Historical development of freedom, responsibility, and ethics in the mass media, including communication theories, pressures, ownership.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences

A comparative study of world mass communications media, with particular attention to press systems, the sources and flow of international news, and the problems and implications of world communications.

Development of critical thinking skills for analyzing mass media.

Explores the role of journalism in shaping perceptions of scientific issues and task. Emphasis on methods of effectively communicating about science, health, and the environment.

Faith and values influence the media. An examination of the influence, why it happens, and of religious diversity and the increased public presence of religions, including Hinduism and Islam.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Diversity and Social Advocacy

The role of journalism in shaping perceptions of environmental and scientific issues and tasks. Emphasis on methods of effectively communicating about science and the environment.

Development of Mass Communications E-portfolio showcasing and reflecting on coursework and experiential learning, with a focus on leadership, as preparation for matriculation in higher education or careers in mass media.

Development of writing styles for print and broadcast advertising.

The development of a complete, well coordinated integrated communications plan that incorporates research and analysis techniques, critical thinking, team work, creative and tactical skills.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research

Application of advertising techniques and skills in preparation of full scale campaign.

The development of a complete, well-coordinated integrated communications plan that incorporates research and analysis techniques, critical thinking, team work, creative and tactical skills.

The dynamics of leadership and management in the creative industries.

Theories of leadership as applied to creative industries. Students will engage and interact with community-based organizations to assess needs, plan communications strategies, lead student teams in developing those ideas, and present to clients. Junior standing or permission of instructor.

Development of public relations campaigns for business and social institutions. Case studies of public relations campaigns and programs.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service, GLD: Research

Researching, programming, staff, budgeting, and planning public-relations programs by business, government, or consulting firms.

Publication writing and design as well as internal or constituent communications, specifically focused on an internal audience. Production of InterCom, the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies’ alumni magazine.

Introduction to crisis communications and management from a strategic, theory-based approach using research from historical and current case studies.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences

Participation in a functioning communications agency working for actual clients in a student-directed environment. Opportunity to both lead and be a part of a team servicing the communication needs of various clients.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Community Service, GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences

Self-directed development and implementation of a public relations campaign as part of a national competition: PRSSA’s Bateman Competition.

Review of the analytical process of resolving complex ethical issues and cases in public relations; study of the philosophical approaches to communication ethics.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences

Theory and practice of persuasive communication and the role of persuasion in shaping public opinion.

Writing techniques used in the preparation and marketing of major nonfiction articles for national, regional, and local publications.

Graphic and motion-based principles and techniques for visual communications within multimedia structures.

Advanced techniques of graphic and multimedia design and their application to problem-solving situations in the mass media. Emphasis on portfolio development.

To gain an understanding of theory and practice of public/civic journalism, seen by its advocates as socially responsible journalism that attempts to build civic participation and empower communities.

Researching, organizing, writing, and marketing articles for publication in general and specialized publications.

Content and style; writing of editorials, analyses, and commentaries.

Acquiring, analyzing and presenting data using spreadsheets and other tools to uncover stories and provide depth and context to journalism.

Production of public affairs programs.

Concentrated analyses of reporting in special fields, particularly in the South, including coverage of government, business, labor, the arts and sciences.

Theory and practice of professional broadcast announcing. Lecture-demonstration-laboratory course in principles underlying professional performance before microphones and cameras and the various broadcast performance functions.

Study and application of highly specialized reporting on topics related to current public discourse. May be repeated as content varies by title.

Professional practice in meeting daily newscast deadlines through work on the Carolina News television newscast. Focus on polished reporting, performance and production techniques and demonstration of advanced television reporting skills under deadline pressure.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Research

Professional practice in shaping journalistic reporting to the multimedia environment. Application of news gathering, synthesizing and reporting across platforms – print and online, textual and graphic – in timely fashion.

Advanced newscast production skills developed in the context of producing daily Carolina News broadcast. Shape and coordinate reporting and production team under deadline pressure in newsroom setting.

Editing and design employed to maximize effectiveness in the multimedia environment. Creating accurate and engaging content to reach consumers in varied ways reflecting contemporary consumer use of media.

Exposure to the evolving variety of journalism techniques, software programs and equipment to effectively tell compelling stories and convey information in multiple visual and interactive forms. Emphasis on extending professional skills while reinforcing current best practices.

Advanced instruction on how to assume leadership roles in a real life agency setting through tactical planning updates, interdepartmental management, budgeting, and client reviews.

