COURSES TAUGHT
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE MASS MEDIA
This course introduces students to the history, models, theories, concepts, and terminology of mass communication while focusing on newspapers, television, radio, film, sound recording, books, magazines, advertising, social media and new media technologies. The course enables students to understand the complex interactions between media, technologies, and society, and to think critically about the ways in which mass media inform our everyday lives, both locally and globally.
MEDIA LITERACY
This course focuses on the critical analyses of information, values and underlying messages conveyed via mass media including photography, advertising, television, newspapers, magazines, radio, film, and social media. Throughout the course of the semester, students engage in the critical examination of the accuracy of those messages and explore the ways in which mass media represent and shape views of politics, culture, and society.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIETY
This course explores the evolution of digital media and its effects on self and society, with a focus on the historical shift away from one-way mass media toward more customized, participatory digital media. The course covers a wide range of topics including the history and business models of social media platforms, the role social media play in culture, politics, news and (dis)information, marketing and branding, dating, gaming, privacy, online freedom, digital activism and social change. Through lectures, readings, films, discussions, and projects, students are encouraged to think broadly about how social and mobile communication technologies are changing the ways we process knowledge and altering our sense of community and self.
VISUAL LITERACY
With the use of various methodological techniques and theories, this course teaches students how to evaluate and understand the purpose and implied messages of visual imagery. The course engages students in critical analyses of photography and photojournalism, television, film, advertising, and other visual media, all while learning about the history, theory, and functions of visual content. Through lectures, films, discussions, and projects, students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the role visual media play in culture and society, both locally and globally.
MASS MEDIA AND SOCIETY
Drawing upon various media––including journalism, television, film, and the internet––students examine the cultural, social, economic, and political organization of media, the content and effects of media messages, and the important role media play in creating, preserving, reforming (and often dominating) social values at the local and global levels. During this course, students engage in critical analyses of mass media messages, theories and research on a variety of popular cultural forms including photography, advertising, television, newspapers, Internet, magazines, radio, and film.
GLOBAL MEDIA
This course introduces students to the increasingly important role that global media play in our daily lives. Though their respective media—traditional as well as “evolving,” formal as well as informal—nations and entire geographic/geopolitical regions constantly spread messages about their values, aspirations, ideologies, and taboos. The course engages in various theories, research, and individual case studies from around the world to provide students with a deeper understanding about the way media represent nations, cultures, and events. Select regions or countries, including their cultural, political, regulatory, financial aspects; media structure, media content, news, imports and exports, and audiences’ factors, are surveyed to illustrate key points.
WRITING FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Writing is essential to a successful career in public relations. Clients, corporate leaders, media, and audiences will rely on your ability to write polished, clear communication. Blogs and other social media, such as Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and YouTube, have challenged and created new opportunities for public relations practitioners. Becoming an outstanding writer, with a thorough understanding of the purpose and use of today’s digital platforms, will help you succeed in both PR and in any day-to-day business. This course is designed to support your development of professional writing and presentation skills expected of PR practitioners. It covers the strategy and style of various forms of public relations writing such as press releases, feature stories, newsletters, fact sheets, bios, and more. This course combines theoretical knowledge with practical experience creating effective and ethical strategic communications content. It offers the opportunity for hands-on learning to help you build a professional (digital) portfolio that showcases your excellent strategic writing skills.
COURSES IN DEVELOPMENT
EVENT PLANNING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a general knowledge about the field of event planning and coordination and the basic functions of Public Relations. During the course, students will learn how to provide leadership and communicate direction for production of all event aspects including management of client relationships, stakeholders’ communication, event risk assessment, billing, contracts, creative publicity, advertising, fund raising, speaker or act solicitations, venue design, staging, lighting, catering, and more. By the semester’s end, students should be familiar with the typical event management responsibilities and the strategies required for successful planning, promotion, implementation, and evaluation of special events with a special focus of event management in the context of Public Relations.
MEDIA & REPRESENTATION OR VISUAL CULTURE (Description partially adopted from Loyola University)
This course is an introduction to the key issues of the field of visual culture, looking at the social role of images and visuality (the structures and power relations of looking, being seen and unseen, and vision in society). It introduces students to some of the foundational aspects of visual culture theory and concepts in contemporary culture, with particular attention to the US context in relation to the global. This course will engage with some central themes of visual culture such as looking at the history of modern forms of visuality and the history of visual technologies and concepts of spectacle, representation, image icons, and more. On the local level, we will focus on the visual culture of Las Vegas in many of our discussions and assignments in order to better “read” the visual images and visuality we live among and within. On the global level, we will focus on imports/exports of visual cultural products, their integration/assimilation on the local level, and their role in constructing the self and depicting the “other.”
GLOBAL MEDIA AND CULTURE
This course is a survey of media globalization, its historical developments and contemporary implications, including the political, economic, and cultural factors that have accompanied it since the beginning of the 20th century. The course will examine concepts such as media consolidation and conglomeration, the culture industries, cultural imperialism, cultural policy, and globalization and media theories in the context of societal, technological, political, cultural and economic factors.
INTRO TO FILM STUDIES (Description adopted from UMN)
The goal of this course is to acquire and develop an understanding of and a greater appreciation for the art and history of film, to position contemporary American and international cinema in its broader historical and cultural contexts, and to enhance students’ analysis skills to better understand film and filmmakers’ intentions.
INTRO TO DOCUMENTARY (Description adopted from Bowdoin College)
This course will introduce students to some key documentary theories and forms as they have evolved over time allowing students to apply their new knowledge to create their own visual stories. Throughout the semester, we will examine the history of the visual documentary, how this form variously attempts to represent the world, and how it comments on representation by critiquing reality, authenticity, truth, fact, and objectivity. To do so, we will look at documentary cinema and photography, as used within the fields of journalism and popular culture in particular, from their beginnings to the present day, concentrating primarily on U.S. filmmakers and photographers.
VISUAL RESEARCH METHODS
The goal of this course is to help students appreciate the nature of visual imagery through the use of various techniques and ways of understanding the visual world with the aim to help students effectively construct and decipher visual messages. The students will engage in research and critical analyses of still and moving images including advertising. photography, photojournalism, television, film, and more.
