JTC 412 International Mass Communication

Overview of Course

This course will help students understand the role of mass communication from an
international perspective. From this class, students will be able to execute and
prepare a comprehensive media plan that spans across multiple countries. As mass
communication systems such as broadcast, print, and digital platforms are utilized
differently across the world, this class will visit these issues through the lens of
practice, film, psychology, sociology and theory. This course will investigate how
various institutions in each of the countries we visit develop and use mass
communications with their audiences. Students will develop critical thinking skills in
understanding audiences for mass communication through the development of
audience personas while understanding societal and governmental influences in
media production.

Additionally, the course will look at the cultural implications of the global media
system, the commodification of culture and the perception of understanding of
culture across different landscapes (e.g. the prototypical understanding of
American culture based on the TV series “Friends”). We will also watch foreign
films and have analyses and reflection of the content compared to those of their
home country. Finally, students will gain practical experience through participating
in case studies and working on a field program that focuses on brand and tourism,
as well as a final media plan based on ports they have visited.