In contemporary communication, visual information has become the predominant means to convey messages and information. Students will explore and analyze the different ways images can be used to communicate information, concepts, and narratives, as well as to support persuasive arguments in oral presentations. Students will apply what they have learned to two major projects, each designed to communicate a central message to a defined audience. An introduction to copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons is included.

This course focuses on how to create visual narratives through digital media. Course projects and use of visual media production software provide an opportunity to carefully execute each step of the production process, to include: conceptualizing, outlining, writing script for voiceover, creating the storyboard, recording, editing, and sharing. Attention to copyright, attribution, and other ethical considerations are also addressed. Recommended: COM 480 Visual Communication.

In contrast to Organizational Communication, the study of Strategic Communication focuses on how organizations communicate with their external publics, to include vendors, clients, and shareholders, among others. This course surveys public relations, insofar as it explores how an organization crafts, maintains, and redefines its image, in times of success as well as crisis. Students practice producing reliable strategic writing in the form of press releases, newsletters, and brochures, with particular emphasis upon skills in instant response, clarifying and simplifying complex information, as well as considerations of privacy, ethics, and legality.

Writing and performing voiceover audio is a specialty skill all media producers will be called upon to develop. A well-written script for voiceover will enable the audience to clearly understand messages and meaning according to the producer's goal. This course introduces students to the foundational principles of writing voiceover copy and provides opportunities to refine voiceover performances to engage the audience and establish credibility. Through a workshop format, students will create original works and performances as well as adapt and refine works written by others.