Communication Major

Communication Major with a Concentration in Digital Media Production

IN THIS SECTION

Prepare for a career in the future of media production.

Get the training you need to produce digital media. You will study media writing, mass communication, video editing, and social media. Depending on your interests, you may also study scriptwriting, graphic design, photography, and animation.

Core communication courses will give you a strong understanding of the principles and practices of effective communication to help you build and maintain relationships with clients, colleagues, citizens, and community members. Through lively, interactive classroom exchanges and hands-on learning opportunities, you will assess the role of communication in society and develop your own communication skills.

What You Will Do:

  • Develop a solid understanding of the principles and practices of effective communication
  • Apply critical and analytical thinking to explore issues across the discipline of communication
  • Learn to share information through a variety of methods, technology, platforms, and channels
  • Participate in hands on learning across classes in video production, photography, and social media
  • Discover the relevance of communication with the emergence of digital media
  • Develop skills and a professional portfolio of creative works produced in the major
Explore sample courses in this program.
CM-100 Intro. to Mass Communication
An integrated examination of the history, theory, structure, process, and effects of each of the mass media.
3 credits
CM-103 Survey of Radio and Television
Perspectives on the development of radio and television technologies, programming, regulation, and economic support, and their impact.
3 credits
CM-105 Media Writing
An introduction to various types of mass media writing, from print and broadcast to public relations, advertising, and online media.
3 credits
CM-106 Communications and the Internet
Focuses on the social and educational implications of the internet and the application of its various search tools as a means of communication.
3 credits
CM-108 Introduction to Animation
This hands-on introductory-level course covers the fundamentals of aesthetics of computer animation. Through a series of shorts projects, students learn the principles of expression through movement in time, sequential composition, editing, and integration of images sequences and sound.
3 credits
CM-110 Public Speaking
Essentials of speech production and speech writing for large and small groups. Classroom practice in delivering various types of speeches.
3 credits
CM-150 Photography I
Covers the basic theory and practice of 35 millimeter black-and-white photography, including camera handling, film processing, light meters, printing, and picture content.
3 credits
CM-151 Introduction to Digital Photography
Techniques and aesthetics of digital photography. Introduction to the operation of SLR digital cameras and the computer as digital darkroom.
3 credits
CM-160 Introduction to Digital Imaging
This course introduces students to the procedures, techniques, and concepts of basic digital imaging. In the course, students learn to use the computer as a tool for visual image making.
3 credits
CM-206 Digital Storytelling
Use of personal narrative to construct stories using audio, still and video images, and music tracks in digital format.
3 credits
CM-241 Understanding Movies
An introduction to the aesthetics and critical theories of film as an artistic medium of communication through critical observation of classic and contemporary movies.
3 credits
CM-242 Understanding Video Games
An introduction to the interdisciplinary study of video games as texts through an examination of their cultural, educational, and social functions in contemporary settings.
3 credits
CM-244 Graphic Design
Through hands on projects, students learn formal elements of design, principles of typography, idea generation, and issues of responsible design as applied to print media.
3 credits
CM-250 Music of the Cinema: Spectacle, Splendor, and Spielberg
An introduction to the role, impact, and importance of music in motion pictures from silent movies through contemporary film.
3 credits
CM-259 Television Production
Basics of studio production including visualization and sequencing of short scripts, sound, graphics, lighting, and technical direction.
3 credits
CM-260 Introduction to Video
A beginning course in video program production, using lightweight and portable equipment.
3 credits
CM-285 History of Photography
The history of photography from 1839 to present, with attention to styles, aesthetics, technical processes, and leading practitioners.
3 credits
CM-315 Social Media
This course explores the historical and societal influences on the development of social media through conceptual and practical applications.
3 credits
CM-350 Intercultural Communication
Introductory communication theory and practice across cultural groups defined by race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, nationality, politics, and economics.
3 credits
CM-359 Documentary Production
This course engages students in a semester-long production of documentary and introduces key concepts of documentary theory.
3 credits
CM-363 Visual Media Literacy
An introduction to principles of visual media literacy and their application in media production and perception.
3 credits
CM-366 Scriptwriting
Creating scripted material for the electronic media. All types, styles, and formats are covered.
3 credits
CM-384 Media Criticism
Evaluation and analysis of film, television, theatre, and radio performances; development of intelligent, ethical standards of judgment.
3 credits
CM-390 Independent Media and Society
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of wide range of media economically and politically independent of both corporation and the state. The course focuses on the relationship between independent media and corporate media as well as the role of independent media within social movements, cultures of resistance, and processes of social change.
3 credits
CM-396 Video Editing
The principles and procedures of editing video using computer-based, non-linear editing techniques and equipment. Students produce short edited programs.
3 credits

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