School of Journalism and Communication, CUHK

Course Lists

Code	Course Title	Unit

COMM 1110	Media and Everyday Life	3
COMM 1120	Development of Mass Communication	3
COMM 1150	Introduction to Media Industries and Practices	3
COMM 1170	Chinese News Writing	3
COMM 1180	English News Writing	3
COMM 1190	Media Writing	3
COMM 2100	Audience Analysis and Strategy	3
COMM 2110	Chinese News Reporting I	3
COMM 2120	English News Reporting I	3
COMM 2140	Media and Social Development in Mainland China	3
COMM 2150	Mass Communication Theories	3
COMM 2160	Communication Research Methods	3
COMM 2170	Chinese News Reporting II	3
COMM 2180	English News Reporting II	3
COMM 2210	News and Society	3
COMM 2240	Integrated Strategic Campaign I	3
COMM 2300	Sound and Creative Media	3
COMM 2320 [3500]	Creative Media Curation and Management	3
COMM 2440	Photojournalism	3
COMM 2500	Introduction to Global Communication	3
COMM 2520	Global Affairs and Public Issues	3
COMM 2530	Critical Studies in Media and Communication	3
COMM 2600	Introduction to Journalism	3
COMM 2610	Foreign News Desk Practice	3
COMM 2710	Fundamentals in Visual Media	3
COMM 2733	Radio Production	3
COMM 2740	Broadcast News	3
COMM 2812	Professional Public Relations Writing	3
COMM 2813	Social Media and Crisis Communication	3
COMM 2814	Social Campaigning and Public Relations for NGOs	3
COMM 2820	Principles of Advertising	3
COMM 2830	Account Planning and Management	3
COMM 2840	Advertising and Society	3
COMM 2850	Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications	3
COMM 2910	News Analysis	3
COMM 2920	Media, Sex and Violence	3
COMM 2922	Introduction to Creative and New Media	3
COMM 2925	Principles of Editing in Creative Media	3
COMM 2926	Creative Design and Layout	3
COMM 2928	Art Direction	3
COMM 2930	Understanding Movies	3
COMM 2932	Film Genres: Love, Death and Laughs	3
COMM 2940	Internet, Digital Media and Information Society	3
COMM 2962	Photography	3
COMM 3100	Critical Communication Theories	3
COMM 3131, 3132	Special Topic in Communication Studies I, II	3 each
COMM 3140	Chinese News Editing	3
COMM 3191	Film, Television and Hong Kong Culture	3
COMM 3193	Media and Gender	3
COMM 3200	Communication Professional Internship	3
COMM 3210	Field Study I	3
COMM 3220	Field Study II	3
COMM 3310 [2310]	Images and Creative Media	3
COMM 3400	Integrated Strategic Campaign II	3
COMM 3600	Laws and Ethics for Communication	3
COMM 3610	English News Editing	3
COMM 3630	Digital Journalism	3
COMM 3640	China News Reporting	3
COMM 3650	Social Media Analytics for Communication Professionals	3
COMM 3670	Issues in Current Affairs	3
COMM 3680	Business and Financial Reporting	3
COMM 3681, 3682	Special Topic in Journalism I, II	3 each
COMM 3700	Intercultural Communication	3
COMM 3711	Script Writing and Screenplay	3
COMM 3733	Television Production	3
COMM 3740	Advanced Broadcast News	3
COMM 3750	Storytelling in Journalism	3
COMM 3800	Multimedia Design and Techniques	3
COMM 3810	Public Relations and Social Theory	3
COMM 3811, 3812	Special Topic in Public Relations I, II	3 each
COMM 3820	Media Management for Public Relations	3
COMM 3831, 3832	Special Topic in Advertising I, II	3 each
COMM 3840	Advertising Copywriting	3
COMM 3850	Advertising Art Direction	3
COMM 3855	Advertising Media Planning	3
COMM 3881	Public Relations Case Analysis and Campaigns	3
COMM 3888	Financial Public Relations	3
COMM 3920	Creative Writing in Media	3
COMM 3921, 3922	Special Topic in Creative and New Media I, II	3 each
COMM 3930	Digital Video Production	3 each
COMM 3933	Music Industry, Production and Marketing	3
COMM 3939	Film Directors	3
COMM 3940	Multimedia and Digital Entertainment Design	3
COMM 3941	New Media Business	3
COMM 3963	Entertainment Business	3
COMM 4040	Directed Studies in Communication	3
COMM 4150	Senior Research Project	3
COMM 4191	Cultural Studies and Popular Culture	3
COMM 4730	Documentary	3
COMM 4733	Advanced Television Production	3
COMM 4848	New Media Advertising	3
COMM 4935	Cinematography	3
COMM 4956	Fundamentals of Computer Animation	3
COMM 4962	Advanced Photography	3
COMM 5110, 5111	Topical Studies in Communication I, II	3 each
COMM 5631, 5632	Topical Studies in Journalism I, II	3 each
COMM 5650	Journalism Theory and Analysis	3
COMM 5690	Feature Writing	3
COMM 5775	Understanding Culture through Film	3
COMM 5944	Media Economics and ICTs	3
COMM 6210	Communication Patterns in Chinese Society	3
COMM 6420	Strategies for Integrated Communication Campaigns	3

