Program Description
Media are the technological means through which societies are reflected, tested, challenged, and transformed. The Media Studies minor presents undergraduates with the opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement with diverse modes of communication, from the hieroglyph to the algorithm, encompassing the myriad digital, textual, visual, aural, tactile technologies, forms, and practices by which information circulates amongst a now digitally-networked global population.
The Media Studies minor comprises the foundational class GERST 2703 Thinking Media, which introduces students to a wide range of critical, historical, and theoretical approaches to media; one class that satisfies the Making Media requirement; three other classes chosen from the offerings listed each semester on the Media Studies website; and the one-credit PMA 2000 Media Studies Minor Colloquium. Classes that satisfy requirements for the undergraduate minor are offered in departments across the College of Arts and Sciences, and in CALS, AAP, and Computing and Information Science.
The Media Studies minor is open to students enrolled in any college at Cornell. One of the five required classes may be taken S/U, but GERST 2703 Thinking Media and courses counting towards the Making Media requirement must be taken for letter grades, with a minimum grade of C. Courses taken for the student's major may count towards the minor.
Department of Performing and Media Arts Minors
The Department of Performing and Media Arts offers four minors. In addition, the Department administers the interdisciplinary Media Studies minor. The minors are open to all undergraduate students in the university, including those outside the College of Arts and Sciences, and require at least 15 credits per minor.
Program Information
Guidelines for Minors
- Fulfill the requirements for the desired minor listed below.
- Pass all courses with a letter grade of C or higher, unless otherwise stated.
- First-year Writing Seminars do not count for the minor.
- Minor must be declared before week three of the final semester of enrollment at Cornell. Students should declare as early as possible to gain the appropriate advising to fulfill the minor.
Minor Requirements
How to Apply
Students should complete the undergraduate minor application form below, including a short statement outlining their motivations for pursuing the minor, prospective pathway through it, and their future plans. Students will meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to certify completion of the minor.
Media Studies Undergraduate Minor Application
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Sabine Haenni
Foundational Course
GERST 2703 Thinking Media. This class introduces students to a wide range of critical, historical, and theoretical approaches to media. It rotates through departments, is led by a primary instructor, and features guest lectures from faculty across the University.
Making Media (One Course)
A list of courses that meet the Making Media requirement can be found on the Media Studies website. A sampling of these courses includes:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| ANTHR 3110 | Documentary Production Fundamentals | 4 |
| ART 2601 | Photography: Introduction to Photography | 4 |
| COMM 3050 | Advanced Media Writing about Cultural, Social, and Environmental Crises | 3 |
| CS 3152 | Introduction to Computer Game Architecture | 4 |
| MUSIC 2701 | Music and Digital Gameplay | 3 |
| PMA 3680 | Sound Design | 4 |
Media Studies Minor Colloquium
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PMA 2000 | Media Studies Minor Colloquium | 1 |
To be taken in the same semester as the Making Media required course. PMA 2000 Media Studies Minor Colloquium meets once a week with other members of the Media Studies undergraduate cohort to share and reflect on their experiences and to discuss relevant concepts.
Media Studies (Three Courses)
Courses in this category must be at the 2000-level or above. Two of these courses must originate outside of the student's major department. A list of courses that meet the Media Studies requirement can be found on the Media Studies website. A sampling of these courses includes:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| AAS 4040 | Fictions of Dictatorship | 4 |
| AMST 4603 | Black Speculative Fiction | 4 |
| ARKEO 2812 | Hieroglyphs to HTML: History of Writing | 3 |
| CLASS 2641 | The Technology of Ancient Rome | 3 |
| COML 2235 | New Visions in African Cinema | 3 |
| ENGL 3615 | Podcast, Radio, Gramophone: Literary Technologies of Sound | 3 |
| FGSS 2260 | | 3 |
| INFO 4260 | Computing On Earth: Planetary Dimensions and Consequence of Computing | 3 |
| PMA 2660 | Television | 3 |
