Critical Media & Cultural Studies
Study what you love in a welcoming and inclusive environment while gaining multicultural perspectives and developing skills in critical thinking, writing, presentation and discussion facilitation, and media production.
With the guidance of faculty, build your own specialized concentration or focus in areas such as action, advocacy, and social change; body, health, and society; critical media analysis; gender studies; media production; power and persuasion; race and ethnicity studies; and sexualities studies.
A CMC degree from Rollins prepares you for a career in media, communication, and other industries; public service and policy; and graduate and professional programs in media studies, cultural studies, law, and business.
Why Study Critical Media & Cultural Studies at Rollins
Media Expertise
Our curriculum trains students to be critical analysts and producers of media, combining the theory, analysis, and research of media studies with hands-on experience in media production.
Activism & Advocacy
We study media and culture with an eye toward activism and advocacy. In Incarceration and Inequality, for example, students research current issues in the criminal justice system, then present their recommendations to policymakers.
Flexibility
In this interdisciplinary major, students work closely with a faculty advisor to craft an individualized concentration and to locate the most relevant and engaging courses across departments and programs.
Interested in Studying Critical Media & Cultural Studies at Rollins?
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A Day in the Life of a Rollins Critical Media & Cultural Studies Major
“I chose CMC because it combined my creative passions for media and film with social justice. My worldview was forever changed in Dr. Lisa Tillmann’s Research, Media, and Culture course—I highly recommend it!”
Popular Courses
The “critical” in critical media and cultural studies stems from our commitment to critical thinking, critical issues of the 21st century, and critical theory’s analysis of social systems and the distribution of power and inequality.
CMC 110 Digital Storytelling
Explore how narrative and symbols structure meaning and develop the ability to use and understand digital technologies as tools for creative multimedia expression.
CMC 270 Media, Gender, and Sexualities
Examine how media portrayals of gender and sexuality intersect with race, class, and other identities and how television, music, and social media shape and constrain personal and social power.
CMC 320 Political Economy of Body and Food
Explore the political and economic interests behind body and beauty ideals, body image, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, steroid abuse, our cultural fear and hatred of fat, and inequalities related to the current food system.
CMC 325 Incarceration and Inequality
Investigate how privilege and inequality manifest in areas such as the war on drugs, the militarization of policing, prison privatization, and the death penalty.
CMC 310 Media, Peace, and Justice
In this hands-on course, you’ll not only study media but also develop and apply your talents to the pursuit of peace and justice through the planning, promotion, and execution of the Global Peace Film Festival.
See for Yourself
Get a feel for Rollins’ unique brand of engaged learning and personalized attention through one of our virtual or in-person visit experiences.
Beyond the Classroom
Student Media Develop your voice through volunteer and paid work opportunities at Rollins’ student-run media outlets, including WPRK radio, The Independent magazine, Brushing literary magazine, and The Sandspur newspaper.
Local Film Festivals The Global Peace and Florida Film Festivals—both based in Orlando—provide project-based internship and full-time employment opportunities that include hands-on experience with planning, promotion, implementation, and post-production processes.
Documentary Filmmaking For their capstone project, students meld their area of study with concentrated research to produce a 15-minute documentary.
Real World Experience
Hone the knowledge and skills you’re developing in the classroom through internships at local and national organizations.
“The CMC program is the foundational building block for the career path I pursued in digital media and the entertainment industry. Studying the intersection of culture and media taught me how media influences people on a personal level, and I apply this every day in my digital marketing career.”
Rollins Critical Media & Cultural Studies Careers
Rollins critical media and cultural studies grads are making tomorrow happen at some of the world’s most innovative companies.
Sam Barns ’11 ’12MBA
Development Manager, Stonehenge Real Estate Group Consulting
J.D. Casto ’11
Senior Director, 2K
Julia Pyzik ’09
Film and TV Producer, Amazon Studios
Anne Koeblitz ’13
Multimedia Producer, NBC Sports
Cass Yankala ’13
Manager, Campaign Planning, Disney+
Spencer Mumford ’15
Actor, Stewart Talent
Dive Into Critical Media and Cultural Studies at Rollins
Explore more about what it will be like to major in critical media and cultural studies at Rollins.
What You Will Learn
To fulfill its mission, the department has designed a curriculum to help you develop as both a critical analyst and a critically-oriented producer of media and culture.
Global Peace Film Festival
Participate in the Global Peace Film Festival, hosted at Rollins by CMC faculty and students.
Expert Faculty
Grounded in social justice values, our professors help students develop the tools to work for change.
Department of Critical Media & Cultural Studies
Telephone: 407.646.2337
Fax: 407.646.1566
Kathryn Norsworthy, PhD
Professor of Counseling, Licensed Psychologist, National Certified Counselor
Research interests: LGBTQ+ civil rights, transnational feminist activism and social change, and gender justice
Steve Schoen, PhD
Associate Professor of Critical Media & Cultural Studies
Research interests: Documentary production, theory and criticism, and media representations of gender and sexuality
Lisa Tillmann, PhD
Professor of Critical Media & Cultural Studies
Research interests: Activism, social justice documentary filmmaking, and civil rights