The past course outlines available at this website are intended for undergraduate student's reference only before course registration. Instructors will change the course outlines for 2015-2016 which will be distributed when class commences.

Course Description

COMM 1110 Media and Everyday Life

3U
Modern media are everywhere; they mediate nearly all aspects of everyday life. Media forms old and new – newspapers, magazines, films, radio, television, pop music, Internet, social media, and mobile phones – are shaping our social and political life, cultivating our cultural imaginations, and articulating our personal experiences and a sense of belonging in a rapidly changing world. This course examines the many roles of the media in the web of modern life.
Course Outline

COMM 1120 Development of Mass Communication

3U
This course examines the development of mass communication in different social and historical contexts. Emphasis will be placed on analyses of the roles, functions, and impact of some major mass media (such as print, broadcast, TV, film, advertising/public relations and new media) in various societies like Hong Kong, China and other parts of the world from a developmental perspective. The purpose is to help students gain a sense of the origins and modern day practices of the mass media.
Course Outline

COMM 1150 Introduction to Media Industries and Practices

3U
In the latter half of the 20th century, working in the media and communication industries referred mainly to working for newspapers, broadcasting stations, film companies, and advertising or PR industries. But with the advance of digital media technologies, old boundaries among the distinctive media sectors are seemingly blurring or even falling apart, while there might also be new types of "media companies." This course is designed to familiarize students with the evolving realities of the various media industries in Hong Kong, China, and beyond. The overarching questions to be discussed in the class include: How can one characterize the configuration of the contemporary media industries? What are the key trends underlying the transformation of the media industries? What are the implications of these transformations for "media workers"? What does it mean by working as a journalist, a creative content producer, an advertiser, etc. in the contemporary world and in the future? What are the communication practices involved in the various industries? What are the broader social, cultural, and political implications of the transformation of media work and media industries?

COMM 1170 Chinese News Writing

3U
To acquaint students with the principles and skills in developing news ideas, information gathering, news writing and feature writing.
Course Outline

COMM 1180 English News Writing

3U
To acquaint students with the principles and skills in developing news ideas, information gathering, news writing and feature writing.
Course Outline

COMM 1190 Media Writing

3U
This course teaches the basic principles and skills of different forms of writing, including news reporting and writing, corporate writing and creative writing. Students will learn to gather, organize and present information in different formats. They will also learn to write and manage social networking sites.

COMM 2100 Audience Analysis and Strategy

3U
The course provides students with an in-depth understanding of what consumer insight is all about and how insight can be uncovered. It also gives a clear understanding of why the key to any successful and powerful marketing strategy is an insightful understanding of target audience's behavior, aspiration and motivation, and their relationship with the brand, category, competition and the environment.
Course Outline

COMM 2110 Chinese News Reporting I

3U
To acquaint students with the principles and skills in developing news ideas, information gathering, news writing and feature writing. Majors are required to take an active part in thereporting, editing and advertising for the School's practicum newspaper.
Course Outline

COMM 2120 English News Reporting I

3U
To acquaint students with the principles and skills in developing news ideas, information gathering, news writing and feature writing. Majors are required to take an active part in the reporting, editing and advertising for the School's practicum publication.
Course Outline

COMM 2140 Media and Social Development in Mainland China

3U
(Not for students who have taken UGEC2634.) The course is designed around two major themes, namely media and social development in Mainland China since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. The course will examine Mainland China’s key media sectors including the printing press (newspapers and magazines), film and broadcasting media (radio and television), and new networked communication tools (Internet and mobile phone) as well as alternative social formations through Internet activism, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and transnational developmental projects. The course will identify and discuss several ongoing debates, and the ensuing actions, held by different stakeholders, including government officials, media producers, educators, activists, international agencies, and the general audiences. Wider implications to public policy will be identified. There will also be discussions of current affairs related to media and social development in the country.

