Communications and Media - Junior

COURSE #: HUSS 3072

Course Description

The modern state and the international system of modern states loom over all our lives. This is true in advanced industrial democracies, developing countries, and in the varied Central Asian context. But what is the state, and how is it organized? This course introduces students to the classic definition of the state provided by Max Weber. Students will learn what states do, and why they sometimes perform their functions effectively, while at other times they perform their functions less effectively. The course will focus on how some states successfully provide security, stability, infrastructure, education, and modernization, whereas others fail to do so. The course also explores the way in which the conditions of globalization may be impacting states in new ways.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the form(s) and function(s) of the state that distinguish it from other entities
• Describe how states behave in the international system of states
• Explore the variety of states in relation to local context and diverse legacies in the context
• Explain the role legitimacy and norms play in statehood
• Explore the ways in which states interact with and impact societies
• Analyse the varied impact of globalisation on states

Course Assessments and Grading

COURSE #: MDIA 3070

Course Description

This course explores how processes of globalization have shaped global media and communications systems. This will be done though examining the primary theories surrounding globalization and their applicability and relevance to media and communication systems. The course will examine the relevance of globalization theories to media and communications through the lenses of politics, economy, culture and history. It focuses on the ways in which these processes of globalization have affected the media and communications landscape of Asia and the areas of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India and China. Themes of study include media imperialism, the rise of transnational networks, global media events, global representation and media representation and media policy and regulation at global, regional and national levels.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the students will be able to:

• Discuss the key aspects of cultural globalization in relation to the constraints and opportunities this poses for media organizations;
• Analyze the constraints and opportunities posed by cultural globalization in economic, political and social terms;
• Explore the ways in which different global media outlets and organizations operate within the context of cultural globalization
• Explain the role of media and regulation in creating local narratives

Course Assessments and Grading

COURSE #: MDIA 2076

Course Description

The course focuses on identifying and explaining challenges relating to communication in multiethnic, multilingual, multicultural societies in local, regional, and global contexts from Central Asia to a variety of international contexts. This will be undertaken through defining the notion of culture, examining the primary theories and concepts of intercultural communication and applying theoretical knowledge towards developing communication strategies for communication in a multiethnic environment. Starting with Central Asia as the focal point for the course, the effects of globalisation on intercultural communication in Central Asia and other parts of Asia will be examined. The relevance of traditional division of East and West, Orient and Occident, will be discussed throughout the course. 

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the students will be able to:

• Develop a critical understanding of intercultural communication theories and concepts
• Evaluate a variety of intercultural communication issues in different contexts and levels
• Examine the impact of history on intercultural communication
• Discuss verbal and non-verbal communication across cultures
• Analyse conflict communication and negotiation across cultures and generate solutions to intercultural conflict
• Evaluate the impact of culture on communication in the global workplace

Course Assessments and Grading

COURSE #: MDIA 3154

Course Description

This course focuses on screen media processes and the practical skills in TV directing, producing, scriptwriting, camera operating and sound production techniques in digital and traditional formats of media production. The preparation, technical, and presentation skills involved in the production of audio-visual content for television and online content delivery are explored. With an emphasis on the fundamental elements of media production for TV, video graphic narratives and discourses that constitute the screen media landscape in Central Asia are practiced. The contextualized TV content production for screen journalism, non-fiction/fiction filmmaking, and digital media will be analyzed.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

• Analyze TV programs in terms of their visual and aural styles.
• Practice audio and visual techniques to create professional quality television productions.
• Operate TV Studio equipment and devices to gain TV production skills to do professional media content.
• Apply theoretical, creative, and technical skills to produce content for TV.
• Explain the technical requirements and professional standards of screen production
• Create content that adheres to media ethics guidelines and models media literacy standards.

Course Assessments and Grading

COURSE #: MDIA 2129

Course Description

From everyday accounts of personal experience, news reports, and historiography to literary fiction, feature films, graphic novels, and interactive media, narrative is the most pervasive and influential of all genres. In written and spoken word, in moving and still images and in transmedia storytelling, narratives construct and reflect meaning for individuals, institutions, and communities. This course explores the types of meanings narratives create and the ways in which they produce meaning and their impact—positive and negative—on our lives. Drawing on narratology and linguistics, theories of media, journalism, advertising, and visual culture, the course investigates narrative across a range of contemporary media and social practices. Together, we will engage critically and creatively with the structure, form, and content of our own narratives and those of others, as we explore the social, cultural and psychological character of this fascinating genre.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply key methodological and conceptual approaches to the analysis of narratives.
• Identify the communicative purposes of narratives and the technical means with which they are achieved.
• Produce theoretically grounded critiques of narrative texts.
• Use media-specific practical skills in storytelling techniques to engage audiences.

Course Assessments and Grading