These are the Special Topics course offerings from the School of Communication.
Please consult CaneLink, the instructor of record, and/or your academic adviser for more information.

CCA – Special Topics in Cinematic Arts

  • CCA 403/697 section FG – Film Directors
  • CCA 404 + JMM 592 section TU – Aspects of Contemporary Cinema
  • CCA 494/795 section FG – Producing the Art Documentary
  • CCA 494/795 section TU – Intermediate Animation: This course presents intermediate techniques used for animation; conceptualization, storyboarding, shot language, editing styles, narrative structure, creating characters, and bringing animated characters to life. Students will write and develop, draw and animate original short films.
  • CCA 494/795 + JMM 592/692 section BCD – Advanced Documentary Production: In this workshop-style class, students work in small groups to complete a short documentary film focused on bringing about social change. Classes consist of hands-on sessions, discussions, case studies, and guest lectures by experts and experienced practitioners from around the world.

 

CIM – Special Topics in Interactive Media

  • CIM 464/664 + JMM 592/692 section Q2 – Video Game Spectatorship and Esports:
  • CIM 489/689 + REL 406 section TU – Religion, Virtual Realities and Artificial Intelligence: Throughout human history, religion has been a significant factor in the formation of human community and the communication of prosocial values and practices.  Digital culture has created new modes of communication–both aural and visual–that may affect and change how religion works and its impact on society.  This course will examine the various impacts that emerging technologies have on religion’s structure and practice in the contemporary world.

 

COM – Special Topics in Communication

  • COM 406 + REL 406 section TU – Persuasion, Propaganda & Genocide: This course examines how governments, and the cultures and societies that support them, create discourses that make it plausible for citizens to harm, degrade, and murder other citizens. We will take both a comparative and methodological approach to understanding how to answer this basic question.  We will explore contemporary theories and modes of persuasion and propaganda and apply them to selected historical and contemporary cases of genocide.  We also will attempt to identify approaches to preventing mass atrocities.

 

COS – Special Topics in Communication Studies

  • COS 391 section O – Communication for Development and Social Change: This course provides an introduction to “development communication,” also referred to as “Communication for Social Change (C4SC).” C4SC focuses on various ways in which communication processes, technologies and media can promote social/economic development, social change, and social justice. In this course, students will be introduced to the theories and practices of C4SC along the historical advancement of communication technologies, from mass media to new media.

 

JMM – Special Topics in Journalism and Media Management

  • JMM 306 + ATM 306/632 + MPO 632 section JK – Broadcast Meteorology: This course will be taught by an experience broadcast meteorologist and will introduce the students to the elements of forecasting and weather reporting for broadcast television.
  • JMM 592 section CD – Advanced Television Performance:
  • JMM 592 section R – After Effects: Students will learn to create basic animations, special effects, and motion graphics using Adobe After Effects through project-based instruction relevant to both beginners and experienced users.
  • JMM 592/625 section ST – Advanced Newsgathering and Writing Seminar:
  • JMM 592/636 section JK – Content Strategy in the Media Industry:
  • JMM 592/645 + AMS 325 section O – Children & Media: This class explores the impact or influence the various media on children. For example, students will consider whether violent video games really create violent adolescents and adults? How does the media affect health issues in young people, such as eating disorders? How do the various social media platforms help and hurt children? How do advertising, marketing, educational, and entertainment programming directed at children affect them? Bohrer is an experienced media attorney and well known children’s advocate in Florida.
  • JMM 592/692 section GJ – IPhone Photo Illustrations: Students will improve photography skills using smartphones. Students will learn to break or bend many basic rules of photography while taking and editing images for artistic impact. Emphasis will be placed on creativity. The workload includes both taking and editing images.
  • JMM 592/692 section P2 – Hate, The Media & Free Speech: This class explores issues of tolerance, intolerance, understanding and acceptance of people who may be different from you, and will cover how the press addresses these issues and how the government deals with them. Key topics include campus speech issues, and religious, cultural, political, racial and ethnic issues relating to intolerance. The course emphasizes keeping an open mind and employing “critical thinking” skills. Bohrer is an experienced and well known media attorney in Florida.
  • JMM 592/692 + CCA 494/795 section QR – Podcasting: Podcast Storytelling is a course offered jointly by the Departments of Cinematic Arts and Journalism and Media Management. Students create and produce narratives related to environmental issues that affect the South Florida community and our planet. Projects in the course are produced both individually and team-based and will be published on blogs/websites created during the semester. Students will learn the technical aspects of creating a podcast as well as how to be best organize and structure the content for audio consumption.
  • JMM 592/692 + ECO 698 section P1 – Media Sustainability: This course examines sustainable development issues, corporate sustainability, and applications of sustainability to the media and business environments.
  • JMM 592/692 + INS 524/608 section RS – Strategic Decision Making + Entrepreneurship in the Global Internet Economy: This is an International Business Course for non-business students. By examining actual business decisions that entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and even government leaders, have made, students learn the key business concepts, including the panoply of available business models.

STC – Special Topics in Public Relations

  • STC 290 section G – Social Media Influencers: Strategies and Tactics:
  • STC 444/629 + COM 609 section O – Social Media Analytics: