William Penn University’s division of New Media is dedicated to helping graduates navigate an increasingly complex world of professional media communication. To do this, the first question we must ask ourselves is “who are we?” This definitional question is at its heart differential in that it requires us to both define congruences with the larger group, as well as create a unique definition of who we are within that group.
The division of New Media believes that the university is, at its most basic, a place which imparts critical thinking and literacy to students to act as a foundation for later mastery of the skills and knowledge they will need to navigate through society. Critical thinking, or the ability to come to good conclusions from the data that is available, is fed by literacy, or the ability to collect and judge the validity of that information.
The division of New Media currently has a single major in film and video production, and is developing other exciting programs that center around careers in storytelling using advanced technology. Using extensive hands-on practicum courses and access to world-class technology needed to produce digital media, everything from camera drones to 3D printers are found in our labs, students are each assigned a shared computer space where they work on projects for their entire stay at the university. The division also benefits from close connections to the Communication Research Institute, whose lab spaces and research centers are used daily by students both for paid employment along with private and classroom projects.
