Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• COM CM 461: Advertising Special Topics
  Advertising Special Topics will have at least a prerequisite of COMCM 180.
• COM CM 463: Public Relations Special Topics
  Public Relations Special Topics will have a pre-requisite of at least COMCM 180.
• COM CM 464: Communication Cross-Dept. Special Topics
  CM Cross-Dept. Special Topics will have a prerequisite of at least COMCM 180.
• COM CM 471: Communication Internship
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM331) AND for Advertising: COMCM217; Public Relations: COMCM215; Media Science: one COMCM280, COMCM434, COMCM581, COMCM535, or COMCM539 - Students are placed in advertising and public relations agencies, communication departments of firms, sales departments of firms, sales departments of media, and sales promotion agencies. Minimum of 15 hours per week during school semesters, or full time during the summer. Instructor and sponsor oversee student work. A comprehensive final report completes coursework.
• COM CM 474: Directed Study
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor and advisor. - Individual or group project on specific problems in communication. 2 or 4 cr.
• COM CM 481: Media Law and Policy
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. - Study of the laws that apply to communication practitioners. Topics covered include the First Amendment, defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright, regulation of advertising, obscenity, and indecency, and the emerging field of cyberspace law. Sophomore standing.
• COM CM 501: Design Strategy & Software
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. - Provides knowledge and practice for effective graphic design for all media. Develops a foundation in design principles and creative software skills including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Students create projects demonstrating how design strategies are used to engage audiences, and enhance comprehension of all forms of mass communication from traditional print to digital media. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
• COM CM 506: Governmental Public Affairs
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM215) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701) - This course focuses on specialized promotional activities of major and minor political campaigns, and the public relations activities of various government bodies at the national, state, and local levels. Some of the questions addressed by the course are: What are public relations roles in the intensity of the political campaign' How are statements prepared for public officials' How does one interpret policy' How does one handle political media relations' How to handle the inevitable crises that occur in politics and government' (This course was formerly CM444; if you have taken CM444, you cannot take CM506) (Undergrad prereq: CM215.)
• COM CM 510: Media Expression and Communication
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. - This course introduces students to using new media tools as a source and vehicle for creating expression and media communication. Students will acquire building blocks for design thinking and hands-on skills to successfully communicate ideas using media technology. Students will experience the design process: ideation to execution. Topics on media technology, interface design, information architecture, and interaction design will be covered. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Digital/Multimedia Expression.
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  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
• COM CM 511: Design & Art Direction
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217, CM417, CM501) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM501, CM717, CM708) - The assignments you'll work on in Art Direction this semester are structured to provide you with the firsthand experience of managing and developing brands for a range of clients. You'll assume responsibility for the strategic insight and discovery necessary to shape the brand's image development and then go on to determine and implement the advertising's consistent, overall design aesthetic. Successful work from these assignments, showcased in your portfolio, will demonstrate your ability to manage the brand development process for 21st century clients.
• COM CM 513: Investor Relations
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM215) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701) - Students examine the challenges of marketing a company to the financial community. The course is broken down into three areas: the development of IR as a profession; the tools of the trade, such as bonds and stocks; and the field's communication techniques. Students prepare case analyses as a way of understanding various SEC disclosure requirements, communication with analysts and the media, and financial marketing techniques.
• COM CM 518: Creative Video Development
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217 & COMCM417) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708 & COMCM717) - Students develop concepts, create scripts and storyboards, and study execution-based challenges of video production. Students will create extendable advertising concepts for video, designed to succeed in a changing media landscape on multiple platforms.4 cr. Either sem. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation, Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• COM CM 519: Interactive Marketing Strategy
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM215 OR COMCM217) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701 OR COMCM708) - Students study how interactive marketing strategy integrates communication objectives with consumer insight and digital execution. How social, digital and experiential media are used to achieve branding, engagement and behavioral goals for organizations in a wide range of business categories. The impact of interactive marketing strategy on the advertising and public relations sectors.4 credits.
