The Graduate Program in Media Studies, Pratt Institute
The Media Studies M.A. Program at Pratt is an intensive state-of-the-art program shaped in relation to Pratt’s art/design/architecture environment and to the burgeoning mediascape, lively social space, and theoretical scene of Brooklyn and New York City. Classes are small, following seminar, workshop and experimental formats, and all classes are taught by professors.
It is a given that media emergence is rapidly transforming experience, society and knowledge and that the saturation of the world by computers and screens has changed practically everything. This program is designed to foster, at an advanced level, the investigation of many of the significant social, political, cultural, economic and aesthetic questions of our time by drawing both on the historical record of media forms as well as on cutting-edge theory regarding issues of nation, political economy, gender, sexuality, race, aesthetic form, screen studies, etc. Our program prepares students for careers in media, media arts, or for Ph.D. programs in media by deepening and broadening each student’s understanding of the many interrelated functions of media in contemporary society. It also encourages students to pursue independent trajectories and create projects that may lead to places as yet uncategorized or defined.
The curriculum emphasizes studies of media, in their various forms, including film, video, television, photography, radio, writing and the computer-mediated convergence of these platforms. Guided by our diverse faculty, students study the logics and logistics of media and mediation, while they explore cultural technologies of expression, representation and manipulation along with the aesthetic, economic and political contexts in which such media operate. They also work on textual analysis, interpretation and semiotics. Students gain expertise in media history, media theory and media practice and are provided with opportunities for internships. For more information click http://prattmediastudies.com
Mediologies Conference
Each year in late April, the Media Studies Program hosts a conference, Mediologies, which includes presentations of work and works-in-progress by students, faculty, and guest presenters. These presentations may include critical papers, films, exhibitions, games and the like – all of which provide opportunities for discussion and debate of key issues. Seminar courses being offered in the spring enable students to develop papers and projects specifically for presentation at Mediologies.
Apply
If all this sounds appealing to you, we would welcome your application at Pratt. We are seeking highly intelligent, motivated students who wish to join a cohort of students and faculty working in an extraordinary program utilizing the newest and most socially relevant methods of media study and media theory. Applications for admission to the Master of Arts are due January 5 for the following fall; the program accepts fall entrants only. Applicants should have a B.A., B.S. or B.F.A. from an accredited institution. Candidates submit (1) a statement of purpose in which they describe their interest in the program; (2) 10-20 pages of relevant writing sample(s), with emphasis on analytical writing about media; (3) transcripts of undergraduate coursework; and (4) two letters of recommendation. All applicants follow the standard admission process for graduate programs at Pratt: see www.pratt.edu/apply.
