Mass Communication English Mass Communication Political Science Proposed Criminal Justice & Forensic Science Curriculum Social Work Sociology DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION MISSION: The mission of the Department of Mass Communication is to educate students to be ethical, credible, accountable, fair and well-rounded media professionals capable of competing internationally in a rapidly changing industry with integrity, while embracing life-long learning as a means to enhance their career goals. VISION: To impart in graduates of the Department of Mass Communication the ability to promote freedom of the press, gather and disseminate information with truth, accuracy, impartiality, with the objective of enhancing public understanding. GOALS: The goals of the Mass Communication Program are to: Prepare graduates to actively and effectively perform and compete in a rapidly changing global industry. Increase students’ knowledge and understanding of the mass communication process and the mass media industries. Develop in students an understanding of the current trends in the mass communication industry and how the organizational and economic nature of the industry shapes the content provided to audiences. Enable students to be independent and critical professional communicators capable of analyzing the roles and effects of the media on society; the impact of media on public policy; as well as the impact of public policy on the media. Challenge students to develop ethical stances in the changing communication environment based on a sound communication industry. Ensure that students acquire a reasonable level of training in the technical skills and competence required in the mass communication industry. Teach students to be more media literate consumers of media content in an increasingly mass mediated world. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The curriculum of the department aims to educate and prepare graduates to actively perform and compete by providing education in a broad spectrum of subjects. Courses are designed to improve reporting and writing skills; develop an understanding of how media systems operate in the market place; as well as learning the legal and ethical issues that arise in the media industry and how these issues impact success or failure. Emphasis is also placed on the examination of the effects of the global media and how major media systems report and analyze the news; the role that communication and the media can play in achieving national development; as well as the impact the media has on individuals and society through research. This program provides excellent preparation for graduate school and a career in the world’s fastest growing industry. Requirements for Degree in Mass Communication (Broadcast) Total Credit Hours 135 General Education Credit Hours 47 College Requirement Credit Hours 18 Core Requirement Credit Hours 43 Electives Total Credit Hours 9 Minor Credit Hours 18 EDITORIAL, COMMENTARY & FEATURE WRITING COMM 313/303 EDITORIAL, COMMENTARY & FEATURE WRITING COMM 313/303 Credit Hours: 3This course provides students with an overview of the opinion function of the news media. Focus will be placed on editorial writing, the newspaper editorial/opinion columns, letters from readers and broadcast commentary. It will also include the study of non-fiction newspaper and magazine feature articles with emphasis on locating subjects writing techniques and practice in article writing. COMMUNICATION SEMINAR COMM 300 COMMUNICATION SEMINAR COMM 300 Credit Hours: 1Communication 300 is a tool to expose Mass Communication students to the practical concept of a seminar-style of learning. Students will be introduced to seminar practicum which is relevant to the local and global workings of media practitioners. There will be a heavy emphasis on writing and presentations throughout the course. The course is tilted towards honing students skills in practical research and debatable issues surrounding but may not be limited to legal and ethical issues and their ramifications on media practitioners, the role of the media in the enhancement of development MAGAZINE, WRITING & EDITING COMM 304 MAGAZINE, WRITING & EDITING COMM 304 Credit Hours: 3This course emphasizes the conception, definition, and scope of magazine writing. The course exposes students to advanced feature writing with the ability to edit articles that are worthy of publication. Special focus is placed on analytical magazine writing, design, and layout. TELECAST PRODUCTION AND DIRECTION COMM 307 TELECAST PRODUCTION AND DIRECTION COMM 307 Credit Hours: 3The study and practice of television studio full length production, newscasts, news magazines, commercials, public affairs show and creative production will allow a deeper perspective into the media field. This course is designed to enhance skill development in students with reference to lights and sound, camera operations, production and digital editing concepts NEWSPAPER DESIGN & LAYOUT COMM 315/313 NEWSPAPER DESIGN & LAYOUT COMM 315/313 Credit Hours: 3This course teaches students to understand the principles of presenting news and feature articles in an attractive way. It aims to give students an understanding of the commercial, stylistic, and organizational factors that influence page layout and design within the newspaper sector. Focus is on the basics of page layout, color, and how text works with pictures in creating page layouts for newspaper. Students need to be skilled in using relevant software programs that utilize a range of design and layout processes and techniques. COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT COMM 324/302 COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT COMM 324/302 Credit Hours: 3The objective of this course is to introduce students to the economic characteristics of the media industry