Culture and Media Research
Culture gives meaning, form, and direction to our lives, shaping our institutions, communities, markets, politics, industries, and nations.
Our researchers explore how culture is produced, curated, circulated, consumed and remixed — and how people forge their identities in and around their engagement with cultural objects, from media texts and music to news, sports and social media.
Culture and media research in action
K-pop takes center stage at USC academic forum, concert and dance competition
USC’s first K-Pop Festa featured a free concert, a dance contest, and academic forums on the global phenomenon of K-pop.
Are sports political?
Ben Carrington, associate professor of sociology and journalism, examines how race, mass media, and popular culture play roles in what happens on the field and the effect of sports on society.
Our changing media environment
Provost Professor Henry Jenkins has been at the forefront of understanding the effects of fandom and participatory culture on business, politics and education.
Faculty researching in the field of culture and media
Associated centers
Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is a leading think tank dedicated to addressing issues of inequality in entertainment in order to define areas within the industry where diversity is needed.
Norman Lear Center
The Norman Lear Center is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center exploring implications of the convergence of entertainment, commerce, and society.
USC Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media and Society
The USC Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media, and Society promotes academic programs, international research initiatives and professional engagement in the competitive world of sports and media.