Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Undergraduate Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)

TC 451 - Mass Communication

3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
This course surveys mass communication theories and practices. The course will review all forms of historic and modern mass communication, including broadcasting and publishing. It will also consider the advent of networking via the Internet. The course will further examine the news business as well as the entertainment and information industries. Issues to be considered include mass media ownership and concentration; ethics and law; the influence of media upon public customs; attitudes and beliefs; and the credibility of media messengers. (prereq: none) 
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Understand the history of various media
  • Understand the laws, rules and regulations under which various media operate
  • Understand the forces that shape and are shaped by the media
  • View the media from the basis of both a viewer/reader and a critic

Prerequisites by Topic
  • None 

Course Topics
  • Course introduction
  • Mass communications: Process and effect
  • Global impact of modern media
  • Journalism: The practice and profession of news gathering
  • Historic press freedoms
  • The newspapers industry - current trends, use of graphics, etc.
  • Advertising and public relations
  • Publishing: Books and magazines
  • Broadcasting: TV, radio/current programming trends
  • The film industry
  • Recordings: Video, audio, digital data
  • The “information highway” - cable, computer networks, and more
  • Education and mass media
  • Media ownership
  • Credibility: Trusting the purveyors of media
  • Influence: How do mass media affect culture and society
  • Ethics: Media and social responsibility
  • The legal environment
  • Media and government: Regulation and legislation

Coordinator
Michael Carriere



Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)