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.
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|
|
|
Course |
Year |
Term |
Title |
Credits |
|
YEAR 1 |
|
|
|
|
CREDITS |
| ENG |
110 |
1 |
Fall |
College Writing I
|
3 |
| REL |
112 |
1 |
Fall |
Introduction to Old Testament Lit.*
|
3 |
| HIS |
111 |
1 |
Fall |
Western Civilization I
|
3 |
| URB |
110 |
1 |
Fall |
Introduction to the City*
|
3 |
| PHL |
110 |
1 |
Fall |
Logic*
|
3 |
| |
|
|
|
Fall Total |
15 |
| ENG |
120 |
1 |
Spring |
College Writing II
(ENG 110) |
3 |
| ECO |
110 |
1 |
Spring |
Introduction to Economics*
|
3 |
| HIS |
112 |
1 |
Spring |
Western Civilization II
|
3 |
| PHL |
112 |
1 |
Spring |
Philosophical Apologetics*
|
3 |
| MAT |
160 |
1 |
Spring |
Pre-Calculus*
|
3 |
| |
|
|
|
Spring Total |
15 |
| |
|
|
|
YEAR 1 CREDITS |
30 |
| |
|
YEAR 2 |
|
|
|
|
CREDITS |
| POL |
210 |
2 |
Fall |
Introduction to Politics
|
3 |
| ECO |
211 |
2 |
Fall |
Microeconomics*
(ECO 110) |
3 |
| MAT |
274 |
2 |
Fall |
Statistics
(MAT 160) |
3 |
| PHL |
213 |
2 |
Fall |
Classical and Medieval Philosophy
|
3 |
| MED |
251 |
2 |
Fall |
The Enterprise of Mass Communication
(ENG 120) |
3 |
| |
|
|
|
Fall Total |
15 |
| REL |
211 |
2 |
Spring |
Introduction to New Testament Lit.*
|
3 |
| POL |
215 |
2 |
Spring |
American Political Thought and Practice I
(POL 210) |
3 |
| ECO |
210 |
2 |
Spring |
Macroeconomics
(ECO 110) |
3 |
| PHL |
214 |
2 |
Spring |
Modern Philosophy
(PHL 213) |
3 |
| MED |
252 |
2 |
Spring |
Theories of Mass Communication
(ENG 120) |
3 |
| |
|
|
|
Spring Total |
15 |
| |
|
|
|
YEAR 2 CREDITS |
30 |
| |
|
YEAR 3 |
|
|
|
|
CREDITS |
| SCI |
312 |
3 |
Fall |
Scientific Reasoning*
(PHL 110) |
3 |
| POL |
313 |
3 |
Fall |
American Political Thought and Practice II
(POL 210) |
3 |
| POL |
351 |
3 |
Fall |
Constitutional Law
(POL 215) |
3 |
| PHL |
361 |
3 |
Fall |
Ethics
|
3 |
| MED |
351 |
3 |
Fall |
Media and Popular Culture
(ENG 120) |
3 |
| |
|
|
|
Fall Total |
15 |
| REL |
354 |
3 |
Spring |
Biblical Interpretation*
(REL 112, REL 211) |
3 |
| POL |
315 |
3 |
Spring |
American Political Thought and Practice III
(POL 210) |
3 |
| POL |
312 |
3 |
Spring |
Enlightenment and Liberal Democracy
(PHL 213, HIS 112) |
3 |
| ECO |
311 |
3 |
Spring |
History of Economic Thought
|
3 |
| MED |
352 |
3 |
Spring |
Media and Politics
(ENG 120) |
3 |
| |
|
|
|
Spring Total |
15 |
| |
|
|
|
YEAR 3 CREDITS |
30 |
| |
|
YEAR 4 |
|
|
|
|
CREDITS |
| REL |
412 |
4 |
Fall |
Foundations of Judeo-Christian Thought*
(REL 112, REL 211) |
3 |
| ECO |
452 |
4 |
Fall |
Political Economy
(ECO 211) |
3 |
| POL ELC |
|
4 |
Fall |
Politics Elective
|
3 |
| ELC |
|
4 |
Fall |
PPE Elective of Choice
|
3 |
| MED |
451 |
4 |
Fall |
The Emerging Media
(ENG 120, Sr Status) |
3 |
| |
|
|
|
Fall Total |
15 |
| ENG |
412 |
4 |
Spring |
Persuasive Writing and Speaking*
(ENG 120) |
3 |
| ECO ELC |
|
4 |
Spring |
Economics Elective
|
3 |
| PHL ELC |
|
4 |
Spring |
Philosophy Elective
|
3 |
| ELC |
|
4 |
Spring |
Open Elective
|
3 |
| PPE |
451 |
4 |
Spring |
Senior Thesis
(Sr. Standing) |
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.
Four PPE Electives: At least one elective must be chosen in each of
the three disciplines; the fourth one is at the discretion of the student in
consultation with his/her advisor
Politics Electives: POL 451 Civil Rights <POL 315; POL 351>; POL 352:
Public Policy <ENG 120; POL 312>; POL 452: Statesmanship <POL 312>; POL 454:
American Foreign Policy <HIS 112; POL 315>
Philosophy Electives: PHL 412: Theories of Human Nature <REL 211; PHL 110>; PHL
351: Culture & Aesthetics
Economics Electives: ECO 453: The Global Economy <ECO 210; ECO 211>;
ECO 451: Public Choice <ECO 211>
Open Electives: These slots can be filled with any elective, a
concentration, up to two internships or any combination of the aforementioned
* These courses are offered in both the Fall and the Spring, students may
take them in either semester.
** Courses in bold (POL 210 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The successful candidate
must satisfactorily complete
all the requirements for
Interregnum.
- The successful candidate
for the BA degree must obtain
approval for graduation from
the Office of the Registrar
and upon vote of the faculty.
