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MA in Media and Public Engagement

Fall 2020 Application Deadlines

US applicants: Jan. 15
International applicants: Dec. 1

How to Apply

The Master of Arts in Media and Public Engagement (MAPE), is a 2-year interdisciplinary program that spans traditional boundaries between theory and practice, offers a critical study of the history, institutions, economics and social implications of the media, nationally and globally, combined with a practice-based media training geared toward civic engagement and community building. In addition to completing courses in media theory and other fields of interest, students learn how to create thoughtful and engaging projects using a variety of media practices including documentary film, multimedia websites, interactive video installations and other online tools.

In their two years in the program, MAPE students will collaborate with faculty, community leaders, nonprofit organizations and socially engaged corporations to devise innovative pathways to the study, commentary and presentation of social issues. They may also choose to focus on environmental issues and complete the Graduate Certificate in Environment, Policy and Society (EPS), which consists of 18 credit hours met by taking courses both inside and outside CMCI.

The MAPE prepares students for a variety of professions, both at the national and international level, in government, media, cultural organizations and the nonprofit sector.

Program Requirements

Students in the MAPE program take a total of 30 credit hours comprised of 24 hours of course work selected from a range of courses offered by the Media Studies department and/or courses cross-listed with other departments insides and outside the College of Media, Information and Communication, and 6 hours of thesis project. The 30 credit hours breakout as follow:

The curriculum includes three required foundation courses taken in the first year:

Theories of Mass Communication—3 hours
Connected Media Practices—3
Media Activism and Public Engagement—3

Additionally, the curriculum includes:

Methods of media practice and/or research—6 hours (2 courses); Internship or Practicum: you can substitute the internship for a course in the list of Advanced Methods in Media Research and Practice.
Student’s area of emphasis (this could include an environmental emphasis)—9 hours (3 courses)
Thesis project—6 hours

See the MAPE MA program handbook for more information.

Application Guidelines

Applicants to the MA in Media and Public Engagement must:

Hold at least a baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent from an accredited college or university.
Have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75.
Have a GRE verbal score of at least 153 (62%). International applicants must also have a TOEFL score of at least 600 (IBT 100).
Provide three letters of recommendation.
Provide a 500-word statement of purpose.
Provide a resume.

Contact us

Email: cmcigrad@colorado.edu

Graduate Course Offerings

The following are Media Studies graduate courses. Not all courses are yet available. Please see an advisor if you have any questions

Core Courses

MDST 5000 (fall) Connected Media Practices—3 credit hours
Helps students understand the evolution of film, television and gaming in the digital era. This course explores how screen media are created, circulated and consumed. Specifically referring to a multi-platform news and entertainment experience, connected media practices integrates digital technology and socially networked communication with traditional screen media practices. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only. Required of students in Media and Public Engagement MA program.

MDST 5002 (spring) Media Activism and Public Engagement—3
Explores the theory on media activism and actual activist practices within both old and new media and on a local, national and global scale. Special attention will be paid to questions of creativity and efficacy and the value of media activism as both an aesthetic and political activity. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only. Required of students in Media and Public Engagement MA program.

CMCI 6051 Theories of Mass Communication—3
Studies theories and perspectives of mass communication and explores the role of mass media in society. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only. Required of students in Media and Public Engagement MA program.

MDST 7011 (fall) Proseminar in Media and Communication Theory 1—3
Introduces principal concepts, literature and theoretical and paradigmatic perspectives of media studies and mass communication and their ties and contributions to parallel domains in the social sciences and humanities. Prerequisites: Restricted to PhD students in Media Studies (MDST), Journalism (JRNL) and Advertising, Public Relations and Design (APRD).

MDST 7021(spring) Proseminar in Media and Communication Theory 2—3
Continues the introduction of principal concepts, literature and theoretical and paradigmatic perspectives of media studies and mass communication and their ties and contributions to parallel domains in the social sciences and humanities. Prerequisites: Requires a prerequisite course of MDST 7011 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to PhD students in Media Studies (MDST), Journalism (JRNL) and Advertising, Public Relations and Design (APRD).

