The mission of the Communication and Media major is to study and teach about the mass media and emerging media: Their evolution, their effects, their uses by everyday people, and their regulation and industry practices. We cultivate thorough-going media literacy among our students, and produce cutting-edge scholarship about the media’s impact on individuals and society.
Four crucial reasons for studying media:
- Enormous influence on our culture and those around the world
- Role in shaping our individual and collective identities (including our attitudes toward others)
- Centrality to every day life, politics, the economy, and public policy
- Impact on democratic institutions
Key elements of the major are:
- Classes taught by world-renowned faculty
- Small, upper-level seminars examining a range of issues like impact of mobile communications, gender and media, media and public opinion, health and media, media and globalization, media effects on individuals and society
- Emphasis on critical thinking and writing
- Opportunity to include study abroad, research and transfer credit towards major elective requirement
- A Senior Thesis Program that is providing unique support to students interested in pursuing and presenting their own research
- Combining classroom training with internship opportunities in a variety of media-related fields
- Opportunity to learn about careers and network with outstanding U-M alumni through our Career Exploration events and Shadowships
