COM - Communication

In this class, students will be asked to explore their own creative processes and develop identities as creative thinkers and producers of media. Students will research theories about creativity; explore aesthetic principles relating to two-dimensional, interactive and time-based media; and experiment with traditional and experimental narrative techniques. The focus will be on developing creative concepts in pre-production phases (e.g., sketching, storyboarding, storytelling, writing treatments and artist statements, experimenting with electronic media). Students will work both individually and in groups; research and synthesize substantive ideas from outside influences; and effectively present ideas in oral, visual and written forms.

Studies the fundamentals of communication theory to provide a foundation for understanding how the mass media work, how they influence us, how we can analyze them and how we can effectively use them. Students can apply these critical skills to their roles as responsible consumers and communication professionals. May be used to fulfill the general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major. 

This is a CORE foundation course for all communication majors.

An introduction to the principles and practices of writing for major types of mass communication media, with an emphasis on content, organization, conciseness and clarity. Students learn different styles of writing for print media, broadcast media, the Web, advertising and public relations. This course also discusses the ethical and legal implications of writing for the media.

Students learn and practice the principles behind the art and craft of scriptwriting for short, single-camera "motion picture" format, and multi-camera, live audience television (such as situation comedies). May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

It is one of the great ironies of contemporary existence that we are beset, informed, controlled and constructed by images, yet we receive almost no formal training in understanding and creating visual communication. Visual Literacy addresses this issue through interdisciplinary study of the terminology and theory of visual communication, with special emphasis on the relationship of visuality and cultural practice. Considering ideas from art history, photography, film, mass media and cultural studies, students are asked to analyze visual rhetoric, begin to see critically, articulate meaning and author visual rhetoric of their own. May be used to fulfill the general distribution requirements for the humanities if not used for the major.

This is a CORE foundation course for all communication majors.

An introduction to hands-on digital film production and post-production. Each student will complete a short documentary, narrative and experimental film. Technical instruction will include level-one instruction on non-linear digital editing software and an introduction to HD cameras. Students will be introduced to portable equipment at the cage (including cameras, tripods, audio recording tools and more) and production facilities, including the black box studio space. Class will be comprised of technical demonstrations, in-class shoots and critiques of student work. Basic history, theory and aesthetics of related media are presented.

May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements. Laboratory fee required.

Digital Citizenship introduces digital media production as a means of self-discovery, self-expression and civic engagement through three key issues: how do we define and know our identities given the dominant ways we express them today? How, to what purpose and with what responsibilities do we express our identities outward into public spheres? And how can we use media authoring skills to recognize and solve social problems? Through Internet research, social media, blogging and image capture, manipulation and distribution, students will develop skills to go from casual users of various contemporary technologies to digital rhetoricians practicing active, engaged citizenship. 

This is a CORE foundation course for all communication majors.

Students are responsible for the programming and management of WUTV and WUTZ, the University's closed-circuit television and radio stations. Students are encouraged to register for 1 to 2 credit hours initially and to save 4 credit hours for officer positions. Students also may participate as volunteers for either station. (Limited to 6 credit hours total.)

A basic introduction to film studies. Surveys the history of American narrative film with an emphasis on the cultural impact of film in society. May be used to fulfill the general distribution requirements for the humanities if not used for the major.

An examination of world cinema movements. May be used to fulfill Third World requirements. May be used to fulfill the general distribution requirements for the humanities if not used for the major.

This course introduces students to the historical, cultural, economic, and social aspects of advertising. Students will discusses advertising’s relationship to marketing as well as its role in traditional and new media landscapes. This course also provides an overview of advertising management, advertising planning, advertising creativity and concepts, global advertising, and laws affecting advertising. (This course replaces COM 282, Survey of Advertising and Public Relations.)

Survey course on the visual documentary tradition. May be used to satisfy general distribution requirements in the humanities if not used for the major.

This course introduces students to theory, research and applied practice in the study of organizational communication. Students will explore the role human communication plays in structuring, maintaining and changing organizations, and they will explore specific issues within the study of organizational communication including socialization, decision-making, conflict, stress and burnout, cultural diversity and external communication.

This course teaches strategic use of digital tools for business purposes, including development of corporate identification, layout of print collateral, creation of print and web graphics, production and editing of small-scale video, creation of a simple websites, and development of blogs and other social media.

Emphasizes formal aspects of studio video-production operations, including camera switching, lighting, sound and accessory equipment and remote-location production for integration into a studio program. This course provides production support for WUTV programming. May be used to satisfy general distribution requirements in the humanities if not used for the communication major. Laboratory fee required.

This course offers students a hands-on opportunity to explore narrative filmmaking using digital technologies in a combined theory and practice approach. Each student completes a series of short digital films relating to the history, theory and aesthetics of narrative film. Technical instruction includes digital cinematography, lighting, sound and editing. Class includes screenings and discussions on the history and theory of the narrative film. May be used to fulfill the general distribution requirements for the humanities if not used for communication or the film and media arts majors. Laboratory fee required.

This course offers students a hands-on opportunity to explore documentary filmmaking using digital technologies in a combined theory and practice approach. Class includes screenings and discussions on the history and theory of documentary film and video. Technical instruction includes digital cinematography, lighting, sound and editing. Each student completes one or more short digital films relating to the history, theory and aesthetics of the documentary film. May be used to fulfill the general distribution requirements for the humanities if not used for communication or the film and media arts majors. Laboratory fee required.

This is a course in the politics, economics and technologies of the information age. Areas covered include basic designs of the new technologies, marketing strategies utilized to bring them to the public, and the social changes that may ensue. Emphasis is on the merger of telephone, television and computer technologies at the consumer level, and state-of-the-art developments within institutions. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major.

This course covers the elements of broadcast news writing and production, including the structure of radio and television news and feature stories, research and interviewing techniques, "package" production and ethical considerations. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

An exploration of the electoral process, particularly in the United States, with emphasis on the role of communication in political campaigns.

Communication and Law is the study of concepts, policies, laws and court decisions that affect communication in our society. Through text, scholarly and popular articles, sound and video recordings, court decisions, lectures and class participation, we explore critical legal principles of civilized democratic society and the range of laws that protect or restrain communication within it. In addition to examining such principles and laws for their own merit (or lack of it), the course provides a practical basis upon which students who seek to become communications professionals can identify legal issues that will influence their professional conduct.

The Creative Triangle explores the roles in the creative decision-making processes of the director, cinematographer and production designer. It emphasizes the technical, administrative and communication skills that provide the means for successful realization of drama, television, documentary and new media projects. The aim is to develop a wide range of skills necessary for effective performance in these roles in the context of complex creative collaboration. Laboratory fee required.

This is a survey of traditions of television criticism. The class covers key areas of television research and criticism, including narrative, aesthetic, production-oriented, economic, audience-centered, and ideological approaches to TV. The class will address questions related to TV as a technology, the broadcast and post-network eras of TV, the globalization of media programming, as well as a wide range of TV genres and their conventions.

The purpose of the course is to apply studio television training to the production of a weekly telecast. Students are required to expand previous training in studio television to include planning, budgeting, booking guests in advance and program planning. Each facet of producing a weekly telecast is explored, including prerecorded elements and the roles of associate producer, assistant director, graphics wraparound and set design. Laboratory fee required.

Examines the cultural, political, economic and ethical issues surrounding a complex, international communication movement known as the New World Information Order. Explores all aspects of the topic, with an emphasis on threats to the national sovereignty of developing countries, the bias of international news agencies and cultural imperialism. May be used to fulfill Third World requirements. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major.

Students study and view tapes and films produced as part of the non-commercial independent movement. May be used to satisfy general distribution requirements in the humanities if not used for the major.

Students learn how to evaluate and script creative communication projects within the corporate environment. The scripts are for a variety of applications, client needs and audience levels. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

This course teaches students to create web-based interactive applications for mobile devices. Students will apply advanced web design and interactive programming techniques to produce applications that are compatible with a variety of mobile platforms. They will learn writing and design strategies to produce content optimized for mobile devices. They will be introduced to software and protocols for converting their web-based applications to "native" applications designed to run on specific platforms and devices.

