Program Description
The Jefferson Communication & Media Studies program prepares students for today’s media marketplace through a broad-based education that emphasizes storytelling, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving and multimedia skills development.
The program tailors itself to the unique career goals of each student, and provides the key skills necessary to transition into new areas of communications, as the marketplace continues to change and grow.
Learning Goals/Outcomes
- Planning and Process: apply a process of self-reflection and self-evaluation in order to plan their course of study and professional path in Communication [integration]
- Visual Literacy: read, interpret, and analyze visual information in multiple forms of 153 media [visual]
- Idea Invention: engage in generative and iterative processes to develop and communicate original ideas to achieve specific communication goals [rhetoric, practice, visual, integration]
- Rhetoric and Writing: identify and apply written techniques of argument and persuasion appropriate to specific tasks, audiences, and platforms [rhetoric, practice]
- Visual/Verbal Presentation: synthesize & understanding of visual and verbal communication techniques and technologies to create effective presentations for specific audiences [rhetoric, practice, visual, integration]
- Narrative Creation: identify and apply written and visual narrative strategies to the invention and communication of persuasive stories for specific audiences [rhetoric, practice, visual, integration]
- History/Theory: explore the relationship between meaning and context through analysis of historical and contemporary communicative expressions [rhetoric, practice, visual integration
Curriculum: 4 year, 121-124 credits
| First Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| FYS 100 | Pathways Seminar | 1 |
| WRIT 101 | Writing Sem I: Written Comm. | 3 |
| MATH XXX | Mathematics | 3-4 |
| AVIS 101 | American Visions | 3 |
| Scientific Understanding | 3-4 | |
| Scientific Understanding/Math/STAT | 3-4 | |
| COMS 101 | Intro to Comm & Media Studies | 3 |
| COMS 102 | Introduct to Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMS 200 | Visual Media | 3 |
| COMS 202 | Responsible News&Research (Minor Course Selection) | 3 |
| Minor Course (1 of 4) | 3 | |
| Credits | 31-34 | |
| Second Year | ||
| WRIT 201 | Writing Seminar II:Multi Comm | 3 |
| GDIV 2XX | Global Diversity Placeholder | 3 |
| ETHC 2XX | Ethics Course Placeholder | 3 |
| COMS 203 | Digital Communication &Culture | 3 |
| COMS 204 | Intro to Video Production | 3 |
| COMS 206 | PR/Strategic Communication | 3 |
| COMS 307 | Media Writing | 3 |
| MKTG 102 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| Visual Production Course | 3 | |
| Minor Course (2 of 4) | 3 | |
| Credits | 30 | |
| Third Year | ||
| ADIV 2XX | American Diversity Placeholder | 3 |
| GCIT 2XX | Global Citizenship Placeholder | 3 |
| CGIS 300 | Contemporary Global Issues | 3 |
| COMS 300 | Audio Production: Podcasting | 3 |
| COMS 306 | Social Media Strategies | 3 |
| LAW 304 | Law, Media & Society | 3 |
| Minor Course (3 of 4) | 3 | |
| General Elective | 9 | |
| Credits | 30 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| PHIL 499 | Philosophies of the Good Life | 3 |
| ISEM 3XX | Integrative Sem Placeholder | 3 |
| COMS 316 | Multimedia Journalism | 3 |
| COMS 404 | Professional Comm Capstone | 3 |
| General Electives | 15 | |
| Minor Course (4 of 4) | 3 | |
| Credits | 30 | |
| Total Credits | 121-124 | |