Listed below are the special topics courses offered at the School of Communication. Please consult CaneLink and the instructor of record for more information.

CIM – Special Topics in Motion Pictures / Cinema and Interactive Media

  • CIM 394 – Business of TV

  • CIM 394 – Intro to Animation

  • CIM 471/795 – Designing Games for Impact

  • CIM 594/795 – Esports, Casting and Game Reporting

  • CIM 594/795 – Emerging Narratives

  • CIM 594 – Writing for Grants, Scholarships and Funding Awards

COM – Special Topics in Communication

  • COM 609 – Psychology of Computer-Mediated Communication

  • COM 609 – Academic Writing

COS – Special Topics in Communication Studies

  • COS 391/691 – Communication in Romantic Relationships: A review of research and theory regarding the role of relational communication processes (including verbal and nonverbal message production and reception) in the formation, experience, success and termination of romantic/intimate relationships.

  • COS 591/691 – Presidential Primary Debates 2020: This course will investigate the history, importance, impact, content and coverage of Presidential Primary Campaign Debates with a focus on the 2020 debates.

JMM – Special Topics in Journalism and Media Management

  • JMM 592/692 – Investigative Humor (Punch & Judy to John Oliver: The evolution of satire to investigative comedy): Satire has been a part of entertainment, news and newsmaking since the days before Shakespeare. This course traces that development over the decades to show how technologies and methods brought us to investigative comedy, a new form of journalism delivered on every digital platform.

  • JMM 592/692 – Climate (Environmental Reporting & Advanced Weathercasting): A course for journalism and communications students interested in reporting on environmental issues and/or weathercasting students who want to refine their on-air skills. Students will produce compelling stories and weather presentations. Students will produce professional-level work that can serve as an example of their potential. Brian Norcross is a nationally known hurricane specialist, former anchor, news executive, consultant, and author.

  • JMM 592/692 – Editing (Constructing the Story in Post-Production): Students will learn techniques, tools and approaches to editing videography and images and will work to recognize, understand and begin to know what makes for a good cut, what builds a strong sequence and how to shape both a scene, sequence and story. The course will cover both the theory and the technique of editing.

  • JMM 592/636 – Content Strategy: What distinguishes the media industry from other sectors is the primacy of content. This course examines the practices involved in developing, distributing, scheduling, and monetizing media content, especially in the video space. Programming strategies are discussed across traditional and emergent media platforms.

  • JMM 592/692 – 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 – 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 + AMS 325 – 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 + STC 490 + INS 524/608 – 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.

  • JMM 233/692 – TV Performance: This is an introduction to communication concepts and skills involved in on-camera duties such as anchoring, interviewing and live reporting. Stevens is a well-known anchor with WSVN in Miami.

  • JMM 307/692 – Mobile Journalism: This course introduces fundamental procedures in the production and development of mobile storytelling, using smart phones or tablets and similar devices.

  • JMM 208/692 – Fundam. Of Newsgathering: Skill development in gathering facts and other material for, and in preparation of, news stories in a variety of genres across platforms. Focus on gathering information from multiple sources, analyzing and organizing information for dissemination, and presenting the most pertinent facts clearly and cohesively to multiple media outlets. The course also focuses on writing skills.