Covers the elements of writing feature film scripts including character development, dialogue and dramatic structure. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

A study of producing for cinema, television, interactive, and commercial and business applications. Students acquire skills in production budgets, package development, script breakdown, cost projections, shooting schedules, and marketing and sales presentations.

Students explore advanced creative and technical possibilities of motion picture editing using the University's advanced digital editing facilities. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements. Laboratory fee required.

This course explores practice and theory of writing for interactive media, including hypertext and hypermedia, narrative games, critical games, and location-based media. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

This course is an introduction to the mechanics of writing for television. From idea through final draft, students learn the process of developing scripts for television. The structural demands of commercial television and cable are explored. The student obtains a grounding in the historical development of marketable TV genres. The selling and buying of a script are analyzed, as well as strategies for creating a teleplay by oneself or with a staff of writers. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

Internships are with local, state and national sponsors throughout the communication field. COM 354 cannot be used to meet the 300-or-above-level requirement in the major. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

A search for the defining characteristics of a director's works, including issues of thematic motifs and visual style. May be used to satisfy general distribution requirements in the humanities if not used for the major.

This course introduces students to the principal software, programming language and methodology used in designing interactive media for DVD distribution. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements. Laboratory fee required.

The course is designed to introduce intermediate research methodologies to a student's critical analysis of large-scale media events. It involves the practical analysis of a media event, including circumstances, details, historical perspective and reactions by journalists, officials and the public. Archival coverage, documentaries, feature films, print articles and Internet sites relating to a singular or series of events will encompass a majority of the analysis. Particular attention will be given to events with international implications. Students will review the previous exposure of related topics in an effort to compare the attention given to a subject in a comparison of "before and after." May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major.

Focuses on the politics of representing women, particularly in film, television, advertising, popular literature and the popular press. The critical background includes texts on political economy, semiotics, feminist theory and cultural studies. The student completes a major research project during the course. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the humanities, but not for the social sciences if not used for the major.

This course combines training in Web-based multimedia technologies with instruction in journalism and digital storytelling. Students learn to plan online multimedia projects; to think as professional communicators when gathering information; to capture still images, audio and video; and to publish materials they collect in interactive packages designed for the Web. Laboratory fee required.

This course familiarizes students with key theories, techniques, and media forms that will enable them to produce creative, well-researched and thought-provoking projects that embody critical media practice.  Each student will select and examine an issue of social importance, and research media platforms and rhetorical approaches suitable for that issue. Combining scholarship with media skills, the student will create a final media project.

This course explores history, philosophy and myth surrounding computing technology and the Internet. The course examines the specifics of computing technology beginning with Plato and concluding within the discussion of the post-human. Domestic and global political/economic considerations also are discussed. Language, discourse and legal implications relating to the Internet are introduced.

This class simultaneously explores digital based photography and digital manipulation of imagery. Relevant history, theory and aesthetics of related media are presented, along with discussions of the societal impact that digital imaging has introduced. Laboratory fee required.

This course involves strategic concept development and writing for advertising projects, as well as a look at ethical considerations related to the practice. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

This course involves training in theory, form and style for writing public relations materials for all stages and types of public relations campaigns. This course is designed to provide students with a broad range of public relations writing skills utilized in the industry.

For Honors Program students only. This course is an exploration of the concept of "ethnicity" and how it may be expressed through literature and film. May be used to satisfy general distribution requirements in the humanities if not used for the major.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics that affect the communication process. Students focus on their own cultural world view as they are exposed to the cultural dynamics and characteristics of other societies. Emphasis is placed upon the nonverbal and oral/visual aspects of communication content, structure and context. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major.

Raises fundamental questions about the relationship between science and the humanities. Analyzes the role of technology in modern life with special emphasis on the impact of new information technologies. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the humanities if not used for the major.

Examines public opinion from a variety of perspectives, providing students with the ability to be intelligent consumers of public opinion research and effective users of public opinion research tools. Explores the interaction between the media and public opinion, as well as public opinion's effects on contemporary society and politics.

This course teaches theories of digital media from an aesthetic perspective. Students explore how scholars and practitioners have attempted to define digital media, describe their primary characteristics, and distinguish them from other forms of media. Surveying an array of digital media, from web-based and algorithmic art to videogames and synthetic worlds, the class examines how digital media both depart from and continue earlier media traditions.

