Media Studies Minor

The Media Studies minor provides an overview of mass communication and requires 24 credits from the classes listed below. You must have at least a 2.00 UO GPA to apply to the minor. All minor courses must be taken graded and passed with a “C” grade or higher. You may not take minor courses pass/no pass.* See below for COVID exceptions.

This minor is not available to majors in the School of Journalism and Communication.

Required courses (8 credits/2 courses). Both courses are typically offered every term:

  • J201 Media and Society >2
    • Effective Fall 2024, this course will be offered as JCOM 201 Making Sense of Media >2
  • J314 Intro to Media Studies (prerequisite: MEST minor status)
    • Effective Fall 2024, this course will be offered as JCOM 311 Intro to Media Studies

Elective courses (choose 16 credits/4 courses). All courses have J201/JCOM 201 as a prerequisite. The 400-level courses require MEST minor status:

The five courses below will be eligible for the minor only through Summer 2025. Effective Fall 2025, these five courses are no longer eligible courses.

  • J320 Gender, Media and Diversity (offered as JCOM 301, effective Fall 2024)
  • J385 Communication Law (offered as JCOM 302, effective Fall 2024)
  • J387 Media History (offered as JCOM 305, effective Fall 2024)
  • J396 International Communication (offered as JCOM 306 Global Communications >GP, effective Fall 2024)
  • J397 Media Ethics (offered as JCOM 303, effective Fall 2024)

These courses remain eligible for the minor.

  • J400M Computer Crime Law (Winter 2021 only)
  • J411M US Film Industry
    • Formerly a J412 course. Do not take if you have taken J412 US Film Industry.
    • Will change to JCOM 411M US Film Industry, Fall 2024 onwards.
    • This is a multi-listed course. Students must take it under the J/JCOM subject in order to have it count toward the minor.
  • J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic] **
  • J430 Culture and Power in the Media [Topic] **
  • J431 Media Structures and Regulation [Topic] **

Effective Fall 2024, additional titles have been added under the new JCOM subject. Some courses were previous offered under the J429, J430 or J431 topic number. Do not repeat the same title under its new number.

  • JCOM 314 Understanding Disney
  • JCOM 315 Indigenous Media
  • JCOM 316 Black American Media
  • JCOM 317 Media and Religion
  • JCOM 318 Documenting International Human Rights
  • JCOM 319 Documenting Civil Rights
  • JCOM 412 Internet Law and Regulation
  • JCOM 413 Data/Media/Surveillance
  • JCOM 414 Topics in Media Technologies and Structures (titles will vary)
  • JCOM 415 Topics in Culture, Power and the Media (titles will vary)
  • JCOM 416 Black American Television
  • JCOM 417 Cross Cultural Monster Narratives
  • JCOM 418 Global Television
  • JCOM 419 Reality Television
  • JCOM 424 Latin American Cinema

In Fall 2021, the courses offered under these topic numbers transitioned to J429, J430 and J431 topics. Do not take the same title under its new number.

  • J412 Issues in Communication Studies [Topic] ** / ***
  • J467 Issues in International Communication [Topic] ** / ***
  • J496 Issues in Communication Ethics & Law [Topic] ** / ***

** These are special topics courses. Course titles offered within each “topic” will vary. These courses are repeatable three times if the topics have different titles.

NOTE: The following courses are eligible for the minor only if they were taken any term through Summer 2019. Effective Fall 2019, they were no longer eligible for the minor.

  • J340 Principles of Advertising
  • J350 Principles of Public Relations

* COVID-exceptions to the pass/no pass rule: 

  • Any pass (“P”) grades taken during Spring 2020, Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 are permitted.
  • One pass (“P”) grade is allowed for any elective course (J320 through J496) taken during Winter 2021, Spring 2021 or Summer 2021 combined (not one per term).