Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a Concentration in Media
 

The Media Concentration PPE students have the option to concentrate in Media. A concentration at The King’s College consists of five courses that a student can take in addition to the PPE major. The Media Concentration focuses on the history, economics, cultural and political influence of mass communication. The PPE Concentration in Media is not technical training in media production. Rather it offers students the opportunity to examine in some depth what the media are and how they shape our society. Students interested in opportunities to hone productions skills might consider additional electives or referring to the catalog section on Media, Culture and the Arts. By any estimation, New York City is the media capital of the world. The headquarters of The New York Times, Time Warner, the Hearst Corporation, HarperCollins, Random House, Simon & Schuster, ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, Fox News, HBO, and Comedy Central are within a fifteen minute walk from The King’s College. Television networks, magazine and newspaper publishers, film studios and entrepreneurial Internet start-ups dot the landscape of midtown Manhattan and its environs. To study the mass media is to examine our society’s conversation with itself. The Media Concentration develops a student’s skill at listening in on that conversation and understanding how it relates to our public choices. It also trains students to analyze how our public policies in turn shape and re-shape the media. The media play a complicated role in our society, ostensibly informing and entertaining the public, but also helping to set the agenda for national discussion, persuading us as to what is important, and, more subtly by shaping our tastes. The media also reinforce one another. Oprah’s book choices on television sell far more copies of a book than does a favorable review in The New York Times Book Review. Movie soundtracks popularize singers and singers popularize movies. The Internet has become a place where many people respond to the other media with their personal comments on the news, music, movies and books.
Course		Year	Term	Title	Credits
YEAR 1					CREDITS
POL	110	1	Fall	Introduction to Politics*	3
ENG	110	1	Fall	College Writing I	3
HIS	111	1	Fall	History of the West I	3
REL	112	1	Fall	Introduction to Old Testament	3
URB	110	1	Fall	Introduction to the City*	3
				Fall Total	15
ECO	110	1	Spring	Introduction to Economics*	3
ENG	120	1	Spring	College Writing II   (ENG 110)	3
HIS	112	1	Spring	History of the West II	3
REL	111	1	Spring	Introduction to New Testament Literature	3
PHL	110	1	Spring	Logic*	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 1 CREDITS	30
YEAR 2					CREDITS
POL	215	2	Fall	American Political Thought and Practice I   (POL 110)	3
ECO	210	2	Fall	Macroeconomics*   (ECO 110)	3
REL	212	2	Fall	Foundations of Judeo-Christian Thought*   (REL 111)	3
ENG	253	2	Fall	Persuasive Writing*   (ENG 120)	3
MED	251	2	Fall	The Enterprise of Mass Communication   (ENG 120)	3
				Fall Total	15
POL	216	2	Spring	American Political Thought and Practice II   (POL 110)	3
ECO	211	2	Spring	Microeconomic*   (ECO 110)	3
MAT	274	2	Spring	Statistics	3
ELEC		2	Spring	Open Elective	3
MED	252	2	Spring	Theories of Mass Communication   (ENG 120)	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 2 CREDITS	30
YEAR 3					CREDITS
PHL	313	3	Fall	Classical and Medieval Philosophy    (POL 110)	3
POL	315	3	Fall	American Political Thought and Practice III   (POL 110)	3
ECO	311	3	Fall	History of Economic Thought	3
POL	351	3	Fall	Constitutional Law   (POL 216)	3
MED	351	3	Fall	Media and Popular Culture   (ENG 120)	3
				Fall Total	15
PHL	314	3	Spring	Modern Philosophy   (PHL 313)	3
SCI	312	3	Spring	Scientific Reasoning   (PHL 110)	3
POL	312	3	Spring	Enlightenment and Liberal Democracy   (PHL 313, HIS 112)	3
ECO	452	3	Spring	Political Economy   (ECO 211)	3
MED	352	3	Spring	Media and Politics   (ENG 120)	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 3 CREDITS	30
YEAR 4					CREDITS
PHL	361	4	Fall	Ethics	3
PHL ELEC		4	Fall	PHL 412: Theories of Human Nature or PHL 351: Culture and Aesthetics	3
POL ELEC		4	Fall	POL 352: Public Policy, POL 451: Civil Rights, POL 452: Statesmanship, or POL 454: American Foreign Policy	3
MED	451	4	Fall	The Emerging Media   (ENG 120, Senior Status)	3
ELEC		4	Fall	PPE Elective of Choice	3
				Fall Total	15
PHL	312	4	Spring	Philosophical Apologetics   (PHL 110, REL 212)	3
ECO ELEC		4	Spring	ECO 453: The Global Economy or ECO 451: Public Choice	3
PPE	451	4	Spring	Senior Thesis or PPE Elective of choice	3
ELEC		4	Spring	Open Elective	3
ELEC		4	Spring	Open Elective	3
				Spring Total	15
				YEAR 4 CREDITS	30
				TOTAL FOR DEGREE	120

Grasping the intricacies of the realm of media begins with a strong understanding of critical thinking, which is developed in the core curriculum. Politics, philosophy and economics shape the world of ideas; media dispenses, for better or for ill, the nature, rhetoric, commerce and practicality of those ideas. The Media Concentration begins in the fall of the sophomore year with The Enterprise of Media, which examines the history of mass media from Gutenberg’s invention of movable type up to today’s media conglomerates. In the spring semester, Media students take Theories of Mass Communication, which explores how mass media create and in some cases manipulate audiences. In the fall of the junior year, Media students take Media and Popular Culture, a course that illuminates how ideas spread and tastes develop in mass society. In the spring of the junior year, students take Media and Politics, which explores topics such as campaign ads, political blogging, and media bias. The final course in the Media Concentration is Emerging Media taken in the senior year, which focuses on the latest technologies and their applications.

Throughout the five courses, students in the Media Concentration meet journalists, writers, editors, TV and film producers, and other figures who work in the media in New York.

* These courses are offered in both the Fall and the Spring, students may take them in either semester.
** Courses in bold (POL 110 and ENG 120) must be taken at King's. No transfer credit accepted.

While the Bachelor of Arts program in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a Concentration in Media may be started at the beginning of any semester, students should be aware that not all courses will be offered each semester.

While completing this course of study, the following requirements must be met:

1. No fewer than 60 of the semester hours of course work must be earned at The King’s College, and these 60 hours of credit must include at least 48 semester hours which apply to this degree.
2. The successful candidate for this degree must have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all work completed at The King’s College. In addition, all students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA in the courses that are a part of the Common Core.
3. A student must obtain a grade of C or higher in both ENG 110, College Writing I, and ENG 120, College Writing II, within his first three semesters of attendance. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the College.
4. The successful candidate must satisfactorily complete all the requirements for Interregnum.
5. The successful candidate for the BA degree must obtain approval for graduation from the Office of the Registrar and upon vote of the faculty.