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Fall 2013
Oct 09,2024
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COMM 100 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: COMMUNICATION ARTS
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar's Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Communications Department

COMM 101 - EFFECTIVE SPEAKING
The course will develop skills in diction, reading aloud, speaking before groups, techniques of discussion, and listening. Emphasis will be placed on the development of self-confidence and understanding and conveying meaning to an audience.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 102 - SPEAK SMART
During the "course" of events of this course, students (hereinafter referred to as "speakers") will travel through the world of fear, anxiety, perspiration, and agita, slowly but surely finding ease and confidence in their ability to communicate via the spoken word. Speakers will run the gamut of "anchoring" their own TV news broadcast, to creating their own commercial "voiceover", to delivering an "off-the-cuff" impromptu Speech -- all activities designed to help engender confidence in the novice speaker and, as well as strengthen and bolster skills of the more seasoned speaker.
0.000 TO 2.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 2.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 190 - TOPICS:
The descriptions and topics of this course change from semester-to-semester, as well as from instructor-to-instructor. Prerequisite: varies with the topic offered.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 198 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 199 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 200 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: COMMUNICATION ARTS
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar' Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Communications Department

COMM 201 - DIGITAL LITERACY
The advent of the digital computer, along with technologies such as the World Wide Web, has caused profound changes in the way we communicate and create. This course will examine the computer as a medium. Hands-on learning will give the student the technical skills to survive in the new digital culture, while critical readings and assignments will give them the cognitive skills to understand it. Instead of working for the computer, we shall make it work for us. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Lecture, Online Course
All Sections for this Course

Communications Department

COMM 202 - FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERACTIVE MEDIA
This course is an introduction to using the computer to design for print and the web. It will cover the fundamental principles of using the Macintosh; the basics of manipulating digital images; using page-layout software; and designing for the web. Students will explore these topics through hands-on assignments and through reading which will investigate the principles of interaction. Creative assignments will use digital photography, print media, and the web to explore the concepts of the self-portrait in the digital age. This course is recommended for any student who wants to work in digital media, and is required for students in the Design and Interactive Media concentration in Communication Arts.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

COMM 203 - FILM REPRESENTATION: RACE, CLASS AND GENDER
This course analyzes how American films have represented race, ethnicity, class and gender since the early 20th century. Through readings, class discussion, film screenings and special projects, students gain insights into the ways that different groups of American people have been depicted in both mainstream and alternative films. The course looks at the interaction of form and content in film, and how these are to create meaning.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Online Course

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-Amer-Artistic Expression, OLD GE-INTERCULT NORTH AMERICA

COMM 204 - MEDIA LITERACY
Media Literacy is the study of the language, technology and economic structure involved in the creation of messages in different mediums. This course is designed to acquaint students with the following areas: (1) the features and forms of mediated influence most commonly observable today, (2) the relationships between structural hierarchies and representations in the media, and (3) the key and current controversial issues related to mass media. Finally, students are expected to cultivate the ability to critically evaluate the media and develop media literacy.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Screening

Communications Department

COMM 205 - INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
A study of the human communication process with particular attention given to characteristics of the encoder of a message, the transmission medium, the decoder of the message, and factors which reinforce or interfere with successful communication. Special emphasis will be given to understanding the influence of culture upon such things as self identity, values, patterns of speech, and non-verbal communication habits.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 206 - FUNDAMENTALS OF AUDIO
An introduction to the design, use, and operation of all the basic audio equipment used in sound recording, video, film, and broadcasting: microphones, signal processing, noise reduction, mixing, editing, and recording. This course is a prerequisite for further production courses in recording, radio, and electronic music. Introduces students to non-linear audio production and editing.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 207 - FUNDAMENTALS OF TV STUDIO PRODUCTION
A study of the history, theory, and technological development of television created using multiple cameras. Students learn operation of and skills with cameras, special effect generator, character generator, lights, audio, and other production tools through lectures, demonstrations, exercises, and assignments leading to the creation of short projects. There is an emphasis on developing strong discipline and technical abilities as well as the conceptual application of material. There will be numerous writing assignments, public presentations, and objective tests. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 208 - NEWSWRITING
Newswriting introduces students to the fundamentals of reporting and writing. Students will learn the basic tenets of the journalist's craft, including developing news judgment, ethics and understanding what makes a good news or feature story. The course will cover the elements of reporting and writing a basic news story or feature, including pitching a story idea, identifying sources, conducting interviews as well as story construction using AP Style. Students will be required to do field reporting. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 209 - HISTORY OF TV AND NEW MEDIA
This course will provide an in depth study of electronic media and telecommunications in America by tracing and researching media-telecommunications infrastructures from an historical perspective. Further, the course will examine convergence of the broadcast-telecommunications and related on-line media industries including, but not limited to, the traditional radio-television-cable systems, computer companies, telephone systems and emerging personal and industrial wireless media infrastructures. Additionally, the course will explore historical perspectives and trends in programming, media economics, ownership-media executives, audiences concerns and responsibilities, industry ethics, regulation, and an introduction to select global media infrastructures and regulation.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 210 - PERFORMANCE FOR ELECTRONIC MEDIA
A study of announcing, acting, and related activities for radio, television, and non-broadcast media. Students learn effective presentation of scripted and improvisational narratives, basic makeup and wardrobe considerations, hand signals, and working with directors and media crews. There will be lectures, screenings, class exercises, and projects leading to audio and video tapes of performances. Students will be introduced to basic techniques using audio, radio, and video equipment. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 211 - ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
A study of communications in organizations. Areas to be covered include supervisory style and roles, leadership development, organizing and prioritizing, effective meetings, participation by management, organizing volunteer groups, fund raising, brainstorming techniques, and work-life programs.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 212 - FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIO AND NEW MEDIA
An historical overview of radio broadcasting and the art and science of radio technology. Introduction to radio station management, operations, and programming. Course covers review of FCC rules and regulations, professional analysis of new technology, audience research, career opportunities, and emerging satellite radio, digital audio broadcast, and online radio systems. Course also includes writing assignments and introduction to the process of developing, researching, writing, and producing radio programming. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 213 - DESIGN THEORY AND CRITICISM
This course explores the scope of visual communication through the lens of history, theory and criticism. Students examine technological innovations and zeitgeists that continue to affect the practice of graphic design. Based on topics and themes covered in weekly lectures, students engage in activities that include group discussion, creation of visual projects and writings that demonstrate their understanding of visual theory and history. This course is Writing Intensive (WI) and will include two ten-page research papers. Additional course work includes quizzes, exams, and discussions. Emphasis will be placed on work from the last 100 years, including contemporary design.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 214 - CONTEMPORARY BRITISH MEDIA
(Study Abroad) This course aims to broaden students' perception of the possibilities of the mass media by exposing them to the varieties of British Media. This should enable them to reflect critically on the media in general and to reflect on their own practices in the media. Key themes will be the way in which the different regimes of power in the media inflect the kind of content and intentions the media have.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, MJ-INTL-Intl Comparative 'West

COMM 215 - VISUAL STORYTELLING
Visual Storytelling studies the dynamics of visual language and its interaction with other elements in the narrative, such as dramatic structure, audio elements and content. The courses includes three key elements: (1) students read and discuss selected media articles and analyze a series of films and videos, emphasizing structure, visual and audio design and the interaction of content and form; (2) after a series of practical exercises they develop a short video project from initial idea to finished script; and (3) students use both traditional art materials and new computer software to design a full storyboard based on their script. Additional time outside the classroom is required to fulfill the production components for the course. Lab Fee
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 216 - MEDIA AND CINEMA STUDIES
Contemporary culture is dominated by film, television, video, and related media that convey information, provide entertainment, and influence both belief and action. Media/Cinema Studies is an introduction to the discipline of media and cinema studies and their influence. The course will introduce students to the critical terms and methods required for reading and writing about these media and related cultural texts, with an emphasis on developing skills in the close reading of such texts and the writing of critical responses to them. Media/Cinema Studies is intended as a foundation for further courses in the Communication Arts major while also serving as a general interest course to students in other programs. The course deals with Hollywood movies past and present; international cinema and media; television; video; and emerging forms of new media. This course will examine images as well as the institutions that produce them in order to show why and how the production and consumption of media have become a defining characteristic of contemporary culture.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-Amer-Artistic Expression, OLD GE-TOPICS ARTS&HUMANATIES, WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 217 - DIGITAL POST PRODUCTION
This is an intensive course on the theory and practices of editing that incorporates digital post-production using Final Cut Pro software. In this course, students review the history of filmmaking, analyzing different editing practices, including editing action sequences, comedy, documentaries and experimental work. Through media analysis, we study the use of editing as a filmmaking tool to shape meaning and influence audiences. A series of hands-on exercises are designed to make the students familiar with editing processes such as maintaining continuity, achieving smoothness, and controlling the timing, as well as understanding the connotation of different editing techniques in affecting the meaning of a sequence.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 218 - FUNDAMENTALS OF DIGITAL FILMMAKING
A study of the history, theories, and production of video field production. Students will read about and analyze a variety of video styles and genres. They will learn basic single-camera, audio, lighting, interviewing, and editing techniques leading to development of scripts, storyboards, and short projects. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio
All Sections for this Course

Communications Department

COMM 219 - IDEA DEVELOPMENT
This course teaches students the process of idea development by exploring a variety of methods used to cultivate, research and communicate ideas within journalism, digital film, design/interactive media, media/cinema studies and writing tracks. Idea Development is a co-requisite and compliment to Media Literacy, a course that teaches students how to critically analyze messages communicated in text, print, film, broadcast and digital media. Idea Development augments the Media Literacy course by exploring methods of information gathering, brainstorming, identifying visual elements, and researching the angle or point of view of storytelling. Topical themes and categories provide a framework around which students implement their ideas in an active learning environment.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 220 - STORY STRUCTURE: DOCUMENTARY AND FICTION FILM
This course is an introduction to the principles and techniques of writing and research for non-fiction and narrative scripts for video, television, and film. Students will gain experience in script development from initial concept, proposal/treatment writing, research (print, electronic, interview, and visual), script outlines, and final scripts. Computer research and screenings of selected examples of media will also be included.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 221 - SPEECH FOR COMMUNICATION ARTS
This course is intended to introduce students in the Communication Arts major to the various contexts in which they will give speeches and presentations, including pitches, position statements, individual speeches, and collaborative group presentations. Special emphasis will be placed on the process of speech making: from conceptualizing an idea, to researching the topic, to organizing the message, to effective delivery.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 222 - PUBLIC SPEAKING
A study of theory and actual practice in various types of speaking situations to inform, persuade, and entertain. Speeches for special occasions will also be emphasized. Traditional Aristotelian proofs and modern subliminal experiences will be included.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-TOPICS ARTS&HUMANATIES

COMM 223 - CINEMA OF THE OTHER:CINEMA OF LATIN AMERICA, AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST
This course is a 4-credit course that studies contemporary cinema from Africa, Latin America and Middle East. This survey-type course is designed to introduce students to basic film concepts and techniques of critical analysis as well as exposing them to the trends of cinema of resistance that developed in these three regions and the visual dialectics of different cultures. Cinema of the Other: Cinema of Latin America, Africa and Middle East will explore the social, political, and artistic context in which filmmaking is embedded. Students will study the common socio-political pattern that helped the growth of national film industries in these regions as well as focus on the distinctive issues of each cinema. Through the deconstruction of selected group of films students will concentrate on issues that include post-colonialism, expressions of national identity, representation of moral values, and censorship, as well as aesthetics and the role of the audience. We will compare the ways in which the cultural references of different societies shape the modes of filmic representation. In order to understand the contemporary world students need to comprehend the social and political struggles of the developing world.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Studio

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

COMM 226 - COPY EDITING
Students learn the basic principles and skills of copy editing. Copy editing entails reading, correcting, and rewriting text for publication; review of grammar, syntax, and punctuation; and practice to improve writing style. While the course focuses on print media, skills are applicable to all writing. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 227 - HISTORY OF JOURNALISM
History of Journalism examines how mass communication has shaped our nation and world. We consider recent practices, technologies, achievements, ethical confrontations and abuses through a prism of time, in some cases beginning long before the advent of newspapers, TV and the Web. The major focus is on journalism in United States history. The course should be of particular value to anyone considering a career in journalism or "new media," with their tumultuous changes and challenges, since history provides key precedents and perspective. Students with other orientations and career goals will also benefit. We will analyze how news and information has always been shaped by technology, economics, politics, ego and culture. This is a General Education Program course in the Topics Arts and Humanities category. Students will conduct a critical exmaination of media history through a text, other readings and contemporary examples in multimedia formats.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-TOPICS ARTS&HUMANATIES

COMM 229 - WORLD CINEMA MOVEMENTS
Born a century ago, cinema is the art form of the 20th century. This course provides an historical survey of the major cinema movements that have contributed to the development of film language and form from 1895 to the early 1960s. Students will examine the major film theories and stylistic/aesthetic developments of cinema form within the context of the cultural, technological, and economic forces which shaped cinema into not only the dominant art form of the century, but also a powerful mass entertainment medium, international economic industry and cultural force.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Screening

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

COMM 230 - CREATIVE WRITING
A workshop exploring the tools of creative writing, including characterization, narrative voice, dramatic structure, description, dialogue, etc. Students will produce several polished pieces of work after mutual critiques and repeated editing. There will also be some analysis of exemplary works of fiction.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Online Course, Seminar

Communications Department

COMM 234 - INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
The primary intent of this course is to use a critical lens to examine culture as it influences ourselves, our relations, and our understanding of society. In this post-global world, it is necessary to become familiar with issues such as what constitutes culture, whose culture counts and for what reasons, and the ways in which media constructs our readings of culture. This course explores cultural experience and meaning across a variety of cultural groups, including national cultures, ethnic groups, racial groups, economic classes, and subcultures. We will centralize communication by emphasizing several issues: (1) how communication creates cultures; (2) communication within a variety of cultures; and (3) our own communication about others.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Online Course

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-Africana Studies, MJ-Amer-Race & Ethnicity, MJ-AMER-Multicultural Studies, OLD GE-INTERCULT NORTH AMERICA, MJ-INTL-Global Issues Conc, WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 237 - GRAPHIC DESIGN
This course explores the fundamentals graphic design. Students learn conceptual and analytical skills by learning to solve visual design problems. The topic of design is also explored from an historical and cultural perspective. Additional topics include the grammar and vocabulary of graphic design, typography, perception theory, design theory, symbols, grid systems, computing skills, layout, production, color theory, and traditional tools.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 239 - TYPOGRAPHY
In this class students will use typography to shape the content of their designs. The class is structured in three parts--letter, word, and text. Each section demands a different kind of attention to typography and compositional hierarchy. The projects build off of one another. Emphasis will be placed on analysis, research, and history of letter forms, type classification, and typographic systems. Projects will approximate a professional graphic design approach, following specifications, deadlines, and presentation. Readings will support key methods and critical theory. Exercises will reinforce technical and conceptual project objectives. Computers will be used in this class. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

