JOUR159     SPECIAL TOPICS:  FIRST YEAR STUDENT SEMINAR

1 sh

The first year seminar is designed to introduce the student to the culture and mission of the university within the context of an academic discipline of choice.  The course will explore the purpose of one's college education and provide the student an opportunity to become engaged with the academic field of interest.  The student will be introduced to basic college learning and study skills in the context of the content area.  Through ample class discussion of common readings, the student will engage in active learning.  Common co-curricular activities and the incorporation of a peer mentor component will facilitate the first year student's connection with fellow students and faculty in the university community.  Restricted to first semester, first year students.

JOUR190     NEWS WRITING

3 sh

Covers the fundamentals of writing the news for print journalism.  Stress is placed on style, grammar, and note-taking skills for journalists.  In addition to writing news, students will learn to use a computer-assisted word processing program.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

3 sh

JOUR205     COMPUTER MEDIATED WRITING

3 sh

Students will use techniques of computer word-processing and other applications to compose sophisticated written documents.  Primary focus is on using computers to improve design, composition, editing, and revision skills.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100, COMP150 or an equivalent course, or permission of the instructor.

JOUR210     LEGAL WRITING

3 sh

Writing and correctly citing legal briefs, memoranda and letters constitute the primary content.  Considerable attention given to grammar, style and organization.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100 or permission of the instructor.

JOUR215     SPORTS BROADCASTING

3 sh

Examination of the industry, history, practice, ethics and theory of sports broadcasting.  Particular attention given to sportscasts, play-by-play and color commentaries and production techniques.  Restrictions:  Satisfaction of the general education requirement in both composition and speech or permission of the instructor.

JOUR290     NEWS REPORTING

3 sh

An introduction to the practical knowledge and skills used in reporting news.  Students will build upon news writing skills developed in JOUR190 by concentrating on the use of news gathering techniques, including research and interviewing.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190.

JOUR292     PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING

3 sh

A study of the psychology, sociology, economics, and philosophy of advertising with special reference to planning, production, and testing of copy.  The course focuses on the role and impact of advertising on society.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

JOUR295     BROADCAST JOURNALISM:  RADIO

3 sh

The development of skills in reporting and writing for radio.  Use of cassette and tape cartridge machines, and manual and electronic editing are introduced.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190.

3 sh

Presents the writing techniques students need to communicate simply and effectively for the media about science, environment, health and medical topics.  Prerequisite:  JOUR290 or permission of instructor.

JOUR305     TELEVISION CRITICISM

3 sh

A survey of contemporary critical methods used to examine the aesthetic and sociological aspects of television.  Extensive reading in critical literature is supplemented by analyses of selected television programs.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190.

JOUR310     BROADCAST JOURNALISM:  TELEVISION

3 sh

Development of skills in reporting, writing, and assembling visual materials for television news. Use of studio and portable cameras, microphones, and electronic editing equipment.  Prerequisite:  JOUR295.

JOUR315     CORPORATE VIDEO PRODUCTION

3 sh

An introduction to the planning and production of video programs for business, industry, and nonprofit institutions.  Focus is on the use of video as a promotions tool in the business sector.  Recommended for students with an interest in public relations.  Prerequisite:  JOUR295.

JOUR318     VIDEO WORKSHOP

3 sh

An introduction to the basic principles and skills associated with effective television performance.  The course emphasizes those skills necessary for practicing television journalists.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190.

JOUR320     RADIO WORKSHOP

3 sh

A workshop providing direct practical experience in radio.  Develops skills in producing dramatic musical productions as well as commercials and Public Service Announcement's.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

JOUR328     HUMANITIES SEMINAR:  TOPICS IN MASS COMMUNICATION

3 sh

A thematic or topical approach to mass communication texts, practices, or policies with emphasis on analysis, synthesis, and critique.  Topics might include, among others, the media and terrorism, media effects and consequences, comparative study of international news processes, trends and issues in photojournalism, and media representation of disability, ethnicity, and age.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100 or permission of instructor.

JOUR340     ADVERTISING DESIGN

3 sh

Advertisements that can be designed on a computer constitute the content of the course.  Enticement, composition, and impact form the three theoretical areas upon which advertising design will focus.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190.

