Senate Document Number 1902S
Date of Senate Approval 01/24/02
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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:
APC Document 21:
Curriculum changes in Mass Communication:
Deletion of 435; addition of 333, 437, 439, 460, 493.
Effective Date: Fall, 2002.
1. Delete: On pg. 164. MCOM 435, Advanced Video Production
Impact: This course is eliminated in order to make room in the curriculum for more specific electives added below. Course content from this offering will actually be split and expanded in the courses added in changes 2 and 3 below.
Concurrence required: This course is currently listed as an optional elective in the Multimedia Arts and Sciences program. That program will need to eliminate that option and may add MCOM 437 and/or MCOM 439 (2 and 3 below) as new options.
Rationale: There is currently an imbalance in the number of print electives vs. visual media electives in mass communication, leaving students interested in the latter with very few choices among elective offerings. Eliminating this course makes room for the addition of two more specific advanced video courses.
Resource Implications: Negligible - the course is taught once a year, and the course listed in 2 below will be taught in its place.
2. Add: On pg. 164 MCOM 437, Directing Media Productions
437 Directing Media Productions (3)
Advanced video and/or film production focusing on the creative, artistic and practical
choices made in interpreting and adapting scripts, supervising artistic specialists and
managing projects. Prerequisite: MCOM 205; or permission of instructor. Fall
Impact: This course replaces MCOM435, Advanced Video Production. This course provides an advanced elective in the visual media, allowing greater choice for our students. Attached spreadsheet shows the overall pattern of offerings in the context of visual media courses in Mass Communication.
Rationale: There is currently an imbalance in the number of print electives vs. visual media electives in mass communication, leaving students interested in the latter with very few choices among elective offerings. Adding this course makes more choices available. The specificity of the course content has been covered less comprehensively in the past. As we move toward festival quality student work, more intense coverage of direction is needed and warranted.
Resource Implications: Negligible - this course is taught once a year, in place of MCOM 435.
439 Media Production Techniques (3)
Advanced video and/or film production focusing on the creative, artistic and practical uses
of camera, light, color and sound. Prerequisite: MCOM 205; or permission of instructor.
Odd years Fall.
Impact: This course provides an advanced elective in the visual media, allowing greater choice for our students. Attached spreadsheet shows the overall pattern of offerings in the context of visual media courses in Mass Communication.
Rationale: There is currently an imbalance in the number of print electives vs. visual media electives in mass communication, leaving students interested in the latter with very few choices among elective offerings. Adding this course makes more choices available. The specificity of the course content has been covered less comprehensively in the past. As we move toward festival quality student work, more intense coverage of advanced production techniques is needed and warranted.
Resource Implications: Negligible - this course will alternate with a second fall section of the basic video course.
333 Broadcast Workshop (3)
Practical experience producing weekly programming for possible broadcast. Emphasizes
management of time pressures and personnel associated with nonfiction broadcast
production. Prerequisite: MCOM 205; or permission of instructor. Fall.
Impact: This course provides an advanced elective in the visual media, allowing greater choice for our students. Attached spreadsheet shows the overall pattern of offerings in the context of visual media courses in Mass Communication.
Rationale: There is currently an imbalance in the number of print electives vs. visual media electives in mass communication, leaving students interested in the latter with very few choices among elective offerings. Adding this course makes more choices available. The specificity of the course content has been covered less comprehensively in the past. As we participate more often in education access television more intense coverage of broadcast techniques is needed and warranted.
Resource Implications: Negligible - this course has been taught three times as a special topic and so has already become part of the regular course rotation.
5. Add: On pg. 165 MCOM 493, Field Work in Media Production
493 Field Work in Media Production (3)
Producing short visual media presentations in the field using portable equipment.
Prerequisite: MCOM 205; or permission of instructor. See Department Chair.
Impact: This course provides an advanced elective in the visual media, allowing greater choice for our students. Attached spreadsheet shows the overall pattern of offerings of visual media courses in Mass Communication.
Rationale: There is currently an imbalance in the number of print electives vs. visual media electives in mass communication, leaving students interested in the latter with very few choices among elective offerings. Adding this course makes more choices available. As the field of mass communication becomes more field oriented, students will find work in this different production environment useful and rewarding.
Resource Implications: Negligible - it is our intention to make this course a regular summer offering, giving the summer term some level of predictability for mass communication students.
460 Media Violence (3)
This course is designed to explore the issue of media violence. Students utilize several
perspectives including a review of historical and contemporary research, examination of
effects theories, review of primary content (films and television), the study of opinion
surveys, legal cases, trade journals, and public policy issues. Prerequisite: MCOM 201 or
205; or permission of instructor. Spring.
Impact: This course provides an advanced conceptual elective, allowing greater choice for our students. Attached spreadsheet shows the overall pattern of offerings in the context of visual media courses in Mass Communication.
Rationale: Mass Communications requires that majors experience both craft and conceptual electives. This course gives students an additional choice among the conceptual ones, and provides and in-depth examination of critical issues in mass communication studies.
Resource Implications: Negligible - this course has been taught several times as a 300 level special topic and so has already become part of the regular course rotation. The 400 designation puts the course on par with our other research courses.
388 Film Genres (3)
A study of films representing a particular type, class or auteur. Genres examined in
course will vary. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. See Department Chair.
Impact: This course is a frequently offered and popular summer class. It provides a mass communication conceptual elective in the summer term. Attached spreadsheet shows the overall pattern of offerings in the context of visual media courses in Mass Communication.
Rationale: This brings catalog copy in line with practice.
Resource Implications: Negligible - this course has been taught several times as a summer course.
331 Broadcast Journalism (3)
Writing and reporting for radio/television news; basic studies in the history of broadcast
journalism, the relationship between images and words. Prerequisite: MCOM 205;
permission of instructor. Fall.
Impact: This course has typically been offered whenever the department could find adjunct faculty to teach it. Thus, the time of offering information in the catalog has never been accurate. Attached spreadsheet shows the overall pattern of offerings in the context of visual media courses in Mass Communication.
Rationale: This brings catalog copy in line with scheduling practice.
Resource Implications: None - this course will become part of the regular course rotation.