Department of Communication and Media Studies
In our digitally interconnected global environment, all organizations are media organizations.
Whether in the sectors of film, TV, music, academia, marketing, non-governmental organizations
(NGO), or business, all organizations require a media presence. Just as importantly, civil society and political participation
require 21st-century skills that include critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective
communication.
Whether the goal is to continue on to graduate school, become an entrepreneur, work as a professional media maker, or work as a professional communicator for enterprises or NGOs, JCU's curriculum will equip you with a variety of tools to enable you to succeed in a globalized media environment.
The Department promotes intellectual development and ethical reasoning to empower students to take leadership roles and to make a difference in the world. Our program fosters and encourages cross-cultural encounters, making our classrooms microcosms of the global communications environment. Our students are uniquely prepared to interact in a rapidly changing world of media and communication.
Faculty
With degrees from prestigious universities, JCU Communication and Media Studies faculty regularly publish books and articles and present at international conferences. Core faculty have played the role of public intellectuals on issues like fake news, Syria, and social movements in the Middle East for the BBC and NPR. They are internationally known scholars in areas such as Arab media, networked identity, ecomedia studies, and digital anthropology. Digital media arts faculty publish video games and produce documentary and feature films, TV shows, podcasts, and other artistic works that screen in international film festivals.
See the full list of Communication and Media Studies faculty.
Activities
The Communication and Media Studies Department organizes a number of university-wide activities, such as the world-class lecture and film series, "Digital Delights and Disturbances." Other activities include film screenings with directors, international conferences, author events, field trips to the world-famous film studio Cinecittà in Rome, and forums about current events.
Inaugurated in the Spring 2019 semester, Digital Delights and Disturbances (DDD) brings together leading international scholars, artists, and mediamakers to discuss threats, promises, and challenges brought on by global digitalization and automation. Click on the above link for the DDD website with the current semester’s program and an archive of all the previous talks and events.
Dual Degree Program
The dual degree program in Communications between John Cabot University (JCU) and the Università degli studi di Milano (Unimi) allows students to concurrently earn a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from JCU and an Italian Laurea triennale in Comunicazione e Società from the Facoltà di Scienze Politiche Unimi. Students selected to participate in the program will do coursework at both universities following a prescribed program of study.
NEW SCHOOL GRADUATE PROGRAM
The New School in New York City, in collaboration with John Cabot University, is offering a great opportunity for students who want to pursue graduate media studies and save time and money in the process. Students will be able to obtain graduate credits while they are doing their B.A. at John Cabot University and apply those credits to a Graduate Certificate in Media Management at The School of Media Studies of The New School. They will also be able to apply the graduate credits they have already earned to the pursuit of a full M.A. in Media Studies or an M.S. in Media Management at The New School. Learn more about the Fast Track Program: Graduate Media Studies at the New School.