Course Directory

Television Co-Curricular

This course provides students with experience in the operation of a television station. Students will be involved in all aspects of the operation of the station, including camera operation, directing, producing, lighting, set design, audio and technical direction, editing, sports and news reporting, remote transmission, and all other aspects of the operation of the student television station.

News Reporting

This course develops basic reporting skills for beginning journalism students including interviewing, gathering and verifying information, covering a beat, and coverage of various types of news. The focus of the course is to help students develop in-field news reporting techniques. Prerequisite: MMAJ 140

Temporal Media

Provides initial instruction on communicating via motion and passage of time. Includes the syntax of motion and production techniques in video and animation. Each semester.

Film Production Planning

This course is designed to give the student practice instruction in the process of film production. All aspects of film production are covered from pre-production to post-production, including location scouting, casting sessions and on-location staging. Special emphasis is placed on roles and responsibilities of personnel.

Broadcasting Prin & Pract

Overview of the broadcasting industry, including history, technical aspects, station and network organization, sales, ratings, programming, and social and ethical influences. A foundation course for radio-TV career preparation, related fields of communication, and the development of knowledgeable consumers of broadcast media. Prerequisites: COMM 100. Annually|

P R Prin & Practice

Provides fundamental instruction in public relations practices, including program planning and evaluation, working with the media, writing for public relations, and coordinating special events and functions. Explores the structure, ethics, and process of public relations in business, institutions, and American society through readings and discussion. Prerequisite: COMM 100 and grade of C or above in MMAJ 140. Note: Undergraduate students completing COMM 312 may enroll in COMM 551. Annually|

Journalism Prin & Pract

Examines the history and theory of the practice of journalism paying particular attention to First Amendment issues, the language of the media, changing conditions of information, ethics, and closely examining the role and organizations of a democratic press. Prerequisite: MMAJ 100 or 101.

Advertising Prin And Practices

Introduces students to the basic principles, theories and applications of the advertising field. Examines advertisings historical background, planning and management, media strategies, creative development, international issues, and social and legal effects. Prerequisite: MMAJ 100 or MMAJ 101

Communication Research

Introduces students to quantitative research principles guiding mass communication professionals working in areas such as broadcasting, public relations, advertising and journalism. Topics include audience measurement principles, polling research, survey construction and analysis, focus group research, mass media content analysis, and statistical analysis. Calculator required. Prerequisites: MMAJ 100 or 101.

New Mass Media Tech & Prof

Introduces students to new mass media technologies that are changing the role of mass communication professionals working in broadcasting, public relations, advertising, and journalism. Topics include evolving mass media implementations of the Internet to reach audiences, evolving copyright issues and their impact on the mass media; discussion of new World Wide Web technologies such as animation formats, streaming media, and digital video production; new digital technologies and formats for broadcasting, and new multimedia technologies. Developing careers and challenges to older professions will be discussed in the context of mass media industry trends. Prerequisite: MMAJ 100 or 101. On demand.|

Media Ethics & Responsibility

Prepares future professional communicators to make informed media decisions. Provides a historical, legal, cultural, and philosophical context for judgment of continuing and emerging issues in mass media fields, and creates an experimental frame through discussion, simulation, and modeling. No prerequisites.

Global Mass Communication

Enables students to effectively interact with the new culturally diverse audience and workforce in the American business and industry. Covers the latest innovatively designed resources on cultural diversity, global mass communication competencies, and positive attitudes. Includes imaginative conceptualization techniques of designing mass media messages suited to the new realities of cultural diversity. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

Newswriting

Explores the principles and practice of evaluating, gathering, and writing the fundamental news story and news feature. Includes the preparation of copy for publication, interviewing, and laboratory experience. Prerequisite: MMAJ 140

Publications Editing

Provides fundamental instruction in editing skills, copy editing, headline writing, typography, photographs, copy control, and layout. Examines the role and responsibilities of the editor. Prerequisite: MMAJ 140.

Investigative Journalism

Focuses on the skill and techniques used to gather in-depth information for investigative reporting. Students will learn interviewing research, and organizational skills. In addition, the legalities and practicalities of information access will becovered. All of these skills will culminate in the production of an investigative journalism project spanning both written and recorded media. Prerequisite: MMAJ 202 and 340.

