How will you prepare to live and prosper in a world where the future is up to you? WPU offers education for the 21st century. We welcome your interest.
- Fields Of Study
- Core Curriculum
- Academic Calendar
- Academic Catalog
- Academic Support Center
- Bookstore
- Career Services
- Commencement
- Cooperating Raleigh Colleges (CRC)
- Honors Program
- Internships
- Library
- National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Rankings
- Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
- Office of the Registrar
- Quality Enhancement Plan
- Student Showcase
- Study Abroad Programs
- Summer School
- FAQs - Academics
Communication
The courses listed below are for the 2012-13 Academic Catalog and are subject to change. Please reference the Academic Catalog for further information and course descriptions. If you are a current student, please reference the catalog in which you come under.
Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Liberal Education Curriculum 49 credit hours
Communication Core Courses 24 credit hours
Communication Concentration 12 credit hours
General Electives 35 credit hours
Total credit hours for the B.A. in Communication 120 credit hours
Communication Core Courses 24 credit hours
Media and Culture
COM 200This is the big picture, a broad overview of the many media that make up Òthe media.Ó The subject matter is as familiar as our car radio and as fresh as last nightÕs Web surfing. Examining the Internet, magazines, Hollywood moviemaking and lots of other industries, the course is aimed at consumers and potential practitioners of the media. Various perspectives, including historical, cultural, legal, and economic, are explored.
Design and Typography I
COM 220This course introduces you to the basic elements of design and the fundamental principles of visual composition. WeÕll cover electronic typesetting and page layout using software specific to the graphic design industry in a Mac-based environment. You will learn a wide range of techniques and materials for design making and develop fundamental skills in design processes.
Media Writing
COM 230Good writing is fundamental to any communication enterprise, as it is for almost any undertaking in our information society. In this course, you will learn to recognize and apply different kinds of media writing, from print journalism to broadcast journalism to public relations. Also emphasized are key concepts such as accuracy, objectivity, and attribution.
Digital Media Convergence
COM 270Technology has transformed traditional mass media. In this course, we help prepare you for working in a converged media environment. YouÕll create multi-media content for the Communication DepartmentÕs converged media web site and for your own web-based digital portfolio.
Communication Research
COM 300Much of our research in the communication field centers on understanding the audience. Who are they and how do we reach them? During this course, youÕll learn the basics of conducting applied communication research, including why we do it and how research helps us. As part of a team, youÕll collect data and learn how to analyze and present your findings.
Communication Agency
COM 480Through this course, youÕll have the opportunity to apply everything youÕve learned so far in your communication coursework to work as professionals on a real-world client project in an agency-like environment. This course serves as the senior seminar for the major.
With the help of your academic advisor, you will create a focus within your major by choosing one of the following concentrations):
Concentration in Graphic Design 12 credit hours
Design and Typography II
COM 317Typography communicates a message. In this course, youÕll learn about the issues of contemporary and traditional typographic principles and practices. This includes: issues of hierarchy, typographic formats, specifications/organization of space, working with type and type/image relationships in constructing messages, and the use of technology in typographic design. Special emphasis will be placed on developing your analytical, technical, visual, and creative thinking skills.
Imaging
COM 329In this course, youÕll explore a wide range of techniques and stylistic approaches to illustration and image making for graphic design. Emphasis will be placed on conceptual thinking and distinctive personal solutions through a series of projects that use collage, digital photography, and computer illustration
Advanced Graphic Design Studio
COM 417The goal of this course is to help you develop your graphic design skills. We apply communication principles to solve problems through basic principles of typography, color theory, and visual composition. Some projects will be taken from concept to actual production as we work with clients from the campus and local communities to diagnose and solve real-world communications problems.
Motion for the Screen
COM 420Although designers still communicate messages by integrating form, image, color, and type, the basic media of visual communication are changing. Designing for these new media requires new design strategies, as well as new technologies. In this course, youÕll begin to incorporate motion, interactivity, and digital video along with traditional typography and image making.
Concentration in Integrated Media 12 credit hours
Interactive and Social Media
COM 211Do you regularly check Facebook? Have you ever learned something new from a tweet? Do you go online to get your news? More and more people are answering ÒyesÓ to these questions, as online, interactive and social media are becoming a dominant force in the mass media landscape. In this course, students will learn how to write and report for the Web and social media, as well as how to use sites like Twitter and Facebook for marketing. You will become a local expert in a subject and an owner and regular contributor to a blog and social media accounts
Multimedia Editing
COM 390In this class, we will learn how to assemble all of the video, stills, graphics, special effects, transitions, natural sounds, and music into a media production extraordinaire. We use the industry-leading software Final Cut to create effective storytelling and output the finished product onto DVD and the internet.
Motion for the Screen
COM 420Although designers still communicate messages by integrating form, image, color, and type, the basic media of visual communication are changing. Designing for these new media requires new design strategies, as well as new technologies. In this course, youÕll begin to incorporate motion, interactivity, and digital video along with traditional typography and image making.
Creating the Documentary
COM 475The course is designed to give upper-level Communication students an opportunity to produce a quality, non-fiction documentary. The course expands on the production skills covered in Digital Media Convergence and Multimedia Editing, providing more in-depth analysis and experience with the storytelling process. YouÕll create a documentary on a subject relating to social and/or cultural issues of the community.
Concentration in Public Relations 12 credit hours
Introduction to Public Relations
COM 240Public Relations is a broad subfield in communication and touches every industry. This introductory course gives you an overview of the field of PR, including history, theory, and principles. WeÕll also explore how PR fits in as an important function in all organizations.
Public Relations Techniques
COM 340In this course, youÕll work with a range of tools public relations practitioners use in their day-to-day activities to create materials for print, broadcast and social media. YouÕll gain project management tools to help you plan special events, prepare your organization for crisis, and track ongoing issues or trends.
Strategic Communication Campaigns
COM 465This course will give you the opportunity to do professional client work with organizations in the community. This capstone course combines a collaborative learning model with service learning, allowing you to work with a small team to address a communication-related problem or opportunity. YouÕll see your efforts and ideas make a difference.
Advertising
BSA 331This course examines the creation of an advertising strategy, and explores the planning and execution of advertising and related promotional functions. Among the topics discussed are setting advertising objectives and budget, media strategy, creative strategy, and measuring advertising effectiveness. It also evaluates controversies surrounding advertisement effectiveness measurement, and reviews legal issues, including privacy, deception, and advertisement substantiation. The course emphasizes the management of advertising campaigns, expenditures, and the integration of advertising efforts as part of the total marketing program.
