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Graduate Course Descriptions
Graduate Courses Offered:
5155 Teaching Techniques in Mass Communication. (1-0) Required of, and open only to, graduate teaching and instructional assistants as a condition of employment. This course provides training and planned periodic evaluations of instructional responsibilities. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Graded on a credit (CR), no-credit (F) basis.
5255 Teaching Techniques in Mass Communication. (2-0) Required of, and open only to, graduate teaching and instructional assistants as a condition of employment. This course provides training and planned periodic evaluations of instructional responsibilities. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Graded on a credit (CR), no-credit (F) basis.
5301 Mass Media and Society. (3-0) A seminar devoted to analysis and discussion of significant contemporary issues in mass communication, including a study of the history of the development of mass communication media.
5302 Research Methods in Mass Communication. (3-0) Investigation of the tools and techniques of both qualitative and quantitative research methods used in the study of mass communication, including surveys, content analysis, experimental designs and case studies.
5303 Theories of Mass Communication. (3-0) Examination of the literature of mass communication theory and discussion of theoretical approaches and models.
5304 Special Topics in Mass Communication. (3-0) Seminar examining leading work in and about mass communication to give students an in-depth study of special topics. May be repeated for credit up to four times when topics change. Prerequisite: Consent of graduate advisor.
5304L Seminar in Visual Communication. (3-0) This course examines the principles, theories, and language of visual communication, with emphasis on evaluating and using images in mass media. Through a semester-long team project, students will investigate, study, and summarize the various principles and theories of visual communication.
5304P Media Writing. (3-0) This course is designed to impart media writing skills. Students will learn information gathering and interviewing skills, and narrative techniques pertinent to different mass media. Emphasis may vary. Course may be repeated with different emphasis.
5304Q Strategic Communication Campaigns. (3-0) A comprehensive study of strategic communication campaign planning with emphasis on public relations and advertising. Students will combine theory and practice to develop, coordinate and evaluate advertising/public relations campaigns for key audiences. Prerequisite: Seminar in Advertising and Public Relations.
5304R Documentaries for Digital Media. (3-0) Discussion, development and analysis of documentary video and digital media. Students will explore electronic media techniques used in writing and producing features, documentaries, and related programming. Designed for the novice student with emphasis on pre-and-post-production activities from research to final project.
5304T Health Communication Campaigns. (3-0) Provides an overview of the theory and practice of designing, producing and evaluating health-communication campaigns. Examines persuasive approaches to behavioral change as well as audience, message and channel factors in health-campaign development. Emphasizes communication approaches, including mass media, social networking and new media.
5304U Music Marketing and Media. (3-0) This course integrates all areas of marketing management and relates media and marketing activities to the other functional areas of the music business, including music publishing, live entertainment, recording companies, and production. Strategic planning and analytical procedures for marketing managerial decisions and their relation with the media will be emphasized.
5304V Current Issues in Mass Communication. (3-0) This course examines current theoretical and professional issues in mass communication. This course may be repeated once with a different emphasis for credit.
5307 Project. (3-0) A major communication effort, the purpose of which is to demonstrate command of the skills necessary to work at advanced levels in mass communication. For example, it may be broadcast documentary, advertising or public relations campaign, or a newspaper series. Prerequisite: Completed course work.
5308 Seminar in Advertising and Public Relations. (3-0) This course analyzes advertising and public relations issues using an integrated communication framework. Students are introduced to the advertising and public relations decision-making process, learn what problems real organizations experience and evaluate how they resolve issues in such areas as client-agency relationships, strategic planning/management, globalization, channel integration, cyber marketing, evaluation, etc.
5309 Gender, Race, and Class and the Media. (3-0) This course takes a theoretical approach to the study of representations of gender, race, and class in the mass media and the lives of the media professionals who belong to marginalized groups. A historical overview will be followed by an in-depth look at current conditions.
5310 International Communication Issues. (3-0) This course examines the media systems worldwide in different socioeconomic contexts and studies the patterns of international information flow. The course includes theories governing international communication. Students learn how and why communication takes place between different nations and the impact of this communication on individual nations.
5311 Independent Study. (3-0) Study of a special interest that offers academic or professional improvement and growth in the field of Mass Communication. May be repeated once with different emphasis for additional credit.
5312 Online Media Design. (3-0) This course will instruct students in Web development and design and address the appropriate usage of text, graphics, sound and video on mass communication sites. The class will also address social and theoretical implications of technology, such as the digital divide, cyberlaw, e-commerce, and Web credibility and accessibility.
