Media Studies

The internet, film, television, and social media all play a huge part in how we receive information. As a Media Studies major, you will investigate how these, and other forms of media, affect our day-to-day lives. 

a media studies student edits in the production room

About This Program

  • Pitzer College is a part of the Intercollegiate Media Studies program (IMS) of The Claremont Colleges, one of the first undergraduate programs of its kind in the country.  
  • Take courses offered by Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona, and Scripps Colleges. 
  • Your courses in this program will link film, video, and other forms of media to disciplines such as art, anthropology, sociology, political studies, and women’s studies. 
  • Instead of focusing on traditional narrative film and television, you will learn about “independent” narrative forms, video art, documentary, community-based, and activist media. 
  • You’ll have access to Pitzer’s Mosbacher/Gartrell Center for Media Experimentation and Activism, a professional post-production facility. 

Visit the Intercollegiate Media Studies Website

At a Glance

Degree Awarded

  • Bachelor of Arts

Field Group

Media Studies

Program Type

Area of Study

Media Studies & Our Values

Pitzer’s core values are woven throughout all its academic programs. Learn how our Media Studies program specifically addresses the values of social responsibility and interdisciplinary learning.

Social Responsibility

“Capturing injustices on film exposes the systems of oppression we’re facing and let’s us see it with our own eyes.”

Jansikwe Medina-Tayac '25

she/her

Media Studies major, "Journalerx" director

Read Jansikwe's Story
100% Student Community Involvement

Students have the opportunity to work with underserved populations on a Media Studies project to bring change and awareness in the community.

Interdisciplinary Learning

“I developed Youth Culture, my first-year seminar, to be an interdisciplinary course. The course takes theoretical texts and objects of study from Media Studies, Literature, Music, Art, and Cultural Studies.”

Elizabeth Affuso

Professor of Media Studies

80+ Media Studies Courses

Choose from a broad range of interdisciplinary classes taught throughout the 5Cs.

View Course Catalog

Pitzer Voices

portrait of Daisy Okazaki in front of Mead Hall
“I  am interested in telling stories through film and art that are relevant and uplifting towards Asian American communities and histories.”

Daisy Okazaki '25

Media Studies major, Asian American Studies minor

Get Involved

a student looks at a television screen that is part of a media studies screening exhibit.

Student Work Showcase

The Media Studies program hosts two showcases/exhibits per year to highlight student work. 

View Student Work
a student with bright red hair and headphones takes part in a class discussion.

Internships

Make career connections, practice your skills, and gain valuable work experience crucial to your post-graduate career. 

Media Studies Internships

Media Studies Program Details

View Course Catalog

Choose to focus on one of three Media Studies tracks: Film/Video, Digital/Electronic Media, or Critical Studies. 

What You Will Learn

  1. How to be an engaged, committed participant in community-based, local, and global media production.  
  2. The relationships between Media Studies theory, history, and practice. 
  3. How to create non-traditional and non-industrial forms of media production. 
  4. A wide-ranging knowledge of media forms. 
  5. Understand how Media Studies connects to other disciplines. 
  6. How to participate and build a media arts community through curation, distribution, and community involvement. 
  7. How to prepare for a life of media practice. 

Learn More

Visit the Intercollegiate Media Studies (IMS) website for more information and resources. 

IMS Website

Media Studies Faculty

portrait of Andrea Acosta

Andrea Acosta

  • Assistant Professor of Media Studies
  • Media Studies Field Group
No profile image for Elizabeth Affuso

Elizabeth Affuso

  • Media Studies Academic Director
  • Media Studies Field Group
No profile image for Lisa Han

Lisa Han

  • Assistant Professor of Media Studies
  • Media Studies Field Group
Professor Gina Lamb

Gina Lamb

  • Visiting Associate Professor of Media Studies
  • Media Studies Field Group
portrait of jesse Lerner

Jesse Lerner

  • Professor of Media Studies
  • Media Studies Field Group
No profile image for Ming-Yuen Ma

Ming-Yuen Ma

  • Professor of Media Studies
  • Media Studies Field Group
No profile image for Ruti Talmor

Ruti Talmor

  • Associate Professor of Media Studies
  • Media Studies Field Group

Contact Us

Elizabeth Affuso
  • Media Studies Academic Director
  • Media Studies Field Group

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