Special Topics Classes

JOMC 491/891.002 | 3 credit hours AI + CoJMC = ?MW 3:30pm-4:45pm

AI went from science fiction to current fact with breathtaking speed. Soon, you'll have AI plugged into every tool you use, including Word, Google Docs and your email. Journalism and communications are only starting to grapple with this. This class, the first of its kind at CoJMC, will explore three areas: 1. What is AI, how does it work, what is it good and bad at? 2. How can you use current public AI tools to be a better writer, reporter and human? 3. What if we trained our own AI on a local news source? It's possible with open tools. Would it be any good? Would it be accurate enough to be useful? What could you do with your own AI tool?

SPMC 291.001 | 3 credit hours Intro to EsportsMWF 12:30-1:20pm

Learn about all aspects of Esports as an industry and the many opportunities for participation in colleges and careers. Students will be immersed in experiences where they will develop skills used in the Esports industry. Students can explore the area of streaming content in the areas of broadcasting as reporters, casting live or recorded matches, live or recorded game analysis of a match, among other options determined by the students. Students will develop communication skills, understand Esports strategies and tactics, and implement production components for Esports events.

SPMC 391.001 | 3 credit hours Sports Betting and the MediaTR 12:30-1:45pm

This course will explore a myriad of approaches to the quickly spreading legalization of sports betting in the United States. Course topics include exploration of legal issues, foreign countries’ approaches to sports betting, ethical advertising and promotion of sports betting, media management’s relationship with sports books and professional sports leagues, review of past sports betting scandals, and critical observation of journalists’ current approaches to covering sports betting in the U.S.

ADPR 491/891.791 | 3 credit hoursCrisis Response AdvertisingONLINE 10/23-12/15

Crisis response advertising (CRA) is an emerging sub-genre of crisis communication. It is a form of paid advertising used by many brands during the COVID-19 and other complex crises to comfort consumers and help society cope during difficult times marked by fear and uncertainty. Complex crises occur in different phases, each of which requires different brand communication approaches. This course will provide a historical overview of crisis response advertising, including the "Spanish Flu," the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic to study how brand communication has evolved over the past century. The course will then focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has elevated brands' role in society. It will include numerous examples of brand responses during the pandemic as well as an opportunity for students to apply a newly developed "Complex Crisis Response Advertising" model as part of a potential new crisis scenario.