Communication Studies Course Offerings

CS240E Cultural Intermediaries
Cultural intermediaries bridge the seeming gap between production and consumption in late capitalist societies. They do the creative work of mediating perceptions of goods and services and, in doing so, they remediate the risks of both producing and consuming. As market actors, advertising copywriters, branding consultants, public relations practitioners, journalists, and, yes, social media influencers are all examples of cultural intermediaries. Their status as intermediaries is derived through their recognition by both consumers and producers as experts in taste and value. At the same time, while they are often cast as ‘creative’ and therefore ‘empowered’ workers, they are also frequently subjected to employment marred by precarious, poorly remunerated, and inhospitable working conditions. Accordingly, in this course we will explore through examples in old and new media, the circumstances by which cultural intermediaries engage in the communicative work of promoting goods and services as identity expressing moral-aesthetic experiences.

CS240G Art & Activism
This course explores the nexus of artistic and activist practice in the context of communication media by focusing on key questions, theories, and case studies.