5313 Media Law. (3-0) Study of laws and regulations as they pertain to media operations and the internal and external codes that guide media behavior.
5314 Strategies in Media Management. (3-0) Analysis and discussion of issues involved in media ownership and operation, including monopoly and competition, labor relations, human resource management and staffing, the politics of workplace supervision, and market relations.
5315 Creative Problem Solving in Mass Communication. (3-0) This class examines the psychology of creativity and its application in mass communication to media management, broadcasting, advertising, and public relations. Students learn a variety of ideation techniques and structured creative problem solving methods to better understand their own creative thinking process, and how to facilitate creative thinking in groups.
5316 Seminar in New Media Technology Issues. (3-0) This course will examine the theories governing new media technologies such as the Internet, computers, cellular telephones and other digital technologies. Issues discussed will include convergence, digital divide, the role of communication in the new media environment, diffusion, and the impact of new media technologies on society and culture.
5317 Advanced Online Media. (3-0) Students will gain advanced skills in multimedia layout and design. Techniques include audio/video editing, Flash development, and database management as practiced in the communication disciplines. Theoretical and practical considerations of emerging technologies to the media industry will be integrated with production techniques. Prerequisite: MC 5312 or consent of instructor.
5318 Media Ethics. (3-0) The study of freedom and responsibilities of mass media practitioners and institutions, explored within the framework of ethical theories. Students will learn philosophical constructs as well as contemporary ethicists. Consideration of values, codes of ethics, moral development, professionalism, and institutional constraints as applied to media of information, persuasion, and entertainment.
5319 Mass Media and Politics. (3-0) The class will review key literature in the area of mass media and politics and engage in original research related to mass media and statewide, congressional and/or presidential elections. Class focus may vary by professor, e.g. Latinos in the United States.
5321 Latinos and Media. (3-0) An immersion into the study of Latinos, their representations in media, and media oriented to Latinos. The course will require students to engage in in-depth research about Latinos and media issues.
5322 International Advertising and Public Relations Issues. (3-0) This course examines multinational advertising and public relations organizations and how they function in a global marketplace. Students learn how these organizations serve specific client needs in increasingly complex societies and cultures.
5330 Internship in Mass Communication. (0-12) Students acquire on-the-job experience in an off-campus media setting where they can apply the skills and knowledge acquired through mass communication graduate course work. Requires 180 hours of work off-campus, a written report, and portfolio of work product. Graded on a credit (CR), no credit (F) basis. Prerequisite: Consent of the graduate advisor and internship coordinator.
5350 Foundations of Mass Communication. (3-0) This course may be taken only to fulfill mass communication background requirements. Students will acquire knowledge of mass communication necessary for advanced studies. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Repeatable with different emphasis. Prerequisites: Mass Communication major status and consent of graduate advisor.
5352 Editing for Clear Communication. (2-2) The course explores the role of editors in gate keeping and how writing varies by audience and medium. Designed to teach students how to edit using Associated Press style while focusing on accuracy, organization, language, logic, style, and meaning. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Repeatable with different emphasis. Prerequisites: Mass Communication major status and consent of graduate advisor.
5353 History of Mass Media. (3-0) Students will examine the growth and role of mass media in the United States from 1690 to the present in the context of the nation’s history. This course does not earn graduate degree credit. Repeatable with different emphasis. Prerequisites: Mass Communication major status and consent of graduate advisor.
5399A Thesis. (3-0) A scholarly study of communication behavior, the purpose of which is to broaden understanding of what mass media do, how they do it, and with what effects. It may be quantitative, historical or rely upon another appropriate methodology. No thesis credit is awarded until student has completed the thesis in MC 5399B. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis. Prerequisite: Completed course work.
5399B Thesis. (3-0) This course represents a student’s continuing thesis enrollment. The student continues to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Graded on a credit (CR), progress (PR), no-credit (F) basis. Prerequisite: MC5399A and completed course work.
7304 Special Topics in Mass Communication. (3-0) Topics vary and include the study of issues, theories, and research related to various areas of mass communication. Can be repeated for credit when topic changes. Prerequisite: Doctoral level standing.
7304A Seminar in Advertising and Public Relations. (3-0) Analysis and discussion of the development and role of advertising and public relations in the field of mass communication. Prerequisite: Doctoral level standing.
7304B International Communication. (3-0) A review of international communication theories and a critical examination of the world media systems and information flow patterns. Prerequisite: Doctoral level standing.
7311 Directed Research in Mass Communication. (3-0) Independent study of a specific mass communication research area. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit. Prerequisite: Doctoral level standing.
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