Communication COM 2222. Games and Society. Focuses on the cultural impact of games by examining the history of games and contemporary issues including the relationship between games and violence, representation of race, gender, and sexuality, and the serious games movement. Students are required to attend a series of movie screenings and discussion sessions outside of class. Four credits. COM 2225. Foundations of Strategic Communication. This course introduces students to the field of strategic communication and draws on traditional areas such as public relations and advertising, as well as some of the emerging internet-based communication technologies. Strategic communication consists of those communication tactics and strategies that are intended to help an organization or client accomplish its mission and goals. Prerequisite: ENG 1102 or ENG 1103. Four credits. COM 2231. Writing for Film and the Electronic Media. The class centers on writing scripts for film and electronic media, with an emphasis on the creative process and the ways they are influenced by the technical demands of the electronic media. Students will exercise their writing skills through workshops and assignments, and critically evaluate scripts. Prerequisite: ENG 1102 or ENG 1103. Four credits. COM 2234. Movies and Methods. This course is designed to give students an overview of the development of motion pictures from a historical, critical, and technological perspective. In addition to surveying the history of motion pictures, the student will learn the rudiments of film analysis and the critical terminology necessary for an introductorylevel understanding of film. Prerequisite: ENG 1102 or ENG 1103. Four credits. COM 2235. Public Relations Techniques. This course introduces students to the role public relations plays in helping nonprofit organizations achieve their goals. Emphasis is placed on the execution of various public relations tactics commonly used by nonprofit organizations. Prequesite: ENG 1102 or ENG 1103. Four credits. COM 2241. Electronic Media History and Development. This class is a survey of the radio and television industries, with an emphasis on their formation, growth, and change. The course examines the historical development of broadcasting, as well as its political, social, and economic impact. The class also examines broadcasting principles, tools, and skills. Prerequisite: ENG 1102 or ENG 1103. Four credits.
COM 2243. Convergent Journalism I. Convergent Journalism I is an introductory writing course in the field of journalism designed to introduce students to the basic principles and techniques of news writing and reporting in a converged media society. Students will learn the necessary writing skills for various media; journalistic skills as well as ethics in journalism. Prerequisite: ENG 1102 or ENG 1103. Four credits. COM 2246. Sports Reporting. Techniques of researching and writing the sports story. Emphasis on issues of race and gender; hero worship and sportsmanship, and an ethical examination of what sports journalists do and why they do it. Prerequisite: COM 2243. Four credits. COM 2252. Theory and Design of Games. Introduction to critical/cultural studies approaches to game studies, including rhetorical, ludological, and cybernetic criticism. The contributions of literature, film, and theatre to the study of games are also examined. Students will also gain extensive experience with and be exposed to close readings of canonical games. A research paper engaging the theory or criticism of games is required. Four credits. COM 2261. Radio Practicum. Practical application of theory from Communication courses in work for the campus radio station. Course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Course may be repeated once. Two credits. COM 2262. Video Practicum. Practical application of theory from Communication courses in work for University and School video production projects. Course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Course may be repeated once. Prerequisite: COM 2001. Two credits. COM 2263. Newspaper Practicum. Practical application of theory from Communication courses in work for the campus newspaper. Prerequisite: COM 2243. Course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Course may be repeated once. Two credits. COM 2265. Practicum in Publicity Methods. This course introduces students to the use of basic publicity methods, e.g., news releases, public service announcement, media alerts, forms of social media, etc. through the development of such tactics for on-campus clients and local non-profit organizations. Course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Course may be repeated once. Prerequisite: COM 2225 or COM 2235. Two credits.
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