This required orientation course introduces all graduate students in the Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities to the full range of academic, administrative, and social expectations for students, and the environment in which they must meet those expectations. This course describes program requirements; university, college, and program policy; and offers information about the full range of resources available to the students in support of their program. It also offers basic tutorial and instruction related to the use of Moodle (our learning management system), library resources, and other key tools used to support student learning.

Offers an opportunity to complete research, internship, or fieldwork projects related to the GCS program. Requires consent of a supervising faculty member; approval of the program director; and a brief proposal outlining the focus, purpose, and projected outcome, to be submitted to the program director during the semester prior to registration.

Involves a year-long independent research and writing project culminating in a paper of approximately 60-80 pages under the supervision of one reader with expertise in the subject area. Requires permission from the GCS director and advisory board and a proposal approved during the semester before the course is taken.

This course examines the intersecting transformations in the meanings and possibilities of kinship and family life. We will explore crucial interactions between economic and political structures and changing notions of gender, sexuality, caregiving, work patterns, and relationships between family members. Taking an intersectional approach, we will examine families over time and across groups, considering how gender, race/ethnicity, class, and sexuality shape their dynamics.