Newswriting For Internet Media

This course develops reporting, writing and editing skills for internet delivery. Students understand the continuum of the cycle of news demanded by internet news sources, and the fundamental differences between online and traditional media. The internet requires reporters and writers to think differently about the structure, appearance and detail in news stories. Students will report, write and edit news stories for the internet that are interactive and nonlinear. Prerequisite: MMAJ 140|

Field Production

Provides students with training in television production and experience in the application of communication theory and production techniques. Integrates skills in writing, photography, audio and graphics in a total production context. Prerequisite: MMAJ 270.

Studio Production

Develop basic skills in studio production techniques, including producing, crew positions, lighting, and on-camera talent. Prerequisite: MMAJ 270.

Audio Production

Covers theory and advanced techniques of audio production for radio and video, from conception through completion, emphasizing multitrack, non-destructive and non-linear production. Prerequisite: MMAJ 270.

Cinematography

This course further develops skills in digital/film production by examining the use of lenses, light meters, advanced lighting techniques, and low-tech special effects. Students produce a number of projects that employ thesetechniques. The studentwill be able to provide shooting and lighting support to any kind of production and create a DVD resume reel.

Digital/Film Editing

This course is designed to introduce and research the various aspects of digital and film postproduction editing. The course will include the aestheitcs and techniques of editing, application of editin techniques on Final Cut Pro, the video signal and components, and the role of the editor. Final Cut Pro certification is possible upon successful completion of this course and the Final Cut Prio certification exam.

Narrative Structure

This course examines narrative screenwriting through all components of story and mythic structure and exemplar film scripts. Character development in relation to narrative structures is studies. Substantial writing is realized in the production of,"a synopsis, treatment and other pieces in preparation of a feature-length film script. Several major script components are also written.

Publications Design

This course teaches principles of visual communication in print and electronic publications. Students gain design and production skills through extensive application of these principles to a wide variety of publications. Prerequisite: MMAJ 140.

Screenwriting

This course is designed to concentrate on the development, execution and formatting of a narrative short script. Designed in a lecture/workshop format, students will produce a polished log line, synopsis, treatment, character profiles, and twenty-minute screenplay, The course will also cover distribution, marketing strategies, and pitching a script.

Photography

Provides basic principles of photography and intermediate principles of photojournalism. Study of camera and darkroom techniques; the production of photographs for news, advertising, scientific, and instructional use. Camera required. Prerequisite:Sophomore standing.

Public Relations Campaigns

This course explores the processes of public relations research, strategic planning, tactics and evaluation in creating and managing PR campaigns. Students will integrate theory and professional skills by analyzing existing PR campaigns and currentevents. The course culminates in a PR campaign that students create for an actual client. Prerequisites: MMAJ 140, MMAJ 312 and MMAJ 443 with a grade of C or above in each course.

Advertising Campaign

Provides theory and skills to create an advertising campaign for a selected product or service. Students will study and analyze existing advertising campaigns, write creative briefs, and conduct media planning and research. Students will learn to utilize traditional media (print, broadcast and outdoor), as well as nontraditional media (the Internet and other interactive media) to create effective campaigns. The course culminates in a comprehensive advertising campaign that students create for an actual client. Prerequisites: MMAJ 140, MMAJ 314 and MMAJ 446, with a grade of C or above in each course.|

Advertising Co-Curricular

This advanced-level co-curricular provides students with hands-on advertising experience with a selected student media outlet or campus organization. Students complete a minimum of 45 hours per semester creating, selling, or managing advertising. Examples of projects include: ad copy writing, design and production; design of client media kits; and coordination of specialized media promotions. Prerequisite: MMAJ 314: Advertising Principles and Practices|

Production Co-Curricular

Allows students who seek careers in video or film production to gain experience in production work through the activities of WCUC-FM, WCUB-TV, and the production work of the department or of the university. Prerequisites: Students seeking to do a Production Co-Curricular in Film/Video must have taken MMAJ 351 and received a minimum of a C grade. Students seeking to do a Production Co-Curricular in Audio must have taken MMAJ 354 and received a minimum of a C grade.

Public Relations Co-Curricular

This advanced-level co-curricular provides students with hands-on public relations experience with a selected student media outlet or campus organization. Students complete a minimum of 45 hours per semester producing public relations projects and c,"ampaigns. Examples include: media relations, special event planning, media promotions, and writing and execution of public relations campaigns. Prerequisite: MMAJ 312: Public Relations Principles and Practices|