COMM 250 - RAMAPO LECTURE SERIES: DIVERSITY PERSPECTIVES
The Ramapo Lecture Series: Diversity Perspectives is a 4-credit 200 level Communication Arts course open to students from all fields. The lectures themselves (scheduled from 6:30-7:45 including a 15 minute q&a session) will also be open to the entire Ramapo community and open to the community beyond Ramapo. The discussion sections will be limited to those students enrolled for the 4 credit course. The series will investigate and explore a variety of topics relevant to the theme of diversity perspectives in the 21st century. The series is co-sponsored by the Diversity Action Committee and other groups (to be specified). Guest speakers each week will present on a specific aspect of Diversity and the viewpoints, disciplines, and approaches will vary from speaker to speaker. A guest Ramapo facilitator each week will introduce the speaker and lead the question/answer session. During the discussion session which will follow the speaker students will be divided into groups of 30 and one group will meet with one of the course instructors and the guest speaker for further discussion; the other group will meet with the other instructor and the guest facilitator for discussion. (We will alternate weeks on which section meets with the guest speaker.) The discussions will be guided both by the themes and issues raised by the evening's speaker and the readings and materials prepared outside of class for that night's session. The course satisfies the History/Theory/Criticism Category in Communication Arts and the General Education category: Topics in Social Sciences.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE TOPICS SOCIAL SCIENCE

COMM 263 - DIGITAL IMAGING
Throughout the semester, students will develop an in-depth understanding of digital imagery from the technical ability to create and manipulate digital imagery to its historical and current uses. We will pay careful attention to the application of style to images, and to the interaction of form and content. Students will complete a series of technical exercises and creative assignments, culminating in a final creative portfolio. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio
All Sections for this Course

Communications Department

COMM 266 - COMMUNICATION RESEARCH METHODS
Sophisticated communication professionals need to understand how to create and evaluate knowledge. This course is designed to improve critical thinking and writing skills. The course will also focus on how we know what we know and what methods are best used to answer different kinds of communication questions. Toward that end, the course introduces students to the logic of systematic investigation and to research methods common to the field of communication. Topics include: (1) how to select and develop the research topic; (2) how to formulate, evaluate and revise thesis statements; (3) how to locate, evaluate, and correctly document appropriate sources for research; (4) conduct focus groups, interviews, surveys, and ethnographic research; and (5) how to craft a range of written materials including grant proposals and research projects. These research and writing skills will serve all communication professionals, regardless of their disciplinary focus.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar, Studio

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 290 - TOPICS:
The descriptions and topics of this course change from semester-to-semester, as well as from instructor-to-instructor. Prerequisite: varies with the topic offered. COMM 290 DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION. In this course, students learn to use digital media tools to design for print and screen output. Students learn how to edit, enhance and prepare photos for multiple forms of media. Additionally, students create layouts for the web. Crucial concepts like resolution, raster vs. vector and pixel value will be covered in depth as well as the fundamental principles of contemporary graphic design. Creative assignments incorproate digital photography, typography and layout design. Digital Media Production is the gateway course for upper level Visual Communication Design production courses. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 298 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 299 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 300 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: COMMUNICATION ARTS
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar's Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Communications Department

COMM 301 - BROADCAST TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
A study and critical analysis of current and emerging broadcast-telecommunication systems. The course is designed to acquaint students with concepts, design, planning, and operation of broadcast-telecommunication systems and the development of programming. Furthermore, the students will take a critical look at the American system of radio-TV-cable and satellite delivered programming, concluding with individual case studies and recommendations for improvement and future developments. The final phase of the course will examine emerging new technologies and their place in the overall telecommunication mix (i.e. video-conferencing, videotex, teletext, low power TV, cable radio, video retailing, video publishing, and interactive cable TV, among others). The student will be expected to complete this course with an understanding of the social, ethical, economical and legal responsibilities of operating broadcast and telecommunication systems.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 304 - WRITING FOR PUBLICATION
This course will help to prepare students for a career in writing either as a freelance or as a full-time journalist/author. This is a course in non-fiction article writing; poetry and fiction are not included. Students will look at a wide variety of publications, article formats and writing styles as a means of finding their niche(s) and determining which publications are best suited to their particular talents, interests and strengths. Class work will cover editing, rewriting, article formulas, preparing/sending query letters, interviewing and research. Assignments will include writing three to four articles, completing in-class writing exercises, reading from the textbook(s) and compiling a writer's portfolio. Constructively critiquing the work of others will be just as important as editing and rewriting. The main goal is that by the end of the course students will have finished three articles that are ready for publication.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Online Course, Seminar

Communications Department

COMM 306 - VIDEOJOURNALISM
Videojournalism is a new field that combines elements of photojournalism, documentary filmmaking and television news features. A videojournalist faces the challenge of finding a compelling story and characters, shooting visuals and sound, writing a script, and editing all of these into a very short feature piece. In this course, students are introduced to the world of videojournalism by learning the foundations of nonfiction storytelling and single camera techniques, discussing social, political and economic issues, and producing a series of short feature segments. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 307 - ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING
This course is designed to provide a foundation for writing on environmental issues. Class work will include posting selected assignments on an environmental news and commentary Web site. Students will do hands-on work in researching and writing about environmental issues in a variety of formats. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 308 - DIRECTING THE DOCUMENTARY FILM
This course emphasizes the evaluation, structuring, and production of short video documentaries. Students will script individual documentary videotapes. After examination and criticism, they will divide into "teams" to produce, shoot, edit short documentary videotapes, and analyze video documentaries through both verbal and written criticisms. Prior television production experience necessary. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 309 - RADIO PRACTICUM
This broadcast practicum is designed for students interested in writing and producing recorded and live sports, public affairs, short documentary, and dramatic programming for WRPR, the Ramapo radio station. Under professional supervision the students will assist in the weekly production of shows in Ramapo College's audio and radio facilities. Students may repeat this practicum for up to 6 credits. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 310 - APOCALYPTIC VISIONS IN ANIME, FILM & MEDIA
Apocalyptic visions serve as metaphors for the human condition. This course examines visual representations of apocalyptic events in film, television, literature, art, and media. The evolution and meaning of "apocalypse" is explored from its simple, monotheistic beginnings to its current state--a complex lexicon that points to science, technology, globalism, and mankind as catalysts for the end of the world, and narratives that embody the supernatural, incorporeal, mythical, fantasy, and folklore.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Screening, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
CA-School Core-300 Level, OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 311 - COMMUNITY JOURNALISM
Community Journalism is an advanced reporting and writing course. Students will learn how to develop a community beat, including neighborhoods, small towns, school districts, sports teams to produce hyperlocal news and information. Students will also report in-depth news feature stories for print and the Web. Assignments will require students to do field reporting. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 312 - PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
This course is a preparatory course for the capstone level portfolio course, Senior Projects: Global Communication and Media. This course allows students to spend a semester preparing the campaign that will be launched as their Senior Project. This multifaceted campaign -- including design and development of publicity materials, managing and negotiating various aspects of Ramapo campus that will ensure a smooth and effective execution of campaign, researching relevant issues and organizations -- will be completed in the spring semester; the fall semester is devoted to proposal development and planning for campaign implementation. Workshop discussions and proposal critiques and feedback are essential components of this course. Projects should demonstrate a grasp of the critical issues related to the student's area of interest.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 314 - INVESTIGATIVE TV REPORTING
This hands-on production course emphasizes investigative reporting and the production of compelling and timely short form magazine segments for television and the internet. Students will research, write, and shoot high quality segments on local issues. We will focus on finding the story, developing the storyline, gaining access, conducting "on the street" interviews and confrontational interviews, shooting styles, and editing techniques. There will be in-class workshops on story structure and building dramatic tension in a story. We will screen and discuss a wide range of programs that illustrate different approaches to investigative reporting. Students will work in production teams to gain experience in the collaborative process and work under strict deadlines. Projects will be produced both in the studio and on location.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 315 - SURROUND SOUND AND 3D AUDIO PRODUCTION
Pioneers in spatial acoustics and early recording technology sought to electronically reproduce the three-dimensional sound field. Today, thanks to innovative audio work in film and interactive media, this reproduction is being done with multi-channel surround sound. The wide adoption of home theaters and video gaming systems has moved surround sound technology from the Cineplex to the living room. This course investigates the history of these technologies and teaches the methods to produce surround sound for various media.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 316 - LIGHTING FOR TV AND FILM
Students will learn all facets of lighting for TV and film production. Beginning with a basic introduction to the image of light; the course will continue with studying lighting fixtures, lamp requirements, color temperatures, various lighting setups, lighting grids and fading field lighting and the use of a reflector. Students will complete the course with a basic understanding of lighting operations for both film and video.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 317 - MEDIA AND PERSUASION
This course is designed to acquaint students with the following areas: (1) the features and forms of persuasion most commonly observable in the media; (2) the rhetorical/critical perspectives on the power of representation, particularly in television content; and (3) the key controversial issues related to news media as it relates to social issues and political economy. We will also examine and discuss how a theoretical framework aids a critical analysis of mediated appeals embedded in the world that surrounds us. Finally, students will develop and execute a research project related to any aspect of media criticism.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Online Course, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
CA-School Core-300 Level, WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 318 - THE CAMPAIGN IN MEDIA AND FILM
Communication campaigns affect us every day. Specifically, public communication campaigns are designed to increase awareness and change attitudes, beliefs and behaviors in a positive way concerning a population's well-being. In this course students will learn about the ins and outs of the campaign process, drawing from lessons learned through case studies and research data. The goal of this course is for students to gain an understanding of the ways in which the effective campaign, irrespective of category, reaches populations and uses all forms of media in the process. This course is designed to sharpen students' learning of the communication campaign from two perspectives: that of campaign planners and that of critical consumers of campaign information. We will examine media and film campaigns for a variety of categories, ranging from pro-social campaigns to campaigns for feature and documentary films.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Screening, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERCULT NORTH AMERICA, WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 319 - CREATIVE NON-FICTION
Creative nonfiction is an evolving craft that uses the techniques found in fiction and poetry writing to tell true stories. Students will workshop pieces of varying lengths as we explore a variety of creative nonfiction's various subgenres: personal essay, lyric essay, travel/nature writing, memoir, narrative and scriptwriting (biography/profiles). The class will also be a study of prose, as we will review master works in personal essay, memoir and literary journalism. We will use as our guide works by a diverse array of literary experts and essayists. An emphasis will be placed upon maintaining ethics in this new approach to storytelling through a reliance upon fact and the completion of substantial research where necessary. Students will be expected to participate in a public reading at the end of the semester, which will be open to the entire Ramapo College community.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Online Course, Seminar

Communications Department

COMM 320 - WRITING FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
This writing-intensive course will provide a comprehensive overview of public relations and its applications in society, with a strong emphasis on effective writing formats and styles. The course will examine how business, industry, government, educational, and non-profit institutions and organizations create their public images and communicate messages through various writing forms to mass global audiences. Different media will be discussed and examined through assigned weekly text readings and selected case studies. In-class and home writing assignments will be required. Students will also work on individually and/or group-developed PR campaign packages related to on- and/or off-campus activities. At the conclusion of this course, students will have a strong appreciation of the importance of public relations in today's fast- paced environment. They will be better skilled in writing public relation materials to affect targeted audiences. This will have been achieved through in-depth analyses of various methods and products and through dialog and activities among students, the instructor and guest practitioners. In the process, students will have gained an understanding of how public relations relates to other communications and business disciplines, requires individual and team practice and influences the views and actions of themselves and others.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 321 - VOICE AND DICTION
A study of voice and speech patterns reflecting the norms of cultivated American English. Emphasis will be placed on removal of such problems as weak volume, monotone breathiness, and nasality. Diction problems, foreign accent, area dialect, and faulty pronunciation will also be studied.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 322 - WEB DESIGN
This course will explore the process of creating websites. Using skills learned in Fundamentals of Interactive Media, as well as new skills learned in this course, students will undertake a series of exercises, culminating in the creation of a working site. Topics will include pre-planning, information architecture, visual and interface design, effective use of images and text, interactivity using forms, adapting scripts, and other topics which may arise during the semester. Students will leave this course with knowledge of XHTML/CSS, HTML editing programs, as well as an awareness of a variety of other technologies in use on the web. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

COMM 323 - PRODUCING RADIO DOCUMENTARIES & PODCASTS
Writing, Editing and Producing Radio Documentaries, Magazine Broadcasts and Podcasts is an advanced radio reporting course offering students the opportunity to develop and produce in-depth stories. Students will build and refine research, interviewing, reporting, technical and vocal skills to produce projects that will be broadcast on WRPR Radio and be heard as podcasts on the Ramapo College Website. Students will gain a clear understanding of the ingredients essential to producig editorially sound and compelling documentaries.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 324 - REPORTING AND PRODUCING ONLINE NEWS
Reporting and Producing Online News examines how to work in a 24/7 converged news and information environment, and what this means for the consumer and the journalist. The course covers the central tenets of online journalism: interactivity, immediacy, building community, and the ways in which they are applied to disseminate news and information to create a multimedia user experience. The course will emphasize sound reporting and writing skills coupled with a hands-on approach to produce cross-platform stories using slideshows, audio, video, maps, timelines, among other multimedia elements. Students will report, write and produce interactive, multimedia story packages, and understand the role of blogs, social networking sites and citizen journalism play in reporting and information delivery.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 325 - NEW MEDIA DOCUMENTARY
How do we tell stories about ourselves in the digital age? As new media technologies from Facebook to cellphone cameras to iPods change the way we tell the stories of our everyday lives, how does the role of the documentary photographer/filmmaker/storyteller change? This course examines the changing relationship between audience and subject, and between subject and storyteller. We will consider "small stories", "micro-documentaries", interactivity and Web 2.0, non-linearity, the impact of video games, issues of audience and distribution. We will start the course with a short history (including criticisms) of documentary practice, and examine the modern tools and circumstances that shape the ways documentaries will be made in the future. Students will develop and execute a documentary project over the course of the semester.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 326 - PERSUASION THEORY AND PRACTICE
A continuation of the basic public speaking course. Special emphasis will be placed on persuasive speaking and the analysis of rhetorical principles. Theories of audience analysis and the evaluation of speeches in their social setting will be investigated.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

COMM 327 - MOTION GRAPHICS & TITLE DESIGN
In this course, students learn to animate static images and create composites using multiple forms of media. Weekly projects challenge students to use critical and creative thinking skills as they analyze cultural and artistic influences, research similar models, and explore the deeper meaning of the visual message they are conveying. Tools used in this course include After Effects, DVD Studio Pro, Photoshop, camcorders, and digital SLRs. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 328 - THE NARRATIVE ART
Exploring the many possibilities of narrative writing, students will experiment with storytelling. Through reading and analysis of examples, the elements of the craft of writing fiction will be analyzed. The most important of these will be character development, plot development (particularly in longer pieces), narrative voice and point of view, description, setting, dialogue, etc. As the semester progresses, exemplary works of fiction will be examined for their adaptation of specific literary tools. After mutual critiques and revision, students will produce final narrative pieces: significant products of their own imagination.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 329 - PHOTOJOURNALISM
In this course students will be introduced to the contemporary practices of photojournalism, and explore the aesthetic, technical, cultural, and historical forces that have shaped its evolution as a form of visual communication. Students will first learn how real photojournalists work, and they will be expected to work in a similar fashion. They will be given selected weekly assignments in which they must produce good story telling images. They will learn how to develop a story idea, cover events, and produce images like a professional. This course will be conducted in a manner similar to the real working world of professional photojournalism. Students will be responsible for taking pictures with their own cameras and producing their own developed negatives or digital images. They will learn how to edit their own photographs and how to scan and prepare selected images in Adobe Photoshop. The emphasis of this course will be on picture taking not picture developing. This is NOT a darkroom class or a basic photography class. All film and print developing will be done outside of class. It is suggested that each student have some basic photography experience (a basic understanding of exposure and camera operation is required). Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 330 - AUDIO POST PRODUCTION
This course is designed to teach advanced skills necessary for professional audio planning and production of long-form radio formats for campus programming, local radio, national syndication, and national college radio program networks, syndicators, and educational media associations. Exercises are designed to develop specific skills and experiences along with learning theories, language, and incorporation of new satellite technologies. Students are required to research emerging production radio format and managerial case studies. Students are required to create radio production reels and audition tapes; production writing assignments; introduction to online radio case study projects, and develop trend journals and career development packages. Students will concentrate on non-linear audio production and editing. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 331 - MEDIA ISSUES AND ETHICS
This course is devoted to an examination and discussion of current issues and ethics faced by media professionals. Designed to prepare students for ethical situations they will confront in their chosen area of the communications field, the course will examine various case studies from print and electronic journalism, photo journalism, public relations and advertising. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of professional media standards and how to apply them to situations which arise within the various communications mediums.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-TOPICS ARTS&HUMANATIES

COMM 332 - TV FOR NEW MEDIA
This course will further develop the students technical and aesthetic understanding of television producing while concentrating specifically on producing television for new media formats. Recently, the Internet, cell phones, and ipods have emerged as a delivery system for film/ TV producers. TV Producers make mini-episodes now for Internet audiences. This course emphasizes new formats for delivery while also experimenting with tools such as the studio chroma key and techniques such as animation. Each student will familiarize themselves with the responsibilities of directors and segment producers so that they are not only able to direct their own segments/episodes but also the work of other writers. Along with screen directing, students will focus on script development, styles of TV acting, directing the camera, set design, lighting, and the relationship of picture to sound. Students will leave this course with a comprehensive understanding of advanced studio production techniques from set design to cinematography to directing. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 333 - PRODUCING THE NEWSPAPER
A comprehensive hands-on experience in publishing a weekly newspaper. Students will participate in all facets of the production including news, selling advertisements, photography layout, and distribution. Some background in one or more areas required. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 334 - HISTORY AND AESTHETICS: FILM EDITING
Soon after the beginnings of filmmaking, directors understood the power of editing as a tool to construct meaning. Beyond the Editing Room: History and Aesthetics of Film Editing is a course that focuses on the studies of the history of editing and the grammar and techniques ascribed to different editing theories. This course takes students beyond the editing room into a consideration of the aesthetics and impact of editing from classic cinema to new media. It includes detailed scene-by-scene and shot-by-shot analysis of films with consideration of the technological, cultural, and artistic developments, which have shaped the evolution of editing as an art and communication form. This course explores the development of editing aesthetics across a variety of political eras, technological developments and cultural groups.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Online Course

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
CA-School Core-300 Level, WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 335 - ART&CULT IN LAT AMER:ARGENTINA
This Study Abroad Course in Argentina explores art and culture within the context of the country's social, political and economical transformation. The program will take place during the summers in Buenos Aires at University of Belgrano. It will commence with an intensive preparatory readings during which students will become familiar with Argentinean history and culture. In Buenos Aires, Argentina students will explore the art and culture of the city through reading, lectures, walking tours, field trips and opportunities for original research involving interviews with local artists so they could share their experiences as creators within the context of Argentinean society. Students may choose to record the interviews in film or audio, with the purpose of writing articles or using them as research for a documentary project.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

COMM 336 - SPORTS INFORMATION & PROMOTION CAMPAIGNS
This course is designed for advanced students to study the history, psychology, and application of sports information and promotion campaigns. Students will be required to research current social issues in sports information-promotions and develop critical perspectives about contemporary sports trends and the impact of information campaigns. Students will be required to keep weekly sports media watch journals, participate in group projects, develop a sports psa and promotional campaign portfolio, write short critical essays, assigned readings, take test and assist the Ramapo College Sports Information Director (SID) in the development and implementation of Information and Marketing Campaigns for Ramapo College Athletics. The course will examine the various components and strategic role of media, and research for informational-promotion campaigns. The course will also provide a critical framework for understanding how informational and promotion campaigns are formulated, implemented and evaluated. Students will create, develop, draft and present sports information projects and campaign projects. Additionally, the experiential component of the class will be the assistance of the Ramapo's SID office in the planning and marketing Ramapo Athletics to the Ramapo community.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Seminar, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 337 - DIRECTING THE FICTION FILM
Students will continue the development of scripts researched and written in a 200-level media writing course (COMM 220), culminating in the completion of a narrative fiction piece for delivery via computer, video, television, or other projection. Students will come to understand the role of the director in every phase of development, from initial conception to principal photography to post-production. This includes extensive preproduction and video research, collaboration with key crew to execute director's vision, understanding the importance of casting and rehearsal, making dramatically pleasing choices inspired by the text, and visually elevating subtext through shots, editing, and production design.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 338 - SOUND DESIGN FOR DIGITAL MEDIA
This course encourages the development of a student's aesthetic appreciation of the sound element in interactive media, video, and professional recording. Participants will develop an understanding of the history of audio production, be exposed to selected works and familiarize themselves with equipment in sound design through hands-on exercises. These exercises emphasize creative and artistic approaches to various types of advanced audio production. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 339 - PUBLICATION DESIGN
This course explores the tools, techniques, terminology, and production processes used in designing for print. Students design publications utilizing Adobe InDesign, Quark XPress, and other supporting programs. Students learn to solve design problems and create a near-professional quality print portfolio. Additional topics covered in this class include typography, color management, printing, and e-publishing. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

COMM 340 - MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE
This course will explore the relationship between U.S. and international culture and popular mass-mediated texts from a variety of communication perspectives. It will focus on the critical analysis of popular culture within social and political contexts and emphasize multicultural influences and representations in everyday life. The course will provide a theoretical framework based in critical theory and cultural studies to explore and critique representations of race, gender, and sexuality in popular culture. It will also investigate audience consumption of popular culture, and the impact of popular culture on personal, social and cultural identities.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Online Course

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERCULT NORTH AMERICA

COMM 342 - DIGITAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
The course is an intensive exploration of the craft, technologies and aesthetic principles of digital cinematography and lighting for use in creative image control and visual storytelling. Lectures and in-class demonstrations will cover digital cameras, composition, exposure, lenses and optics, lighting types, lighting placement, lighting control, camera suport, and camera movement. Class sessions will consist of lectures, demonstrations, exercises, and screenings of selected film clips which demonstrate specific cinematography, lighting and visual storytelling techniques.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 344 - WRITING THE SCREENPLAY
In this course students will identify, analyze, and practice the principles and techniques of writing a feature-length fiction screenplay. Students will pitch, plan, and research their stories, write and revise loglines, produce detailed outlines and character biographies, and complete and revise the first half of a feature-length screenplay. Students are required to use appropriate screenwriting software, proper script formatting, create and maintain a writer's notebook, and meet strict deadlines. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 346 - CREATIVE ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Advertising and public relations are our culture's most pervasive persuasion tools. This course will explore the methods and strategies used by the ad and public relations agencies to effectively communicate messages; focusing on methods of creating print, broadcast, out-of-home, and internet advertising and public relations. Students will examine campaigns in order to gain the perspective necessary to create their own. Attention will also be given to creative means of using the "media" to reach an audience. Classes will simulate a workshop environment, enabling students to experience the collaborative "think-tank" process first-hand. Working in creative teams, students will use "brainstorming" sessions to create campaigns. Students will develop the marketing strategy, creative concepts, and media plan for an "account," as well as actually create the ads. Students with an interest in copy-writing, graphic art, video production, and marketing are all encouraged to register.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

COMM 347 - THE NEW TV CRITICISM
New Television Criticism exposes students to the critical approaches used to discuss, evaluate, and critically write about television programs, with a focus on such approaches as representational analysis, genre theory, media criticism, Postmodernist critique, and audience-oriented criticism. This course will address the emergence of television studies in academia and its practical applications within television professions. Our discussion includes program changes ranging from network obsessions with "reality" TV to cable programs that broadcast innovative television documentaries and dramas. Strong emphasis will also be placed on the inner workings of the television industry, growing media consolidation, and the positive and negative effects that globalization has had on international programming and audiences. The coursework includes intensive classroom discussions, weekly readings, quizzes, and academic research paper writing.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Screening, Seminar, Studio

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
MJ-Amer-Artistic Expression, MJ-AMER-Amer Artistic Express, MJ-AMER-Advanced Cat Elective, CA-School Core-300 Level, OLD GE-INTERCULT NORTH AMERICA, WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 349 - PROMOTIONS WRITING
This course has been designed to promote student understanding of the content, organization, format and design of standard strategic communications messages and documents. It will introduce you to the world of copy/promotions writing and will emphasize how this style of writing differs from other more traditional forms. As we proceed, you will begin to understand the connection between images and text via the use of visual materials and will concentrate on how to develop your ideas visually, using as examples successful campaigns/case studies from the non-profit and corporate arenas. Skills in promotions writing will be developed through the creation of a variety of materials in the promotion of media products and non-profit causes. Such materials may include news releases, flyers, posters, newsletters, etc. You will also be encouraged to view promotions from several vantage points: promotion of client (PR), promotion of a product or service (advertising), and promotion of self (portfolio/future employment).
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Seminar, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 350 - MEDIA INDUSTRY: ART & ECONOMICS
(On-line course) The Media Industry: Art and Economics explores, dissects and demystifies the business aspect of the media industry, from both "micro" and "macro" perspectives. A fundamental understanding of the economics of the Media Industry will be the basis for further exploration and examination of the life cycle of projects from idea through development, production, marketing and distribution, including the myriad permutations of the business as evidenced in the studio, independent, network, cable, Internet and ancillary arenas. We'll also look at the historical and current context of media production, specifically looking at the forces driving transformation within the industry today (media concentration, digital technologies, global distribution of media, among others. The course will be conducted on-line, primarily using WebCt.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Online Course

Communications Department

COMM 352 - THE BUSINESS OF PRODUCING FOR FILM & TV
This course is for students interested in film and television producing and marketing positions at major film studios and independent film companies. Students will gain hands-on experience in the budgeting, marketing, distributing, and exhibition of a variety of entertainment media. Students learn how to create production budgets for small films as well as multi-million dollar blockbusters. They also learn conventional and unconventional ways of securing funding for movies. Students will design film campaigns for upcoming releases. The campaign will consider everything from movie poster content and print/TV ads to merchandise tie-ins, trailer content, and audience demographic research. Students will study both successful and unsuccessful marketing campaigns to learn the role that marketing plays in the reception of the film. The course will also strengthen student's presentation skills through regular merketing pitches given in class.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 356 - MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY
This course will survey the scientific breakthroughs that are the foundation of current and previous media technology from historic, societal, and technical perspectives. It will consider the impact of science and technology on the media industry, popular culture, and communication. Topics will include analog as well as digital technologies.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Online Course

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
CA-School Core-300 Level

COMM 357 - GLOBAL INDIAN CULTURE & MEDIA
Globalization and the Indian Cultural Industry will engage students in exploring the ramifications of globalization on the production and consumption of Indian cinema globally, with a focus on the emergence of Bollywood as a transnational phenomenon in the past decade. The Indian cultural industry will serve as a case study for understanding the relationship between the branding of a culture and a nation, and its impact on the construction of national and cultural identities. Through readings, screenings, class and online discussions this course will discuss a range of topics including but not limited to the following: (1) defining the Indian cultural industry with focus on the exponential growth of Indian film distribution and exhibition globally; (2) the impact of international audience responses to Indian cinema and filmmakers; (3) Bollywood: a misnomer for Indian cinema; (4) Bollywood as a course for "global flows" of culture; (5) the evolution of Bollywood into a global phenomenon--its strategic marketing and its visual aesthetic appeal; (6) diaspora's consumption of Indian cinema; (7) the pervasiveness of the cultural industry across fashion, music and lifestyle; and (8) the framing of "Brand India" and its relationship to globalization.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture, Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
CA-School Core-300 Level, OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

COMM 358 - LEADERSHIP AND GROUP COMMUNICATION
Organizations function and survive according to the ability of their members to communicate effectively. This course is an in-depth study of current theories of message-processing in organizations: management communication; change management; and conflict management and resolution. Coursework includes experiential learning that allows students to explore practical applications of theory. This course is ideal for students planning careers in public relations, human resources, entrepreneurship, or management in any field of communication.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 362 - INTERACTIVE ANIMATION DESIGN
In this course students will study and critique existing multimedia projects which illustrate the potential and limitations of Web-based multimedia. Students will complete a series of creative, technical, and written assignments which will provide the skills they need to develop their own Web-based projects involving sound, animation, and/or video. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 364 - DIRECTING ACTORS FOR FILM
This course is geared to film directors and actors by emphasizing a method for training performers to act from their core? whether they are auditioning, sight-reading, improvising or performing for film and television. Students use script examples and do practical exercises to learn to convey their vision more effectively, as well as to elicit performances before a camera where emotions are experienced rather than merely indicated. They also examine the work of great directors through case studies with the purpose of observing the concepts presented in the course.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 365 - NEWS REPORTING: BROADCAST AND NEW MEDIA
This course will focus on broadcast news reporting. It will be devoted to real practical reporting, giving you the opportunity to cover news stories, do interviews, edit your material, and write and broadcast your stories over WRPR, the Ramapo College radio station. We will also be discussing, researching, and writing papers about broadcast news reporting and hearing interviews with network news correspondents who have covered major stories during the past decade. The goal of this course is to teach you the basics of good reporting along with the fundamentals of writing a solid script and becoming familiar with the integration of news actualities and natural sound into a broadcast reporting piece. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 380 - SENIOR PROJECT:PROPOSAL DIGITAL FILMMAKING
Senior Project: Proposal for Digital Filmmaking is a first-semester preparation and pre-production course for the second-semester portfolio course for seniors in the Communication Arts major and Digital Filmmaking concentration. Senior Project: Proposal is an intensive course focused on developing the script and production plan for students' senior capstone films. In Senior Project: Proposal, in preparation for their capstone films, students write their short films from pitches to finished screenplays, and cultivate and develop the cinematic language, acting and visual storytelling strategies and styles for their capstone films. Students leave the class with a polished script and production plan for their films, which they will implement in production and post-production in the second semester Senior Project course.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 390 - TOPICS
The descriptions and topics of this course change from semester-to-semester, as well as from instructor-to-instructor. Prerequisite: varies with the topic offered. COMM 390 GAME DESIGN. Game design is an increasingly important part of interactive design. This course will introduce students to a variety of game design concepts and methods using Adobe Flash and ActionScript 3.0. Students will build several game projects and learn the fundamentals of programming concepts that can translate to other game programming environments. The Adobe Flash platform will allow students to conceive, design and make functional, games for the web and mobile devices. The course will cover game types such as memory and match games as well as platform, side scrollers and quiz games. Fulfills Category 3. COMM 390 TV NOIR AND AMERICAN CULTURE. Film noir refers to a group of movies produced in Hollywood during and after World War II, unified by visual and thematic representations of a dark, unstable world. Heavily stylized, yet bleakly cynical, pictures like "Double Indemnity" (1944) and "Out of the Past" (1947) ushered in a new cinema of criminality and transgression, disillusionment and alienation that reflected the flip-side of the American dream. On television, the noir ethos is identified not so much by stylistic considerations, but by tone, atmosphere, narrtive patterns, recurring motifs, and character archetypes. The lonely journey through a darkness both literal and figurative is the defining narrative of the TV noir. Paranoia, queasiness, a dislocated sense of self are common states of being for the inhabitant of the TV noir. The unceasing corruptive influence of a society rotting from within is well-served by television's lack of closure; the episodic nature of prime-time drama only reinforces the notion that the messiness of the world continues unabated, week in and week out. COMM 390 THE BUSINESS OF PRODUCING FOR FILM AND TV. This course is for students interested in film and television producing and marketing positions at major film studios and independent film companies. Students will gain hands-on experience in the budgeting, marketing, distributing, and exhibition of a variety of entertainment media. Students learn how to create production budgets for small films as well as multi-million dollar blockbusters. They also learn conventional and unconventional ways of securing funding for movies. Students will design film campaigns for upcoming releases. The campaign will consider everything from movie poster content and print/TV ads to merchandise tie-ins, trailer content, and audience demographic research. Students will study both successful and unsuccessful marketing campaigns to learn the role that marketing plays in the reception of the film. The course will also strengthen student's presentation skills through regular marketing pitches given in class. Prerequisite: COMM 204. COMM 390 CAST STUDIES IN ADVERTISING. Organizations use creative marketing communication techniques to help support initiatives and solve problems. Building on the knowledge and skills learned in Creative Advertising and Public Relations, this course will look at various business challenges and study how specific advertising, public relations and other communications techniques can convey messages, change behavior and influence outcomes. Students will work individually and in teams to develop actual communication stragegies to overcome a variety of business issues. Each case study will focus on the business need, strategy, evaluation of the target, creative message development, tactical execution, appropriate media delivery and measurement of results. Classes will consist of lecture and workshop environments. Students with an interest in copywriting, visual communication, advertising, public relations, video production, and marketing can benefit from this class. Prerequisite: COMM 346. COMM 390 WEB DESIGN II. Web Design II expands on the basics of web design and development explored in COMM 322 Web Design. Students learn how to design and adapt web content for multiple viewing environments and devices. Responsive web design requires a deeper understanding of all the technologies involved in the process. Students are exposed to Content Management Systems (CMS) inclusive of Wordpress, PHP, MySQL and interactive programming languages such as jQuery, CSS3 and HTML5. Students also learn to work in harmony with several new technologies in order to fully grasp the landscape of modern web design. Today's web designer is responsible for how a site looks as well as how it is supposed to work. Lab Fee. COMM 390 MEDIA AND POPULAR CULTURE. This course will explore the relationship between U.S. and international culture and popoular, mass-mediated texts from a variety of communication perspectives. It will focus on the critical analysis of popular culture within social and political contexts and emphasize multicultural influences and representations in everyday life. The course will provide a theoretical framework based in critical theory and cultural studies to explore and critique representations of race, gender, and sexuality in popular culture. It will also investigate audience consumption of popular culture, and the impact of popular culture on personal, social and cultural identities. COMM 390 GLOBALIZATION AND THE INDIAN CULTURAL INDUSTRY. Globalization and the Indian Cultural Industry will engage students in exploring the impact of globalization on the production and consumption of Indian cinema globally, with a focus on the emergence of Bollywood as a transnational phenomenon in the past decade. The Indian cultural industry will serve as a case study for understanding the relationship between the branding of a culture and a nation, and its impact on the construction of national and cultural identities. Through readings, screenings, class and online discussions this course will discuss a range of topics including but not limited to: (1) defining the Indian cultural industry with focus on the exponential growth of Indian film distribution and exhibition globally; (2) the impact of international audience responses to Indian cinema and filmmakers; (3) the pervasiveness of the cultural industry across fashion, music and lifestyle; and (4) the framing of "Brand India" and its relationship to globalization. COMM 390 HISTORY OF COMEDY IN FILM. This course examines the rich tapestry of the American film comedy, and the social, historical, and technological factors that made it possible, from its birth in silent cinema to the present. Quintessentially American ideas of social mobility, freedom to satirize, and celebration of the underdog -- to name just a few -- have helped Anglo-American and immigrant artists to produce a unique brand of filmed comedy, from Mack Sennett to Preston Sturges and Judd Apatow.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Lecture, Seminar
All Sections for this Course

Communications Department

COMM 398 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 399 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 400 - INDEPENDENT STUDY: COMMUNICATION ARTS
Limited opportunities to enroll for course work on an Independent Study basis are available. A student interested in this option should obtain an Independent Study Registration Form from the Registrar, have it completed by the instructor and school dean involved, and return it to the Registrar's Office. Consult the current Schedule of Classes for policies concerning Independent Study.
0.000 TO 6.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 6.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Independent Study

Communications Department

COMM 404 - SENIOR PROJECT: DESIGN AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA
This course is a senior portfolio course for students working in new media and graphics design. Its purpose is to guide students through the process of creating a professional-level piece through a series of assignments and critiques. Students must meet with the instructor before the beginning of the semester to present/propose their projects. Projects may be in any medium, using any application or technology, but students should be realistic about what they will be able to accomplish in a semester. Parts of the project may be "faked". Students designing an e-commerce website need not build the backend, for example, but should have an awareness of the technologies involved, and be able to identify what resources they will need to draw on (programmers, servers, and so forth). Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 405 - VISUAL IDENTITY DESIGN
Visual Identity is a 400 level capstone course in the Design and Interactive Media concentration in the Communication Arts major. Advanced students design and execute a substantial project of major proportion. The project must demonstrate their mastery of the learning outcomes of the concentration including form, content, style, technical proficiency, leadership, and accountability. Examples of student projects might include, but are not limited to, developing and producing a visual identity system for a public service, creating an identity including all supporting materials through finished work for an existing non-profit organization, or creating and promoting a public awareness campaign including design, execution, production, promoting, and distribution of materials. The course is divided into 4 distinct phases: Research and Proposal, Prototype I, Prototype II, and Execution and Presentation. Each phase represents a milestone in the production of a large, significant project. Students are responsible for dealing with external vendors, promotion of the project, client contact if necessary, and outside expenses. At the end of the course, students are responsible for displaying and discussing their work in a special Communication Arts presentation. Additionally, a 10-page paper that documents the viability, process, and outcome of the project is due the last day of class. A significant portion of students' evaluation (65%) is based on the successful outcome of the final project. (Must have at least D in COMM 339 Publication Design. This course cannot be taken concurrently). Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 408 - SENIOR PROJECT: DIGITAL MEDIA
This is a senior portfolio course for students working in radio and audio. Its purpose is to guide students through the process of creating a professional-level project through a series of assignments and critiques. Students must meet with the instructor before the beginning of the semester to present and obtain approval for their projects. Students will be responsible for the development of proposals, concept statements, scripts or outlines, leading up to final production of a portfolio work. Students may undertake projects in any medium (CD-ROM, radio, web, etc.) that will demonstrate their proficiency in the use of audio technology to create a meaningful work. They may work in fiction or non-fiction genres, including, but not limited to, news, public affairs, fiction, documentary, or some combination. Final projects should be suitable for exhibition and student projects may include programming for campus radio or other media outlets.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 410 - GLOBAL MEDIA,LOCAL CHANGE
It is imperative for students of Media/Cinema Studies to recognize the interrelated nature of the forces of globalization: transnational corporations, global political economy and international trade, and the global media industry. This capstone course will address the history, background, and current issues related to the topic, and facilitate the process of analyzing and articulating the emergent issues in the form of conference-ready materials. Drawing on multiple perspectives, this course will not only promote critical consciousness about globalization and the media, it will also encourage students to think of creative ways to implement mediated and social change at the local level. In this course we will examine the role of media in fostering change at the macro and micro levels of the economy. Some questions we will seek to address include: Can media cause or create change in the world? Are media tools of establishing or maintaining power relations? What is the relationship between multinational/global corporations, transnational media and local and grassroots activism? Who are the major players in this globalized world? What are the consequences of globalization on a media saturated world? Through a review of case studies and real-world experiences we will explore the extent of globalization's impact on peoples, cultures, and economies across the globe. We will also examine various forms of global communication technologies, strategies, and programs using case studies and other forms of investigative analyses. I am sure all of you are familiar with the phrase, "think globally, act locally." This has been the mantra of local activism and change agents worldwide. Yet, in this age of hyper-capitalism and a world saturated with the effects of globalization, this phrase has taken on many different meanings. Through this course we will also explore these varied perspectives and examine the dynamic relationship between globalization, media, culture and economy. CA Upper Level Core
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Screening, Seminar, Studio

