Media & Cultural Studies

Professional Organizations

Because of our diverse research areas and interdisciplinary approach to scholarship, graduate students and faculty of Media and Cultural Studies are active in a wide range of academic organizations. The following are some organizations and events in which many of us participate.

Society for Cinema & Media

Founded in 1959, the Society for Cinema & Media Studies is a professional organization composed of college and university educators, filmmakers, historians, critics, scholars, and others concerned with the study of the moving image. The Society's goals are to:

Promote all areas of media studies within universities and two-and four-year colleges
Encourage and reward excellence in scholarship and writing
Facilitate and improve the teaching of media studies as disciplines
Advance multi-cultural awareness and interaction
Serve its members' professional needs and concerns
Strengthen the ties between the academic community and those who interact with it, from the media industry to the government to the public at large
Promote the preservation of our film, television, and video heritage.

The Velvet Light Trap

The Velvet Light Trap is a journal devoted to investigating historical questions that illuminate the understanding of film, television, and other media. It is edited entirely by graduate students at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and at the University of Texas - Austin. Each group puts together one issue yearly, usually organized around a particular theme. It is published by the University of Texas Press. Articles by scholars at all levels and from around the world have appeared in its pages. Past issues have included:

"Censorship and Regulation"
"Media Spaces and Architecture"
"Remakes and Adaptations"
"Documentary Now"

Console-ing Passions Conference

Founded in 1989 by a group of feminist media scholars and artists, Console-ing Passions works to create collegial spaces for new work and scholarship on culture and identity in television and related media, with emphasis on gender and sexuality. Since 1992, Console-ing Passions conferences have featured new research on feminist perspectives, including:

Race and ethnicity
Post-colonialism
Queer studies
Globalization
National identity
Fusion genres
The social and cultural insertion of new media
The historical development of media
An ongoing feminist concern with gender dynamics in the production and consumption of electronic media

International Communication Association (ICA)

ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and is now a truly international association with more than 3,500 members in 65 countries. Since 2003, ICA has been officially associated with the United Nations as a non-governmental association (NGO).

The Cultural Studies Association

Founded in 2003, the Cultural Studies Association (U.S.) provides a forum for scholars of Cultural Studies, in all its diverse manifestations, to exchange their work and ideas across disciplinary lines and institutional locations.

The American Studies Association

The American Studies Association is the nation's oldest and largest association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of U.S. culture and history. Its members represent many fields of inquiry, such as:

History
Literature
Religion
Philosophy
Folklore
Ethnic studies
Anthropology
Sociology
Education
Gender studies
Media and popular culture studies

The Popular Culture and American Culture Association (PCA/ACA)

The Popular Culture Association was founded as a spin-off of the American Studies movement in the late 1960s. In 1979, the American Culture Association became a partner with the PCA and the two organizations have held joint conferences since that time. The PCA/ACA aims to support the study of popular and American culture and to support new and established scholars in both their research and teaching.