Communications Courses
COMJOU 328 Public Relations (3)
COMM 200 Electronic Moviemaking (3)
Introduces students to the techniques and traditions of fictional narrative video production. Emphasis is on the completion of a series of exercises and a short film as well as mastery of basic technical principles of DV videography, location lighting, and nonlinear editing. Fee. Offered each fall.
COMM 210 Audio and Radio Production (1)
Introduces students to fundamental aspects of a variety of audio applications, including radio production, field audio, and multitrack recording. Offered each spring.
COMM 211 Introduction to Media Studies (3) (C)
Offers a critical survey of the role played by mass communication in shaping culture. Individual media institutions are examined in terms of the information they distribute, the entertainment they provide, and the influence they wield. Special attention is paid to improving students' media literacy skills. Offered each semester.
COMM 212 American Film (3)
A study of the development of the film art from its beginning to the present. Major silent and sound film masterpieces are shown. Offered each fall.
COMM 214 Film Directors (3)
A study of the film artistry of selected directors. Offered frequently.
COMM 216 International Film (3)
Explores the history and diversity of cinema made outside the U.S. from the silent era to the present day. Concentration is on aesthetically and socially influential national movements and filmmakers. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.
COMM 220 Experimental Film and Video (3) (A)
Explores the history and theory of experimental film and video not only through screenings and readings but also through creative action. Students produce their own avant-garde videos at the same time that they learn the form's aesthetic heritage. Offered in selected Winter Sessions.
COMM 222 Speech (3) (C)
An individualized introduction to the theory and practice of speech communication including public speaking, the five-minute extemporaneous speech, improvement of diction, and elements of non-verbal communications. Offered each semester.
COMM 300 Media Law (3) (S)
Offers a survey of the legal traditions and regulatory structures governing print and electronic media, both in terms of their production of content and of their institutional organization. Particular emphasis is placed on issues of speech and restraints thereof. The complexities of evolving internet and digital technology law will also be addressed. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
COMM 312 The Art of Animation (3)
An in-depth look at the history of animation as a developing art form. The course also looks at animation as a reflection of culture and as a business. Prerequisite: Comm 211 or consent. Offered intermittently.
COMM 323 Theories of Mass Communication (3)
An overview of the major theories of mass communication and of the research that has led to and supported those theories. Special emphasis is placed on approaches to audience and content. Prerequisite: COMM 211 and junior/senior status. Offered fall of even-numbered years.
COMM 324 Mass Communications Research Methods (3)
An introduction to mass communication research methods. Includes field, survey, and experimental research methods as well as content analysis. Prerequisite: COMM 211 and junior/senior status. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.
COMM 325 Organizational Communications (3) (C)
Designed to improve skills in communication in modern business. Verbal skills are emphasized although written skills are included. Theory and practice are combined in order to learn theory and develop skills in using techniques of persuasion, resolving conflicts, organizing and presenting information, interviewing, leading meetings, and developing a training presentation. Offered each spring.
COMM 326 Persuasion and Media: Advertising (3)
Examination of the methods and techniques that advertisers use to persuade audiences. Prerequisite: COMM 211. Offered each fall.
COMM 327 Children and the Media (3)
A study of children as a media audience with a particular focus on contemporary televisual media. Attention is given to both prosocial and antisocial effects of the media. Prerequisite: COMM 211 or consent. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
COMM 328 Public Relations (3)
An introduction to the practice of the public relations and advertising profession with an emphasis on writing. Students examine the role of public relations and advertising in a free society and the demands and constraints, including ethical, placed upon them. Coursework includes writing background or briefing papers, press releases, informational and persuasive copy and finding promotable elements in products and services. Identical to JOUR 328. Offered each semester.
COMM 333 Mass Media and American Society (3)
A look at the ways in which mass media have reflected and affected modern American culture. Includes lectures, discussions, readings, and research assignments to focus on a particular theme or era in mass media and culture studies. May be repeated if the topic is different. Sample topics include "American Silent Film," "Women in Film," "Movies of the 1930s," and "Movies of the 1940s." Prerequisite: COMM 211 or consent. Offered frequently.
COMM 334 Genres in Mass Media (3)
A course in types of popular fiction/television/film entertainment such as the western, the hard-boiled detective story, the romance and the science fantasy that serve as distorted mirrors of American culture. As values change, so do the popular forms that promote them. Students evaluate two or more genres, showing how they reveal modern thinking in mythic and cultural terms. Prerequisite: COMM 211 or consent. Offered intermittently.
COMM 335 Christian Theology and Film (4) (V)
A class devoted to exploring how the fields of theology and film studies cross-fertilize each other, with special attention given to the ways in which film functions as religious discourse. Students seek to investigate the historical evolution of film as a means of communicating theological doctrines or themes through its narrative patterns and to analyze how religious and secular films have been and are constructed as cultural texts that advise not only how one should live, but what one should believe. In particular, we explore the sermonic nature of film, various hermeneutics of film, and how audiences receive and appropriate both manifest and latent religious meanings. Identical to RELST 335. Prerequisite: three semester hours in communications, English, history, philosophy, or religious studies. Offered spring of even-numbered years.ý
COMM 336 Filmmaking on Hollywood, In Hollywood (3)
Investigates the historical and cultural contexts of the Hollywood film industry, exploring key cinematic texts that represent Hollywood to itself (e.g. Singing in the Rain, The Player, etc.) and examining how this genre of films has constructed a mythic place and mindset called Hollywood. This course is taught as a travel course in southern California. Prerequisite: three semester hours of communication; preferably a film history course. Offered in selected Winter Sessions.
