“The channels of social communication, even though they are

							                                      The Catholic University of America
                                      The Department of Media Studies
                                             Mission Statement
          “The channels of social communication, even though they are addressed to individuals, reach and affect the
whole of society. They inform a vast public about what goes on in the world and about contemporary attitudes and they
do it swiftly….
          “Even today there is a great deal that must still be learnt about the present media and how the fullest use can
be made of them, in education particularly and indeed at every level. There is room for study, in much greater depth, of
the effects of social communications on different cultural environments and on different types of people…. Universities,
whether of new or ancient foundation, have an open field before them.”
                                                                                                                          1
                                                                                     “Communio et Progressio” (1971)

         The mission of CUA’s Department of Media Studies is to provide a humanities-centered
education in media literacy as part of an intellectual and moral foundation for students who will
become lifelong interpreters, users and makers of mediated texts. Media literacy entails the ability
to communicate effectively and to act in critical and informed ways within a world increasingly
mediated, shaped and filtered by proliferating modes and channels of communication. Media
literates of the present century cannot be satisfied merely to describe media forms and analyze media
texts—though these skills are crucial. They must also be empowered with a thoughtful, ethical sense
of their own roles within today's global systems as well as within their local communities.
         The Media Studies curriculum emphasizes the cultural and historical specificity of media as
well as its many contemporary forms, such as print, cinema, broadcasting, and the Internet. A
distinctive feature of Media Studies at CUA is the centrality of rhetoric within its academic program,
a commitment that draws upon the classical ars rhetorica as one means of creating and analyzing
effective communication in such areas as politics, journalism, and advertising. The methods and
perspectives of contemporary cinema and cultural studies, with their potential for disclosing
political, economic, and social forces at work in human communication systems, complement and
extend this approach. As an additional means of cultivating media literacy, the Department offers
courses in media production designed to correspond with its liberal arts core. Media Studies faculty
members actively conduct and publish research and work as media professionals in areas closely tied
to this teaching mission.
         The work of the Media Studies Department directly supports the mission of The Catholic
University of America, as its distinctive humanities approach to media literacy “seeks the
advancement of knowledge within a context of liberal studies,” and inherently reflects a “concern for
the whole person.” 2 As part of CUA’s academic community, it is likewise committed to “discover,
preserve and impart the truth in all its forms,” aiming at a nuanced understanding of the ways that
mediated communication relates to the forms truth may take. Just as CUA prizes its Washington
presence as giving it “opportunities for influencing the resolution of the crucial issues of our time,”
the Media Studies Department uses its position in the nation’s capital to develop key internships and
career placement for students as well as to engage in programmatic, co-curricular, and research
initiatives unique to the area. The program further seeks to exemplify the Catholic mission and
identity of CUA through collaboration with other units of the University in projects addressing social
justice and underserved populations in the District of Columbia.



1
 Pastoral Instruction on the means of social communication written by order of the second Vatican Council. See
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_23051971_communio_en.html
2
    See http://www.cua.edu/mission/