Liam Mayes

This course offers an in-depth examination of the 2026 American midterm election with a focus on the election’s media and context. Students will critically engage with the developments of the final months of the election while analyzing the social and historical factors that shape the broader contours of American politics.

Our world is saturated with media. But what does that mean for us? This course explores the study of media in two ways. First, it introduces students to a range of theoretical perspectives on the role of media within society. Second, it guides students through the analysis of different forms of media, including social, broadcast, print, journalistic, and digital. This course pays special attention to how dynamics of class, race, gender, and generation affect media’s production and consumption. By the end of the semester, students will have developed a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of how media shape our lives. Formerly offered as, and mutually exclusive with, CMST 204. Students who have earned credit for CMST 204 cannot earn credit for MDIA 204.

Recent surveys suggest that the average college-age American spends upwards of six hours a day consuming media of one form or another. Moreover, from television to streaming, radio to podcasts, and print media to social media, the range and volume of content available is staggering. Despite the realities of our unique consumption habits and personalized algorithms, overlap remains—a viral reel or the shared experience of time lost doom-scrolling. To understand how this relationship to media shapes our society, our culture, and ourselves, we need to start from those common elements and experiences.