IAS News

Joshua Heim (Master of Arts in Cultural Studies ’10) is working behind the scenes at 4Culture, King County’s cultural funding agency, to help arts and culture recover from the pandemic – with equity as their North Star.

“The good things most people like about their communities are cultural, whether it’s a festival, a local civic organization or an old building that anchors your main street,” says Heim, who as deputy director is leading the agency’s COVID-19 recovery task force.

The Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s History Division selected IAS faculty member Kristin Gustafson as one of the 2021 winners for its Jinx Coleman Broussard Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Media History. She will present a hands-on virtual teaching module at this year’s conference in August. Her teaching idea submission ...

Ruth Gregory makes media. The 2011 Master of Arts in Cultural Studies alum is an award-winning filmmaker, published writer, and web designer with over two decades of experience in the creative industries. She is also an Assistant Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Digital Technology and Culture Program (DTC) at Washington State University (WSU). In February, Gregory was recognized as ...

A fan of young adult fiction, Helen K. Thomas explored the genre in the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies program and now is researching the books' global appeal with a Fulbright in Nigeria.

Although the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, Thomas plans to start her nine-month Fulbright this spring, leading reading circles with teen girls in Lagos, Nigeria. “My goal is to see how these books create a greater sense of agency in the Nigerian girls’ sense of their future, and then also to see how reading these books creates a stronger sense of community and interest in other Black girls around the world,” Thomas said.

Graduates of the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies (MACS) program lead cultural change — a skill more organizations are seeking after witnessing widespread protests against racial injustice. Many employers are now looking for diversity officers to lead that change, and hiring for such positions increased more than 90% since 2019, LinkedIn reported.

“What’s strong about the Cultural Studies preparation is that it understands this is long term social and cultural change — changing the way people work and do things,” Bartha said. “The curriculum of the Cultural Studies program thinks about the dynamics of organizational change as well as community accountability and helps people know that ground.”

Along with the position of diversity officer, MACS graduates carry out similar work as artists, educators and activists.