Course Descriptions

The introductory course in the Emerging Media program, students explore the foundational ideas associated with an understanding of the impact and application of new communication technology and platforms including the Internet itself, social media and AI. From a starting point that assesses the implication of the accelerating rate of change, students consider the evolving elements of digital literacy; the way new communication platforms alter the ways we see ourselves and interact with others; the rise, challenge and threat of the disinformation ecosystem; the need for digital ethics, and the potential outcomes driven by the emergence of cutting edge communications like AI. This course lays the groundwork for the advanced study of emerging media and its applications. Must be taken in the first semester of enrollment.

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Content Creation focuses on creating digital media content for clearly defined audiences through the development of a cohesive, multi-platform campaign. Students produce graphics, social media posts, podcasts, video, and web content, while learning how AI tools can support idea development and production workflows in practical, responsible ways. The course emphasizes clear messaging, thoughtful platform choices, and concludes with a campaign website that brings all content together into a unified communication effort.

Sessions Typically Offered: Summer
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Ethical issues are examined, from the use of new media for sourcing in journalism to product and brand promotion. Students engage in discussions about their ethical beliefs as they relate to our ever-changing, technologically-based society.

Sessions Typically Offered: Summer
Years Typically Offered: Annually

AI in Emerging Media explores AI as a powerful force shaping contemporary media, public discourse, and social life. Students engage with theories of communication technology, such as human- or machine-to-machine communication and human-computer interaction, to analyze the ethical, political, and societal implications of AI in emerging media environments. They will develop practical skills in using AI and agentic tools for content creation, analysis, and problem-solving while learning to evaluate these technologies through the lenses of responsibility, equity and the public good. Ultimately, this course equips students to engage AI thoughtfully, strategically, and responsibly in media work and research, connecting emerging media practices with broader questions of peace, justice, equity, and ethical social change.

Sessions Typically Offered: Spring
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Students learn how new and emerging media technologies are being integrated into advertising and public relations campaigns, and how they are being used—with or without AI—to deliver traditional messages in novel times and spaces. In an increasingly competitive and diversified media space, communicators are finding new ways to reach their intended audiences. This course fosters an understanding of the roles and limitations of new media for delivering messages and engaging with key audiences, publics, and markets while allowing students to critically analyze how to best utilize new media to connect with consumers.

Sessions Typically Offered: Spring
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Reviews the latest human-centered design and UX theories and research methods used to understand how and why people use new and emerging media technologies. Students examine how individuals and communities make meaning from media, including motivations, behaviors, and patterns of engagement. Students will learn to gather and interpret user feedback through qualitative research methods, such as usability studies, focus groups, interviews, and web-based surveys. Students will apply these methods through an iterative design process to the development and refinement of a mobile application or website, translating user insights into practical design decisions that emphasize usability, accessibility, and alignment with user needs and organizational goals.

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Explores best practices in the use of social networks, blogs, Facebook and Twitter/X, among other platforms in strategic communication campaigns. Students learn how to develop a mission-based social media campaign by exploring topics including setting goals, objectives, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Students create social media properties, and schedule content based on a content strategy employing best search engine optimization (SEO) practices. Students also learn to measure the degree of success of their social media campaigns in real-time.

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Students analyze and interpret the ways that race, class, gender, and ethnicity impact the access to, use of, and knowledge of technology, information, and communication. By looking at both in- and out-of-country usage, students also discuss the technological divide between countries, communities, neighborhoods, and people.

Sessions Typically Offered: Summer
Years Typically Offered: Odd

Emerging media frequently tests the existing legal and regulatory framework for speech. Key legal and regulatory issues raised by new media platforms are explored, including AI, copyright and piracy, net neutrality, free speech, privacy, and the roles of government and private sector. Students gain practical knowledge of legal issues that impact a variety of emerging media fields.

Sessions Typically Offered: Spring
Years Typically Offered: Odd

New and emerging media are changing the ways in which people around the world communicate. However, access to new media is subject to local laws, regulations, and customs. Therefore, it is important for communication professionals to think globally, but act locally. Students research the political economy, media ownership, regulations, and laws of various countries in the Global North as well as the Global South. Students also review social media policies of global organizations, and gain an understanding of new and emerging media strategies that are utilized by global organizations and brands.

Sessions Typically Offered: Summer
Years Typically Offered: Even

Students extensively practice writing for the different platforms associated with social media with a special emphasis on how generative AI is driving this field. This course explores the characteristics of the different channels associated with social media including audience, usage patterns and impact, and the particular challenges posed by writing for social media. Students also learn how to plan an effective calendar to guide the posting of social media content and may explore certification for social media dashboard and management tools.

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Reviews foundational concepts and applications of media analytics in the field of communication. Students develop a multimedia presentation about a topic of their choice by using a variety of media analysis tools to gather, interpret, and present data from online sources. Students explore the use of sentiment analysis to analyze and interpret hashtags and related issues or topics. Students learn about and sample data visualization and social networking tools. Students study contemporary applications of social network analysis in the fields of advertising, journalism, politics, public health, and social movements. Students understand what data is needed to undertake a social media analysis of an organization or topic, and what tools to best use to capture, analyze, and effectively present that data.

Sessions Typically Offered: Spring
Years Typically Offered: Even

Students work closely with a subject matter expert to engage in original research on a subject relevant to new and emerging media, then present their findings through a formal research paper; or develop an applied project in which they demonstrate their proficiency using new and emerging media. The emerging media capstone project is completed under the tutelage of an instructor/practitioner in the department.

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Prerequisite: ME 796

A continuation of ME 796. Students work closely with a subject matter expert to engage in original research on a subject relevant to new and emerging media, then present their findings through a formal research paper; or develop an applied project in which they demonstrate their proficiency using new and emerging media. The emerging media capstone project is completed under the tutelage of an instructor/practitioner within the department.

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer
Years Typically Offered: Annually

An intensive one-semester capstone course in which students work closely with a subject matter expert to engage in original research on a subject relevant to new and emerging media, then present their findings through a formal research paper; or develop an applied project in which they demonstrate their proficiency using new and emerging media. The emerging media capstone project is completed under the tutelage of an instructor/practitioner in the department. 

Sessions Typically Offered: Fall/Spring/Summer
Years Typically Offered: Annually