[Excerpts from my recent article]
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Media studies adopts at least two semantic dimensions. The first continues the traditional notion of critical scholarship focusing on the study of form and effects of media. This still takes media studies as a component of cultural studies giving precedence to critical inquiries into the contents. The second dimension has a wider range of integrations of both theory and practice. Media studies in this sense is not limited to the study of contents produced elsewhere, but also sets compulsions to produce, and prepare for critical inquiries within the stipulated university space and time. As a result, it acquires a thrust on producing employable graduates who have the skills and training to work in and across all major media platforms. Balanced within cultural studies and emerging media technologies, media studies in its contemporary dimensions has potential for constant modifications and thus manages to meet the needs of the convergence.
Besides training people for convergent media scenarios within a technically sophisticated context, media studies can serve in other areas more applicable in a developing countries. Foremost, it prepares media educators for secondary, higher secondary and university levels. The programme’s thrust on the balance of theory, productivity and practice allows the preparation of professionals who have relatively more extensive exposure on research, production and practice of media. Consequently, it reduces the politics of precedence between professors and professionals by virtue of the possibility of developing the qualities of both in individuals. Another contribution would be in the preparation of potential media entrepreneurs. In both cases above, a developing country is more benefitted. A full-fledged course in Media studies, if managed properly with the best theoretical and practical grounding on the major media platforms, may do nearly as much as the courses on journalism, communication studies, media science, computer science and literary studies can do jointly.