COMM 345 Intercultural Communication (3)
Students develop a number of intercultural competencies that are useful both in professional and private settings, and are essential for global understanding and tolerance. Prerequisite: COMM 222 or consent. Offered intermittently.
COMM 350 Advanced Video Production (3)
Students expand their knowledge of video production techniques into a more sophisticated and technical realm. The four main disciplines (videography, lighting, editing, and audio) are covered in significant depth using professional-grade equipment. Students demonstrate their mastery through a group of exercises and a main production assignment. Prerequisite: COMM 200 or JOUR 200. Offered each fall.
COMM 422 The Documentary Tradition (3) (I,W)
In-depth investigation into the art, history and ethics of the documentary in film, radio, television, and digital media. Prerequisite: COMM 211 and junior/senior status. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.
COMM 495 Communications Studies Internship (3)
The internship is seen as a significant, practical learning experience for the student of communications and, as such, is a required component of the program of studies. Students may do up to two internships as part of the major. All internships must be approved by the program coordinator. Offered each semester.
RELSCOM 335 Christian Theology and Film (4) (V)
Journalsim Courses
COMJOU 328 Public Relations (3)
JOUR 192 Guided Study/Independent Research (1-6)
JOUR 200 News and Documentary Video (3)
Introduces students to the techniques, traditions, and legal aspects of non-fiction video production. Emphasis is on completion of two short projects (a news feature and a short documentary) and mastery of basic technical principles of videography, location lighting, and nonlinear editing. Offered each spring.
JOUR 201 Introduction to Journalism (3) (C,W)
A fundamental approach to the principles of reporting, writing and editing for newspapers, including ethical and legal concerns. Each student writes several news stories and learns the elements of style. Prerequisite: grade of C or better in ENG 105 or consent. Offered each semester.
JOUR 210 Journalism Workshop (3)
A practical workshop providing opportunities for students to contribute to The Marlin Chronicle (the VWC student newspaper--printed and on line) as writers, designers, and photographers. Students are encouraged to discover and develop a specialty. Prerequisite: JOUR 201 or consent. Offered each semester.
JOUR 303 Design and Editing (3)
An exploration of design and editing concepts in contemporary journalism, with attention to communicating clearly through visuals and words. Through numerous exercises and class discussions, students learn about content, typographical details, headline writing, and photojournalism. Prerequisite: JOUR 201. Offered each semester.
JOUR 310 Critical Writing in Journalism (3) (W)
Introduces students to evaluative writing in the arts, with emphasis on fiction and film. Students study and review a number of exemplary works as well as some of their own selection. Prerequisite: JOUR 201 or consent. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.
JOUR 328 Public Relations (3)
See COMM 328.
JOUR 330 Historical Methods for Journalists (3) (W)
Offers students an introduction to historical research methods. Provides journalists with basic historical research skills. Students learn how to conduct primary research in archives and libraries, evaluate secondary sources, engage changing historical interpretations, interview historical subjects, and write authoritative historical articles aimed at popular and scholarly audiences. Prerequisites: JOUR 201 and junior/senior status. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
JOUR 335 Creative Nonfiction (3) (W)
A course in personal journalism, encouraging students to participate in the lives of their subjects and the events they cover. Each student writes several stories requiring a fly-on-the-wall or a participatory approach. Included are readings from top practitioners of the form. Prerequisite: JOUR 201 or consent. Offered spring of even-numbered years.
JOUR 337 Great Works in Journalism (3)
A reading course of major works demonstrating that effective journalistic writing can also be art. Students analyze substance, style and structure in book-length nonfiction by Twain, London, Capote, and others. Prerequisite: ENG 105. Offered intermittently.
JOUR 343 Online Journalism (3) (W)
Offers a critical survey of new media, particularly in the context of journalism. Special attention is paid to the search for a new style of narrative - one that could take advantage of the use of text, hypertext, photos, images in motion, audio and databases. The course enables students to understand the complex interactions between the Internet and society and think critically about the ways which new media inform our everyday lives. Prerequisite: JOUR 201 or consent. Offered intermittenly.
JOUR 385 Editors in the Workshop (1)
An opportunity for editors of The Marlin Chronicle to superintend the professional performance of their sections. Editors will run weekly budget meetings; make assignments; encourage, assist and evaluate staff; and produce a responsible, quality publication. Offered each semester.
JOUR 397 Feature Writing (3) (W)
Students pursue the principles of researching, interviewing, and writing several different kinds of feature stories including editorials, columns and lifestyle pieces. Special topics include sports, travel, food and humor. Prerequisite: JOUR 201 or consent. Offered fall of even-numbered years.
JOUR 435 Advanced Newswriting (3) (W)
An advanced course in the collection and reporting of news in which students are expected to demonstrate independence and initiative in their work. Each student learns to develop a beat and make use of sources. Emphasis is placed on skepticism. Prerequisite: JOUR 201. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.