• COM CM 520: The COMmunicator
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM331) Consent of Instructor Required - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM707) Consent of instructor required - Students write, edit, develop multimedia and social media, as well as work as photographers and graphic designers for the COMmunicator, a website for the Mass Communication, Public Relations and Advertising department. Students also create marketing communication plans for the site. As an online publication, The COMmunicator is updated/ refreshed on an on-going basis, giving students numerous opportunities throughout a semester to submit their work for publication. Editors review and critique all COMmunicator items; students develop/polish their skills as they build portfolios across a multitude of communication writing formats. This course is open only to students in the Mass Communication, Public Relations and Advertising Department. 2 cr.
• COM CM 522: Managing Corporate Crises
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM215) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701) - Students learn about the strategy and tactics associated with effectively preventing, preparing for, managing, and responding to a variety of crisis scenarios that stretch an organization's vital relationships and resources. The course will focus on the options and opportunities available to communication professionals and leaders as they manage a wide range of crisis scenarios. Students will be instructed on how to navigate and provide executive counsel before, during, and after a crisis, while also preparing detailed crisis plans. The course includes lectures, in-class discussions, guest speakers, case examples, and crisis simulations. Students will be challenged to investigate and gain a command of the critical thinking skills, tools and strategies required for successful crisis management and communication in 21st century corporate, non- profit, and government settings.
• COM CM 523: Design and Interactive Experiences
  Graduate Prerequisites: CM501 or CM510 or consent of instructor - This course introduces students to principles of interactivity through a hands- on experience designing and building an interactive project (website/app). Students will learn to apply design thinking for interactivity while building a device-agnostic package using modern web technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and related libraries, plug-ins, frameworks and tools as necessary. Students will experience the full design and development process (concept ideation, prototyping, user testing and iteration) in building a functional project. Topics on media technology, animation, accessibility, interface design, information architecture, interaction design, networking, performance, prototyping, responsive design and usability will be covered.
• COM CM 524: Public Relations Career Management
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: COM CM215; Senior in the Public Relations track/major. - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701) COM CM701 - This unique course provides students with a practical and theoretical overview of various principles of public relations career management. This class explores opportunities and requirements for work in the public relations industry. Through visits by leading industry professionals, readings and case studies, students who are about to set out on their PR careers (or reenter them) will receive a comprehensive view of the many paths open to them. Whether it is on a corporate communications staff, the agency track, in social/digital/analytics, taking an entrepreneurial direction, in content development, sports and entertainment or change communication, students will learn about the competencies required in each, begin to formulate their career objectives and build plans for getting there. More broadly, through in-class lectures and discussions, students also will explore the skills sets and characteristics necessary for success in the rapidly changing world of contemporary PR, as well as the differing work environments and cultures that are out there so that they can begin to assess the ones that might be a fit for them. 4 cr. 1st sem.
• COM CM 525: Public Relations Ethics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CM215 or CM701 - This course will acquaint students with ethical standards and expectations society has for public relations practitioners. Through the study of case studies and other readings it will prepare students so they can adequately wrestle with ethical complexities, dilemmas and ambiguities so as to form personal ethical underpinnings for their future careers. 4 credits. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Ethical Reasoning.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
• COM CM 527: Brand Experience Marketing
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217 & COMCM417) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708 & COMCM717) - Today's rapidly changing digital and media landscape calls for strategic and creative solutions that take into consideration emerging consumer behaviors and the new technologies that enable them. In this course, students create content and campaigns that consider the many different ways in which brands engage with their communities - paid and earned media, mobile apps, and branded utility. 4 credits.
• COM CM 528: Advertising Copywriting
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217 & COMCM417) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM717 & COMCM708) - This course builds on the concept development and copywriting foundations learned in prerequisite courses. Assignments will require the creation of copy for a range of audience segments and media channels. Students will learn to shape copy for video, digital, print, and social media. 4 cr. 1st semester