Visual & Media Studies Major

Visual & Media Studies concerns all aspects of the production, circulation, and reception of visual images in culture, science, and society. Studies in visual culture engage you in the analysis of the effectiveness of the signs and symbols that give meaning to images, providing access to how visual meaning is socially, politically, and culturally constructed and received.

Visual Studies enables you to interpret the representations that shape the visual constructs of a particular society, to consider how systems of visual code differ from culture to culture, and the think through how the symbolic constructions of life organize how one sees, understands, and participates in natural and social environments. Most importantly, establishing a clear connection between the theory and the practice of visuality is the foundation of Visual & Media Studies.

Required:

  • 13 courses
  • Required: Introduction to Visual Culture, Theories of Visual and Media Studies, and either the Capstone or an upper-level seminar (400-699)
  • Areas of study include visual & media history and/or art history, and visual & media practice