Media and Communications
Bachelor of Arts Major
Equip yourself with the skills and knowledge you need to succeed in today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving world of media and communications. Every organization needs a successful communication strategy to succeed and every individual needs problem-solving skills and the ability to express oneself. Through this major, you will develop into a compelling storyteller through video and audio production, writing, photography, and public speaking.
Throughout your studies, you will create a variety of projects to showcase your new skills to jumpstart an innovative career. Projects will include strategic plans, short films, feature articles, audio stories, and websites. Whether you dream of becoming a master storyteller, a groundbreaking creative strategist, a passionate documentarian, an impeccable event planner, a public relations expert, or a savvy digital media professional, we will help you achieve your aspirations.
Why study Communications at Warren Wilson?
- Hands-On Media Training: You’ll combine your unique experience gained on your work crew, internship, research, and classwork to build a strong resume.
- Build a Community of Creators: Foster your creativity and build your community of fellow creators through collaborative projects.
- Award Winning Newspaper: For the past few years, our student newspaper, The Echo, travelled to the North Carolina Media Association and won multiple awards.
- Special Guests: We host regular guest lecturers in and outside of class. Past lecturers include Cultural Writer and Pulitzer Prize Finalist Soraya Nadia McDonald and Appalachian Filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon.
Every student will complete community-engaged coursework, an internship, and original research as part of their major
A Sample of Our Partnerships
- Bounty and Soul
- Verner Center for Early Learning
- Campaign for Southern Equality
- Punch Bucket Lit
- LEAF Global Arts
See how Communications students put our education into action
Internship
Becca Boynton worked with Verner Center for Early Learning as a Social Media Intern. She researched and provided content for its social media channels, further honing her photography, writing, and digital content skills.
Work
You can work on any crew as a student but many Communications majors choose to be on crews such as:
- Communications
- Echo Newspaper
- Admissions
Senior Capstone
As a Communications student, you will work with a nonprofit or business in the community to continue your hands-on experience and make a seamless launch into the professional world. Your capstone will provide another opportunity to hone your skills while building your resume in a meaningful way.
Popular Courses
Media and Society
How do media and society influence one another to create culture? To explore this dynamic, you’ll focus on the history of media, its role in identity, how audiences function, cultural studies and structuralism, and other key concepts and theories. The course centers on race, class, and gender in order to better understand these topics.
Trans Media Studies
You’ll use a historical and socio-cultural lens to analyze transgender representation in film, television, and the news in this course. You will learn about transgender audience studies, labor studies, and representation. By the course’s end, you will have a firm understanding of the shifting landscapes of transgender media and the politics and activism surrounding them. You’ll engage in creating your own trans media that responds to the course content.
Documenting Appalachia
Study an array of documentaries and readings about the stories that shaped our region. You’ll then form a documentary crew with your classmates to make a short film about Appalachia.
Beck Banks
Research Interests
- Transgender Media Studies
- Queer and Transgender Rurality
- Queer and Transgender Migration Studies
“Warren Wilson’s holistic approach to education is a powerful springboard toward an actualized life. With it, our students can understand their power and worth in creating a better world. ”
Paula K. Garrett, Ph.D.
Research Interests
- 19th Century American Studies
- Writing
- Queer Theory
“Warren Wilson students expect more of their professors than students I’ve taught elsewhere, and those expectations keep me on my toes.”
Jamieson Ridenhour, Ph.D.
Research Interests
- Gothic / horror literature and film in the 19th-21st centuries
- Narrative Structure
- New Media, especially serialized audio fiction
“Wilson students are engaged and passionate about their engagement. I love feeling their enthusiasm for being in the world. ”
Christine LaRocque Swoap, MA
Research Interests
- Assessing Critical Reflection in the foreign language classroom
- Service-Learning and community engagement in the foreign language classroom
- Language acquisition
“At Warren Wilson, I see creativity, sensitivity and a willingness to engage with others in meaningful ways. Professors and students work collaboratively towards various educative goals, taking risks while being advocates for themselves and others. All of this inspires me.”
Lucy Lawrence, Ph.D.
Research Interests
- Service learning
- Global social work education
- Intercultural development
“I am committed to preparing new generations of social work professionals who are critical thinkers and competent practitioners through rigorous academics that integrates civic engagement and practical experience.”