Media Studies

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a drawing of colourful blocks and keyboard parts stacked on each other — MDIA 200: Media in the 21st Century
Survey the field and apply its methods with media studies superfan, Dr. Jentery Sayers.
Image credit: Danielle Morgan.
Learn more about the course.

static and glitches on a television screen — MDIA 300: Critical Media Practice
Make and think through media with acclaimed cultural critic and creative practitioner, Pierre-Luc Landry.
Image credit: Jonathan Johnson.
Learn more about the course.

original Helvetica lead type — MDIA 350: Cultures of the Book
Dig into books and print culture with award-winning digital humanist and textual critic, Dr. Janelle Jenstad.
Image credit: WordRidden.
Learn more about the course.

a circuit-bent Nintendo used to play Tetris on a small tv screen — MDIA 360: Game Studies
Experience what's in a game with cultural critics and scholars of play, Dr. Sara Humphreys and Dr. Jentery Sayers.
Image credit: Nina Belojevic.
Details coming soon.

a boom box with a cassette deck, radio, and two speakers, all in black and white — MDIA 375: Cultures of Sound
Engage the social life of sound with renowned anthropologist, Dr. Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier.
Image credit: Austin Kirk.
Learn more about the course.

credential in Media Studies with a certificate that requires only 10.5 units of study to enrich and expand your career paths
take an accessible, entry-level course on the foundations of media analysis in the 21st century
immerse yourself in studies of games, sound and the book
develop practical skills in community-based media and communication

Announcing our 2024-25 courses

We are offering five Media Studies courses in 2024-25. Each of them is open to all students. You do not need to be actively registered in our certificate program to take these courses.

Media Studies 200, "Media in the 21st Century" (Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, taught by Jentery Sayers): an introduction to media studies that surveys the cultural and material roles media play around the world, with an emphasis on building a common vocabulary for studying media (prerequisite: academic writing requirement satisfied)
Media Studies 300, "Critical Media Practice" (Spring 2025, taught by Pierre-Luc Landry): a study of how audio, images, video, and text are produced around the world today, with an emphasis on the values of media practice and applying such knowledge to critical, cultural and community-based work (prerequisite: MDIA 200 and academic writing requirement satisfied)
Media Studies 350, "Cultures of the Book" (Spring 2025, taught by Janelle Jenstad): surveys approaches to the book around the world, from oral traditions, clay tablets and the codex to print, illustrated books, ebooks and audiobooks, with an emphasis on experiential learning (prerequisite: academic writing requirement satisfied)
Media Studies 360, "Game Studies" (Fall 2024, taught by Sara Humphreys; Spring 2025, taught by Jentery Sayers): surveys approaches to games around the world, from board and tabletop games to video games, alternate reality games and even sports, with an emphasis on experiential learning (prerequisite: academic writing requirement satisfied)
Media Studies 375, "Cultures of Sound" (Fall 2024, taught by Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier): surveys approaches to sound around the world, from oral storytelling, soundscapes and acoustics to wax, wire, tape, discs, streaming and the MP3, with an emphasis on experiential learning (prerequisite: academic writing requirement satisfied)

News

Wednesday, May 1st: We're thrilled to welcome Stella Chan to our front office!
Tuesday, March 19th: Join us for pizza and conversation this Thursday, March 21st, at 3pm in CLE A207 to celebrate the success of all our students and program members this year! We'll also announce the exciting new courses we're offering in 2024-25.
February 21st: Dr. Regan Mandryk (Computer Science) joins us as our newest program member. We look forward to working with you, Dr. Mandryk!

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.