COM 2101 NEWS MEDIA PRACTICUM I
One hour. A team-taught course across multiple media platforms that provides students practical experience in newspaper writing and production, broadcast studio production and broadcast performance, depending on student preference.
COM 2102 NEWS MEDIA PRACTICUM II
One hour. Prerequisite: COM 1302. A team-taught course across multiple media platforms that provides students practical experience in newspaper writing and production, broadcast studio production and broadcast performance, depending on student preference.
COM 2100 MASS MEDIA AND SOCIETY
Four hours. An in-depth look at the influences of the mass media on American culture. Emphasis will be placed on the historic, social and political impact of the media, both print and electronic.
Gen Ed: SW (Aw, An)
COM 2110 MEDIA WRITING
Four hours. Effective writing for the various media. Includes style and format and differences between the media. Mastery of spelling, punctuation, and grammar through in-class writing assignments.
COM 2500 DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Four hours. Using a simulated office environment, acquaint students with the basics of news media, public relations, and advertising electronic document layout for newspapers, brochures, magazines and on-line publications. Students learn basic management skills via peer centered critiques, coaching and mentoring.
COM 3101 NEWS MEDIA PRACTICUM III
One hour. Prerequisite: COM 1302. A team-taught course across multiple media platforms that provides students practical experience in newspaper writing and production, broadcast studio production and broadcast performance, depending on student preference.
COM 3102 NEWS MEDIA PRACTICUM IV
One hour. Prerequisite: COM 2301. A team-taught course across multiple media platforms that provides students practical experience in newspaper writing and production, broadcast studio production and broadcast performance, depending on student preference.
COM 3300 NEWS REPORTING
Four hours. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Effective Communication SLO A. Writing and researching news for delivery through print, broadcast and online outlets.
COM 3310 BROADCAST WRITING
Four hours. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Effective Communication SLO A. Introduces and develops writing for broadcast readers, voice-overs, and news packages. Emphasizes writing for video and wrapping around audio in a real-world deadline environment. Includes broadcast producing.
COM 3320 INTRODUCTION TO BROADCAST JOURNALISM
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 3300. An introduction to the process of electronic newsgathering, video editing, and production of news packages. Live-to-tape studio production is also introduced.
COM 3330 FEATURE AND OPINION WRITING
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 3300 or SPC 3450. The process and style of writing profiles, narrative non-fiction, travel features and opinion articles.
COM 3340 ADVANCED BROADCAST PRODUCTION
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 3320. Continues the process of electronic newsgathering and producing newscasts with anchor stories and reporter packages. In-depth, hands-on instruction of digital editing and multimedia graphics software.
COM 3353 EDITING FOR MEDIA
Two hours. Prerequisites: COM 3300 or permission of instructor. Study of the principles and practices of copyediting, with a focus on selection of material, editing for grammar and appropriate style and accuracy.
COM 3355 PUBLICATION DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
Two hours. Prerequisites: COM 2500 or permission of instructor. The study of the principles and practices of effectively designing and producing publications, including newspapers, magazines and newsletters.
COM 3360 ONLINE MEDIA
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 3320 or COM 3330. The study of how to prepare and display news information online. How to critically evaluate content for and on the web. Produce multimedia stories.
COM 3370 PHOTOJOURNALISM
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 2500 or permission of the instructor. Acquaint students with the techniques of digital photography and the skills needed for all areas of news photography. Class discussions center around the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to be successful in life and a career in photojournalism. They include critiquing, coaching, training and mentoring others; best practices in photographing specific genres of news items; how to avoid legal entanglements; ethical issues of publishing; personal safety; and relevant topical issues of the day. A goal of the class is to have a photograph published during the semester.
COM 3410 ADVERTISING CREATIVE
Four hours. Prerequisites: COM 2500 or ART 1020. A non-art course emphasizing the deadline-driven elements of advertising design in the professional world with an emphasis on agency needs.
COM 3420 COPYWRITING
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 2500 and COM/SPC 3400. Emphasis on developing skills leading to understanding approaches to and organization of material necessary to writing advertising copy. The course requires completion of an advertising campaign including writing for national, retail, broadcast (radio and television) trade, and outdoor advertising.
COM 3500 ADVANCED DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 2500. Prepares aspiring communication professionals for real-world desktop publishing environments requiring professional software applications. Emphasis is placed on project asset management and integration of applications as they are used in a professional environment. Students practice basic management skills via peer centered critiques, coaching and mentoring. Creation of a portfolio is required.
COM/SPC 3550 COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
Four hours. Prerequisites: Either COM/SPC 3400 or COM 3300 and successful completion of Four hours of the Systematic and Creative Thinking: Quantitative SLO. Students are introduced to quantitative and qualitative research methodologies used by communication professionals and researchers. The course focuses on proper application of methodologies and interpretation of data. Gen Ed: Ql
COM 3900 SPECIAL TOPICS IN MASS COMMUNICATION
Four hours. Prerequisites: Successful completion of coursework that satisfies Effective Communication SLOs A and B. Concentrated study of a special topic in mass communication, including political communication, sports journalism, journalism history, etc.
COM 4300 NEWS MEDIA PROJECTS
Four hours. Prerequisite: COM 3330 or COM 3340. Special project topics that refine and apply skills learned in previous journalism classes. The production of broadcast feature segments for television and online. Real-world media convergence is emphasized in group projects.
COM/SPC 4400 ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS
Four hours. Prerequisites: Either COM 3410 or SPC 4400 for majors. Either ART 3410 or ART 3510 or BUS 4148 for interdisciplinary minors. The orchestration of research, planning and communication skills for a client or employer seeking to achieve measurable outcomes that influence target publics.
COM 4500 COMMUNICATION LAW AND ETHICS
Four hours. Prerequisites: COM 3300 or COM/SPC 3400 or permission of the instructor, and successful completion of coursework that satisfies Effective Communication SLOs A and B. An examination of major legal issues facing participants in the mass media, including First Amendment rights, libel and defamation, privacy and open access to government information. In addition, the course will explore ethical principles as they relate to media ethics. Gen Ed: EC-C
COM/SPC 4960 COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP (FALL SEMESTER)
Four hours. Prerequisite: Majors only. All 3000-level concentration courses completed, minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, permission of internship coordinator. On-the-job experience in specific concentration. Supervision by cooperating practitioners and department faculty. Oral report and written reports on field experience required. 40 hours of on-the-job experience are required for each one semester hour of credit.
COM/SPC 4961 COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP (SPRING SEMESTER)
Four hours. Prerequisite: Majors only. All 3000-level concentration courses completed, minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, permission of internship coordinator. On-the-job experience in specific concentration. Supervision by cooperating practitioners and department faculty. Oral report and written reports on field experience required. 40 hours of on-the-job experience are required for each one semester hour of credit.
COM/SPC 4999 SPEECH AND MASS COMMUNICATION THEORY
Four hours. Prerequisites: Either COM/SPC 4400 or COM 4300 or SPC 3250, and successful completion of coursework that satisfies Effective Communication SLOs A and B. Seminar in speech and mass communication theory and its role in the study of mediated and human communication. This course will explore foundations of communication research, memes in the literature, and current trends. Students will be responsible for writing a research paper focused on a topic of significance within the field of communication. Gen Ed: EC-C