Ready to become a master of media theory? You’ll need to complete at least 46 credits (including 24 graded credits at the UO) covering a mix of media concepts and theory, research methodology courses, and graduate-level electives in your areas of interest.
To see the order that most students take these courses and complete other benchmarks, view our sample schedule. Consult the UO Class Schedule to find out when these courses are offered and register. Note that students will either complete a thesis or a terminal project. Master's graduate students may enroll in 500- and 600- level courses, and offerings vary from year to year.
Core Courses
JCOM 611 Mass Communication and Society 4 credits
Review the literature of mass communication and get an introduction to graduate study in journalism and communication.
JCOM 612 Media Theory I 5 credits
In this first course of a two-part sequence introducing students to media theory, you will focus on the social scientific tradition.
JCOM 613 Media Theory II 5 credits
This is the second course in a two-part sequence focuses on critical approaches.
JCOM 641 Qualitative Research Methods 4 credits
Get an introduction to qualitative research methods including traditional historical inquiry, oral history, ethnography, and participant observation.
JCOM 642 Quantitative Research Methods 4 credits
Learn about and analyze quantitative research methods in terms of design, measurement, inference, and validity, with a focus on conceptualization in communication research.
Thesis or Terminal Project
JCOM 503 Thesis 9 credits
If you want to pursue doctoral study or a career requiring scholarly research, you should complete a thesis. This is a substantial document that presents original research addressing questions about media and society. It typically includes a review of relevant literature, an appropriate research method, and an analysis of your findings. Your advisor and two other committee members supervise the research and preparation of the thesis, and a written proposal must be approved by the committee before work begins.
JCOM 609 Terminal Project 6 credits
The terminal project is an option if you plan to pursue a career more focused on creative or professional expertise than traditional research. A terminal project differs from a thesis in one major way: Instead of contributing to the scholarly literature, it contributes to the communication professions with a creative accomplishment or applied research. It’s more than a class assignment and will require as much research as a thesis. Final projects have included magazine or newspaper article series, video productions, practical guides for working journalists, and applied research projects. Your advisor and two other committee members supervise the research and preparation of the project, and a written proposal must be approved by the committee before work begins.
Additional Courses
JCOM 601 Research: Topic 1–6 credits
Repeatable for maximum of 16 credits when topics change.
JCOM 604 Internship: Topic 1–6 credits
Repeatable for maximum of 12 credits.
JCOM 605 Reading: Topic 1–12 credits
Repeatable when topics change.
JCOM 607 Seminar: Topic 1–5 credits
Repeatable when topics change.
JCOM 608 Workshop: Topic 1–6 credits
Repeatable for maximum of 16 credits when topics change.
JCOM 610 Experimental Course: History and Theory of New Media 4 credits
This course will introduce students to the history of the new media as well as to the key theoretical issues that have emerged in their wake. During the term we will address some of the key categories that are specific to new media: computation, information and data, networks, machines & the artificial, digital capitalism as well examine how new media processes and practices have impinged upon and reconfigured crucial areas of social life.
JCOM 610 Experimental Course: Political Communication 4 credits
This course examines some central controversies, theories, and research questions about the role of the media in elections and in governing. Some key questions we will consider are: How do political actors attempt to manage the news, and how does that matter? What framing and persuasion strategies do politicians employ to shape public opinion and voter behavior? How do standard routines for covering politics affect the quality of the news the public receives and the ability of political officials to lead? And how have elite strategies and news coverage been transformed by the rise of today’s “hybrid” media system? This course will focus more on the supply side of political communication than the demand side—that is, on the actors, organizations, and systems that shape the political messages people receive. We will also focus primarily on media and politics in the United States.
JCOM 610 Experimental Course: Visual Theory 4 credits
Visual theory examines the power of seeing as a way of knowing and living. Grounded in cross-disciplinary theory, the seminar explores how images emerge from and affect our understanding of the world, our perceptions of the real and the illusory, and the processes of living and doing. We will examine ways we interweave galleries of the mind with external media forms to express meaning and shape stories of the self and others.
JCOM 617 Media and Identity 4 credits
Within critical/cultural-oriented media studies, the subject of identity and its relationship to media representation, production, and use is inevitably related to issues of power, agency, and resistance. This course uses a survey of research primarily focused on Black American media representation, production, and fandom to introduce students to various theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of media and identity. Through weekly discussions, students will engage in scholarly analysis and critique of the assigned readings and think through how specific theories and/or methods of research can be applied to their own research projects.
JCOM 629 Media and Communication Ethics: Topic 4 credits
This course explores ethical issues facing media workers and media users in culture and society today. Topics may include digital ethics, strategic communication ethics, visual ethics, and global media ethics.
JCOM 644 Philosophy of Communication 4 credits
Explore the philosophical foundations of communication in the United States, including political philosophies that range from Milton to McLuhan.
JCOM 646 Political Economy of Communication 4 credits
Get an introduction to the political economy of communication. This course includes such issues as ownership and control patterns, and the role of the state, labor, intellectual property rights, and international markets.
JCOM 648 Cultural Approaches to Communication 4 credits
Examine communication and mediated communication as cultural processes in the production and reproduction of social systems.
JCOM 649 International Communication 4 credits
Examine global communication structures and processes and their consequences. Topics include new technologies, news and information organizations, cross-cultural uses of Western media, and information policies.
JCOM 660 Advanced Research Methods: Topic 4 credits
Explore specific qualitative or quantitative communication research methods. Topics may include discourse analysis, oral history, historical methods, legal methods, content analysis, survey methods, document analysis, ethnography, advanced qualitative methods, and experimental design. Repeatable when topic changes.
Questions?
Need some guidance? Here are a few options:
- Download our graduate handbook for more details about program requirements and resources.
- Contact our Director of Graduate Affairs and Student Experience with questions about the program, the application process, and admission.