January 8, 2025 Understanding the role of popular television shows and movies in society—and in students’ own lives—is a central focus of a high-enrollment 100-level course in the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Starting in the 2026-27 academic year, the media and cinema studies course “Introduction to Popular TV and Movies” […]
December 15, 2025 Ken Burns’s new PBS series The American Revolution is more than a sweeping historical documentary—it illustrates the ways in which journalism helped ignite and sustain the fight for independence. Melita Garza, associate professor and Tom and June Netzel Sleeman Scholar in Business Journalism, and winner of Journalism History’s 2024 essay contest, shares […]
December 10, 2025 The Institute of Communications Research marked a highly productive year at the 2025 National Communication Association convention from November 19-23 in Denver, Colorado, with faculty members, students, and alumni presenting research, chairing panels, and contributing to programming at the 111th annual event. In addition to this strong scholarly presence, several members of […]
December 10, 2025 Carrie Wilson-Brown, senior lecturer of media and cinema studies and advertising, received the 2025 Larine Y. Cowan Make a Difference Award for Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Access, Civil Rights & Community. The Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity award honors faculty, instructors, or lecturers who […]
December 8, 2025 Learn more about the people who help make our college such a great place to work—what they do, what inspires them, and a few things you might not know—in this Q&A series featuring staff members from across the College of Media and Illinois Public Media. Ann Abdelzaher eLearning SpecialistMedia Tech How long have […]
December 2, 2025 | Kelly Youngblood Beginning in Fall 2025, the Department of Media & Cinema Studies created a new internship for students at Flyover Film Studios in Rantoul. Francisco Albarran, a senior in media and cinema studies, was the first student selected for the program. Albarran was able to work on the production of […]
November 10, 2025 Chris Cillizza, an independent news creator on Substack and YouTube, will be on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus for a conversation about reporting on politics and independent journalism on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 5-6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public and is presented by the Richard and Leslie […]
November 6, 2025 Carlye Wisel (BS ’09, journalism) was a lifestyle reporter interviewing famous musicians and celebrities like Mick Jagger and Kim Kardashian before a bachelorette trip to Disney World changed her career trajectory. Now, as a freelance journalist covering Disney and Universal theme parks, Wisel has contributed to magazines like Travel + Leisure, Glamour, […]
November 4, 2025 | Giuliana Means, Communications Intern Each fall, the Roger Ebert Fellowship program selects three College of Media undergraduate students to participate in the yearlong fellowship that aims to shape their skills in critical writing through immersion in the film industry. The Roger Ebert Fellows chosen for the 2025-26 academic year are Paige […]
October 30, 2025 | Giuliana Means, Communications Intern Every Friday night, the sound of lively movie-take debates pours from Room 1090 and drifts down the halls of Lincoln Hall during The Illini Watchers’ weekly meeting. The registered student organization began around 2018, originally named C-U Cinefile, to review various forms of media. The Illini Watchers […]