CMCI 7051 (fall) Qualitative Research Methods in Media—3
Examines various methods of qualitative data gathering and analysis in the mass and social media context. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

CMCI 7061 (spring) Quantitative Research Methods in Media—3
Examines various methods of quantitative data gathering methods and analysis in the mass media context. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

Elective Courses

MDST 5211 Asian Media and Culture—3
Offers an understanding of the various people, cultures and nations of East Asia through their media systems. Provides a critical overview of the historical, cultural, social, political and economic dimensions of East Asian communication systems in today's digitally connected/disconnected world. Same as MDST 4211. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 5311 Mass Media Criticism
Introduces the critical perspectives most often employed in qualitative media analysis: semiology, structuralism, Marxism, psychoanalytical criticism, sociological criticism. Texts from contemporary print and broadcast media.

MDST 5331 Gender, Race, Class and Sexuality in Popular Culture—3
Studies the construction, interconnections and replications of gender, race, class and sexuality in popular culture and how these constructs become cultural norms and mores. Uses critical methods with a focus on producing responsible viewers and readers. Same as MDST 4331. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6071 Critical Theories of Media and Culture—3
Introduction to critical theories and analysis of media and popular culture. Examines major theoretical traditions and/or theorists that significantly inform media studies (e.g., culturalism, structuralism, Marxism, critical theory, feminism, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism) and applies these to media analysis and criticism. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6201 Global Media and Culture—3
Covers mass communication within the international system, including similarities and differences in functions, facilities and content; social theories of the press; and the international flow of mass communication. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6211 Communication and International Development—3
Studies and analyzes communications technologies and techniques used in addressing social problems in developing countries. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6301 Communication, Media and Concepts of the Public—3
Introduces students to historical and contemporary uses of fundamental concepts in research and theory about media institutions, particularly public, community, mass, publicity, public space, public opinion, public interest and the public sphere. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6311 Power, Politics and Mediated Culture—3
Examines various literatures that consider the role of power in shaping social orders and the social beings that constitute that order and the place of media in both processes.

CMCI 6331 Political Communication—3
Explores the relationships involving media and politics. Incorporates normative and empirical perspectives on the media-politics complex. Areas covered include media effects on public opinion and policy, uses of media ingovernance, journalism sociology, coverage of elections and implications of interactive media for governance and civic participation. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6341 Children and the Media—3
Examines the concepts of children and childhood from the historical, social, cultural, economic and political perspectives, this course explores the interaction between mass media and the socialization and cultivation process of children and youth. Multiple theoretical traditions are used as a framework to study a variety of issues related to children and media. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6551 Media and Communication Policy—3
Surveys historical and contemporary developments in media and communications policy, emphasizing social and cultural dimensions. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6671 Media, Myth and Ritual—3
Anthropological and interpretative exploration of cultural practices of media audiences. Addresses theoretical and methodological implications of studying audiences from a culturalist perspective, with particular focus on media audience practices. Students engage in field research projects related to course content. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6711 Media and Popular Culture—3
Introduction to fundamental methods for understanding the construction of meaning in film, television, popular music and advertising. Traces the study of popular culture through film theory, mass media analysis and cultural studies. Surveys various strands of research that seek to understand popular culture and its effects. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6771 History of Media and Communication—3
Examines history and the history of communication, including the means (technologies) of communication, social practices (institutional, collective, individual) that intersect with the study of communication and media and cultural forms (texts, products). Situates the study of media, technology and culture within historical contexts, comparative historical research, media archaeology, genealogy and media history. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6781 Economic and Political Aspects of Media—3
Examines economic problems and political issues relevant to media institutions and industries. Prerequisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

CMCI 6861 Visual Communication—3
Visual communication involves understanding both perception of messages and construction of them. Students analyze their visual thinking abilities and develop habits of visual analysis and criticism, as well as visual communication skills. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6XXX Youth and Media Engagement—3 (course number to be determined)
Young people today have unprecedented access to information and modes of media production, but how much of this access can translate into political and social engagement? What factors indicate youth involvement in media and participation in social and political processes. This course examines how youth engage media practices for greater civic participation. Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6XXX Practices of Social Mobilization—3 (course number to be determined)
This course explores the role of mainstream and alternative media in the history of social advocacy, engagement and dissent. Through theoretical readings and case studies, the course provides an overview of the relationship between social movements and the media. Students learn theories and concepts of dissent, communication and social movements and develop critical analytical skills to apply to the analysis of specific cases. Case studies explore activist media across platforms (print, radio, broadcast, internet), contexts (from local to global, present-day to historical) and use (dialogic, contentious, hacktivist). Restricted to graduate students only.

MDST 6871 Special Topics—3
Variable topics. Restricted to graduate students only.

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