Overview
Social media has forever changed the communication and journalism professions. For today's students, being able to effectively plan, manage, and evaluate social media as an integrated communication tool has become a requirement for success in the communication discipline. This minor will provide students with a foundation to employ social media as an effective communication tool in a variety of professional settings by providing practical and applied learning.
The program combines theory and best professional practices with hands-on application, development of critical media skills (including writing and multimedia content creation), and necessary management and strategy in a variety of organizational settings that will culminate in a capstone experience. The Social Media Strategies minor will provide students with the background needed and qualifications required in a wide variety of communication positions.
Degree Offered
- Minor in Social Media Strategies
Contact
Nancy Wiencek, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Communication, Journalism and Media
School of Communication, Media and Performing Arts
Fine Arts
609-895-5420
nwiencek@rider.edu
Department Website: Department of Communication, Journalism and Media
Related Programs
Social Media Strategies Minor Requirements
(21 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| COM 131 | Fundamentals of Video Production | 3 |
| COM 203 | Introduction to Social Media | 3 |
| COM 240 | Public Relations | 3 |
| COM 261 | Introduction to Web Design | 3 |
| COM 292 | Content for Social Media | 3 |
| COM 361 | Photography | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Social Media and Social Change | ||
| Rhetoric in the Digital Age | ||
| Digital Media: Theory and Practice | ||
| Total Credits | 21 | |
Courses and Descriptions
COM 131 Fundamentals of Video Production 3 Credits
Introduces students to basic video production theories, techniques, and applications. Students will gain competency in a number of video production areas including: production planning, camera operations, lighting, sound, and digital non-linear editing. Individual and group production exercises will involve planning and executing video productions in both studio and non-studio settings. This class is designed to prepare students from any major to effectively create, produce, shoot, and edit basic video production assignments including public service announcements, video news releases, educational/instructional videos, and marketing/promotional spots.
COM 207 Social Media and Social Change 3 Credits
Introduces students to Web/ social media tools and information distribution networks that have enabled people to mobilize new types of collective action, inform publics and advocate positions. Community production and sharing of knowledge (Wikipedia), culture (YouTube, Flickr, the blogosphere), and political organizing (colorofchange.org) are current manifestations of social changes that are continuing to bloom in the 21st century. In this course, Rider University students will become literate in active Web and social media participation with a focus on engaging with current social, political and cultural issues.
COM 240 Public Relations 3 Credits
Introduces current theories and practices of public relations, with emphasis on facilitating two-way communication with various publics. Explores approaches to public relations problems by critically analyzing case studies and applying theories and techniques to realistic situations.
COM 261 Introduction to Web Design 3 Credits
Introduces students to digital graphics, text, audio and video for Web design using Adobe Creative Suite. Students will learn the basics of audio, video, graphic, and interactive software along with theories of design and perception that underlie effective presentation of digital messages.
COM 264 Digital Media: Theory and Practice 3 Credits
Introduces the ways that the merging of media industries and the intersection and integration of various media platforms and technologies impact our lives. While the primary focus will be on digital and mobile technologies and practices, the course will also cover the convergence of digital technologies in a wide range of media areas, including journalism, social media, television and entertainment. The course will offer students broad conceptual frameworks for thinking about how the emergence and evolution of digital as well as mobile communication technologies have changed the communication and journalism industries and how they are reshaping content. In addition, the course is intended to allow students to use different digital communication technologies.