Communication

Assistant Professors: Donati, Peterson (Chairperson), Wild 
Part-time Instructors: Dougherty, Van Auken

A major in communication with a liberal arts base is the perfect choice for students interested in digital video, digital filmmaking, video editing, film and video production and post-production, corporate communication, advertising, public relations, management, event planning, sales, marketing, and radio broadcasting.

The department offers majors in Corporate Communication and Digital Media Communication and minors in Digital Media Communication, Film Studies, and Media Writing. Students balance theory and practice as they study the way media interacts with society and are introduced to a variety of media in their courses, extracurricular activities, independent projects, and internships.

The following courses, when scheduled as W courses, count toward the writing intensive requirement: ART 320, 327; CCOM 210, 324, 400; FILM 220, 315, 320, 326.

MAJORS

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION (CCOM)

Corporate Communication is an inter-disciplinary major designed to prepare students for entry into a variety of occupations including corporate communication, public relations, marketing, sales, and advertising.

All students majoring in Corporate Communication must complete the following twelve courses: ACCT 110; BUS 228 and 332; CCOM 200, 210, 211, 324, 400; DCOM 100; ECON 110 or 111; and any 2 of the following courses: BUS 242, 244, 319, 347, 429, CCOM 470.

Students in this major are encouraged to complete an internship before graduation.

REQUIRED COURSES:

ACCT 110 — Financial Accounting
BUS 228 — Marketing Principles
BUS 332 — Integrated Marketing Communications
CCOM 200 — Introduction to Corporate Communication
CCOM 210 —  Writing and Research for Traditional, New, and Emerging Media
CCOM 211 — Informative and Persuasive Presentational Speaking
CCOM 324 —  Public Relations and the Media
CCOM 400 — Corporate Communication Strategy
CCOM 146, 246, 346, 446 — A total of four semesters of non-credit colloquium
DCOM 100 — Introduction to Visual Media.

 

And either
ECON 110 — Principles of Macroeconomics
or
ECON 111 — Principles of Microeconomics

OPTIONS — CHOOSE TWO: 
Choose two from the following list:

BUS 242 — Marketing Research
BUS 244 — Management and Organizational Behavior
BUS 319 — International Marketing
BUS 347 — Contemporary Issues in Marketing
BUS 429 — Marketing Strategies
CCOM 470 — Internship

200
INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
This course examines how organizations plan and manage communications with various audiences and stakeholders, including employees, news media, customers, government regulators, investors, and others.  The course surveys a broad range of communications topics such as public relations; advertising and integrated marketing communications; new media and digital communications; journalism; mass communications; broadcasting and other forms of content creation.

210
WRITING AND RESEARCH FOR TRADITIONAL, NEW, AND EMERGING MEDIA 
Intensive practice in writing for the corporate setting.  Emphasis on developing appropriate messages for various traditional, new, and emerging media platforms as well as practice in assessing the effectiveness of those messages. Prerequisite: ENGL 106 or 107 and CCOM 200.

211
INFORMATIVE AND PERSUASIVE PRESENTATIONAL SPEAKING
This course trains students in the basic methods of informative and persuasive speaking, with emphasis placed on researching and solving problems having to deal with informative and persuasive speaking. Prerequisite: ENGL 106 or 107.

324
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND THE MEDIA
Training in methods of public relations research, program planning and evaluation, working with the media, writing for public relations, and conducting a public relations campaign to solve a problem or crisis. Emphasis on writing, speaking, and electronic communication. Prerequisites: ENGL 106 or 107, and CCOM 200.

330
TOPICS IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
Study of communication theory as applied to a special area of corporate communication through readings, discussion, and applications. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above. May be repeated for credit with change of topic

400
Corporate Communication Strategy
An integrative course in which students learn to develop and evaluate overall corporate communication strategies involving the continuous employment of multiple media messaging sources. Prerequisite: CCOM 210 and 324.

146, 246, 346 and 446
CORPORATE COMMUNICATION COLLOQUIUM 
Students are required to complete successfully the non-credit Colloquium for a total of four semesters through academic experiences such as WRLC, The Lycourier, and Crossing The Frame Productions. Enrollment in other similar on and off-campus academic experiences will be accepted with departmental approval. Non-credit and Pass/Fail.

470
INTERNSHIP
Interns usually work off-campus in a field related to their area of study. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing.

DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION (DCOM)

Digital Media Communication is an innovative, interdisciplinary major with a strong relationship to other disciplines at the college including art, theater, creative writing, electronic music, business, sociology, political science, and history. The boundaries between video, film, multi-media production, web design, digital sound, photography, graphic design and performance are collapsing as quickly as digital technology is expanding. The Digital Media curriculum at Lycoming College is grounded in the tradition of liberal arts and teaches the theory, skills and grammar of the visual language necessary to work within this rapidly changing technology. Upper level studio and theory courses and the opportunity to do a professional internship provide the conceptual, technical and theoretical knowledge necessary to create compelling digital media and compete in the field.
All students majoring in Digital Media Communication must complete the core courses and at least one of the two concentrations listed below:

 

CORE COURSES:

ART 212  Color and Design
ART 227  Photography 1
BUS 228 Marketing Principles
CCOM 200 Introduction to Corporate Communication
DCOM 200  Digital Film and Video Production I
DCOM 300  Digital Film and Video Production II
DCOM 400  Digital Film and Video III/Senior Project
Either MWTG 219 Convergent Social Media or
MWTG 325 Web Communication
THEA 114  Film Art: Motion Picture Masterpieces
Participation in the Senior Film and Video festival is required.

DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION COLLOQUIUM
DCOM 148, 248, 348, 448 (Non-credit and Pass/Fail) 

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS: 

Visual Media: 
ART 343; ART 344 or 430; ART 320 or 347; and one of the following three classes, ART 431, DCOM 320, or DCOM 330. At least one Computer Science course is recommended but not required.

Digital Filmmaking:
DCOM 320 or 330; FILM 221; FILM 214 or 220; any one FILM course numbered 300 or higher. Art 343 is recommended but not required.

100
INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL MEDIA
Through a combination of lectures, screenings, and hands-on demonstrations, this course is an introduction to the history and methodology behind the digital processes of a broad range of visual media as it is used in advertising, filmmaking, digital video, and photography. Not open to students who have received credit for DCOM 200; does not count toward the DCOM major.

200
DIGITAL FILM and VIDEO PRODUCTION I
This course introduces students to the basics of digital image making as it applies to the moving image.  Topics include the principles, techniques, and fundamentals of digital photography and digital video. 

300
DIGITAL FILM and VIDEO PRODUCTION II
This course is a continuation of the skills developed in DCOM 200, including film and video project research, title sequences, and storyboards. Students are introduced to digital image manipulation and motion graphics as they apply to film and video. Prerequisite: DCOM 200 or consent of instructor. ART 343 is strongly recommended but not required.

310
THE MOVING IMAGE IN SERIES
This production course prepares students to work with the moving image as a series of video shorts that stem from one concept or idea. The course is strongly encouraged for the DCOM major; it aids in preparation for the senior project. Pre-requisite: DCOM 300 or consent of the instructor.
320
NARRATIVE FILMMAKING
This course is an introduction to fiction filmmaking through lecture, screenings and hands-on demonstrations. Principles of cinematography, technical processes, and continuity editing are covered. Students also discuss storytelling techniques and analyze the techniques used by established filmmakers.  Alternate years. Prerequisite: DCOM 300 and FILM 221 or consent of the instructor.

330
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING
Through a combination of lecture, screening and hands-on demonstrations, this course familiarizes students with planning, writing, developing, and shooting non-fiction films.  Students also discuss storytelling techniques and analyze the techniques used by established filmmakers.  Alternate years. Prerequisite: DCOM 300.

400
DIGITAL FILM and VIDEO III/ SENIOR PROJECT
Advanced production of documentary, narrative, or experimental video, multi-media or interactive media incorporating advanced directing, shooting, lighting, sound, effects, and editing. This course is the capstone course for the Digital Media Communication major. Prerequisite: DCOM 300 and senior status, or consent of instructor.

148, 248, 348, 448
DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION COLLOQUIUM
Required every semester after the major is declared.  Students are required to complete successfully the Colloquium through academic experiences such as WRLC and Crossing the Frame Productions. Enrollment in other similar academic experiences on or off campus can be accepted with departmental approval. Non-credit, Pass/Fail.

MINORS

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

The Corporate Communication minor will enhance the content of any major area of study with an additional set of marketable skills in communication and public relations for business, non-profits and political, policy or public interest groups.   Five courses are required: CCOM 200, CCOM 210, two other four-credit CCOM courses, and one from ACCT 110, BUS 244 or PSCI 220.

DIGITAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION

The Digital Media Communication minor will be of interest to students who want to learn digital media as a form to communicate the content of their majors. Students of various majors might want to create a documentary video or educational website on the subject of their senior research. Minors in Digital Media Communication may pursue graduate studies and/or employment in a variety of fields including digital media production, advertising, cultural analysis, and documentary video production. Six courses are required: ART 227, 343, DCOM 200, 300, FILM 214, and one of the following three courses, ART 344, DCOM  320 or 330.

FILM STUDIES (FILM)

The Film Studies program develops skills in media writing and the critical analysis of film, television, and video as an art form. All minors develop skills in researching film history and thinking creatively about contemporary attitudes, values, and beliefs associated with film. Minors in Film Studies have the ability to pursue graduate studies and/or employment in a variety of fields including digital media production and administration, creative advertising, arts administration, journalism, cultural analysis, film preservation, and writing for the media. Six courses are required. Required Foundation Courses: THEA 212 and FILM 326. Film History and Culture: two from FILM 220, 320, and THEA 114. Film Theory and Practice: two from FILM 221, 300, and 315.

214
SURVEY OF LANDMARKS IN FILM HISTORY
Close reading of selected films from around the world in an historical context using basic film theory to guide the reading with a major emphasis on cinematography, editing, and mise-en-scene. Prerequisite: ENGL 106 or 107.

220
TOPICS IN GENRES, ACTORS, AND DIRECTORS.
Comparative study of film genres, directors, and/or performers from an historical perspective. May be repeated with change in content. Prerequisite: ENGL 106 or 107.

221
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING
Training in methods of creating the original screenplay for film and/or television. Major emphasis is placed on scene and plot construction, character development, and using the language of film to tell a story. Prerequisites: ENGL 106 or 107.

300
FILM AND SOCIAL CHANGE
Close analysis of selected documentary, propaganda, and social problem films that seek to influence our perceptions of reality. Prerequisites: ENGL 106 or 107.

315
CREATIVITY IN FILM
Study of ground-breaking artists who developed new ways of relating form to content in independent, experimental, animated, and digital films. Prerequisites: ENGL 106 or 107.

320
TOPICS IN FILM AND CULTURE
Exploration of film and related media texts in a particular historical context.  A study of the art, music, literature, political and social framework of the period and culture under consideration is included.   May be repeated with change in content. Prerequisites: ENGL 106 or 107.

326
MEDIA CRITICISM
Practice of analyzing print, auditory, visual, and digital texts from a cultural studies point of view. Major emphasis is placed on basic methods of semiotic theory and application of structuralist analysis and frame theory. Prerequisites: ENGL 106 or 107 and sophomore standing.

MEDIA WRITING (MWTG)

The minor in Media Writing provides students in any academic discipline with significant
practice in writing to diverse audiences. Students completing this minor learn how to connect messages with audience needs, values, and interests and how to make choices among the possible ways of conveying information in a mediated world.
Each student minoring in Media Writing completes five of the courses listed below as well as a minimum of two non-credit colloquium courses involved with campus media (one of which must include a full semester’s work on the campus newspaper). Writing, Rhetoric, and Audiences: one from ENGL 218 and FILM 326. Applied Media Writing: three from ENGL 217, 240, FILM 300, MWTG 219, 324, 325. Special Areas of Media Writing: one from ART 430, ENGL 322, and FILM 221. Colloquium: two from CCOM 246, 346, and 446.

219
CONVERGENT SOCIAL MEDIA
Practical experience in news gathering for print, electronic, and digital media by learning how to create share-worthy content. In this course students will learn how to write, photograph, broadcast, podcast, and live-stream, with an emphasis on social media applications and the latest technology. Emphasis is on researching, and structuring stories for different kinds of media. Prerequisite: ENGL 106 or107. 

324
DIGITAL PUBLISHING
From desktop publishing for print newspapers, journals, newsletters and brochures, to ePublishing, to web and mobile publishing, today’s communication specialists are expected to know how to write effectively for various media. This course covers various publishing software and how to format content for various media applications and how to write feature articles for digital publishing. Prerequisite: ENG 106 or 107.

325
WEB COMMUNICATION 
This course introduces students to the complicated evolution of the Internet and how to effectively communicate and design for various media. Students learn how to utilize
Search engines, and create wikis, and content management systems. Prerequisite: ENG 106 or 107.