Communication and Media

The BA in Communication and Media at UC Merced brings together research and practices of the social sciences and humanities in a broadly interdisciplinary approach to the study of human communication in diverse media. In addition to the field of communication, our faculty conduct research in many fields, including media and cultural studies, film studies, performance studies, visual studies, sound studies, gender studies, rhetoric, writing studies, cognitive science, and linguistics. We draw on these fields to illuminate processes of human communication and how these processes manifest socially, materially, and politically in scholarship that is historical, transnational, and committed to community engagement and social justice.

Our program offers students the tools available to analyze, investigate, and produce effective communication in a wide variety of media for diverse audiences and perspectives. This training prepares students to pursue positions in many occupations and graduate studies, including media production, journalism, health communication, industrial and labor relations, public information, opinion research, legislative staff positions, mediation and negotiation, legal research, business management, and other professions in which effective communication is essential.

In addition to a B.A. in Communication and Media, we also offer emphasis tracks in Media Production, and Linguistics that provide more specialized background in particular areas of
inquiry.

Communication and Media Major Program Learning Outcomes

1. Describe and critically engage with the major foundations, perspectives, issues, theories, and ethics of communication.
2. Analyze diverse messages and systems of message production in academic, professional, and social domains.
3. Create effective oral, written, and digital communication to inform and influence a diverse range of audiences.
4. Identify and interrogate the power and impact of communication structures, institutions, and platforms.
5. Apply communication theories and concepts to address real-world events, issues, or problems.

Programs

• Communication and Media, B.A.
• Communication and Media, Linguistics Emphasis, B.A.
• Communication and Media, Media Production Emphasis, B.A.

• Communication and Media Minor