JOUR369     INTERNSHIP

TBA

Students can take internships in any area of journalism or mass communication.  These areas include newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, book publishers, public relations offices, and advertising agencies.  Prerequisite:  60 sh and a minimum 2.5 GPA.

JOUR370     TOPICS IN JOURNALISM 

3 sh

A topical approach to applied journalism practice designed to explore specialized knowledge and skill pertinent to the work of media practitioners.  Topics might include, among others, business news, education news, agricultural public relations, television directing, concepts of computer graphics for print and broadcast, and desktop publishing.  Prerequisite:  JOUR290 or permission of instructor

JOUR390     FEATURE WRITING

3 sh

Focus is on writing issue-oriented features and personality profiles.  Attention given to structure, style, and content of features and to various ways to begin and end features.  Also discussed are techniques of fiction writing that can be applied to features.  Prerequisite:  ENGL110, JOUR190, or HONR111.

JOUR391     SPORTS WRITING

3 sh

A workshop providing direct practical experience in sports writing.  Focus is on news gathering and writing techniques.  Attention also given to ethics, business and financial aspects of sports, sports columns, investigative sports writing, sports features, and the history of sports writing.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

JOUR393     NEWS EDITING

3 sh

Editing copy and designing news pages and news programs constitute the core of this course.  In addition, some attention will be given to the elements of typography and computer usage in the newsroom.  Prerequisites:  ENGL100 (or HONR111) and JOUR190

3 sh

A workshop providing direct practice experience in magazine writing.  Researching, writing, and marketing professional magazine articles of various kinds.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190

JOUR450     OPINION WRITING

3 sh

Writing opinion in the form of editorials and reviews.  For editorial writing, the course will use a critical thinking model to analyze social issues; for review writing, it will focus on aesthetic issues in various art forms.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190 or permission of the instructor.

JOUR488     CASE STUDIES IN PUBLIC RELATIONS

3 sh

A case study approach to examine concrete public relations settings and situations that illustrate the possibilities and limitations of public relations effectiveness.  Students explore the range of strategies that businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies have adopted in varied circumstances and learn how to assess the practical and ethical implications of these strategic choices thus developing an effective public relations management perspective.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100 and 60 credits or permission of instructor.

JOUR493     TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED REPORTING

3 sh

An examination of new media technologies that are used to communicate journalistic information about the public sector of society.  The primary focus is on using the internet to gather publicly available information and write news reports about government, corporations, labor, science, medicine, and education.  Prerequisite:  JOUR190.

JOUR495     PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING

3 sh

Writing news releases, annual reports, speeches, two-fold brochures, radio scripts, sports backgrounders, print advertisements, and political papers forms the center of this course.  In addition, designing newsletters and fund raising packets is considered.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

JOUR496     ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT

3 sh

Acquaints students with the major phases involved in the development of an advertising campaign, from market research, creative copy writing and advertising design, to media placement and the testing of advertising effectiveness.  Students examine and critique specific advertising campaigns and construct a campaign for a specific client as a major course project.  Prerequisite:  JOUR292 or permission of instructor.

JOUR499     INDEPENDENT STUDY

MCOM100     INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION

3 sh

A study of the process of communication on the personal, group, and mass levels, and a survey and analysis of the basic communication process and techniques as applied to various situations through various media. Meets the general education speech requirement.

MCOM150     INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION

3 sh

Survey of mass communication with emphasis on historical development, economic structure, organization, function, language, culture, and the effects of the media in society today.  The course will also focus, to a lesser degree, on the differences between mass communication and other forms of communication.

MCOM205     SUPERVISED COMMUNICATION PRACTICUM

3 sh

The primary focus is upon pre-professional communication praxis.  Close supervision by journalism and mass communication faculty members is required to ensure a high quality field experience.  Prerequisites:  JOUR190, 32 sh, and permission of journalism committee.

