Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations
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- COM CM 555: Advanced Media Writing
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM331) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM707 OR COMCM703) - In-depth focus on promotional, client-based writing. Course includes developing story ideas and angles; writing off- and on-line feature stories and slide shows for trade, business, and special-interest market as well as researching and writing a treatment/script video package with accompanying brochure. Also includes numerous multimedia workshops. 4 cr. Either sem. - COM CM 557: Media Effects
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM180 & COMCM321) - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM710) - This course introduces the study of the effects of media on individuals and on society. This course will overview a broad range of media theories that have examined media as a social force, that have explored factors that affect individuals' selection of and perceptions of media messages, and that have studied how media affect viewers' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. These theories will be used to examine a variety of different types of content, including media violence, portrayals of race and gender, politics, advertising, and entertainment, among others. 4 cr., 1st sem. - COM CM 561: Special Topics
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CM215 Graduate Prerequisites: CM701 - This special topics course, designed for juniors, seniors and graduate students in public relations, explores the professional, organizational and societal challenges and best practices in modern multicultural campaigns. The course involves lectures, in-class discussions, case study examples, and hands-on workshops. - COM CM 580: PRLab
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM215 & COMCM331) sophomore standing - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701 & COMCM707) - PRLab at Boston University is the nation's oldest student run public relations agency. PRLab allows students to gain valuable industry experience in an agency style setting, working in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors. Students engage in media relations, event planning, branding, copy editing, content creation and social media management. Over the course of the semester, students create professional portfolios. 2 or 4 cr. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. - COM CM 581: PRLab Executive Board
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM215 & COMCM331) consent of instructor - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701 & COMCM707) - This course represents the management function of the student run PRLab. The PRLab Executive Board consists of a President, Vice President and several Account Supervisors, who work together to facilitate the overall success of the student- client interactions and PRLab as a whole. The E-Board is also responsible for PRLab's branding and new business acquisition. 2 or 4 cr. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. - COM CM 585: AdLab
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217 or CM708) - Experience in student-run, full-service advertising agency. Students organize, manage, and perform all functions: solicit business, perform market and consumer research, contact clients, write plans, create advertising campaigns, evaluate media, and prepare campaign evaluations for community service agencies. Variable credit. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following Teamwork/Collaboration. - COM CM 586: AdLab E-Board
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (COMCM217) Consent of Instructor - Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708) Consent of Instructor - Experience is a student run, full service advertising agency. Students organize, manage and perform real world functions: solicit business from real world clients, perform market and consumer research, collaborate with clients, write strategic plans, create advertising campaigns that run in the real world, evaluate media and prepare client presentations. Student leaders operate as agency management collaborating with other students. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following Teamwork/Collaboration. - COM CM 700: Financial & Strategic Management for Communication Professionals
The focus of the course is on two critical domains of modern business: financial and strategic management. Through lectures, readings, case studies, and team projects, the course will introduce students to the complexities and challenges facing today's communications industry manager along with practical understanding of how businesses operate and even succeed despite the obstacles. The goal of the course is to help students understand the fundamentals of business enterprise with an emphasis on how these apply to the media industries. The course covers the fundamentals of a business plan, including revenue models, marketing, venture capital, finance, and accounting in the context of the media landscape. 1st sem. - COM CM 701: Contemporary Public Relations
Foundations of professional principles and practice in public relations for corporate, governmental, and nonprofit organizations. Includes history, organization, and scope of the field; its roots in social science; types of campaigns and programs; and professional ethics. Theories, strategies, and tactics in current practice emphasized. Explores opportunities and requirements for work in the field. 1st sem. - COM CM 703: Basic Media Writing
CM 703 Begins a graduate level, two-semester immersion in American English communication writing. Portfolio finale serves as a bridge assignment to CM 707 Writing for Media Professionals in the spring semester. Introduces basic communication writing formats, including news releases, social media, features, profiles. Emphasizes interviewing, target marketing and publication options. Stresses tenets of plagiarism across media. Strong focus on creating quality copy in American English, which necessitates extensive work in grammar exercises and brainstorming workshops, quizzes, presentations, class participation, collaborative projects. Students fine-tune their writing and speaking skills as they analyze and rewrite their own copy. - COM CM 707: Writing for Media Professionals
Serves to provide an in-depth understanding and proficiency in communication writing and transmedia storytelling skills across a wide variety of off and online formats, including news releases, social media, features (off and online), Q & A interviews, websites, broadcast PSA's, slide shows, videos. Stresses plagiarism prevention, collaborative workshops, reading aloud, media strategies, editing, and interview techniques. Extensive writing and rewriting. Develops comprehensive writing skills for media professionals. Both semesters. Prerequisite CM 703, unless waived via writing placement test or consent of the instructor. - COM CM 708: Principles and Practices of Advertising
Overview of the nature, function, practice, and social, economic, and behavioral aspects of advertising. Student teams develop advertising plans, create campaigns, and explore problems of account management, creativity, production, and ethics. 1st sem. - COM CM 709: Corporate Public Affairs
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM701) - Monitoring sociopolitical environment, managing corporate crises and confrontations, analyzing issues, formulating political strategies, developing programs of advocacy advertising, constituency communication, and public involvement. Case studies used. 2nd sem. - COM CM 710: Media Theory
Examines origins, nature, and consequences of mediated communication and related processes and contexts. Reviews traditional theories of mass communication, derivative and developing theories on various communication media, including social and mobile. Furthermore, the course considers the application and utilization of theories for media professionals. - COM CM 712: Advertising Strategy & Consumer Insights
Explores how to arrive at consumer insights that lead to better advertising and promotion. The course focuses on the set of skills necessary to create breakthrough advertising, including qualitative research, observation, interviewing skills, mapping, and presentation tools. Students learn to write effective, creative briefs. - COM CM 713: Media Law and Policy
This course covers the laws that apply to communication and media practitioners and the policies that underlie them. Topics include the First Amendment, defamation, invasion of privacy, liability for physical and emotional harm, national security, copyright, trademark, regulation of advertising, obscenity and indecency. - COM CM 714: Professional Presentations
This course covers the essentials of effective presentation, from preparation (audience analysis, content development) to critical thinking when presenting. It is designed to place students in business and social settings that require a mastery of presentation skills in order to be successful. A combination of lecture, discussion, and hands-on practice and simulation, this course helps students exercise leadership through oral communication. - COM CM 716: New & Traditional Media Strategies
Graduate Prerequisites: (COMCM708) - Examines media planning, buying and sales as performed by advertising agencies, clients and the media. Research sources providing data on media audiences and product usage are evaluated. Examines contemporary trends in communication media and their effects on advertisers. - COM CM 717: Fundamentals of Creative Development
Focus is on the strategic creative process in advertising including concept development, copywriting, visualization, and design. Assignments require conceiving solutions to client marketing challenges across a range of media. Teaches foundations for development of effective advertising: problem definition, strategic development, and conceptual idea generation through tangible executions. 1st sem. - COM CM 718: Advertising Strategy & Consumer Insights 2
Undergraduate Prerequisites: COM CM712 - Graduate Prerequisites: COM CM712 - This course offers advanced exploration in the art and science of advertising strategy highlighting the talent and knowledge required for success in this rapidly changing segment of the industry. We will extend the material learned in CM 712 through a deep dive into best practices and evolving techniques used by top advertising agencies, consultancies and the big three platforms, Alphabet, Amazon and Apple to gather and apply information about consumers and brands for use by creative teams and a variety of departments in the advertising and marketing industry.
