This course is designed to offer a broad appreciation of all types of media, and an understanding of how media shapes and reflects our culture. The course will examine the impact of books, newspapers, magazines, movies, radio, TV and the Internet. The course will also cover advertising and public relations and how these industries are used in mass media to shape consumer perceptions and behaviors.

The media writing course is designed to develop students’ communication writing skills and styles in an effort to communicate with and reach diverse audiences. The course includes an overview of basic rules for becoming a better writer, journalistic writing with an emphasis on Associated Press style, and a comprehensive look at the types of writing assignments that communications professionals use to communicate with diverse audiences.

This course provides students the opportunity to master skills within lower-level coursework as determined by faculty advisors. Students may take this course with permission by the Department Chair.

Studying media ethics is central to understanding the pervasive nature that media play in our lives and the impact that the decisions of media practitioners have on society. Ethics play an integral role in every decision we make – from content creation to audience selection. This course begins with a discussion of traditional moral theory and ethical philosophies and applies them to modern-day issues in 21st century media. Topics include truth in media, privacy, social justice, framing the news and current events, media ownership, stereotyping and representation in film, television and advertising, as well as communications law, the Internet and digital media. Media literacy will be a central theme throughout the course and students will be presented with case studies about events and issues and will examine the decisions and implications on society. Ultimately, students are encouraged to become active users of media and, ultimately, content creators whose diverse, equitable and inclusive lens can create actionable change in society.

This course provides a historical survey and analysis of the current and future trends in the development of the media-related law in America. Students explore media-related ethical theories and the law in current issues, case studies, and problem-solving scenarios. Students explore the moral philosophies that govern such concerns as royalties, copyright infringement, libel, and intellectual property.

This course focuses on the communication between an individual or organization and the public to promote public acceptance and approval. Students explore traditional and emerging components of the public relations process through mass media, as well as the needs of different types of businesses, such as corporations, nonprofit organizations, and government offices.

This course is designed to introduce students to mass media research including equipping students with the tools needed to develop a strategic communications plan including execution and evaluation. The primary focus of the class is on using research for advertising and public relations campaigns. Students will learn about the various types of research, research methods – content analysis, focus groups, in-depth interviews, surveys and experiments – and gain experience with the statistical methods most often used to analyze data.

This course will provide students with an understanding of how goals, audience, and metrics define a strategic approach to online communication and how specific channels, platforms, and tactics are used to achieve that strategy. The course will also focus on the key components of planning and creating an effective inbound strategy to reach an organization's audience.

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts, strategies, tactics and procedures of influencer marketing - a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers. Course topics will include how to evaluate and decide when and how to work with influencers and how to leverage their social proof to reach your brand’s following.

This course covers the fundamentals of advertising, beginning with the history and evolution of advertising as an element in the economy, a specialized form of communication, a craft, and an area of ethical sensitivity. At the practical level, students will be introduced to media planning and the emergence of new media, market research, agency organization and creativity as well as the legal and ethical concerns that advertising professionals must bear in mind.

Advertising is all about spends: media spends, agency fees, and production expenses. In this course, students will be exposed to the wide array of costs associated with advertising. We’ll take a look at what comprises freelance and agency rate structures; how media is planned, placed, and compensated for; and how production costs and billing structures can be approached. This course will further expose the business side of advertising through developing an understanding of building viable scopes, budgets and timelines that are economically sound for both the agency and the client.

Special topics in strategic communication.

This course explores the opportunities and special demands of digital media in the business and promotion of public relations and PR campaigns. Students are taught the techniques of using blogging, social networking and advanced web technology in the promotion and publicizing of public relations clients.

This course emphasizes the factors of information content, creativity, and persuasion in a way that relates specifically to the practice of Public Relations. Students will receive guidance in the preparation of written materials that adhere to high standards of truth and information value, engage and interest the public(s), and take an advocacy stance in support of the originating organization's goals and objectives. These qualities of writing will be fostered for use both in the new media of websites and social media as well as in the traditional media of printed materials, news releases, speeches, letters, multi-media presentations, fact sheets, etc. Public Relations writing's association with marketing and advertising will also be explored.

This course is designed to help you better understand the role and practice of media relations and messaging in the private and public sector. Whether working in corporate, non-profit or governmental organizations, students will learn to research media and reporters, develop messages, build strategic media plans, generate media coverage, serve as spokespersons, handle crisis situations, and use digital media strategies to achieve the desired goals.

This course studies real-life public relations cases and campaigns with discussions on why some campaigns succeed and others fail. Special attention is given to contemporary cases and to development of the tools necessary for effective campaigns including the importance of research, objectives, programming and planning.

Non-Profit Marketers wear many hats. In this day and age, non-profit marketers need to have a variety of skills to fulfill their role, and the outcomes that are needed. They are one of the main ways that an organization reaches its audiences. It includes: public relations, advertising, special event planning, social media, and consumer relationship building. This course will examine how organizations use their marketers to publicize who they are, their mission, and reach donors.

This course is designed to address the concepts and functions of health communication. Upon completion, students will have created a strategic health communication plan that can be used by a local organization to address the organization’s stakeholders to increase behaviors that lead to positive health outcomes and decrease those that are adverse to their well-being.

Events are a very important strategy utilized by PR practitioners. This class will examine every aspect of event planning – from research and planning to contracts and budgets. Whether a practitioner is working with members of an internal or external audience, event planning will always be a useful tactic to build community, awareness and influence behavior. Students will also learn to promote events through both traditional and social media.

