Course descriptions

This course focuses on the creative side of social media content production. Students will learn how to how to translate a strategic vision into social media content, from conceptualizing to creating, editing, and executing content on social media platforms. A hands-on-approach in lesson delivery will equip students with a practical understanding of media, design, and platform-specific best practices.

This course is an introduction to film culture. It explores cinema as a creative field, art form, and entertainment industry, while also examining its social, cultural, and technological dimensions. Students will study the formal and narrative elements of cinema, such as mise-en-scène, editing, style, genre, and audience, as well as key cinematic movements and waves.

This course is an introduction to the conceptual, technical and practical aspects of digital media production. It aims to equip students with foundational skills and knowledge required for video making. The course covers the basics of digital camera work, video shooting techniques, and editing.

A foundation course in public relations that includes historic and contemporary perspectives, public relations institutions and an overview of public relations theory, planning and practice. Key concepts and terminologies are also covered, complemented by interaction with public relations faculty and industry professionals.

This course introduces students to the use of Internet by different organizations to achieve goals for advertising and public relations purposes. Students are presented to different concepts such as online advertising/PR strategies, online advertising/PR reach, the association between online research and online advertising/PR, online targeting audience for advertising/PR and online message design.

This course is an introduction to the field of podcast making. It aims to equip students with the foundational skills needed to create and publish podcasts. The course covers content creation methods, storytelling strategies, audio recording techniques and editing skills that are required for creating successful podcasts.

This course introduces students to basic concepts related to the field of international communication, including mass communication systems of the world. It also presents how topics like public relations, public diplomacy, public opinion and propaganda are discussed from an international communications’ perspective, highlighting how rapid technological advancements affect the field continuously.

Elementary principles and practice of writing for mass media in varied program formats, with emphasis on preparation of written materials for news, public relations, and public affairs.

Introduces the students to advertising. It covers the diverse range of advertising theories and practices and surveys the different advertising objectives including information and persuasion. Areas of focus include advertising basics, appeals, advertising history, advertising and society, advertising agencies, media planning, creativity, and advertising layout and design.

Prepares students to take photographs in many different contexts exploring the art of visual communication. Students will learn basic visual and technical aspects of art and commercial photography such as camera operation, exposure, frame composition and basic lighting.

Prepares students to critically explore, define, and use social media in personal and professional contexts by examining their contemporary trends and tools. A hands-on-approach in lesson delivery equips students with a practical appreciation of how important forms of emerging media work.

Draws on rhetorical theory to teach the critical skills and practical reasons for evaluating audiences, structuring an argument, and applying stylistic techniques to improve the persuasive appeal of your messages. Students will learn strategies to acheive specific communication goals in writing standard strategic messages and documents for internal and external audiences. They will get practice in writing web and e-mail messages, memos, business letters, letters to the editor, fundraising letters, press releases, brochures, and feature stories.

?This comprehensive course introduces students to the basics of visual communication with an emphasis on how to develop graphic and visual skills. It teaches how to organize visual images by learning how to use line, shape, tone, texture and volume in a creative way. Through classroom instruction and reinforced with hands-on exercises, the student learns how to extend artistic practice to explore and apply the principles of design to an artwork or a design solution. The course may be applied to 2D or 3D work. A strong creative and skill-based component underpins most learning objectives which include skill sets in design and drawing, as well as research and analysis.

Studies the basic theories and practices of radio/television studio production. Lab arranged. This course has a physical requirement requiring motor skills that allow for proper operation of radio and television equipment and the ability to exert up to 20 pounds of force on repetitive basis.

This course covers the fundamentals of color theory, focusing on color relationships complementary, analogous, triadic and key concepts like human sensitivity to color, hue, saturation, gamma, and color wavelength. Students will learn to create harmonious color palettes using swatches and explore the emotional impact of color in design. Through practical exercises, they will apply these principles in both traditional and digital media to enhance their creative projects.

This course is an introduction to the process of planning, producing, and evaluating written public relations messages. Writing assignments include media releases, letters, memos, position papers, background papers, brochures, and reports and proposals.

This course introduces the study of typography in visual communications. Emphasis upon form of letters, words, and pages; and upon the body of knowledge required for professional typographic applications. On completion, students will have developed a body of professional industry-standard works that demonstrate their awareness of contemporary design practice and their ability to work within it.

This course introduces students to the theories of visual communication, focusing on human perception, elements of design, color psychology, and design principles. Students will acquire the vocabulary of visual language. Moreover, they will explore how visual elements can be used persuasively in professional communication. MCM 251 is the first building block to various artistic fields such as graphic design, animation, film, and web design. This course provides essential knowledge for further study and practice.

This foundation graphic design course introduces students to the core elements and principles of graphic design, emphasizing conceptual ideation, visual communication, and creative problem-solving. Through hands-on projects, students will explore layout design, composition, and typography while developing proficiency in industry-standard software. The course fosters critical thinking and design skills, preparing students to create compelling and effective visual messages.

Introduces the social and historical backgrounds that inform the ever-increasing visual culture we live in. Explores the roles and influences visual representations and visual productions have on cultural experience and historical events. It draws on theories, as well as numerous historical and contemporary examples from art, design, film, video, advertising, television, new media and other forms of visual communication.

This course provides the basic building blocks of various visual narrative techniques for both dynamic and static mediums. The course covers general photography basics through capturing “moments”. In parallel, students will learn how to evolve a simple idea into a structured story that will turn into a short film.

Writing for Multimedia

Includes the theories of mass media management, with application to media operations. Investigates economic, legal and ethical problems and issues concerning media management.

A hands-on study of how to determine an advertising budget, select media and develop a strategic plan.

The application of modern communication theory to interview situations. This theory and practicum course is designed to aid the student in mastering specific skills appropriate to specialized settings.

This capstone course in the public relations major is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to develop a comprehensive communication campaign plan based on the four-step process of public relations programming. The final goal of the course is to provide students with the technical and managerial knowledge and experience required for effective public relations program design and implementation.

This course explores advanced graphic design and promotional strategies for creating impactful corporate marketing materials. Students will experiment with a variety of creative mediums and techniques, focusing on two and three-dimensional promotional applications such as packaging, point-of-sale displays, exhibition spaces, and concept stores. Through a combination of individual and collaborative projects, students will develop innovative design solutions that enhance brand identity and market presence.

This course examines the role of communication in the political process, focusing on political media, campaigns, and their effects. Key topics include media’s impact on democracy, election campaigns, debates, political advertising, and opinion polling. It also covers the production and dissemination of political news across both traditional and online platforms. The course explores public sphere theory, comparative political communication, and voter behavior. Students will gain an understanding of how media influence politics, campaign operations, and public opinion polls. The course also addresses the broader theoretical aspects of political communication.

Prepares students to explore, understand and critique the state of Arab media in both historical and contemporary contexts. Theoretical ideas such as hegemony, post-colonialism and Orientalism are introduced to situate the development of Arab media systems within the framework of the social and political conditions from which they emerged. Various media systems, forms and products are examined to highlight commonalities and distinctions across the multitude of media we classify as Arab.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of creative writing theories and techniques across various media. It covers key storytelling components such as character, plot, conflict, setting, and temporality. Additionally, the course explores common formats in both fiction and nonfiction writing.

Study and practice in copy reading, headline writing, proofreading, with attention given to printing terminology, page makeup, type structure, computer use in editing, and analysis of newspapers.

Elements and practices of online journalism are introduced in this course. Students would be informed about the reasons inviting newspapers to go online and the benefits and drawbacks of this type of publication. Students would be familiarized about the main differences between the traditional newspaper publication and online newspaper publication. Elements of designing interactive media messages are highlighted.

This course offers an introduction to the theory and practice of scriptwriting. Students will learn to apply their understanding of story elements such as character, plot, conflict, and setting, to the craft of scriptwriting. The course will also cover professional formats involved in various stages of scriptwriting, including logline, synopsis, and treatment, while teaching students how to produce content in these formats. Additionally, students will develop their skills in crafting scenes and sequences using proper scriptwriting techniques.

Multimedia Ethics

Studies the advanced theories and practices of radio and television production. Explores higher level television skills and principles from those in MCM 231. Lab arranged. This course has a physical requirement requiring motor skills that allow for proper operation of radio and television equipment and the ability to exert upto 20 pounds of force on a repetitive basis.

This course builds upon the skills acquired in the preceding courses of the program. Students will learn advanced camera, shooting, and editing techniques, as well as the basics of sound recording for video production. They will also develop skills in taking creative responsibility for a digital media project and collaborating with team members.

Students are presented to real cases of successful and unsuccessful advertising and public relations projects and tasks that allow students to critically think of the process of conducting these projects and what they need to avoid.

This course is a study of the application of digital audio and video tools. It focuses on the issues and production techniques involved in creating and editing digital audio and video. Codec’s, architectures, editing techniques and project-planning concerns are the key topics covered. Techniques of streaming audio and video may also be covered.

This course will explore issues in the making of digital video and Digital sound. It is designed around Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere. The course presents solutions for problems involved in digitizing from video tape, Audi CD and other sources.

This course provides a foundational overview of motion graphics, combining design principles with animation techniques. Students will learn how to use advanced software programs to animate text, shapes, 3D space and images, while exploring essential concepts such as animation principles, timing, movement, and storytelling. By the end of the course, students will be able to produce short motion graphics projects, applying creative skills to enhance digital content for various platforms, including video, web, and social media.

This course is the highest level of advanced digital audio and video editing. Students explore video language while producing a more ambitious work through improved technical skills, including digital modes of post-production. It integrates hands-on demonstrations, lecture, exercises, projects and critiques. Students use digital video cameras along with high end software to produce a final project.

In this course, students will learn the fundamental techniques of 3D modeling, texturing, animation, lighting, and 3D camera work. Once they've mastered these core techniques, students will progress to working with rendering their scenes to achieve professional-quality results. Finally, they will learn how to assemble their shots into sequences, enhancing their ability to tell a compelling story through 3D animation.

Multimedia Authoring

This course emphasizes the skills, processes, creative techniques and professional habits involved in the post-production of digital media outcomes. Students will learn the creative and professional functions of post-production processes. The course content may include, but is not limited to, subjects such as advanced editing, sound mixing, color correction, and color grading. It may also explore post-production-oriented creative formats such as found footage, remix, and abstract film.

This course traces the development and progress of mass communication. It starts with the early forms and tools of communications and ends up with the history of modern and new media, passing through the history of television, radio, newspapers and others. The course also deals with the social and political impacts of mass media on human civilizations.

The study of media content and its effect on society. Reading and viewing of selected works. Independent reading and critical analysis required.

This course discusses issues pertaining to public opinion, including its formation, development, stability and change. Various media and political influences are especially highlighted in this process. The study of public opinion is linked to history and modern democracies. Measurements of public opinion, such as polls, voting, and research are discussed. Students learn related theories such as spiral of silence and knowledge gap and modern practices that are directed at influencing public opinion.

Special Topics in Visual Communication

Principles of Educational Multimedia

Discussion of laws and ethics affecting the mass media. Exploration of problems and issues in legal regulation of media content, ownership and ethical standards such as privacy, censorship, honesty, fairness, and objectivity.