11 - 20 of 130 results for: COMM

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.

This class is designed to interrogate the spatial metaphors often used to describe the Internet. What is "cyberspace" and where do we go when we go "offline"? What is gained through thinking of the Internet as a space and what opportunities are missed? What does this have to do with our physical bodies, capitalism, and the government? During this course we will use historical and contemporary academic writing and literature to interrogate the Internet as a space and a communication technology, and think through the meaning of digital spaces in American culture, business and government.

The widespread availability of public data provides a rich opportunity for those who can efficiently filter, interpret, and visualize information. Course develops necessary technical skills for data collection, analysis, and publication, including data mining and web visualization, with a focus on civic affairs and government accountability. Open to all majors and a range of technical skill levels. Involves tackling new tools and technical concepts in the pursuit of engaging, public-facing projects. (Graduate students enroll in 213). Prerequisite COMM 273D, CS 106A, or CS 106B.

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.

(Graduate students register for 216.) Laws and regulation impacting journalists. Topics include libel, privacy, news gathering, protection sources, fair trial and free press, theories of the First Amendment, and broadcast regulation. Prerequisite: Journalism M.A. student or advanced Communication major.

Technological change has always been surrounded by two competing narratives: that of opportunity and human flourishing, versus that of displacement and alienation. This course explores the idea that machines themselves are media in terms of which people - to use the words of James Carey - represent, maintain, adapt, and share their hopes and fears about the world. By the end of the course, students will have developed a vocabulary for thinking about technology's role in the ways that people have made sense of utopia and dystopia. Readings will include a mix of theory and historical case studies. From the first category, possible authors include Jacques Ellul, Leo Marx, Norman O. Brown, Martin Heidegger, Walter Benjamin, and Jessica Riskin. From the second category, possible topics include 18th-century automata, the English and French Luddite movements, the American Machine Breakers movement, Taylorism and technocracy. Note: preparation and participation in discussion are the primary course requirements. Enrollment at 3 units requires a short final paper, while a more substantial paper is required at 4 units.

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.

Contemporary debates concerning the social and cultural impact of digital media. Topics include the historical origins of digital media, cultural contexts of their development and use, and influence of digital media on conceptions of self, community, and state. Priority to juniors, seniors, and graduate students.

This course examines behavioral approaches to understanding social media. The course will begin by discussing the design factors that shape behavior online, considering research in human-computer interaction that reflects and reveals communication practices and contexts. Next, the course will examine the psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication and virtual collaboration, including impression formation and management, deception, audience and social networks. Finally, the course will explore the ways in which human behavior is situated inside of social and institutional structures and cultural formations; and with that in mind, it will examine the complex interactions between behavior, society, and information technology.