This course will focus on the communication professional’s role and responsibilities during a crisis. This class will in equal parts address what constitutes a crisis, which stakeholders are impacted during a crisis, how to manage the crisis and what happens when the crisis is “over.” During a crisis, time is of the essence. Thus, students will be presented with several crisis scenarios throughout the class and will be asked to address them preparing them to aid in providing strategic counsel in crisis situations.

This course will teach students how to think critically when developing digital content for different online channels and platforms, including long-form writing, short-form copy and headlines, images, infographics, and long-form videos and short clips.

This course will take a deeper look at developing metrics, reporting tactics, and evaluating results of digital media and marketing communication campaigns. Students will have hands-on access to multiple platforms that track performance on different channels (social, paid media, email, etc.) and will analyze and report results.

This course is designed to present how customer relationship management (CRM) software is used to manage customer and audience relationships with digital media and marketing communication strategies, campaigns, and tactics. Students will learn and evaluate different CRM and engagement database platforms and develop strategies, tactics, and processes to help manage relationships with an organization’s customers, constituents, and audience.

This course will present the basic principles of Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, and Paid Media. It will focus on both creative and technical applications and strategies guided by industry research and best practices. Students will have hands-on access to the platforms available to research, build, and measure digital media effectiveness across platforms.

This course will prepare students for the advancement review through advising and portfolio preparation. Students are expected to take this course as a pre-requisite or concurrently with MDES 3240 PR Case Studies or MDES 2210 Media Research.

This course is designed to expose students to the ways in which an advertising agency functions, specifically how work flows through it and how various roles impact agency output. Working and collaborating with others is part and parcel of the strategic communications industry and understanding the process will help students understand the value that each member of the team brings to the campaign’s success. Exploring the role that both the traffic and production departments play in an agency or campaign setting will further students’ grasp of the dynamic between the various departments.

This course is designed to introduce students to the foundations of building memorable brands and effective campaigns. We’ll address the core values of brand development, from brand creation to rebrands; as well as building and maintaining relationships with the consumer, while managing client expectations. Students will examine the elements involved in campaign development from planning and budgeting, to executing and managing campaigns. This course sits on the line where creativity and feasibility meet: how to tell a story in its most effective and authentic way, while accounting for not only budgets and timelines, but where and how that message could be best received – thus maximizing reach, repetition and relevancy of dollars spent.

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts, strategies, tactics and procedures of media planning and buying. Course topics will include how to evaluate and decide where and when to buy and place advertisements to achieve an organization or clients’ marketing, advertising and media objectives.

This course provides students the opportunity to master skills within upper-level coursework as determined by faculty advisors. Students may take this course with permission by the Department Chair.

This course is designed to emulate an agency in which students in the Media + Design program will come together to produce a campaign that includes conducting research, developing a plan, implementing strategies and tactics and measuring campaign success for real-world clients. This capstone course will provide students with the ability to put into practice the skills they learned throughout their coursework and create compelling portfolio works.

An internship is a hands-on experience in a professionally supervised environment to further students knowledge and skills within real-world context. B.A. candidates will spend at least 100 hours working and documenting their output in the Media and Design industries directly related to their academic major. Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of Review.

This course will focus on the role and responsibilities of the corporate communications function and the integral nature of the corporate stakeholders. Understanding the role that stakeholders – individuals or groups who have a shared interest in the success or failure of a business such as employees, customers, shareholders, local community, society, media, etc. – is critical in the entire process. In this course, students will come to understand the role that corporate communicators play.

This class is designed to assist students in the development of their professional portfolios. This course and the creation of portfolios will position students for their career opportunities after graduation. Students will curate work from their courses and/or internships to produce professional-level portfolios that reflect mastery of strategy and tactical execution. The course will also include a focus on resume development and professional networking. Professionals in the respective industries will evaluate student portfolios against the highest industry standards and students will be expected to present their portfolios at the end of the semester. Prerequisite(s): By permission of Department Chair.

This course will provide a hands-on, applied learning experience using digital media and marketing communications automation software suites. Students will work in groups with real-life companies and organizations to create, implement and analyze the effectiveness of their digital media and marketing communication campaign. Peers, faculty, and other industry experts will evaluate and judge the performance of the group’s plan and results.

Building on the Principles of Advertising, this course requires students to develop and present advertising campaigns that involve organizing research, establishing goals and objectives, developing creative and messaging strategies, and preparing budgets similar to what advertising agencies do on a daily basis. The projects will provide a greater mastery of advertising principles and provide students with completed projects for their portfolio.

Building on the Advertising Studio 1, this course requires students to continue to develop and execute strategic advertising campaigns for real-world clients that includes research, planning, implementation and evaluation. The establishing goals and objectives, developing creative and messaging strategies, and preparing budgets similar to what advertising agencies do on a day-to-day basis. The projects will provide a greater mastery of advertising principles and provide completed projects for their portfolio.

This studio course explores the interdisciplinary opportunities of the media and design industry by creating a real-world multi-media campaign for the American Advertising Federation National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) client. This course is by application only.

This course explores special topics with the Media & Design field. The student will work one-on-one with the faculty member to create portfolio ready works in a concept-driven environment. The independent study may be taken twice for credit if the topics vary.