Rollins

Critical Media & Cultural Studies

Study what you love in a welcoming and inclusive environment while gaining multicultural perspectives and developing skills in critical thinking, writing, presentation and discussion facilitation, and media production.

With the guidance of faculty, build your own specialized concentration or focus in areas such as action, advocacy, and social change; body, health, and society; critical media analysis; gender studies; media production; power and persuasion; race and ethnicity studies; and sexualities studies.

A CMC degree from Rollins prepares you for a career in media, communication, and other industries; public service and policy; and graduate and professional programs in media studies, cultural studies, law, and business.


Why Study Critical Media & Cultural Studies at Rollins

  1. Media Expertise

    Our curriculum trains students to be critical analysts and producers of media, combining the theory, analysis, and research of media studies with hands-on experience in media production.

  2. Activism & Advocacy

    We study media and culture with an eye toward activism and advocacy. In Incarceration and Inequality, for example, students research current issues in the criminal justice system, then present their recommendations to policymakers.

  3. Flexibility

    In this interdisciplinary major, students work closely with a faculty advisor to craft an individualized concentration and to locate the most relevant and engaging courses across departments and programs.

Interested in Studying Critical Media & Cultural Studies at Rollins?

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A Day in the Life of a Rollins Critical Media & Cultural Studies Major

“I chose CMC because it combined my creative passions for media and film with social justice. My worldview was forever changed in Dr. Lisa Tillmann’s Research, Media, and Culture course—I highly recommend it!”

Renee Sang ’21


Popular Courses

Professor and students in a class discussion at a Rollins outdoor classroom

See for Yourself

Get a feel for Rollins’ unique brand of engaged learning and personalized attention through one of our virtual or in-person visit experiences.

Take a Closer Look

Beyond the Classroom

Student Media Develop your voice through volunteer and paid work opportunities at Rollins’ student-run media outlets, including WPRK radio, The Independent magazine, Brushing literary magazine, and The Sandspur newspaper.

Local Film Festivals The Global Peace and Florida Film Festivals—both based in Orlando—provide project-based internship and full-time employment opportunities that include hands-on experience with planning, promotion, implementation, and post-production processes.

Documentary Filmmaking For their capstone project, students meld their area of study with concentrated research to produce a 15-minute documentary.


A student DJ at WPRK.

Real World Experience

Hone the knowledge and skills you’re developing in the classroom through internships at local and national organizations.

  • The White House
  • Orlando Sentinel
  • Equality Florida
  • NASA
  • Global Peace Film Festival
  • Florida Film Festival
Ruqayyah Ali, Sr. Mgr, Digital Media | Disney Parks, Experiences & Products

“The CMC program is the foundational building block for the career path I pursued in digital media and the entertainment industry. Studying the intersection of culture and media taught me how media influences people on a personal level, and I apply this every day in my digital marketing career.”

Ruqayyah Ali ’14

Senior Manager, Digital Media, Disney Parks, Experiences & Products


Rollins Critical Media & Cultural Studies Careers

Rollins critical media and cultural studies grads are making tomorrow happen at some of the world’s most innovative companies.

  • Sam Barns

    Sam Barns ’11 ’12MBA

    Development Manager, Stonehenge Real Estate Group Consulting
  • J.D. Casto

    J.D. Casto ’11

    Senior Director, 2K
  • Julia Pyzik ’09

    Julia Pyzik ’09

    Film and TV Producer, Amazon Studios
  • Self portrait of Anne Koeblitz.

    Anne Koeblitz ’13

    Multimedia Producer, NBC Sports
  • Self portrait of Cass Yankala.

    Cass Yankala ’13

    Manager, Campaign Planning, Disney+
  • Self portrait of Spencer Mumford.

    Spencer Mumford ’15

    Actor, Stewart Talent

Expert Faculty

Grounded in social justice values, our professors help students develop the tools to work for change.

Department of Critical Media & Cultural Studies

Winter Park, FL 32789

Telephone: 407.646.2337

Fax: 407.646.1566

  • Kathryn Norsworthy

    Kathryn Norsworthy, PhD

    Professor of Counseling, Licensed Psychologist, National Certified Counselor

    Research interests: LGBTQ+ civil rights, transnational feminist activism and social change, and gender justice

  • Steve Schoen

    Steve Schoen, PhD

    Associate Professor of Critical Media & Cultural Studies

    Research interests: Documentary production, theory and criticism, and media representations of gender and sexuality

  • Lisa Tillmann

    Lisa Tillmann, PhD

    Professor of Critical Media & Cultural Studies

    Research interests: Activism, social justice documentary filmmaking, and civil rights

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