MCOM 500. Academic Writing Workshop. (3 Credits)

A course designed to strengthen the writing and verbal skills of those students working toward a graduate degree in Media Management. Emphasis will be placed on following appropriate style guides, such as MLA, APA, and Associated Press. Students will be given various activities and writing assignments to aid in their verbal and written expression for academic and professional contexts.

MCOM 501. Media Mgmt/Leadership Society. (3 Credits)

This seminar is designed to introduce students to the broad range of issues that face media managers. It specifically addresses management and leadership topics related to cultural diversity. The course will include introductory material on media economics, research, theory and criticism. It will also address current management issues and those related to emerging technologies.

MCOM 502. Media Economics. (3 Credits)

This seminar surveys the economic environment in which media operate and discusses the forces that shape media, market and consumer behavior. Topics covered will include the economic structure and performance of mass media industries; media ownership; impact of new technologies on the media industry and media firms; the use of economic analysis to explain/predict media and industry behaviors; and historical trends in competition, concentration and convergence.

MCOM 503. Media Research Methods. (3 Credits)

This seminar is an introduction to research for media professionals. Various methods of data collection -- including experiments, survey methods, qualitative research, historical and legal methodology -- will be introduced. Students will also learn to analyze and interpret the results of mass media research as well as develop their own media research proposals.

MCOM 504. Communicati Theory & Criticism. (3 Credits)

This seminar is designed to investigate theoretical and critical approaches to the study of mass media. Students will explore theories about the impact of media on society as well as the variety of critical methodologies that can be used to address the relationship between media and culture.

MCOM 505. Media Convergence. (3 Credits)

This course examines global implications of media convergence, the challenges media outlets face in a converging media universe, new technologies in news gathering and news reporting and how they will affect audiences.

MCOM 506. Media Law. (3 Credits)

This course examines the various laws that affect media professions, including the First Amendment, the Freedom of Information Act, libel, copyright, privacy telecommunication regulations and obscenity laws. This course is designed to introduce students to legal concepts pertinent to the communication industries. It will investigate the dynamic nature of the First Amendment through the evaluation of precedence and legal proceedings.

MCOM 507. Media Ethics. (3 Credits)

This course investigates the conflicting responsibilities facing communication professionals. Using a case study approach, this course will focus on the craft of ethical decision-making within current media guidelines. Topics of discussion will include the historical roots of limitations on the media, changing social expectations for information dissemination, and editorial leadership. Cases involving conflicts of value in print, broadcasting, advertising, and public relations will be analyzed.

MCOM 508. Process and Effecs of MCOM. (3 Credits)

A study of the major areas of mass communications research literature, emphasizing mass communications’ effects on research.

MCOM 511. Hist Print Media & Tech Develo. (3 Credits)

This course will survey the history of the American print media from the colonial era to the present. It will include key moments, movements and people, as well as the growth of African American and other minority-owned media organizations. The course will trace the history of media ownership, the advent of broadcasting and the growth of the internet.

MCOM 512. International Journalism. (3 Credits)

This course is a cross-cultural study of journalism and communication in the “global village.” It compares media practices in democracies and under state-run media. It will look at how the news media and communication professions are affected by technology such as the internet and satellite transmissions that allow the flow of uncensored information across national borders. It will look at the effects of the new “information world-order” on cultures, politics and economics.

MCOM 513. Newspaper Management. (3 Credits)

This course prepares students for future management positions with newspapers through the study of how newspapers function today and through the application of management principles.

MCOM 514. Independent Sudy in Print. (1-3 Credits)

This course is designed to meet the needs of the print media student who wishes to conduct independent research, develop a special academic project or fulfill other department requirements outside of the usual class structure. Prerequisites: Approval of a faculty sponsor to oversee the independent study.

MCOM 521. Broadcast Journalism. (3 Credits)

An overview of the broadcast media, with emphasis on news gathering, preparation, writing and delivery techniques, as well as the rules and regulations that apply to broadcast journalism.

MCOM 522. History of Electronic Media. (3 Credits)

A study of the history and technological advancements in electronic media in the United States.

MCOM 523. Broadcast Management. (3 Credits)

This course examines how media companies function today and provides a study of the concepts and principles of broadcast management.

MCOM 524. Independent Study Broadcasting. (1-3 Credits)

This course is designed to meet the needs of the public relations student who wishes to conduct independent research, develop a special academic project or fulfill other department requirements outside the usual class structure. Prerequisites: Approval of a faculty sponsor to oversee the independent study.

MCOM 527. Documentary Production. (3 Credits)

This course is a hands-on workshop that takes advanced graduate students through the entire process of producing a short video documentary. It assumes previous training in video or film production. As students work through the preproduction, production, and postproduction stages, they will explore topics such as budget development, topic research and fact checking, screenwriting, interview preparation, equipment requirements, and editing. The course will emphasize effective crew communication, teamwork, individual responsibility, and other intangibles that go into producing a documentary work. Prerequisite: Graduate student status and previous coursework or training.

MCOM 528. Children, Adolescents & Media. (3 Credits)

An introduction to the major debates and effects of the media on children and adolescents. It will also examine how various age groups process and make sense of media content. Students will discuss complex issues, theories and find solutions via research.

MCOM 531. Contemporary Public Relations. (3 Credits)

An overview of the practice of public relations, ethics of the public relations profession, and the history of public relations in the United States.

MCOM 532. Public Relations Campaign. (3 Credits)

This seminar enables students to research and design complete public relations campaigns. Emphasis is on strategic planning based on research.

MCOM 533. Crisis Communication. (3 Credits)

This course examines case studies of organizations’ communication needs and dilemmas in emergencies and crises. Students will look at the role of the public relations practitioner in preventing and managing such problems as scandals, natural disasters and negative public image. Students will examine case studies such as the Tylenol and Pepsi tampering cases and the Denny’s and Texaco discrimination cases.

MCOM 534. Independent Study Public Relat. (1-3 Credits)

This course is designed to meet the needs of the public relations student who wishes to conduct independent research, develop a special academic project or fulfill other department requirements outside of the usual class structure. Prerequisites: Approval of a faculty sponsor to oversee the independent study.

MCOM 598. Thesis. (3 Credits)

MCOM 599. Professional Project. (3 Credits)

MCOM 606. Entertainment Law. (3 Credits)

Entertainment and popular culture are two major facets of Mass Communications. Students will examine the specialized legal and regulatory framework relevant to mass media entertainment, including legal regulation and limitations on content, intellectual property rights, talent contracts, and other related media law topics.

MCOM 670. Special Topics in Media. (3 Credits)

This seminar allows an instructor to guide students through specific issues related to mass communications and media management. Can be repeated once for credit if the special topic has changed. Prerequisite: Taken only by permission of the graduate program academic advisor.

MCOM 681. Graduate Media Internship I. (3 Credits)

This is a placement in a professional setting for students to gain advanced-level experience in media production and management. An internship typically requires at least 120 contact hours on the job site. Students are expected to report weekly to the graduate academic advisor, detailing activities and accomplishments. The student will produce a professional portfolio documenting work samples and explaining what the student did to produce them. The job site supervisor will also evaluate the student’s performance and recommend a grade for the course. Prerequisites: Graduate status and permission of the Media Management academic advisor.

MCOM 690. Readings & Research in Media. (3 Credits)

Students preparing for either MCOM-695 Professional Project or MCOM-699 Master’s Thesis are strongly encouraged to conduct extensive readings of scholarly and professional literature in support of their capstone project or thesis. The student will write and defend a formal research proposal. If the student is proposing to conduct research on human subjects, the research proposal must take the form of an Institutional Review Board proposal, which must be successfully defended and approved before the VSU IRB panel. This course is recommended for the semester before the thesis or professional project but it may be taken concurrently if no IRB approval is involved. Prerequisite: Must have completed at least 18 hours in the graduate program.

MCOM 695. Professional Project. (3 Credits)

The professional project must be taken during the final semester. The professional project includes an academic paper similar to a thesis, plus the student produces a significant creative work. It may consist of a film, video, screenplay or television script, a book, a major public relations campaign or press kit package, or an exhibition portfolio of photographs, audio or video productions, or other project. Students who plan to do a professional project should begin planning early in the master’s program. The project must be arranged in advance, incorporating the sponsorship of a faculty member with appropriate expertise to oversee the project, and with the permission of the department chair. The department will retain a copy of the project and supporting paper in its archives. Students doing a professional project should expect to defend it before a review committee. A graduate student may not take both MCOM-695 Professional Project and MCOM-699 Master’s Thesis. Prerequisite: Must have been granted candidacy status by the Graduate School, and be enrolling for the final semester of master’s studies.

MCOM 699. Master's Thesis. (3 Credits)

The thesis topic must be approved by the major advisor and filed with the Dean of the Graduate Studies office at least six months before the candidate expects to graduate. The thesis is a major research paper. Students anticipating doing a thesis should begin planning early, such as the first semester of the master’s program. A thesis must be arranged in advance, incorporating the sponsorship of a faculty member with appropriate expertise to oversee the project, and with the permission of the department chair. Depending on the nature of the research, it may also need to go before the Institutional Review Board the semester before the student enrolls in MCOM-699 Thesis – that means IRB approval is required a semester in advance. The thesis must be completed around mid-term to allow time for the defense by department faculty and the required review by the Graduate School office staff. The department will retain a copy of the thesis in its archives. Students doing a thesis will defend it before a review committee of faculty members. Students must register for MCOM-699 Master’s Thesis every term until the project is completed. A graduate student may not take both MCOM-695 Professional Project and MCOM-699 Master’s Thesis. Prerequisite: Must have been granted candidacy status by the Graduate School, and be enrolling for the final semester of master’s studies.