Examines women directors worldwide. The course will focus on the theoretical, critical, historical, cultural and aesthetic basis of films made by international, mainstream, documentary and the avant-garde women film directors of New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the African and Asian diasporas, and North and South America. Students will submit a series of written critical responses and complete a major project related to course material. May be counted in the humanities if not counted in the major.

This course studies critical contexts of public communications to bring students an understanding of forces that shape media and representation, and relationships between mass communication and the public.

Advanced explorations of feature film scriptwriting and analysis. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

Students explore the role of communication in the social construction of culture. Emphasis is on acquiring knowledge of culture as an evolving process of codifications, and examining dominant and marginal cultural meaning systems in science, history and the arts. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major.

Explores the relationship between myth and cinema. Also looks at the politics of representation as it relates to race, gender and ethnicity. May be used to satisfy general distribution requirements in the humanities if not used for the major.

This course examines experimental, avant-garde cinema worldwide. It focuses on the theoretical, critical, historical, cultural and aesthetic basis of experimental and avant-garde films made by national and international directors. Students submit a series of written critical responses and complete a major project related to course material. May be counted in the humanities if not counted in the major.

The course explores worldwide film theory and criticism from its roots to the present through lectures and screenings of international, global and non-western films.  Classical and contemporary theorists include Sergie Eisenstein, Andre Bazin, Gilles Deleuze, Walter Benjamin, Laura Mulvey, Lev Manovich and more. Issues of representation, the cinematic apparatus and semiotics including psychoanalytic film theory will be covered.  Students submit a series of written critical/theoretical responses and complete a conference style abstract and paper related to course material.  May be counted in the Humanities if not counted in the major.

Film and media arts majors only. Seminar for seniors completing a film or digital production project as the requirement for graduation in film and media arts. Pre-production and production of the senior thesis project will be completed by the end of the semester. Students pursue production projects of sufficient breadth and depth as to crystallize their experiences at the University. Should be taken two semesters prior to graduation (fall semester, for spring graduation;  spring semester for fall graduation).

Seminar for seniors completing a thesis paper in cinema studies as the requirement for graduation in film and media arts. Each student pursues a cinema studies thesis project, in written form, of sufficient breadth and depth as to crystallize their experiences at the University. Topics vary from semester to semester.

The course is designed to help students integrate knowledge of advertising theory and practice within an international context. Instructor and students will meet occasionally over the spring semester for orientation and introduction to course material and spend two weeks abroad in May expanding the study and application of international advertising topics/concepts. In addition, the travel portion of the course will give students the opportunity to learn about and experience, first hand, advertising as a product and shaper of culture and the advertising industry’s role in a globalized economy.

This course introduces students of communication to the core concepts and common practices of both quantitative and qualitative communication research. Students will be exposed to a variety of theoretical perspectives on the nature, practice, use and meaning of research in the field of communication. Particular emphasis will be placed on research concepts and methods appropriate to the practice of advertising and public relations.

The course emphasizes interpretation, discussion, and practice, building upon theoretical and practical knowledge students have acquired over the course of their study in critical media practice. Using traditional and emerging media technologies, students will produce projects over the course of the semester to convey critical perspectives on phenomena with social, cultural, economic, and/or political implications.

The Portfolio Review is a capstone experience where in which students summarize and demonstrate what they have learned in the major and in their area of concentration. The course is delivered as a hybrid course (partially online, partially on ground). Faculty members oversee the submission process and evaluation.

Students must apply for acceptance the semester before their anticipated enrollment. Each year, a select number of students are able to choose a senior project option in order to fulfill the 400-level requirement of the communication major. In this independent course, a student or group of students pursue a research or production objective of sufficient breadth and depth as to crystallize their experiences as communication majors at the University.

This course teaches strategic development of advertising campaigns and involves research, branding, copywriting, design and digital production. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

This course focuses on a systematic process of public relations, including research, strategic planning, communication tactics and evaluation. Through an extensive public relations campaign project, students will understand and practice the multifaceted and strategic nature of public relations. The course involves case studies, group problem-solving, writing, production and client relations work.