Courses

Media Studies Courses by Term

In each term and curricula section, you will find the courses that satisfy major course requirements, including prerequisites. These lists are created after the Schedule of Classes has been published for the term and before students start enrolling. Keep in mind that the Schedule of Classes is subject to change. If you notice anything that needs to be removed or added to these lists, please let us know by sending an email to mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu.

Visit the following pages on the Media Studies website when planning your future courses:

Courses: Course Enrollment Information – tips regarding enrolling in courses offered by Media Studies
Enrichment: Internships – information regarding academic units related to internships
Enrichment: Honors Program – information regarding honors in the major and required courses needed

Spring 2025

Prerequisite Courses

I. American History (Post-Civil War period)

History 7B: Introduction to History of the U.S. – Civil War to Present

II. American Institutions

Political Science 1: Introduction to American Politics

III. Introductory Social Sciences and Humanities

Anthropology 3AC: Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology
Economics 1: Introduction to Economics
Economics 2: Introduction to Economics – Lecture Format
Psychology 1 or W1: General Psychology
Psychology 2: Principles of Psychology
Rhetoric 20: Rhetorical Interpretation
Sociology 1: Introduction to Sociology
Sociology 3AC: Principles of Sociology

IV. Introductory Media Studies

Media Studies W10: Introduction to Media Studies

Core Courses

Media Studies 111C: Audio-Visual Media History
Media Studies 112: Media Theories and Processes
Media Studies 113: Media and Democracy
Media Studies 114: Media and Globalization

Elective Courses

Media Studies students must complete five electives total: three electives from your concentration plus two additional upper-division electives from any concentration. For the three concentration electives, students must choose one course from each sub-category of their concentration.

Digital Studies Concentration (DS)

DS.1 Research Methodologies Electives

Data Science C8: Foundations of Data Science
Media Studies 132: Researching Digital Media: Methods and Methodologies
Statistics 20: Introduction to Probability and Statistics

DS.2 Virtual Communities and Social Media Electives

Interdisciplinary Studies Field (ISF) 100D: Introduction to Technology, Society, and Culture
Interdisciplinary Studies Field (ISF) 100J: The Social Life of Computing
Media Studies 165: Internet and Culture
Media Studies 168: Cybernetics and Cybercultures: The Psychosocial Impact of Digital Media
Sociology 166: Society and Technology
Sociology 167: Virtual Communities/Social Media

DS.3 Digital Projects and Digital Storytelling Electives

Film and Media 155: Media Technologies
Media Studies 190: Digital Storytelling: Crisis, Catastrophe and Speculative Futures
New Media 200: History and Theory of New Media
New Media C203: Critical Making
New Media C265: Interface Aesthetics

Global Cultural Studies Concentration (GCS)

GCS.1 Research Methodologies Electives

Gender and Women Studies 101: Doing Feminist Research
Global Studies 102: Critical Thinking In Global Studies

GCS.2 Visual Culture Electives

Ethnic Studies 122AC: Ethnicity and Race in Contemporary American Films
Film and Media 125: Documentary Forms
Film and Media 145: Global Media
Film and Media 170: Special Topics in Film
Film and Media 171: Special Topics in Film Genre
Gender and Women’s Studies 126: Film, Feminism, and the Avant-Garde
Gender and Women’s Studies C146B: Representations of Sexualities: Queer Visual Culture (cross-listed with LGBT C146B)
Global Studies 100S: Global Societies and Cultures
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Studies C146B: Representations of Sexualities: Queer Visual Culture (cross-listed with GWS C146B)
Native American Studies 158: Native Americans and the Cinema
Rhetoric 139: Rhetoric of Visual Witnessing
Scandinavian 115: Studies in Drama and Film: The Films of Ingmar Bergman

GCS.3 Popular Culture Electives

American Studies 101: Examining US Cultures in Time (all topics)
American Studies 102: Examining US Cultures in Place (all topics)
Architecture 179: Design Radicals: Spaces of Bay Area Counterculture
Asian American Studies 132/132AC: Islamophobia and Constructing Otherness
English 176: Literature and Popular Culture
Korean 109: Korean Language in Popular Media
Media Studies 190: Beauty, Fashion, and Media Globalization
Rhetoric 171: The Problem of Mass Culture and the Rhetoric of Social Theory
Sociology 160: Sociology of Culture
Sociology 163: Popular Culture

Media Law & Policy Concentration (MLP)

MLP.1 Research Methodologies Electives

Media Studies 130: Research Methods in Media Studies
Public Policy 101 (4 units): Introduction to Public Policy Analysis
Sociology 5 (4 units): Evaluation of Evidence

MLP.2 Institutions Electives

Political Science 106A: American Politics: Campaign Strategy – Media
Sociology 110: Organizations and Social Institutions
Undergraduate Business Administration 106: Marketing
Undergraduate Business Administration 160: Consumer Insight

MLP.3 Citizenship Electives

Asian American Studies 132/132AC: Islamophobia and Constructing Otherness
Gender and Women’s Studies 132AC: Gender, Race, and Law
Interdisciplinary Studies Field Major 100I: Consumer Society and Culture
Sociology 140: Politics and Social Change
Sociology 141: Social Movements and Political Action

Additional Electives

See Digital Studies, Global Cultural Studies, and Media Law & Policy upper-division electives when selecting two additional upper-division electives from any concentration for the major.

Quicklink: Spring 2025 Schedule of Classes

Fall 2024

See below for a list of Fall 2024 offerings that apply towards the Media Studies major. Enrollment information for summer classes can be found on the Berkeley Summer Session Registration website. For a complete list of Fall 2024 course offerings, please visit the Fall 2024 Schedule of Classes. Note that the list below is subject to change.

Students looking for the requirements for the old curriculum can find this information through the following links: