Communications

College of Arts and Humanities
Communications Department

Program Description and Features

Students dedicated to building professional careers in print and digital media, film, television, and the closely related fields of public relations and advertising, as well as those interested in preparing for post-baccalaureate programs, will find degree programs designed by the Communications Department to meet their needs and to develop their skills and interests. The Department offers the Advertising and Public Relations B.A. program, the Film, Television, and Media B.A. program, the Journalism B.A. program, the Advertising Minor, and the Communications Minor. The curriculum provides a broad understanding of communications media within a liberal arts framework.

Advertising and Public Relations B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations degree program is designed to help students develop an in-depth understanding of the role and impact of advertising and public relations in both for-proﬁt and nonproﬁt organizations. The program focuses on preparing students to become logical and innovative advertising and public relations professionals who also examine the ethical and cultural values in their practice. The curriculum is designed to emphasize professional skills, analytic abilities, and critical approaches in dealing with advertising and public relations issues. Students will polish creative ideas and gain a variety of professional skills, including creating advertising and public relations messages; planning advertising and public relations media; organizing integrated communication plans, and developing sponsorships and promotional strategies.

Film, Television, and Media B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in Film, Television and Media degree program integrates critical thinking and critical making. By approaching both traditional and emerging media as creative storytelling and grounding students in the knowledge of the history, politics, forms and industry structures of media stories, students learn to adapt to a constantly changing media landscape and how they can make a positive impact on society using their creative voices. Students take courses on storytelling in and across media forms. In writing about media stories, students develop skills in analyzing and interpreting media stories. Building on those skills, students will also learn how to tell new stories as well as identify potential audiences and venues for those stories.

Journalism B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism degree program is dedicated to high standards in journalistic practices, skills, and specializations with a strong focus on analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Through innovative teaching practices, the program provides a broad-based curriculum designed to promote news and information literacy; proﬁciency in the various journalistic forms and styles; an understanding of the new media landscape; and information dissemination practices through contemporary and emerging media tools. The program is committed to freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of inquiry, and the questioning of dominant institutional practices and ideologies. It encourages dedication to ethical practices including truth, accuracy, fairness, diversity, inclusivity, and independence.

Advertising Minor

The department offers an Interdisciplinary Minor in Advertising, in conjunction with the College of Business Administration and Public Policy and the Art and Design Department, combining courses in advertising, marketing and graphic design. The Advertising Minor provides an overview of both the business and creative sides of the advertising ﬁeld.

Communications Minor

For the Minor in Communications, students take two lower-division courses and then choose two upper-division courses from the Advertising and Public Relations, Film, Television, and Media and Journalism programs based on their interests.

Preparation

High school students are encouraged to take college preparatory English courses. Students planning to transfer from community college should consult with their counselor or advisor to identify appropriate transferable lower-division courses.

Student Organizations

The Communications Department has sponsored a chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) since 1979. The chapter’s mission is:

to serve its student members by enhancing their knowledge of public relations and providing access to professional development opportunities; and
to serve the public relations profession by helping to develop highly qualified, well-prepared professionals.

PRSSA cultivates a favorable and mutually advantageous relationship between student members and professional public relations practitioners. The CSUDH Chapter is highly active, holding monthly meetings and sponsoring various on- and off-campus social and professional activities.

The Department also sponsors the Society of Independent Student Journalists (SISJ) student organization. Its mission is:

to offer educational and professional support for student journalists;
to reinforce and strengthen the guiding principles of independent journalists;
to give student journalists the opportunity to network with industry professionals and instructors; and
to ensure all interested students are proficient in the principles and practices of journalism professionals.

Courses

COM 100. Media & Society. (3 Units)

A critical overview of media culture including newspapers, magazines, film, radio, television, popular music, advertising, public relations, and the Internet. Focuses on building critical media literacy skills by developing a concrete understanding of media history, media analysis, the structure of media industries and their major players and products.

Offered Fall, Spring, All terms

COM 105. Introduction to Media Criticism. (3 Units)

Develops the analytical tools required for critical understanding of media culture. Investigates relationships between institutions, texts, audience practices and technologies in order to build a foundation for informed media engagement, criticism and analysis in the 21st century.

Offered Fall

COM 106. Digital Toolkit. (2 Units)

Co-requisite: COM 107 is required. Introduction to the foundational and emerging tools, platforms, and digital skills essential for students interested in pursuing careers in any communications or related field, including word processing, data management, presentational, media content creation, web publishing and design/editing software and programs.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 107. Digital Toolkit Lab. (1 Units)

Co-requisite: COM 106 is required. Provides practice in the foundational and emerging tools, platforms, and digital skills essential for students interested in pursuing careers in any communications or related filed, including word processing, data management, presentational, media content creation, web publishing, and design/editing software and programs.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 110. Introduction to Digital Media Production. (2 Units)

Co-requisite: COM 111 is required. An introduction to the process of digital video production that provides basic skills in all areas of digital video production in preparation for a career in any communications or related field that might require these basic skills. Skill sets include camera, lighting, sound, pre-production and production methodologies, and basic digital processes.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 111. Introduction to Digital Media Production Laboratory. (1 Units)

Co-requisite: COM 110 is required. Provides instruction on basic skills in all areas of digital video production. The lab provides hands-on training in the use of camera operations, lighting, sound recording, pre-production, production and post-production methodologies, and basic digital processes.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 130. Introduction to Film. (3 Units)

An introduction to the study of film as an aesthetic, historical, and cultural phenomenon, and to various methods of critical analysis.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 200. Genre Analysis. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. Critical study of a specific genre of media (horror, science fiction, western, or documentary for example). Examines genres in their cultural and historical context and critical analysis writing using appropriate concepts and terminology.

Offered All terms, Fall, Spring

COM 206. Photojournalism. (3 Units)

Instruction in the basic principles of still photography.

Offered Infrequent, All terms

COM 250. Writing for the Media. (3 Units)

Instruction and practice in the basics of reporting and writing news for print, electronic and digital media.

Offered Fall, Spring, Summer, All terms

COM 251. Newswriting in Spanish. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: SPA 220 and SPA 221; or SPA 280 are required. Instruction and practice of the basics of reporting in Spanish language for traditional and new media. Students will gain the ability to conduct research, find sources and produce news in Spanish.

Offered Fall, Spring, Summer

COM 280. Intro to Television. (2.7 Units)

Offered All terms

COM 282. Writing for Radio/Tv Film. (2.7 Units)

COM 284. Advanced TV Production. (2.7 Units)

Offered All terms

COM 287. TV Directing. (2.7 Units)

COM 301. News and Information Literacy. (3 Units)

Develop critical thinking and literacy skills through examination of news and other constructed messages. Emphasis on analyzing and evaluating information sources and their narratives, structures, origins, placement and availability.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 302. Law Of The Mass Media. (3 Units)

Libel law, right to privacy, contempt of court, copyright, the right to print news of public affairs, the Freedom of Information Act, and other legal topics of concern to the media professional.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 307. History of Film. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. A critical survey of the history of film from the 1890s to the present. Covers a range of cinematic traditions from narrative to experimental. Examines the interrelationships between cinematic forms, industry, regulation, technology, aesthetics, and culture.

Offered Spring

COM 308. Television History. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. A critical survey of the history of American television, from the 1940s to the present. Examines the interrelationships between programming forms, industry, regulation, technology, aesthetics, and culture.

Offered Fall

COM 309. History of Emerging Media. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. A critical survey of the history of new and emerging media forms from 1830s to the present. Examines a range of media technologies as sites of contestation and negotiation before their use by audiences had been institutionalized within industry and culture.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 311. Persuasion. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 is required. Provides students with an in-depth understanding of persuasion conceptions, theories, and practices. Students analyze findings and implications of persuasion research to real-world cases.

Offered Infrequent

COM 314. Broadcast Journalism. (2 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 250 is required. Co-requisite: COM 315 is required. Provide students with accurate news judgement and the fundamental journalistic techniques of news gathering, reporting, writing, editing, evaluating, and producing news and feature stories for radio and television news broadcasts.

Offered Fall

COM 315. Broadcast Journalism Lab. (1 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 250 is required. Co-requisite: COM 314 is required. Provide students with accurate news judgement and the fundamental journalistic techniques of news gathering, reporting, writing, editing, evaluating, and producing news and feature stories for radio and television news broadcasts.

Offered Fall

COM 320. Sports Journalism. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 250 is required. Provides instruction and practice in reporting stories and producing multimedia news packages on a variety of sports topics including game coverage, interviewing, and reporting on both professional and amateur sports activities for print, broadcast, and online media.

Offered Fall

COM 328. Entertainment and Lifestyle Journalism. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250 is required. Theory and practices of journalistic writing about television, film, music, visual arts, travel destinations, dining and other cultural phenomena across media platforms.

Offered Spring

COM 330. Emerging Media Writing. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105; and COM 106 are required. Course focuses on writing interactive stories for emerging media. Students develop skills in generating concepts, story structure, character development, incorporating interactivity and pitching. Students conduct both collaborative and individual projects and develop skills for peer critique of creative work.

Offered Spring

COM 331. Screenwriting I. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. Serves as an introduction to the craft of screenwriting, with primary focus on equipping students with the skills to write scenes and short format screenplays and to analyze and evaluate feature films and screenplays.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 332. Writing for Series Television. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. Students break down the TV-writing process then apply each step to the development of their own original script. Students will learn the basic theory and formal aspects of story structure, character development, the use of conflict, scene writing and dialogue for television.

Offered Fall

COM 333. Digital Journalism. (2 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 110 and COM 250 are required. Co-requisites: COM 334 is required. Provides students with skills needed to gather news, analyze and produce a variety of stories for digital media across platforms and digital publishing tools, including social media, podcasts, blogs, videos, and websites, as well as to understand the nature of the emerging field of convergent journalism.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 334. Digital Journalism Laboratory. (1 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 110 and COM 250 are required. Co-requisite: COM 333 is required. Provides skills needed to gather, analyze and produce a variety of stories for digital media, across platforms and digital publishing tools, including social media, podcasts, blogs, videos, and websites, and understand the emerging field of convergent journalism.

Offered Spring

COM 338. Cross-Cultural Journalism. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 250 is required. Provides a broad, critical examination of differences in global news culture, policies and styles, including Spanish-language, alternative, ethnic-focused, and political-driven media, and other cultural print and broadcast organizations. Topics vary by semester.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 339. Latinx culture and the news media in the USA. (3 Units)

This course offers an overview of contemporary Latinx news media in the U.S. For a deeper understanding of the topics reported in the LatinX new media, students will learn about the countries that comprise Latin America. This includes Latin American history and culture. The course will highlight current events in Latin AMerica and how they connect with Latinx communities in the U.S.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 340. Emerging Media Making. (2 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 105; and COM 106/107 are required. Co-requisite: COM 341 is required. Students utilize digital software to produce original new media projects, including memes, pixel art, music, interactive fiction and/or digital games. Students conduct both collaborative and individual projects and develop skills for peer critique of creative work.

Offered Infrequent

COM 341. Emerging Media Making Lab. (1 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 105; and COM 106/17 are required. Corequisite: COM 340 is required. Lab activity works in conjunction with COM 340: Emerging Media Making to give students hands-on time with production software under instructor supervision.

Offered Infrequent

COM 342. Advertising Strategy and Copywriting. (3 Units)

Planning, creating and preparing demographically and psychographically targeted advertisements for print, electronic, interactive, and out-of-home media. Students will write copy for commercial and not-for-profit advertising campaigns. Restricted to majors

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 344. Advertising Media Analysis. (3 Units)

Analysis of the comparative advantages (cost and market impact) of various advertising media as a basis for time and space buying within the context of the creative advertising campaign with an emphasis on campaign planning and implementation.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 346. News Gathering & Reporting. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250. Theory and practice of information gathering for print and electronic media writing, including the art of interviewing. Identification, assessing and verifying published, computerized data base and live sources. Special emphasis on interview problems such as invalid inference and supposition.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 347. Multimedia Interviewing Practices. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100, COM 110 and COM 250 are required. An introduction to the fundamentals of gathering information through interview techniques, active listening, nonverbal communication, and psychological dynamics of interviewing in journalistic situations. Emphasis on accurate note taking, transcribing, and narrative structure from interviewing for print, online, and broadcast media.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 348. News Editing And Design. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250. Principles, practice in copy editing, including review of grammar, spelling, punctuation, word use, organization, word flow, sentences, information verification, application of appropriate story forms; writing headlines, photo cropping and sizing, computer desktop page design and editorial judgment. One hour lecture, two hours activity per week.

Offered Infrequent

COM 350. Culture, Gender and Strategic Communication. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 is required. Improve the understanding of cultural differences and assumptions regarding gender in the context of strategic communication. An overview of major communication theories, strategies, methods, and practices in advertising and public relations campaigns will be covered. Develop advertising skills and public relations messages based on cultural aspects in strategic communication.

Offered All terms, Fall, Spring

COM 352. Feature And Critical Writing. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250. Analysis and practice of preparing feature stories and critical reviews for newspapers, magazines, radio, television and video. Assignments include profiles, how-to pieces and news features. Critical reviews focus on theatre, film, music, fine arts and books. Two hours lecture, two hours activity per week.

Offered Fall, All terms

COM 355. News Production Workshop. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250 is required, COM 346 is recommended. Production of print and electronic forms of campus newspaper. Practices include original story selection, writing, reporting, interviewing, and editing. Repeatable course. Two hours lecture, three hours activity per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 358. Communications Graphics. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250. Learning methods for producing various forms of visual communications including fliers, informational graphics and logos, newsletters, magazines and newspapers in correlation with desktop publishing, page design, typography selection, copy fitting photo sizing and cropping. Two hours lecture, two hours activity per week.

Offered Infrequent

COM 360. Pub Affairs & Edit. Writing. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250 and COM 346. Reporting, writing and editorial interpretation of public affairs events and issues, including on-site coverage of local governments, civic affairs, schools, police and courts. Utilization of public documents, enhancement of interviewing techniques, with emphasis on accuracy, clarity and social responsibility. Two hours lecture and two hours activity per week.

Offered Infrequent

COM 363. Social Media Strategies. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250 and COM 365 are required. Provides an overview of various social media techniques and the strategies to help organizations engage in dialogue and build relationships effectively with different audiences and stakeholders.

Offered Spring

COM 365. Introduction to Public Relations. (3 Units)

Public relations practices and principles as applied to government, education and industry.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 366. Public Relations Writing. (2 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250 and COM 365. Co-requisite: COM 367 is required. Public relations writing; message and audience analysis. Creating effective forms of public relations communications, producing print and video press releases, public service announcements, media fact sheets and alerts, executive letters, press kits and brochures and newsletter copy. Two hours lecture, two hours activity per week.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 367. Public Relations Writing Lab. (1 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250 and COM 365 are required. Co-requisite: COM 366 is required. Public Relations writing laboratory course that covers the creation of effective forms of public relations communications; the production of print and video press releases, public service announcements, media fact sheet ans alerts, executive letters, press kits and brochures, and newsletter copy.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 368. Investigative Reporting. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 250 is required. Prepares students to conduct in-depth reporting by examining the motivation, process, and skills behind investigative journalism, including obtaining and analyzing public records, private documents and data on social, political, and scientific issues for print, broadcast or online media.

Offered Fall

COM 370. Creative Producing I. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 or 105, COM 379, and COM 330, COM 331 or COM 332 are required. Builds on students' understanding of storytelling and the industry to provide an introduction to script development and writing coverage. Students study the basics of packaging films for Hollywood and how to navigate the business of both studio production and independent film-making.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 372. Crisis Communication. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250 and COM 365 are required. An introduction to crisis communication theory and application. The course will cover crisis communication theory, crisis management strategies and various case studies.

Offered All terms, Fall

COM 375. Media and Representation. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. Critical study of US media representations of race, gender, class, sexuality, and other markers of difference. Considers the complex social, historical, and industrial forces shaping media portrayals of identities, groups, and cultures.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 376. Transmedia Storytelling. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105; and COM 379 are required. Provides an overview of the transmedia landscape and developing skills necessary for writing stories intended for use across multiple platforms. Topics include how stories are developed for cross media consumption from story ideation to production and distribution.

Offered Fall

COM 377. Global Media. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 105; and COM 379 are required. Critical study of media outside of the US; may focus on a transnational, national, regional, or local media tradition or industry. Considers how global media relates to history, culture, and identity. Focuses on critical analysis writing using appropriate concepts and terminology.

Offered Spring

COM 378. Media Audiences. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. Critical study of a specific media audience (comic book fans, social media users, telenova viewers, for example). Examines audiences in cultural and historical context, considering the range of ways in which audiences make meaning from and engage with media texts.

Offered Fall

COM 379. Media Industries. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. Analyzes contemporary media industries offering a comprehensive overview of how the industries work, their historical roots in relation to how they operate today, and their cultural influence. Examines how the relationships between various cultural, industrial, regulatory, and economic elements set the conditions by which media industries create cultural texts.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 388. Digital Magazine Production. (1 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250, COM 347 and COM 352 are required. Co-requisite: COM 389 is required. This course is designed to build skills in advanced feature storytelling through the production of a digital magazine for distribution across digital platforms. From conception to production, feature story packages and will be developed with a strong focus on research, writing, editing, photography, creating videos and podcasts, and design.

Offered Spring

COM 389. Digital Magazine Production Laboratory. (2 Units)

Perquisites: COM 250 and COM 352 are required. Co-requisite: COM 388 is required. This course is designed to build skills in advanced feature storytelling through the production of a digital magazine for distribution across digital platforms. From conception to production, feature story packages and will be developed with a strong focus on research, writing, editing, photography, creating videos and podcasts, and design.

Offered Spring

COM 390. Hollywood by the Horns. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 105; and COM 379 are required. Workshop that contributes to the mission of the Hollywood by the Horns program: to build up and maintain the relationship between working professionals in Hollywood and the dynamic students of CSU Dominguez Hills. Requires department consent.

Offered Fall

COM 400. Media Analysis and Research Methods. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 and COM 250. Critical analyses of the media and their role in society from an empirical research perspective. Emphasis on social science-based research methods including focus groups, in-depth interviews, correlational studies and experiments, and research report preparation.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 420. Screenwriting II. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105; and COM 331 are required. Advancing the process of screenwriting, students develop original work culminating in the completion of the first act of a feature length screenplay. Final projects can be developed into a senior project for COM 490.

Offered Infrequent

COM 435. Media Psychology. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 is required. Course is designed to acquaint students with the burgeoning field of media psychology, which examines the intersection of media use/media content and psychological processes. In this course, students will learn how mass media messages, images, and texts can alter our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how media and technology use may lead to or exacerbate psychological disorders.

Offered Spring

COM 467. Integrated Communications Management. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 250, COM 365 and COM 366 are required. Analysis and development of strategies for planning/implementing integrated communications campaigns and preventing/solving integrated communications problems. Emphasis is placed on both individual and team case studies, incorporating strategic planning and writing techniques previously learned.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 470. Creative Producing II. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 105, COM 370, and COM 330, COM 331, or COM 332 are required. Develops students' knowledge of producing scripted entertainment from development through distribution. Students will complete advanced work in screenplay development and the multiple pathways to producing.

Offered Infrequent

COM 490. Senior Project. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: Consent of department; senior standing. Discussion and preparation of senior project and professional portfolio.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 494. Independent Study. (1-3 Units)

Independent study in any relevant subject area under the direction of a member of the Communications Department faculty. Course repeatable 3 times for a maximum of 9 units.

Offered Fall, Spring

COM 495. Special Topics:. (3 Units)

Prerequisite: COM 100 or COM 105 is required. Restricted to seniors or by consent of department. An intensive study of an issue or concept in journalism, advertising, public relations, film, television or emerging media that is of special interest to both the faculty member and the students. Repeatable for credit

Offered As needed

COM 496. Internship In Communications. (3 Units)

Prerequisites: Senior standing and/or approval of the department is required; completion of a minimum of 27 upper division units in the major is recommended. Directed work experience in the communications field-print or electronic journalism, public relations or advertising, film, broadcasting, or telecommunications. Ideally, such work provides a practical bridge linking the student's academic studies with the world of work. A minimum of 10 hours a week of supervised work experience under the direction of a professionally-qualified mentor.

Offered Fall, Spring

Communications

Program Description and Features

Advertising and Public Relations B.A.

Film, Television, and Media B.A.

Journalism B.A.

Advertising Minor

Communications Minor

Preparation

Student Organizations

Undergraduate Programs

Majors

Minors

Faculty

Courses

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