1 - 10 of 14 results for: COMM

Products of design surround us, and shape our lives. This course will explore the human relationship with technology from a psychological point of view, and probe how technology can be designed to work in concert with those who use it. To survey this vast space, the course will cover seminal readings in the areas of human factors, human-computer interaction, product design, and psychology. The course will also delve into the area of design, with a collaborative final project integrating design and psychology.

Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace, are used as platforms to share information about oneself and others. These new media provide a variety of novel ways to share information (e.g. 'Like', 'Re-tweet', 'Share', etc.) and change the way individuals maintain and create relationships. The goal of this course is to understand emotional and motivational aspects of social media use and examine its potential consequences on individuals' opinions and preferences. In the first half of the course, students will be introduced to theories in communication and psychology to have the foundation for understanding the mechanisms underlying media use. In the second half of the course, students will develop original research ideas and have group discussions to further explore and refine those ideas. At the end of the course, students will demonstrate their knowledge of psychological and emotional processes underlying media use and be able to evaluate the individual/social implications of social media use.

Globalization, as an imperfect but veritable buzzword, has been used both popularly and academically to describe how the world has become increasingly interconnected in multiple ways. As the Canadian media scholar Marshall McLuhan's famous coined phrase--the "Global Village"-- suggests, the advancement of media technology revolutionizes the ways human beings connect and communicate with one another. By the word "globalizing" (in the title), the course construes trends of globalization both as on-going and deepening processes, and as an ensemble of powerful cultural, economic and social forces productively shaping our lived experiences. With the booming circulation of media/cultural products worldwide and the surging mobility of populations across boundaries, new questions arise: to what extent is the globalization of media production and consumption molded in the Western, especially American, culture? How do non-Western audience consume, interpret and appropriate American products? How do transnational migrants/diaspora negotiate their identities in relation to media representations? What role do new media and digital technology play in the deepening of the globalization processes?nnThrough a critical/cultural examination of the relevant literature and cases, the course helps students better understand topics and issues related to media and identities in the globalizing era. The first half of the course will concentrate on the globalization/localization of media production, the transnational media flows and cultural consumption. The interlocking economic, cultural and political factors that drive these processes are unpacked. The latter half of the course will be devoted to issues about cultural identities, migration and diaspora as well as media representation in multicultural societies. Throughout the course, the roles of both old and new media will be studied in the transnational and global contexts.

As Internet use continues to increase around the globe, social and entertainment media are quickly becoming the preferred modes of communication among the new generation of learners. A growing body of literature suggests that leveraging the psychologically powerful elements of these new forms of media and relevant content can be an effective way to motivate positive behavior and attitude change. Theory-based examples of using media for positive change can be found in areas such as energy consumption, health maintenance, driving safety, and classroom performance. Many other potential applications of this approach have also been identified.nThrough a review of social psychology and media effects literature, this course will provide an introduction to the social science of new media and its potential to affect positive change on a large scale. The first half of the course will be spent exploring psychological processes and associated media effects research to equip students with a fundamental understanding of how humans process interactive media. The second half of the course will leverage this foundation to explore highly social new media and innovative applications of this technology for positive social change. The course will conclude with a group project and presentation that discusses the possibility of using new media to address critical issues in society. Along the way, we will compare different theoretical approaches to media psychology, varying concepts of what constitutes a psychological intervention, and how social media might be used to overcome weaknesses in historical social systems.

Qualifies students to conduct communication research. Student must apply for department honors thesis program during Spring Quarter of junior year.