Online Communications Major Curriculum

Financial Wellness is a practical approach to making informed and empowering decisions about financial health. Students explore values, feelings and knowledge related to money, acquire basic financial knowledge and apply this knowledge to short and long term financial decisions.

This course introduces the integration of communication skills essential for effective reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college level. In this writing intensive course, students develop composition skills to produce collegiate-level papers modeling rhetorical modes and thematic content in addition to strategies for reading complex texts; presentation skills for personal introductions, verbal summaries of readings and response writings, and peer review of papers; and basic technological skills for word processing, e-mail, and introductory-level online research.

Selected readings in fiction, poetry, and drama introduce the student to literary types and techniques. These readings provide a basis for collegiate-level discussion, analysis, and the development of critical judgment. Building on the communications and research skills from earlier courses in the sequence, this course emphasizes continued practice in writing, and students complete a documented research paper using primary and secondary sources as one of the course writing assignments. Discussions and oral presentations based on assigned literature support the overall goal of the sequence: to enhance the advancement of the students, first academically and then professionally.

Prerequisite: ENG 114

This required interdisciplinary course is designed to give all undergraduate students entering Bay Path University a common experience and foundation for lifelong learning. Students examine leadership within the larger context of our interdependent world and their own strengths, values, and aspirations. Students also examine learning styles, communication skills and technology to create a personalized action plan for success. This course lays the foundation for higher-level courses in the WELL program.

Together, we will spend the course defining and refining our response to the question: what is a meaningful career and what resources do I need to achieve one? We will also build upon the learning we achieved in WEL 220 by thinking about how career management skills can help us become more effective leaders. This course has been designed to support learners in all phases of their professional and life paths, from meaningful career planning through the job search and beyond. You will find that many assignments can be tailored to your own personal situation, whether you are just embarking on your career, changing course, or preparing for retirement.

Prerequisite: WEL 100 or WEL 220

The BA in Communications program requires 28 core electives:

• Behavioral/Social Science Electives (9 credits)
• Humanities Electives (9 credits)
• Mathematics Elective (3 credits)
• Science Electives (lab required) (7 credits)

Learn more about which courses apply to these credits by speaking with an enrollment counselor.

A survey of the marketing structure for the creation, research, and distribution of goods and services for all types of corporations is examined. Specifically, the fundamentals of the marketing mix: product development, promotion activities, price objectives and placement of goods or services will be explored. Students will also examine how communication, distribution, and exchange activities affect consumer behaviors.

This course focuses on communicating effectively in a culturally-diverse world. Students receive a solid grounding in Cultural Anthropology combined with Interpersonal Communication theory and practice to develop knowledge and skills essential for communicating effectively across cultural borders. Through lectures, small group discussions, research projects, videos, and guest speakers, students learn first to identify other peoples cultural patterns and then to analyze strategies for adjusting their own communicative styles to resolve and to avoid intercultural conflicts. Students demonstrate proficiency in intercultural theory and practice through writing assignments, including a formal cross-cultural research paper; oral presentations; and a variety of class activities and assignments.

Prerequisite: ENG 114 and ENG 124

This course introduces students to the information age and its significance in our personal and professional lives. Students explore mass communication from the perspectives of advertising, film, journalism, public relations, radio, and television. Other topics may include multimedia and interactive technology, the Internet and international communication.

This course provides students with a survey of the field of human communication. Students will explore the symbolic nature of both verbal and nonverbal communication in several contexts including dyadic, small group, intercultural and organizational settings. Within and across contexts, students will study fundamental communication processes such as message construction, listening, persuasion, deception, and relationship development.

Mass Communication is changing more rapidly now than at any time in the past century. Journalists, public relations practitioners, corporate communicators and professionals in any discipline or industry are expected to know how to use a range of storytelling forms to reach their audiences. Today’s professional (at all levels) should be able to gather and edit simple text, graphics, photos, audio and video as well as use the latest social media, and analytics dashboards. This interactive course will examine those changes and provide valuable “how-to” practice in communication technology and content delivery. As students learn about communication technology in the Media Lab, they will become more familiar with the hardware, software, and devices used in the industry as well as in varied disciplines and workplaces. Communication technology is the fusion of computer science and electronic media — offering skills and opportunity to present, share, distribute and manage information.

This course will examine the principles of public relations and advertising. Areas of discussion include: organizational aspects, the environment (workplace and marketplace), fact finding, planning and programming, implementation, evaluation and audience analysis.

This course provides students with an overview of the writing process involved in the creation of content for both traditional and ‘new’ media. Students will learn the stylistic differences inherent in the construction of news stories, ad copy, marketing pieces, etc. Concurrently, they will analyze specific target audiences in order to achieve clearly formulated rhetorical objectives. Through lecture, discussion, and projects, students will gain an understanding of the varied contexts within traditional media, such as TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines, along with the changing trends found in newer forms of social media, such as e-zines, blogs, and podcasts. Writing used in internal (corporate/organizational communications) and external (public relations, marketing) communications will also be included.

Prerequisite: ENG 124

A survey of the research investigating how the concept of gender is socially constructed and defined through communication practices, how individual gender identities are communicatively constructed, and how gender identities affect communication practices.

Prerequisite: ENG 124

In this course students will apply the practices for effective reading and writing introduced in ENG 114 to the distinctive language and forms of various disciplines. This course lays the foundation for academic and professional research and stresses the use of appropriate and effective information sources. Readings for a variety of academic audiences will provide students with strategies to communicate in the sciences, business and technology, psychology, liberal studies, and the social sciences. Research and documentation skills appropriate to the disciplines are stressed. In addition to leading students through the research process from start to finish, this course will examine the many ramifications of academic honesty.

Prerequisite: ENG 114

The BA in Communication requires 14 major electives:

• Career Electives (6 credits)
• Major Elective 1 (3 credits)
• Major Elective 2 (3 credits)
• General Electives (2 credits)

Learn more about which courses apply to these credits by speaking with an enrollment counselor.

Businesses today rely on a robust and vibrant social media presence to tell their story to a wide variety of audiences, for a wide variety of purposes. This course explores the ways that businesses can use an intentional social media strategy to meet their organizational goals. Social media tools, their benefits and limitations, and their usage will be explored.

Prerequisite: BUS 226

This course covers fundamental aspects of radio production, including the day to day work of DJs, production and broadcast of themed music and entertainment programming, news gathering and reporting, and the writing and digital editing of pre-recorded, on-air news stories and features. Students in the course run the campus radio station under the direction of the course instructor.

Prerequisite: ENG 114 and ENG 124