MSCM - Mass Communication

An introductory overview of Mass Communication programs and the college experience. This course is repeatable for credit and does not count towards the total hours required for graduation.

This course will focus on the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate the process of creating and interpreting media in a variety of forms.

This course will prepare students to craft a professional copy across media platforms by improving technical elements of student writing. Prerequisites: C or better in ENGL 1101.

Prerequisite:MSCM 3306. Participation in pre-approved on-campus media environment. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite MSCM 3306. Examination of the First Amendment, libel, slander, invasion of privacy, and copyright. Legal considerations in reporting on judicial and governmental activities.

Prerequisite MSCM 3306. An examination of the major developments in the history of American journalism.

Prerequisite: MSCM 2200 or 2201. This course will introduce students to the theoretical principles and key research methods used in qualitative and quantitative mass communication research. Emphasis is placed on the development of skills in conducting research, data analysis, report writing and critically evaluating research.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 and permission of instructor. An examination of the management techniques in the media industry, including a review of trends in the organization of media industries and management roles in the industry.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306 or permission of the instructor. The practice and study of newspaper editing, headline writing, page makeup and design, and theory and editing copy for use on radio and television.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3322, MSCM 2200, or permission of the instructor. The study of research and writing journalistic feature articles for publication in newspapers, magazines, and other media.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. This course is designed to educate students on the various aspects of interviewing as a communication professional in industries such as journalism, public relations and media management. Ability to use the ear to gather information, interpret and produce a quality piece in reference to information gathered. Be able to recognize hidden messages in vocal variations or edited material. Develop the ability and necessary skills to be an interviewer or interviewee.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306. Course focuses on effective design techniques, producing graphics, and photo editing for informative and persuasive forms of communications. Skills include use of type, images, color, and industry design software packages.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Overview of various audio, visual and web production techniques and tools for application in various communication products. Explore the proper use of audio and visual equipment. Learn the ability to distribute material via the Web.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Students will learn to recognize how electronic media, including, radio, TV, and digital audio/video distributed on the web are edited to inform/persuade.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. This course will focus on the various departments of operation at a radio station while applying the practices to a local non-commercial radio station. Ethical, legal, and financial responsibilities of a station will also be topics of discussion.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Course will educate students in the ability to develop a variety of messages across various platforms. Students will explore the theoretical foundations and practical production of messages, primarily within the public relations and advertising contexts.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Explores the importance of writing in public relations, advertising, and media relations. Types of writing include news releases, public service announcements, speeches, fact sheets, commercials, internal publications, multimedia briefs, and annual reports.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306.Course educates students in managerial and strategic concepts with a focus on advertising and public relations industries. Emphasizes the larger aspects of how to direct and manage strategic communication. Topics explored will include management principles, creative vision, leadership, and planning.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. This course is designed to provide students with the ability to apply their acquired skills in mass communication to a real-world client. Students will also have the ability to explore the ideals of contributing to the local community. Each student will select an off-campus client to work with over the course of the semester.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Students taking this course will learn how universities use media and media practitioners to further various strategic objectives. Students will gain "behind-the-scenes" knowledge and learn career-related opportunities in the field of higher education.

Prerequisite MSCM 3306. Emergent communication technology is a complex topic involving various tools, principles and implications. The course explores these aspects through the social, cultural and business influence of emergent communication technology. Additionally, the course serves as a crash course to learn social media tools such as social networking, podcasting, video sharing, blogging and microblogging, social bookmarking, wikis and other collaborative creation.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Students will learn how to use strategic communication to persuade and inform audiences in various media outlets. Selected topics in communication campaigns; emphasis on application of theory in campaign contexts.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. This course will be an introduction to crisis communication theory and application. We will cover crisis communication theory, crisis management approaches, classic cases and the influence of various important factors (i.e. culture, political, financial) on crisis communication.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. This course examines and gives students an in depth and critical review of current research and issues in the advertising industry. The legal, historical, and ethical implications of current issues in the industry and on society will be examined.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. This course provides an introduction to strategic media planning and buying, the process used to place messages in varied media in order to reach the desired audience.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. Students will learn the skills needed to serve as a reporter, editor, or producer for cross-platform community news outlets. Students will analyze current and historical examples of great community journalism and its impact on diverse communities.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. Students will learn how to produce news from the watchdog posture of an ethical investigative journalist. Students will study important historical examples of investigative reporting across platforms.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. Students will produce original narrative content for student media; complete a documentary analysis; historical analysis and presentation; write weekly critiques of narrative journalism; produce an online site for their original work. Rubrics will be provided for each assignment.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. This course focuses on the management skills used in defeating economical, financial, ethical, and political challenges within a media organization. Students will be given an opportunity to apply skills in various media settings.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306. This course will provide students with an understanding of the development, legal, ethical and practical applications of broadcast over time. Students will explore the use of broadcast, the technologies involved, the diverse changes in the industry and propose future applications of broadcast.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Students will take a qualitative approach in analyzing a specific media vehicle while developing an understanding of the processes and relationships constructed within that medium.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Students will analyze a specific medium using qualitative methods. A variety of case studies will be reviewed and discussions of current practices will help students identify relationships between content development and audience impact. Topics may include stereotypes/biases/cliche narrative structure, etc.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. Students will learn the rules and applications of broadcast laws enforced by the FCC. A historical review and current exploration will be included.

Prerequisite: MSCM 3306. Students will immerse themselves in documentary works and use their exposure to the process as inspiration for original productions.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. Students will learn the distinction between objective process reporting and advocacy journalism while identifying the blurry distinction in today's media landscape. Students will learn how to write editorials, op-eds, and viewpoint-centered content.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. This course will prepare students to be able to produce a variety of audio only projects. It will cover all the essential areas of audio including equipment use, radio commercials, news reporting, audio drama, foley, script writing, field production techniques, and editing.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 or permission of instructor. This course will analyze a variety of radio, television, cable and Internet programming. Program management roles, historical events, legal perspectives, aesthetics and current trends/topics will also be discussed.

Prerequisite: Senior status and a minimum of four MSCM courses. This course will expose students to the career search process and opportunities in Mass Communication, portfolio and resume development, and interviewing techniques.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3314 or permission of instructor. Practical course in the production of a local news program. This course is repeatable for credit. Additional special course fee required; see semester course schedule for amount.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3332, 3331, or permission of instructor. The study of the application of advertising principles and practices to the preparation of an advertising portfolio.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3342, 4442, or permission of instructor. The study of public relations strategies and case histories. Design of public relations programs for selected clients.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 and 4 MSCM skills or permission of instructor. Course is designed to apply strategic communication principles to a real-world client outside of the campus setting. Students will complete a campaign from conception through implementation.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 and 4 MSCM skills or permission of instructor. Course covers the study and application of convergent broadcast and electronic media concepts and theories. Students will produce a final project that incorporates all stages of video production to include research, scripting, shooting, editing and distributing the production.

Prerequisites: MSCM 3306 and 4 MSCM skills or permission of instructor. Students will produce a final project that requires extensive research, reaches a diverse audience, and incorporates new media technologies.

Prerequisite: Department chairperson's approval. Tutorial investigation of a topic of special interest. This course is repeatable for credit.

Topics of special interest not listed in the catalog. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Practical field experience in a supervised media setting. This course is repeatable for credit.

See the International Studies section of the catalog for details. This course is repeatable for credit.