Reading Media: Researching Culture

This communications intensive course is designed to introduce CMS majors and minors to the range of research methods deployed through the Comparative Media Studies Program. The first part of the course will focus on different kinds of media texts (theatrical performances, films, television shows, paintings, computer games, comic books) offering a range of frameworks for textual analysis.

The second part of the course will focus on the different contexts within which media are produced and consumed, introducing students to techniques used in historical and ethnographic research. The course will draw heavily on guest talks by CMS faculty, Graduate Students, and Researchers who will share their own work and talk with students about the challenges of writing about media. Students will be expected to develop several significant pieces of writing which explore their own perspectives on media texts and contexts.