[1] Courses in Mass Communication (MCOM)

1300 MEDIA AND SOCIETY A required course for mass communication majors. Designed to give entering students in mass communication a comprehensive understanding of the mass media and their roles in contemporary society. The course provides a basic overview of the forms, history, structure, functions, and effects of the various media including both traditional and newer media technologies. Lecture. Fall, spring.

3122, 3222, 3322 DIRECTED STUDY IN COMMUNICATION An elective course for theatre majors, digital filmmaking majors, and mass communication majors with an emphasis in broadcast journalism, online journalism, or print journalism. Involves concentrated study of a topic or topics to be determined by individual student need. May be repeated for credit. May be used for honors studies with the consent of the department chair. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor. On demand.

3301 MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS A required course for mass communication majors with an emphasis in broadcast journalism, online journalism, or print journalism. Legal boundaries within which print and electronic professionals must operate and ethical issues in media careers. Prerequisite: MCOM 1300 or consent of instructor. Lecture. Fall Spring.

3302 MEDIA HISTORY An elective course for mass communication majors with an emphasis in broadcast journalism, online journalism, or print journalism. In-depth study of the development of American mass media. The treatments of major events in American history by the existing media will be discussed. The resultant effects on the media themselves will be analyzed. No prerequisite. Lecture. Spring.

3307 THEORIES OF MASS COMMUNICATION A required course for Journalism majors with Mass Communication Research emphasis and an elective for other majors in Journalism and Digital Filmmaking. Introduces to the students the major theories about mass media, focusing on those theories that have come to influence how we understand the relationship between media and society. Prerequisite: MCOM 1300. Spring and Fall.

3320 INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION RESEARCH METHODS This is a required course for Journalism majors with the Mass Communication Research emphasis and an elective for other Journalism emphases and Digital Filmmaking majors and minors. The course explores the tools and techniques of social scientific research used in the study of mass communication, including surveys, content analysis, and experiment. Students will work on formulating research questions, collecting data, and performing basic statistical analysis and reporting the results. Lecture. Prerequisite: MCOM 1300. Fall.

3391, 4391 TOPICS IN MASS COMMUNICATION An elective course for mass communication majors. Special topics in advanced issues in mass communication. Prerequisites: MCOM 1300 and 1362. On demand.

4302 MEDIA EFFECTS A required course for Journalism majors with the Mass Communication Research emphasis. Introduces and surveys the vast body of empirical work on the effects of media content, form, and technology upon individuals, society, and culture. The course will primarily focus on social and/or behavioral approaches to understanding the effects of mass media. Lecture. Prerequisites: MCOM 1300 or consent of the instructor. Spring.

4323 SEMINAR IN MASS COMMUNICATION An elective course for digital filmmaking majors and mass communication majors with an emphasis in broadcast journalism, online journalism, or print journalism. Various topics relevant to media careers. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: MCOM 1300 or FILM 1305 and consent of the instructor. On demand.