and to help them develop an ability to analyze how economic forces drive the markets, the players, and their products. Discussions include the management of economic and legal protections for intellectual properties through copyrights, patents, and trademarks in relation to the geographical indications on both national and international levels. The course also covers discussions of economic protections for such indigenous intellectual properties as: indigenous knowledge, science, and biotechnology; traditional folklore; traditional artifacts; and indigenous performing arts. DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATIONS COMM 418/402 DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATIONS COMM 418/402 Credit Hours: 3This course introduces students to the role that communication and the media can play in achieving national development. Students are introduced to the changing viewpoints on the role of communication in development, from the old development paradigm to more recent approaches. Students are also taught to identify approaches to development communication that are relevant to the developing world INTERNSHIP COMM 430/405 INTERNSHIP COMM 430/405 Credit Hours: 3 The purpose of the internship is to prepare students for the challenges and realities of the job market through practical participation in field issues, techniques, and applications. The course focuses on various aspects of mass media: journalism, broadcasting, intellectual property, etc. TECHNOLOGY IN COMMUNICATION I COMM 203 /215 TECHNOLOGY IN COMMUNICATION I COMM 203 /215 Credit Hours: 3This course is designed to introduce learners to the techniques, equipment, and modern tools used in the field of journalism in the contemporary global society. It focuses on the principles as well as the application of technology to the field of mass communication. Here, emphasis is placed on the required level of technical know-how needed to operate in the communication industry. Specific attention is placed on key aspects of operating in the internet age. The use of modern equipment in the execution of the duties of modern media practitioners will be fully explored. The course combines theory and practices intended to expose learners to the real world. TECHNOLOGY IN COMMUNICATION II COMM 204 /216 TECHNOLOGY IN COMMUNICATION II COMM 204 /216 Credit Hours: 3This course is designed as a follow up to Communication 215 (formally Communication 210), Technology in Communication I, with the difference being that it placed 80% of its attention to providing the practical learning techniques and facilitates on site experience for students and 20% classroom theoretical learning procedure. It is intended to introduce learners to the techniques, and principles as well as the application of technology to the field of mass communication. It places emphasis on the required level of technical know-how needed to operate in the global communication industry. Specific attention will be placed on key aspects of operating in the internet age. Basic Microsoft office suite and the use of Microsoft publisher will form part of this course. The use of modern equipment in the execution of the duties of modern media practitioners will be fully explored. INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION COMM 211/201 INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION COMM 211/201 Credit Hours: 3The primary objective of this course is to develop students’ media literacy. This course covers all segments or mediums of mass communications: print, broadcast, internet, public speaking, creative writing, etc. It emphasizes the essential nature of the field and how it functions in a democratic society. The course is designed to foster a systematic study of how the field of communications is based upon and interrelated with other disciplines, such as culture, history, politics, sociology, law, business, and education. Included are discussions on how intellectual property protection issues intricately tie together the fields of economics, law, and communications. Students will also be introduced to the basic differences between an administrative approach and a critical approach in everyday operation, and how to strike a balance between the two. NEWS GATERING, WRITING & REPORTING COMM 222/202 NEWS GATERING, WRITING & REPORTING COMM 222/202 Credit Hours: 3This course provides students with basic components of newspaper journalism and develops students’ skills that are necessary for gathering and writing news articles prior to publishing them. Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of journalism; accuracy, newsworthiness, deadlines, objectivity, and fairness. The course sharpens the observation, analytical, and basic news writing skills which are essential in this course. BROADCAST WRITING, VOICE & REPORTING COMM 240/206 BROADCAST WRITING, VOICE & REPORTING COMM 240/206 Credit Hours: 3Students are introduced to both radio and television journalism training in this course. Lectures aim to prepare students who wish to pursue a career in these industries. Students experience realistic, hands-on production in the AMEU radio/TV station. Students are expected to improve their voice quality and their diction, and are taught the core production skills necessary to get stories on air. Focus will be on assessing students’ announcing skills, plus their skills in find stories, judging them, and presenting them in the most effective manner. Students are expected to generate their own stories during the course and to learn to construct their own radio and television features. INTERVIEW & WRITING TECHNIQUES COMM 241/207 INTERVIEW & WRITING TECHNIQUES COMM 241/207 Credit Hours: 2This is an introductory course that emphasis the conceptual definition and scope of interview techniques for the print medium. It exposes students to practical methods, such