Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies
Culture and Communication Program
Frequently Asked Questions
• What can you do with a C & C degree?
The Culture and Communication degree is a critical studies BA degree with an
interdisciplinary, liberal arts orientation that allows students to experience critical
studies courses across all six schools and divisions. It provides excellent
preparation for graduate school, whether law school, advanced degrees in
business, or MA/PHD programs in a range of critical studies areas. Moreover, as
the largest US export, the information/entertainment/cultural sector is not only
global, but is trans-industrial, trans-disciplinary, and constantly changing and
adapting. It includes the profit and the non-profit organizations.
With a degree in Culture and Communication, you have enormous preparation
and wide-ranging opportunities to navigate a career with agility and to quickly
adapt to this new international communication environment as a film producer, an
arts curator, a film programmer, a journalist, an advertising account executive, a
record producer, a critic, a non-profit arts administrator, a media executive, a
public relations executive, a media relations specialist, a writer, a development
officer, a fundraiser, a grant writer, a political campaign specialist, an
entertainment lawyer, a gaming industry analyst, labor organizer, or a stock
broker.
But remember, this degree focuses on jobs of the future, not of the past, so there’s
no telling what your title might be in 15, 10, or even just 5 years! And jobs of the
future require analytical thinking, excellent research and writing skills, and a
talent for crossing all kinds of borders, whether they be industries, nations, media,
ideas, or organizations. That’s the most important experience you’ll get as a C&C
major.
• Is C & C in Park?
The Culture and Communication degree is housed in the Division of
Interdisciplinary and International Studies (DIIS), not the Roy H. Park School of
Communications. Degree programs that include courses from across the schools
and divisions at the College are housed in this area. Degree programs in DIIS are
structured horizontally rather than vertically—a different kind of degree
experience that maximizes flexibility and exploration within a liberal arts context.
Courses and faculty from the Park School contribute to the degree, and students
have access to critical studies courses across all departments in Park. Seats in
production and newswriting courses are occasionally available but are not a
required part of this degree program.
• What's the difference between C & C and Speech Communication?
The two degrees share courses, faculty and research areas. The difference is
simple: the Speech Communication degree, like the degrees in the Park School,
provides a vertical experience of one discipline, medium or area of study. The
Culture and Communication degree is organized around a horizontal experience
that spans the schools and divisions at the college, connecting culture with
communication.
• How is proficiency in a second language defined?
Culture and Communication majors are required to complete a foreign language
through the intermediate level or to demonstrate equivalent proficiency as part of
their degree requirements. This may require up to four courses, depending on
initial placement in language of interest.
• Are students required to study abroad?
C and C students are not required to study abroad, but because of the flexibility of
the degree, the language requirement, and international focus of the division and
the courses, a very large percentage of our students take advantage of the myriad
of opportunities for study abroad on virtually every continent. Our students have
studied in London, Australia, Singapore, Uganda, South Africa, Czech Republic,
and Senegal. Some current majors are planning to study in India, Nepal,
Argentina, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain, China, France, and Thailand.
• The degree requires a minor. Are there any restrictions on minors?
There are no restrictions on minors. Culture and Communication students can
select a minor from any of the six schools and divisions at the college. Or, they
can develop their own minor (called a cognate area) in consultation with their
mentor and with approval of the Culture and Communication program
coordinator.
• Can you explain the areas of inquiry?
The areas of inquiry provide the student with a more in depth focus into different
aspects of culture and communication. Students select one area of inquiry, usually
by the end of the sophomore year. Media and Culture Studies focuses on mass
and popular culture, combining cultural studies and social science. Visual and
Cinema Studies focuses more on fine arts, combining aesthetics, history, and
criticism. International and Intercultural Communication focuses on social and
political perspectives. Organizational Culture and Technology combines social
theories with analysis of technology and business practices.
• Are there any campus activities related to C & C?
C and C sponsors an artist and scholar in residence program which features
intensive immersion through lectures, screenings, intimate master classes and
workshops, and mentoring sessions. We sponsor the First Friday’s discussion
series. Each semester, we host the C and C Lecture, delivered by one of our
steering committee or affiliated faculty. And DIIS is the home of the Finger
Lakes Environmental Film Festival, Legal Studies, CSCRE, and the Gerontology
Institute, all of which sponsors special events for majors and minors.
• What are the faculty like?
The Steering Committee of C and C is composed of faculty representatives from
each of the following departments: Speech Communication, Organizational
Communication, Learning and Design, Television/Radio and Cinema and
Photography. Check out our website, where you can read all about them.
• Where is C & C on campus?
The Dean’s Office is on the third floor of Job Hall, but the C and C program spans
the entire campus. As a horizontal degree program, it’s located everywhere: in
your faculty mentor’s office, in special lectures, in C and C courses in the major,
in DIIS events and special symposia, and anywhere our majors and minors gather
for lively intellectual exchange and debate about ideas, concepts, books, media,
organizations, or campus events.
For more information, please contact Dr. Bruce Henderson, Coordinator
Culture and Communication Program
henderso@ithaca.edu.