Communication

This course applies a critical lens to representations of gender and identity in contemporary media. Taking gender and sexuality as a critical starting point, students examine the construction of identities under the simultaneous influence of race, class, and nationality. By focusing on popular representations in both the US and the country where the course is taking place, students gain a deeper understanding of identities as both culturally specific and influenced by global media. Instead of suggesting that contemporary identities are determined by what is on TV screens, computers, and in local movie theaters, the course seeks to describe the complex interactions between national audiences and concrete media productions. It analyzes how different audiences reproduce or challenge traditional concepts and stereotypes of gender, race, sexuality, and class. By combining the study of theoretical texts with examples from the advertisement industry, television, movies, and other forms of contemporary cultural expression, it offers a comprehensive and thorough introduction to contemporary studies of the media and identity.

This course encompasses analyses of the psychological impact of media content and presentation. The courses provides an understanding of how individuals process media contents as well as how the media affects individuals’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. A variety of topics such as the psychological processing of information, media violence, sexual content, stereotyping, and the effects of new communication technologies are covered. 

The extensive independent study field research paper produced by the student is both the centerpiece of the intern's professional engagement and the culmination of the academic achievements of the semester. During the preparatory session, IFE teaches the methodological guidelines and principles to which students are expected to adhere in the development of their written research. Students work individually with a research advisor from their field. The first task is to identify a topic, following guidelines established by IFE for research topic choice. The subject must be tied in a useful and complementary way to the student-intern's responsibilities, as well as to the core concerns of the host organization. The research question should be designed to draw as much as possible on resources available to the intern via the internship (data, documents, interviews, observations, seminars and the like). Students begin to focus on this project after the first 2-3 weeks on the internship. Each internship agreement signed with an organization makes explicit mention of this program requirement, and this is the culminating element of their semester. Once the topic is identified, students meet individually, as regularly as they wish, with their IFE research advisor to generate a research question from the topic, develop an outline, identify sources and research methods, and discuss drafts submitted by the student. The research advisor also helps students prepare for the oral defense of their work which takes place a month before the end of the program and the due date of the paper. The purpose of this exercise is to help students evaluate their progress and diagnose the weak points in their outline and arguments. Rather than an extraneous burden added to the intern's other duties, the field research project grows out of the internship through a useful and rewarding synergy of internship and research. The Field Study and Internship model results in well-trained student-interns fully engaged in mission-driven internships in their field, while exploring a critical problem guided by an experienced research advisor.

This course examines web technologies needed to design and prototype web-based user interfaces. In this course, students will prototype screen-based designs using scripting and markup languages such as HTML, CSS.

The extensive independent study field research paper produced by the student is both the centerpiece of the intern's professional engagement and the culmination of the academic achievements of the semester. During the preparatory session, IFE teaches the methodological guidelines and principles to which students are expected to adhere in the development of their written research. Students work individually with a research advisor from their field. The first task is to identify a topic, following guidelines established by IFE for research topic choice. The subject must be tied in a useful and complementary way to the student-intern's responsibilities, as well as to the core concerns of the host organization. The research question should be designed to draw as much as possible on resources available to the intern via the internship (data, documents, interviews, observations, seminars and the like). Students begin to focus on this project after the first 2-3 weeks on the internship. Each internship agreement signed with an organization makes explicit mention of this program requirement, and this is the culminating element of their semester. Once the topic is identified, students meet individually, as regularly as they wish, with their IFE research advisor to generate a research question from the topic, develop an outline, identify sources and research methods, and discuss drafts submitted by the student. The research advisor also helps students prepare for the oral defense of their work which takes place a month before the end of the program and the due date of the paper. The purpose of this exercise is to help students evaluate their progress and diagnose the weak points in their outline and arguments. Rather than an extraneous burden added to the intern's other duties, the field research project grows out of the internship through a useful and rewarding synergy of internship and research. The Field Study and Internship model results in well-trained student-interns fully engaged in mission-driven internships in their field, while exploring a critical problem guided by an experienced research advisor.

This course introduces theories in critical communication and technology studies and applies these theories to contemporary debates around big data and AI, examining multiple and situated contexts of technology within mediated environments. The course invites students to delve deeply into critical perspectives and explore where and how data systems re-arrange and re-organize existing human practices.  

This course examines digital cultures, the critical interdisciplinary field of research into the cultural and social dimensions of digital technologies. It explores the histories, imaginaries, ideas, platforms and thinkers that inform the study of digital cultures. Students will examine tools and theories that explain the interrelated processes of digital media and communications development and social change. 

The Internet and mobile devices have changed the production, transmission, presentation and storage of communication content, and provided a wider range of marketing communication vehicles and categories. This course explains the characteristics, strategies, development trends, available tools and main types of digital marketing, and is supplemented by case illustrations. This course enables students to master the principles of digital marketing; understand how companies can use different digital marketing tools and methods to produce effective marketing strategy planning and benefits and discuss the characteristics and limitations of each digital marketing type. The course provides opportunities for students to work in groups, using agricultural products as examples, and apply the digital marketing strategies taught in the classroom to write digital marketing plans suitable for the exhibition and sale of agricultural products. 

This course examines the theoretical and practical understanding of the psychology of communication skills and their application in everyday life, conflict management, dating, the workplace, intergroup situations, and even in how you talk to yourself. The course is designed to give you an exciting scientific overview of, and basic working competence in, communication skills. It covers communication and social skills; listening and the difficulty of doing so; conflict escalation and resolution; mating, dating, and relationships; communication across group boundaries; trolling and romance scamming; persuasion; cross-cultural communication norms; sex and/or gender differences in communication patterns; public speaking; organizational communication and leadership; and self-communication.

This course examines music markets and the ongoing evolution of the music industry with a focus on the cultural and social influence of music, the changing perspective of music consumers, and the role of artists and producers. Students learn about varying debates and models within the music industry, the interaction of music with other media, and the intersection of traditional music forms (radio, records, and concerts) with new technologies such as on-line audio streaming. The course examines the importance and economic contribution of popular and alternative music festivals. Utilizing the city as a field site for study, this course encourages students to engage with a range of music performances and events. The course uses a dynamic mix of lectures, case study discussions, student presentations, and a field trip to a local music label.