We are committed to infusing the curriculum with the latest trending topics and emerging media. By incorporating insights from industry experts, we ensure our students are prepared for the ever-evolving landscape of journalism and mass communications—check out our latest special topics and pop-up courses.
Spring 2026
Pop-up Classes
Pop-up classes are short, one-credit-hour courses designed to allow students to dive into emerging industry trends and gain skills to prepare them for future careers. Pop-up classes are open to all UNL students and are Pass/No Pass.
JOMC 492/892.791 | 1 CREDIT | P/NP
Branding Yourself in Today's Market
ONLINE | 1/12-1/30
This online asynchronous pop-up course will explore strategies in better understanding how to brand yourself in today's ever-changing market. One of the best ways to articulate your skills, experience, knowledge, and overall worth in today’s competitive job market is to create a personal brand that helps you stand out in the crowd. Learn how to formulate your own value proposition and convey your knowledge, skills, and abilities to prospective employers. This course will leverage relevant social media platforms and other online portfolio tools to help you reframe how you approach your personal brand.
Faculty: Frauke Hachtmann
JOMC 292.792 | 1 CREDIT | P/NP
Travel Writing
online | 3/2-4/3
This course is an introduction to travel writing as a career. At the culmination, you will create an experiential travel piece on a destination you have visited. Learn how to pitch article ideas, compare and contrast published travel articles to hone your voice and get a brief introduction to other types of travel articles (including travel news, trends and products). During the course you will strengthen your writing skills, conduct research and draw from personal experiences to produce work for your portfolio and potential publication.
Faculty: Nora Tarte
JOMC 292.791 | 1 CREDIT | P/NP
The Super Bowl of Advertising
online | 1/19-2/15
In this class, we will take a look at the history of Super Bowl advertising, examine the game-changing ads that became part of the cultural zeitgeist, and discuss many of the hits, misses and buzz-generating campaigns throughout the years. Because the class takes place during Super Bowl LX, we’ll also stay on top of the industry hype leading up to the game, do a post-game analysis of the winners and losers, and try to answer the question, “Is it really worth $8 million for just 30-seconds or is it nothing more than a flex on the part of clients and agencies with big budgets and even bigger egos?”
Faculty: Brian Hubbard
JOMC 392.791 | 1 CREDIT | P/NP
The “Reel” Deal-Instagram for Storytelling
online | 3/23-4/24
1 billion people use Instagram across the globe each and every month, spending an average of 30 minutes per day. 500 million people use Instagram stories every day and nearly 50% of people have visited a website to make a purchase after seeing a product or service. In the U.S., 26% of people aged 18 to 24 have recently used Instagram specifically to access coronavirus news. The platform provides countless opportunities for brands, businesses and organizations, from non-profits and for profits to large news organizations to tell stories and connect a message with a consumer. In this course, students will take a deep dive into the Instagram platform researching best practices, ethics and learning the ins and out of how to create and measure content. Students will learn and create content for the grid, stories, IGTV, reels, Instagram live and eCommerce to best leverage the platform to accomplish strategic communication goals.
Faculty: Tyler Thomas
JOMC 492/892.952 | 1 CREDIT | P/NP
Hudl SportsLab: Ideation & Concepting in Sports Technology
In Person | 1/23 4-7:30 p.m. | 1/24 11 a.m.-7 p.m. | 1/30 (Presentations) 4-7:30 p.m.
The world of sports technology moves fast and requires innovative thinking and creative problem solving. In this class, you'll first learn how to identify what problem needs to be solved and then how to generate a "big idea". After covering some "how to's" and best practices around creative concepting, we'll work on a real-world problem that Hudl might face where you can apply what you've learned. We'll cover all the basics as part of the "creative process". Problem identification. Project brief. Key Insights. Creative Strategy. Then it's up to you and your team to pull it all together in one week before your final pitch in front of a panel of Hudl judges.
Location: Hudl Office, 600 P St, Lincoln, NE 68508
Faculty: Trevor Meyer
Suggested prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing who have completed a few upper level CoJMC electives like ADPR 323, ADPR 333, SPMC 464, etc.
Special Topics Classes
Special topic classes are new or emerging classes offered for three credit hours during a regular academic session - fall, spring or summer semesters.
ADPR 491/891.001 | 3 credits
Digital Motion Graphics
In person | R 5:30-8:20 p.m.
Creating digital motion graphics and animation using compositing and animation software. Covers project creation, techniques, workflow management, and related post-production work.
This section is for ADPR/SPMC/JOUR majors only. BRDC majors should enroll in BRDC 433/833.001
Suggested prerequisites: JOMC 131-134, all core courses required within your CoJMC major(s)
JOUR 491/891.700 | 3 CREDITS
Severe Weather, Media and You
Online
We're going to look at how to communicate about severe weather when an extreme event is imminent; how to reach multiple audiences and how to use storytelling to increase science interest and literacy. We're also going to look at what communications theory says it takes for people to react to a warning.
Faculty: Cory Armstrong
SPMC 291.001 | 3 CREDITS
Intro to Esports
IN PERSON | MWF 1:30-2:20 p.m.
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.
Faculty: Ryan Tan
SPMC 391.001 | 3 Credits
Television Sports Reporting
in person | TR 9:30am-10:45am
Producing sports stories and information through a variety of sources, including television, social media and on the web.
Suggested prerequisites: JOMC 131-134, all core courses required within your CoJMC major(s)
JOUR 491/891.001 | 3 credits
Investigative Depth Reporting
in person | MW 3:30-4:45 p.m.
Students will investigate stories involving U.S. Immigration Court in Omaha. This year, we will partner with other universities, collecting data from each of our courts, to create an exclusive story on what's happening and how families are being treated.
Faculty: Chris Graves, Linda White
SPMC 391.002 | 3 CREDITS
Sports Betting and the Media
In person | MW 3:30-4:45 p.m.
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.
Faculty: Brian Petrotta
Prerequisites: SPMC 150, JOMC 131-134, JOUR 200A and/or SPMC 250
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