as planning questions, selecting a location, choosing the medium, deciding on goals, etc. The course gives students a basic understanding of news interviewing, sourcing, feature writing, and investigative reporting. Students will be required to write their own news stories or features, and will be graded both on the quality of their written stories and on their participation in class discussions. NEWS REPORTING AND WRITING COMM 311/301 NEWS REPORTING AND WRITING COMM 311/301 Credit Hours: 3In view of the fact that writing is a core competence for communicators, this course is designed to help students learn how to write for the print media, particularly newspapers. Emphasis will be placed on clarity, consciousness and accuracy, which are also required in radio are television news. Students will be taught the basic format and style used by news writers, issues relating to questions of good taste, ethics and responsibilities, and communication law. PHOTO JOURNALISM COMM 325/309 PHOTO JOURNALISM COMM 325/309 Credit Hours: 3This course teaches students how to become a photojournalist and the crucial techniques involved in creating the stories that could change the world. Students are taught to identify suitable topics or events for photography, photograph subjects under available light conditions and write captions to accompany their work. Emphasis will be placed more on training photographers to create an image by focusing more on a likely series of images that are designed to illustrate a news story rather than the found image itself. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING COMM 330/306 PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING COMM 330/306 Credit Hours: 3This course is an introductory course to the field of public relations and advertising. It will introduce students to the theory, methods and ethics of public relations and advertising in modern society, business and communications. Students will be introduced to the influencing of public opinion through acceptable performance and two-way communication as well as the role of advertising in modern society with emphasis being given to the extent and manner of use of advertising in newspaper, magazines, radio, television and other media. SCRIPTWRITING FOR BROADCASTERS COMM 333/305 SCRIPTWRITING FOR BROADCASTERS COMM 333/305 Credit Hours: 3The course is meant to teach aspiring broadcast or cross-platform journalists how to write, how to craft the language, and how to be effective storytellers using all the technologies available, without letting the technology drive the process. Technology has changed and will continue to change and technological advancements have affected how news is covered. However, the need to be an effective storyteller has not changed and will not; as such, regardless of what the tools are those who use the tools to impart interesting information, will always have a place in journalism MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS COMM 360/308 MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS COMM 360/308 Credit Hours: 3This course develops an understanding and appreciation of broad-based legal, economic, moral, and ethical issues within the scope of mass media: journalism; broadcasting; creative writing; performing arts; graphic designs; theoretical, technical, business and economic designs; indigenous knowledge, science, public performances, scientific knowledge, medical formulas, agricultural innovations, etc. It teaches the fundamental branches, definitions, concepts, principles, scope, and applications of intellectual property protection of created products and productions concerning copyrights, geographical indications, and rationale of patents, trademarks, and industrial designs. Students will study the rights, protections, and legal remedies against infringements and piracy. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COMM 401 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COMM 401 Credit Hours: 3Technical convergence has changed the media by blurring boundaries between previously separate industries that now operate on converged platforms that have made the media global. This course introduces students to convergence and the role that the internet has played in the organization of the media. It also examines the effects of the global media and how major media systems report and analyze the news. Other topics include old and new media, the state of the media and the regulation of the international media. MEDIA RESEARCH AND THESIS METHODS COMM 403 MEDIA RESEARCH AND THESIS METHODS COMM 403 Credit Hours: 3Media have effects that are often unnoticeable. There is often a lot of disagreement about what those effects are, but media do have effects that we attempt to understand through mass communication theory and research. This course introduces students to the impact that media has had on individuals and society. The history of media research is examined as well as has the current theories about media impact and some of the controversies surrounding other research and theory. The course is also intended to introduce students to research organization and the principles of research design, thereby readying them for the preparation and defense of a senior research paper. SENIOR RESEARCH PAPER COMM 406 SENIOR RESEARCH PAPER COMM 406 Credit Hours: 3This course is based on individual research and scholarly investigation under faculty supervision leading to the preparation of senior research project. Students will select one of three options to demonstrate their understanding of communication theories and practices: (1) A traditional research paper; (2) A research paper that builds on students’ internship or work experience; (3) A major creative project. In all options, a major component for evaluation is the student’s ability to conduct research and analysis.
