Academics

Students learn media planning fundamentals to understand how different media are used to enhance the persuasive power of the advertising message. The class will prepare a media plan to support a marketing communications campaign.  Prereq: ADV 208, offered in the fall semester.

New York City is the global epicenter of the advertising, PR, media, branding, marketing research and digital agency world. This course will provide students behind-the-scenes access to leading communications agencies in New York and, in some cases, the world.  You will learn first-hand the different skills sets and capabilities of Omnicom’s agencies (DDB, Merkley+Partners, Interbrand, RAPP, Ketchum, Sparks & Honey, etc.) the services they offer to brands, a deep dive into each discipline, their distinct agency cultures and what they are looking for in young talent. In addition, you will experience how they come together to develop integrated strategic communications solutions for multi-national brands like AT&T, Nissan and Mercedes Benz, among others.

Students will learn how to apply theory and practice of advertising research by analyzing cases and studies in marketing communications and academic publications. Account planning, qualitative and quantitative research skills are emphasized. Prereq: ADV 208, offered in the spring semester. 

3 credits

In a rapidly changing country that is quickly becoming more multiracial and multicultural, and where civic and social norms are constantly changing, media must either reflect that growing diversity or become irrelevant. Media producers in every facet of the business; from the newsroom or writers’ room to the production floor, and from the editing room to the publicity department, are serving a marketplace that has never been more diverse, and that is increasingly borderless.

Given that reality, the creators and marketers of news and media content would be well served to approach their work with a broad capacity for empathy and a willingness to understand and serve people who may be 28 | Page different from themselves. Nowhere is this truer than in the coverage of politics, which in the U.S., and indeed throughout the Western world, is increasingly polarized along racial, gender, religious and regional lines.

The course will provide an introduction to the concept of media bias; whether racial, gender, religious, sexual orientation or regional – how race informs our perceptions of bias, and how those perceptions can impact media decisions. Secondly, the course will attempt to acquaint students with the real-world value of diversity in media, including its practical applications in improving media decision-making and storytelling.

Introduction to the fundamental issues surrounding diversity, inclusion and equity in media as approached through the lens of musical theatre, specifically within the Broadway industry. Offered in the summer only.   

3 credits

Digital Nation is the perfect entry point into the industry at a unique time in history. Every media company is being forced to reimagine and reinvent to become factories of video content. Television, while once the most lucrative platform in the ecosystem, is now in competition for ad dollars and has been morphed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Content creation, ideation and distribution is happening everywhere with no barrier for entry. Digital Nation will explore where this leaves the once lucrative print industry. Are public relations firms a dying breed? How do brands get their message out? And most importantly how and where are the ad dollars coming from? Through the span of one semester, we will learn how and why original digital content now rules the day; what are the new rules of engagement. We’ll explore what is relevant every week, meet top creators working in the industry, and you will take part in the ultimate role-playing exercise.

3 credits

In just a matter of years, social media for publishers, marketers and advertisers has evolved from an afterthought to incredibly instrumental. With over 2.8 billion people across the globe using social media platforms, who wouldn’t want to learn more?

As early adopters, you know what the platforms do on a user/consumer level, but this course will challenge you to think like a marketer, an advertiser, a broadcaster and a publisher. You’ll hear from movers and shakers in the industry, take field trips to the offices of powerhouse brands, and put your knowledge right to work through assignments that mirror #IRL tasks and deliverables that exist in real social media jobs.

Students will learn how to use social platforms in a professional setting from the people who do it every day—a luxury most current social media editors never had since they had to learn it on the fly. Manning a social handle from a professional standpoint is very different than running your own. You can’t just “delete” a tweet and expect it to go unnoticed, just like you can’t post an image and the same copy to both Facebook and Instagram and expect them both to exceed benchmarks.

This course is designed with live lectures, off-site field trips around Manhattan, and in-class workshops. The assignments and final project mirror the tasks and deliverables you can expect when working in the field as a community manager, social strategist or another similar role.

Practical experience in the New York City communications industry. Includes media-based internship along with required in-person classroom sessions, field trips and guest speakers. Students will receive an internship grade that is determined by the internship supervisor performance evaluation, one-on-one meetings, class assignments, journal and final paper.  This class is offered fall/spring/summer and is required of all participants.

3 Credits

COM 509 is an integrated communications law course for students that takes full advantage of the unique resources and personnel available in New York City.  The course covers the First Amendment; systems of media regulation; corporate speech and election-related speech; commercial speech (advertising regulation); defamation; privacy; access to places, documents and meetings; reporter/source confidentiality; and intellectual property.

3 Credits

This is a collaborative course where students and the professor come together to explore the evolving landscape of digital journalism. In doing so, students will learn how to properly tell stories using different mediums, discover how to report on lesser-known stories for amplification and ensure all stories have the representation they require. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to have their work published on Verizon Media/Yahoo platforms and brands, including Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports and Yahoo Life/Entertainment for consumption. 

Often considered one of the most glamorous jobs in the world, the red carpet is an intensely engineered affair.  This class will teach you the essential skills for writing effective, engaging entertainment journalism, including interviewing tips and techniques, gathering sources, verifying facts, attributing quotes, crafting story ideas, pitching and marketing content on social media platforms. Offered in the summer only.

3 Credits

This course will teach students how to pitch across various mediums including articles, personal essays, podcasts, photography and more. In doing so, students will learn how to pre-report an idea, frame the story for the right medium and build relationships with publications. The goal of this course is to learn how to get bylines and get paid. 

This course will dive into the media coverage of sports betting. With the rise in online gambling sites, networks are learning to interpret laws, regulations and integrity issues attached to the discussion and analysis of wagering on sporting events. How do we uphold journalistic integrity and ethics as we report on the $76 billion legalized sports gambling market. This course will examine the intersection of gambling and sports media, fan engagement, sponsorships and the importance of integrity and compliance. Offered in the summer only.

3 Credits

This course is designed as a series of workshops lead by guest speakers, and each workshop will be pieced together by practical exercises assigned by the course professor that apply the knowledge gained in previous theory-based courses. These workshops will also allow students to gain hands-on experience in topics, such as unit production management, grip, hair/makeup, prop management, etc.
Students will also utilize the equipment provided by Great Point Studios in Yonkers. This course will ultimately provide the students with an isolated focus on vital studio activities which they do not have access to on campus.

To complete your course load, you may also select from a variety of online courses offered by Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences.