College of Arts & Media - Open & Free Materials by Course: Mass Communication

The goal is to adopt a textbook that will support and complement your teaching of this course. Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication will support an engaging and interesting course experience for students that will not only show them the powerful social, political and economic forces will affect the future of media technology, but will challenge students to do their part in shaping that future.

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Evolution from traditional forms of media to today’s digital platforms; shifts in production and consumption. Complexities of regulating digital media; issues such as censorship and net neutrality. Balance between privacy and public exposure in the digital realm; how personal information is handled. Influence of algorithms in shaping online experiences. Equity and gender in digital spaces; how online environments can reinforce or challenge societal norms. Role of digital tools in activism; how they have transformed engagement and participation in social movements. Cultural relevance of memes. Challenges of navigating information accuracy and importance of media literacy. Impact of digital media on personal relationships; changes in how people connect and interact. Transformation of personal identity through digital media, broad implications. includes additional features such as media collections of student work, with galleries of audio, video, and memes, as well as podcast episodes, all enriching the books with students’ “funds of knowledge” through their sharing of social media experiences.

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A free and open-source introduction to the art and science of cinema. From the earliest iterations to the latest innovations, this introductory text explores the tools and techniques of mise-en-scene, narrative form, cinematography, editing, sound and acting, how each has contributed to the evolution of cinematic language, and how that evolution implicates critical issues of representation in mass media. Moving Pictures offers in-depth examination of how cinema communicates, and what, exactly, it is trying to say.

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Emphasizes practical application of academic inquiry to help readers improve their writing skills. Discusses different writing styles and techniques and provides examples of communication materials such as press releases, creative briefs, feature articles, and more. Includes embedded videos of insights from communication professionals, tips on pitching to the media, and a collection of popular sources for further explanation.

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This book does not teach the who, what, when, where, why, and how of reporting; its goal is to teach how to present the journalism you already know via electronic media, primarily television.

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This is the first edition of a modular open textbook designed for entrepreneurial journalism, media innovation, and related courses.

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This book teaches college-level journalism and strategic communication students to become information experts.

• Open License: CC-BY-NC
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