Studying media, shaping knowledge
In everyday settings and throughout our daily lives, media exert a powerful force over identity and culture — shaping our understanding of who we are, what we should be, and the ways in which we understand the events, people, and practices that comprise the worlds in which we live. As a global force, media influence conceptions of gender, race, culture, and society.
Our mission
The mission of the critical media studies research cluster is to connect and promote critical media studies research in the school, at New College and across ASU. Housed in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the critical media studies research cluster explores, identifies, and questions how media function in a variety of forms to exert influence across a range of contexts.
We consider media as technological and cultural forms that are deeply embedded in relationships of power. Both media devices and content contribute to the shaping of social structures, processes, and relationships.
Accordingly, critical examination of media influence uncovers not only social and cultural assumptions, but also how those assumptions are socially constructed and effectively mobilized — leading to greater awareness in the consumption and creation of media and opportunities to advocate for social change. Similarly, critical examination of media technology reveals the affordances of devices and platforms that shape interactions, information, identities, and ideology.