3 sh

Surveys dominant theories in interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication. Emphasis is placed on both establishing frameworks that provide a contest for each theory and demonstrating how theories help illustrate the process of communication in applied settings.  Prerequisites:  MCOM100, SPCH100, SPCH102, SPCH103, or SPCH104

MCOM210     GENDER AND THE MASS MEDIA

3 sh

An exploration of  significant issues and representational practices concerning the relationship among women, men, and the mass media.  Students will examine the sociological, historical, and cultural construction of gender and the influence of the media upon these processes.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

MCOM215     THE MOVIES LOOK AT THE MEDIA PROFESSIONS

3 sh

Encourage students to think critically about the media professions - journalism, advertising, public relations, and the entertainment industries - by watching and analyzing movies about them.  Students will compare these filmic representations with scholarly and critical readings that explore how media professionals and others view the work that they do.  Prerequisites:  MCOM150.

MCOM220     COMMUNICATING CRIMINAL PROCEDURES

3 sh

Communicating through the mass media the impact of procedures most commonly followed when an accused enters the criminal justice system.  Emphasis is placed on determining what the public needs to know about criminal procedures and how to communicate that to a mass audience so  informed citizens in a democracy can make rational decisions.

Focuses on the basics of research in the field of communication.  Through reading, class discussion, lecture, exercises and assignments, students will explore how to write a professional, academic or business research proposal.  In addition, students will critically analyze others' research.  Restrictions upon student registration:  two writing emphasis courses.

3 sh

This course will examine current and recent cinema, critically evaluating films of all kinds.  These will include products of the American film industry, independent, documentary, and experimental films, films made for television and video-cassette, and foreign films released in this country.  Prerequisite:  Intro to Film or Mass Media or permission of instructor

3 sh

This course will focus on writings of travelers, largely to non-Western countries, from the late 19th century to the present.  The course will look at issues of race, gender, and class as well as writing styles.  Students may choose to either write a critical paper about a particular travel writer or work on a travel diary for a trip they have taken.  Prerequisite: ENGL 100.

MCOM328     HUMANITIES SEMINAR:  INTRODUCTION TO FILM

3 sh

An introduction to cinema as an art form.  The seminar will screen outstanding films of the past and present, discuss and write about the films, and read screenplays and critical studies.  Principal objective of the course is to increase students' understanding and appreciation of film.

MCOM328     HUMANITIES SEMINAR:  MEDIA LITERACY

3 sh

This seminar introduces students to critical analysis of the range of mass media messages that have potential to influence individuals, social groups, and society as a whole.  The course explores media influences on our ideas, our values, and our use of time and money.

MCOM328     HUMANITIES SEMINAR:  RELIGION AND THE MASS MEDIA

3 sh

Understanding the sociological, political, historical and economic impact of organized religion in a multicultural society and evaluating the reporting of it in the mass media forms the theoretical basis of this course.  Based on this understanding, students will write news stories about religious leaders, groups, movements and issues.

MCOM330     CULTURAL STUDIES IN MASS COMMUNICATION

3 sh

An examination of the issues of access and representation in the mass media.  Of central interest are the constraints and possibilities for change in the media industries’ structures, practices, and relationships with social change coalitions concerned about gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and other markers of cultural identity.  Prerequisite:  MCOM150 and 60 credits or permission of instructor.

MCOM392     DOCUMENTARY FILM

3 sh

A study of the art and development of non-fiction film, examining the major documentary film movements and filmmakers.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

MCOM400     COMMUNICATION CAPSTONE SEMINAR

3 sh

Designed to use a workshop format to address communication theories, communication issues as they relate to the public, and practical applications.  Students will read, discuss and analyze various communication theories, develop a major research project and a professional portfolio, and explore current issues affecting the industry, including the impact of emerging technologies and matters of professional ethics and responsibility.  Topics will be addressed from the perspective of the student's major emphasis. Prerequisite:  MCOM330 or a 300-level speech course

MCOM491     PROPAGANDA AND PUBLIC OPINION

3 sh

A detailed study of propaganda and public opinion from World War II to the present.  Special emphasis is given to the media of propaganda.  The course also focuses on propaganda strategies in industrial and non-industrial countries.   Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

MCOM494     COMMUNICATION LAW AND ETHICS

3 sh

A detailed study of First Amendment law as it affects the press, and a survey of broadcast regulations.  Students explore the relationships of law and ethics and examine and discuss ethical problems and practices.  Prerequisite:  ENGL100.

MCOM499     INDEPENDENT STUDY

3 sh