Media studies is a
discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various
media; in particular, the '
mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of
mass communication,
communication,
communication sciences and
communication studies. Researchers may also develop and employ theories and methods from disciplines including
cultural studies,
rhetoric,
philosophy,
literary theory,
psychology,
political science,
political economy,
economics,
sociology,
anthropology,
social theory,
art history and
criticism,
film theory,
feminist theory, and
information theory.