we consume daily has social, cultural, and political impacts. Media Studies spoke to me because I’m a child of the internet age–I’ve spent my life embroiled in fandom, consuming every bit of entertainment media I could get my hands on. You name it, and I’ve dabbled in it: from Harry Potter and Star Trek to K-pop and Haikyuu!, I’ve seen it all, and enjoyed it all. My natural inclination towards exploring new forms of media-based creative expression drew me to the program, and my interest was solidified when I learned of a subdiscipline within Media Studies: fandom studies.
“What I really like about it is that you can study any medium from any era, and you can compare them—you can study with more than one medium," Dr. Baron says. "There are endless texts and endless methods to look at and use.” Dr. Baron also adds that the program is broad, but this broadness shouldn’t be intimidating. Instead, these endless opportunities mean that you, as a student, can push the boundaries and explore all of the different media and media texts that spark your interest. “We're surrounded by media, certainly all the time now,” Dr. Baron told me, “how do these shape who we are? What's thinkable? What's possible?”
What’s the Program Like?
The program is interdisciplinary–it’s almost like a build-your-own degree program. There are six required courses under the MST code, ranging from the 100-level through to a 400-level capstone course. These courses build the foundation you need to succeed in Media Studies, focusing on teaching you the fundamental frameworks, theories and techniques you’ll need to think critically about media. But they’ll also teach you how to succeed in academia altogether–how to craft an essay, execute research-oriented creative projects, and even what research methods exist and how to use them. So far, the courses I’ve taken have leaned discussion-based and dive deeper than dry discussion questions on a reading that you may have experienced in other classes.
As with most other Arts majors, the MST major requires a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 48 credits. The six core courses aside, the program’s approved electives span various disciplines–everything from Art & Design to Women’s and Gender Studies.
The breadth of courses means you can shape the way you want your MST degree to look. For example, as someone interested in movies, my first year was stacked with various Film Studies courses. At the same time, some of my classmates have leaned into Modern Languages and Cultural Studies or Sociology.
What Can I Do With Media Studies?
Put simply: so much. It’s just like any other Arts degree in that it will equip you with irreplaceable transferable skills. You’ll learn to craft the best possible writing you can, conduct the most extensive (but interesting) research, think critically about the Netflix shows you watch, the Instagram memes you hit “like” on (I’m looking at you, @yego.death) or the video games you play. The savvier you are, Dr. Baron reminded me, the less control your media has over you, and that’s never going to be a bad thing.
More practically, though, the program lists many future occupations for the Media Studies graduate: everything from a writer to a social media manager to a web designer. The world of media studies is also rich with diverse, interesting graduate programs. All the class discussions and research methodology stuff you learn in those fundamental core courses will help equip you for grad studies if that’s where you want to go. If thinking about graduate studies is too far in the future for you, here are a few of the things I’ve had the opportunity to achieve in the year and a half I’ve been in the program: present two papers at the U of A’s 2021 Digital Humanities conference, work as a news and media analyst, volunteer at our campus radio station CJSR, write about K-pop way too much, and soon, channel all my writing and curiosity into a future in journalism. It has opened doors I didn’t know existed.
A Student-Focused Experience
My experience is slightly different than the vast majority of my cohort. I already have a BA under my belt from the U of A. Amid a pandemic-induced midlife crisis, I decided to make a career change and enrolled in the program for the 2020/21 academic year. It had been a while since I took a proper class, let alone four, after years of business writing and reading fiction exclusively. The program has done more for me than I can really put into words, all the rustiness I felt about returning to school aside. A year later, I’m a more capable writer, critical thinker, and more confident in my thoughts and ideas. My professors have helped me grow as a scholar, humouring my incessant need to write about Korean media culture in every course. And my classmates have taught me what real camaraderie in academia can feel like.
I left the first year of my program in Media Studies empowered and began my second year excited to learn, grow and explore. So if you’ve been curious about the program or eyeing a section of MST 100, enrol–you won’t regret it!
About Sabrina
Sabrina is an after-degree student majoring in Media Studies in the Faculty of Arts, with a keen interest in fans and fandom studies. When she's not knee-deep in coursework or pop culture news, Sabrina is an avid writer and moviegoer. In her free time, Sabrina can be found in the kitchen trying out a new recipe, or enjoying an afternoon curled up with her dog watching K-dramas.