BA in Communications and Media

Designed to provide a more in-depth study of classical and contemporary principles of rhetoric and rhetorical criticism, this course provides concentrated work in speech structure, delivery, and criticism.

This course explores the methods, theories, techniques, and concepts of persuasive communication. Students will address scientific, humanistic, and behavioral aspects of persuasion. Content will include interpersonal persuasion, advertising, political campaigning, and use of persuasion techniques in mediated environments.

Prerequisite: COMU 300.

In this course, students will apply multimedia techniques to storytelling in the context of journalism. They will analyze diverse audiences and determine how that analysis influences story creation. Additionally, students will select the most appropriate medium for disseminating information. Students will complete a project that requires effective research and journalistic writing.

In this course, students will explore how organizations apply social media strategies to achieve their goals. They will seek out and evaluate case studies in social media that include best practices and blunders. Topics include social media content development and platforms as well as managing the rapid growth and change in this medium. Students will create a social media strategy for an organization or product.

In this course, students will address ethical issues in the context of media and communication. They will identify the historical foundations of ethics. They will also apply various approaches to case studies and dilemmas that may occur in a media-related environment. Students will consider how to balance the relationship between personal beliefs and professional behavior.

In this course, students will examine and analyze a variety of data that runs the gamut from online purchases to the amount of time spent engaging in social media to favorite flavors of chocolate in different cultures. They will focus on the power, interpretation, and influence of data. Topics include privacy concerns, access to data, regulation, data mining, and the relationship between data, technology, and society. Students will complete a project in which they communicate the meaning of data effectively.