Domestic study away course will focus on topics in journalism and mass communications and will be taught away from the University of South Carolina Columbia campus. Individual topics will vary by title. Prerequisites to be announced in class schedule.

Study abroad course will focus on topics in journalism and mass communications and will be taught as a study abroad experience. Individual topics will vary by title. Prerequisites to be announced in class schedule.

Supervised professional experience. Maximum of three hours credit. Contract approved by instructor, advisor, and department head is required.

Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Internships

Experiential Learning: Experiential Learning Opportunity

Individual mass media projects. Contract approved by instructor, advisor, and department head is required for undergraduate students.

Advanced topics in journalism and mass communications. Individual topics and prerequisites to be announced by title in class schedule.

Recent ideas, procedures, and techniques that aid in the conduct of professional and scholarly work in mass communication.

Methods and techniques of quantitative mass communications research: content analysis; survey research applications; media effects studies.

Theoretical approaches to the study of mass communication including empirical, interpretive, and critical perspectives.

In this course, graduate students will explore communication theories and practices that will help them better understand how to communicate through media to specific external constituencies, including clients, vendors, regulators and the general public as well as internally within the organization. Special emphasis on communications strategies will allow managers to understand which communication tools will allow them to best communicate with all stakeholders.

Social issues and responsibilities affecting the management of the mass media.

Integration of advertising, public relations, and marketing communication within an organization or agency.

General legal philosophy and law affecting the mass media.

Current issues in mass communication including control, ownership, and conflicts affecting the media.

A comprehensive overview of data science basics and applications for communications. Introduces basic concepts, applications, and tools of data science for communication purposes. Includes basic theories and approaches in communications.

Communication within organizations including theories, research, and current issues of concern in the field.

Methods and techniques for designing, conducting, and analyzing research related to mass communication.

The strategic planning process applied to integrated communication principles.

Introduction to content analysis for communication topics. Quantitatively analyze communication content of many kinds from newspaper articles to social media and online content.

Periods, movements, and developments in mass communication.

Principles and strategies of integrated communication to prepare a communication campaign for a client organization.

Literary and creative aspects of journalism and mass communication as exemplified in the works of English and American prose and verse writers.

New technologies related to the mass media.

History, nature, production-performance, evaluation, and means of improvement of educational/instructional broadcasting.

Independent study in an area of journalism and mass communications relevant to the student’s professional and/or research goals.

Methods for locating, evaluating, and abstracting information from literature relevant to the study of mass communication.

Course is designed to teach the foundations of multimedia journalistic storytelling. It will expose students to core concepts and practices associated with news gathering, news writing and field production.

Current management-related issues confronting the media, including management of creative people, budgeting, time management on deadline.

Media organizations as economic institutions, including microeconomic analysis, basic trends in revenues and expenditures, evaluation of financial health, and performance in covering business and economics.

The media representation of issues in science, technology and environment from a social science perspective, with emphasis on consequences in areas such as public opinion, public policy, public understanding attitude formation, persuasion and behavior change.

The critical examination of classic and contemporary empirical research on risk communication as it pertains to health and environment issues, as well as emerging technologies.

An analysis of the theoretical foundation and issues relevant to the practice of public relations.

Theories of persuasion, principles and best practices of strategic communication, as applied to health and cause communication campaigns. Recognize, and develop effective, persuasive communications for social and health topics.

Seminar that examines the social uses and impacts of interactive / emerging media technologies.

Seminar and supervised professional management experience in a media organization.

Discussion of competing theories that attempt to explain current issues in global communication.

A capstone experience for data and communication students to implement concepts and skills in data analysis learned throughout the program.

Selected readings course designed to facilitate student’s specialized research interest. Permission of instructor required.

Specialized topics in mass communication, individual topics to be announced by title. May be repeated for credit.

Individualized scholarly activity to develop and execute special projects relevant to the study of mass communication.

Principles and applications of quantitative and qualitative communication research designs.

Ethical reasoning approaches in production and consumption of media messages.

Meta-theoretical issues relevant to building theory in mass communication, concept explication, and forms of theory.

Application of historical research methods to the study of mass communication.

Teaching and learning methodologies and theories appropriate to mass communication instruction.

Application of legal research methods to the study of mass communication.

Advanced methods and techniques for analyzing empirical data for communication research.

Designing and conducting critical, cultural and naturalistic research.

Issues involving the governmental protection and regulation of speech, and how that affects those involved in mass communication.

Working closely with a faculty member, a student will design, and conduct a research project, with the objective of submitting the final report for publication or for presentation at an academic conference in the discipline. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.