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
CA-School Core-400 Level, OLD GE-INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

COMM 415 - VISUAL EFFECTS FOR DVD & FILM
Visual Effects is a 400 level capstone course in the Design and Interactive Media concentration in the Communication Arts major. Advanced students design and execute a substantial project of major proportion. The project must demonstrate their mastery of the learning outcomes of the concentration and advanced motion graphics including form, content, style, technical proficiency, leadership, and accountability. Student projects will culminate in the creation of a near professional DVD reel of work created in this course that includes an interactive menu with multiple sub-levels and complex links and chapters. Students demonstrate their expert level skills in visual effects by integrating pyrotechnics, keying, 3D virtual and real studio lighting, virtual and real camera work, advanced sound, and color correction into their own visual narratives. Each student creates near professional quality DVD of work produced in class. The class is divided into 4 units: Research and Proposal, Project Phase I, Project Phase II, and DVD Design and Finishing. Each phase represents a milestone in the production of a large, significant project. At the end of the course, students are responsible for screening and discussing their work in a special Communication Arts presentation. Additionally, a 10-page paper that documents the viability, process, and outcome of the project is due the last day of class. A significant portion of students' evaluation (65%) is based on the successful outcome of the final project.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 420 - RACE,ETHNICITY & CROSS CULTURAL JOURNALISM
This is a 400-level capstone course designed to help students explore diversity and its journalistic role in covering the total community in the 21st Century. Students will research, report and write stories about an underreported community in New Jersey. In the process, students will learn the broader definitions of diversity, including historical context and meaning. They will become more aware of the changing demographics of the U.S.--both locally and nationally--and analyze the role that journalists play in shaping public opinion about emerging and underreported communities. Students will think critically about the role media plays in conveying accurate coverage of diverse groups and, in the process, examine their own views about race, ethnicity, and class among other diversity fault lines used by professional journalists. This course emphasizes the process of finding and developing diverse sources, not only for racial and cultural stories, but general stories as well.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
OLD GE-INTERCULT NORTH AMERICA

COMM 423 - SENIOR PROJECT: WRITING
This senior writing experience is required of all students with a writing concentration in the Communication Arts major. The course provides an opportunity for students to develop a professional portfolio demonstrating the culmination of their college experience and creating a document providing evidence of writing ability. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Seminar

Communications Department

COMM 430 - SENIOR PROJECT: JOURNALISM
Senior Project: Journalism is a capstone portfolio course in convergence journalism that will allow students to produce stories in print, online, television and radio. Journalism students, focusing on a major story, will apply information gathering skills in a simulated newsroom environment to report, write and produce a series of multimedia stories. The Convergence Journalism Senior Project will involve the partnership of other Communication Arts professors and students with expertise in television, Web and radio production. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Studio

Communications Department

COMM 433 - SENIOR PROJECT: DIGITAL FILMMAKING
An advanced production and criticism in narrative or documentary as it is presented in the video medium. Students will research, script, and produce an original production. Screenings and readings will address the content, aesthetic, and technical choices producers make in producing a work in this medium. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 435 - ADV SOUND PRODUCTION FOR FILM & VIDEO
This course explores advanced concepts, technology and techniques for production field recording and post-production stereo and surround-sound mixing of audio for film and video. It is both a seminar and a production workshop in which students will examine the historical, theoretical, and aesthetic dimensions of sound recording and the creation of sound environments, as well as create their own artistic work through hands-on exercises. Production will emphasize the creative use of audio field recording using varied microphones, digital recorders and mixers, whereas post-production will use Avid Pro Tools to mix audio. Students will present, discuss, and evaluate their work in group critiques. The final project for the course is a project of significant scale/complexity which should demonstrate an understanding and mastery of field recording and sound design concepts and techniques as discussed throughout the semester.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 440 - SENIOR PROJECT: TV AND NEW MEDIA
A portfolio-level course that provides opportunity for students to produce studio or documentary projects independently or collaboratively in close consultation with the professor. This project should reflect skills in writing, public speaking, and production, leading to a project that can be shown in festivals, and other distribution channels. Students will continue to study critical new developments in the technology and programming, grant writing, fundraising, and packaging of final programs. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Studio

Communications Department

COMM 441 - SENIOR PROJECT: DIGITAL POST PRODUCTION
This course will build on the aesthetic, research, writing, technical and production skills taught in 300-level television, video and editing courses. Students will create, produce, and edit works using non-linear editing systems, with the goal of developing a portfolio for student work for graduate school or professional work. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab

Communications Department

COMM 445 - SENIOR PROJECT: COMMUNICATION ARTS
This is a portfolio course for seniors in the Communication Arts major that builds on 300-level courses taken earlier in their academic career. Students must define and execute a project related to their area of concentration that will demonstrate their achievement. Students interested in this class should take the 1-credit CCOM 312 Proposal Research and Development class in the semester prior to doing their Advanced Project class. Projects can range from writing (poetry, short stories, and screenplay) to TV/video production (documentary, dramatic, public affairs) to public relations campaigns to websites. Projects should demonstrate a grasp of the critical issues of their area of interest as well as an understanding of the technological and theoretical aspects of their study. Lab Fee.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Seminar

Communications Department

COMM 447 - SR PROJECTS:GLOBAL COMMUNICATION & MEDIA
Senior Projects: Global Communication and Media is a portfolio course for seniors in the Communication Arts major. Students undertake major individual or collaborative projects under faculty supervision, which will result in the creation of a portfolio work. Workshop discussions and critique of proposals and work-in-progress is a central feature of the course. Students create teams for the purpose of developing, researching, and executing publicity, promotion, or advertising campaign, or major event, such as an exhibition or a conference, with special emphasis on community and non-profit organizations. Students must define and execute a project related to their area of concentration that will demonstrate their achievement. Students should meet with the instructor prior to the first class to discuss a project propsal. Projects should demonstrate a grasp of the critical issues of the student's area of interest as well as an understanding of the technological and theoretical aspects of their study. Prerequistie: senior status.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Seminar

Communications Department

Course Attributes:
WRITING INTENSIVE

COMM 450 - WEB SERIES PRODUCTION
Students will study current successful web series, and then conceive, write, produce, advertise, and post to the web a five-episode original web series in this writing- and production-intensive Capstone course. Students will share all the duties of writing, directing, editing, and marketing with an emphasis on story, character, collaboration, and meeting strict deadlines. The course will: (1) provide students with the skills and practice necessary to create original scripted content for the New Media landscape; (2) introduce students to the collaborative, deadline-intensive experience of working in a TV or web series "Writer's Room," where stories are generated, "broken," written, and re-written as a group; (3) offer students the opportunity to apply their various directing, production, and post-production skills to a large scale group project; and (4) produce a final project of sufficient quality for use as a resume piece when looking for film industry work or applying to graduate school.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 498 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation describes a transfer course from another institution where an equivalency to a Ramapo College course has not been determined. Upon convener evaluation, this course ID may be changed to an equivalent of a Ramapo College course or may fulfill a requirement.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department

COMM 499 - TRANSFER ELECTIVE
This course designation is used to describe a transfer course from another institution which has been evaluated by the convener. A course with this course number has no equivalent Ramapo course. It may fulfill a requirement or may count as a free elective.
0.000 TO 4.000 Credit hours
0.000 TO 4.000 Lecture hours

Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lecture

Communications Department


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