MEDIA STUDIES CONCENTRATION
Welcome to the Media Studies Concentration!
About The Program
The primary purpose of Media Studies is to promote media literacy and encourage students to become informed consumers and creators of media products and services. Students pursuing an interdisciplinary concentration in Media Studies in a liberal arts context take courses that survey the history of the mass media, the dominant theories and practices that shape media representation, and the effects of the mass media on individuals and groups. Media Studies courses are taught from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and are united by the assumption that informed media users are better able to exercise ethical judgment in determining which media are best for themselves, their families and communities, and society in general.
WHAT ARE MEDIA STUDIES ALUMNI DOING?
![]() |
I currently work for Minnesota 2020, a progressive non-profit think tank in St. Paul, MN. As part of the communications staff, I produce short web videos exploring policy across the entire state of Minnesota. (read more) |
I am currently a PhD student in Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. My path was first set at St. Olaf, where I benefited greatly from the courses of Bill Sonnega, David Booth and others. They encouraged me to think critically about media and to ask crucial questions about ethical journalism--and the possibilities for it--in our changing media environment. (read more) |
I am a first-year law student at the University of Minnesota Law School. This “job” required the LSAT and a rigorous application process. During the summer of 2008, I was in residency in the publishing office at the National Gallery of Art, which required a long application process. In Fall 2008, I did some freelance journalism (I had a couple essays published in a book this spring!) and worked as a tutor while studying for the LSAT. I am currently a Consumer Group Intern at Weber Shandwick, a public relations (PR) firm, and was previously a Communications Coordinator at NEED magazine. (read more) |





