The Ph.D. in Communication Studies with a concentration in Moving Image Studies program goal is to provide students a solid foundation in a specific moving image medium (whether cinema, television or new media), while at the same time give them the preparation and the confidence to research and write about moving images wherever they circulate. The program encourages innovative new work that challenges existing paradigms of media study, that is theoretically rigorous, and that is aware of historical and cultural specificities.
The Moving Image Studies Ph.D. program provides strong mentoring toward professionalization of our doctoral students. Both faculty and students are active participants in our professional organization, the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS). Our doctoral students regularly present their work at SCMS and at other film-media conferences across the country, such as the Flow Conference, World Picture and MIT’s Media in Transition Conference, etc. In addition, the School of Film, Media & Theatre is home to the Media Commons' In Media Res, of which all doctoral students have opportunities to work with this online journal.
The city of Atlanta, a major world media center, offers students in the Moving Image Studies program a wealth of opportunities. The High Museum of Art regularly programs cutting-edge series in world cinema, while annually the Georgia State University Department of Latin American Studies mounts a week-long conference which includes a festival of new Latin American cinema. The Moving Image Studies program maintains close ties with CNN and Turner Broadcasting, both of which are invaluable resources for students conducting research in television industries, history or global media flows.
Many of our Ph.D. graduates in Moving Image Studies move onto teaching positions at academic institutions.