Arts and Culture

Film. Music. Visual Art. Design. Literature. Subcultures. Criticism.

Rich course offerings in the M.S. and M.A. degree programs bolster cultural knowledge and impart essential tools for covering the arts.

What We Offer

Journalism students have several opportunities to learn how to produce culture stories that are rigorous yet creative. Class options allow students to deepen their understanding of all branches of the arts, from architecture to dance, hip hop to sculpture.

M.S. students can choose among courses that explore how to report in the cultural realm and how to add perspective on trends and breakthroughs in art, culture and society. These include The Art of the Profile, Food Writing and 800 Words.

Students who enroll in the M.A. Arts & Culture concentration take a nine‐month seminar considering the intellectual and emotional force of the arts. Journalism professors bring in esteemed experts to guide the class through several specialties while pulling out common themes. The seminar blends the concrete (how to decipher arts funding, delineate artistic movements, map essential context) with the more theoretical (how to capture an artist’s personality with nuance and verve).

Explore our degree programs.

Student Work

Loretta Staples

For the New York Times, Nika Simovich Fisher, '22 Part-time M.S., profiled the pioneering user interface designer Loretta Staples.

A Pioneer of Digital Design Looks Back on a Defining Era

people standing outside fence while holding Confederate flags

For her thesis, Abigail Covington, '18 M.A. Arts & Culture, examined the legacy of Robert E. Lee at Washington & Lee University following the 2017 riots in Charlottesville. Her story was featured in The Delacorte Review's long-form journalism magazine and podcast.

preview of stories on Hyperallergic site

For the M.A. Arts & Culture Fall Seminar with Prof. Alisa Solomon, students wrote wide-ranging reviews and reports covering the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) Crossing the Line Festival. Their work was published by the website Hyperallergic.