COMM 2150 Mass Communication Theories

3U
Study of modern communication principles and theories for the understanding of human communication as well as communication processes within and between social systems.

COMM 2160 Communication Research Methods

3U
Introduction to methods for the investigation of communication processes and effects. Emphasis is on the formulation of research problems, study designs, sampling techniques, measurement problems and report writing. Basic steps in data collection, processing and analysis are included.
Course Outline

COMM 2170 Chinese News Reporting II

3U
To acquaint students with the principles and skills in establishing news sources, news investigation, in-depth reporting, precision journalism, interpretative writing and opinion writing. Majors are required to take an active part in reporting, editing and advertising for the School's practicum publication. Prerequisite: COMM2110.
Course Outline

COMM 2180 English News Reporting II

COMM 2210 News and Society

3U
(Not for students who have taken UGEC2623.) This course talks about the characteristics and functioning of news, and its important role and functions in society. News is vital to us as it brings latest information of the day, helps create public opinion, educate our young generations, monitor the government and the powerful, as well as provide relaxation to our busy lives. Understanding the news essentially helps us know our society. Various concepts and theories from the mass communication discipline are introduced together with some perspectives from other social sciences. Real-life examples from Hong Kong and abroad are analyzed. Students are first introduced to the unique nature of news and different types of news as found in both print and electronic media. Some latest news formats, including free dailies, online newspapers, network social media and citizen journalism, are discussed in both international and local contexts. Relationships between journalism and closely related professions such as advertising and public relations are explicated in order to understand the actual functioning of news, as well as its impact on society. The professional concerns of the field of journalism and individual’s news consumption habits are also highlighted in the course.

COMM 2240 Integrated Strategic Campaign I

3U
This course aims to equip students with the theories and practical skills of planning, organizing and executing social or commercial campaigns. Students will explore the concept and strategy of campaigning, and examine the characteristics of different media as campaign tools and communication platform. The use of marketing and social networking techniques in socio-political campaigns will also be discussed. (Prerequisite: COMM2100)
Course Outline

COMM 2300 Sound and Creative Media

3U
This is a course for students to experiment with various types of sound design and production across a different range of media. It will encompass diverse theories and technical skills training on sound and creative media, ranging from radio through television and film to sound installation. Workshops will be given to heighten the students' sensitivity towards the possibility and range of sounds as a form of expression. Students will plan, conceptualize and execute their sound work for Creative Media Laboratory Portal.
Course Outline

COMM 2320 [3500] Creative Media Curation and Management

3U
This course aims to provide students with knowledge, skills and hands on experience on digital content curation and media management. Students will research, evaluate and edit content for Creative Media Laboratory Portal. Meanwhile, media management skills will be acquired through organizing, curating and exhibiting audio-visual and creative projects from other courses of the School.
Course Outline

COMM 2440 Photojournalism

3U
Fundamentals of news photography and photographic techniques including the skilful use of cameras, darkroom processes and picture editing. Basic principles and uses of news photography as creative communication. (Not for students who have taken COMM2962.)
Course Outline

COMM 2500 Introduction to Global Communication

3U
This course aims at introducing students to the most important phenomena in global communication as well as the basic concepts, theories and approaches in studying the phenomena. Issues to be discussed in the class will include, among others, the definition, history, and current status of globalization, how media communications relate to the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of globalization, and the characteristics of the processes of the global information and media flows. Students are expected to acquire a basic understanding of the "field" of global communication.
Course Outline

COMM 2520 Global Affairs and Public Issues

3U
This is a course that introduces students to the key social, economic, and political issues that are "global" in character, e.g., climate change, economic liberalization, refugee problems, etc. The course shall also emphasis the connections between seemingly local public affairs and their global contexts. While the exact issues to be addressed in the class may vary in association with current events, the underlying aim is to cultivate students' interests in and ability to analyze public issues in global perspectives.

COMM 2530 Critical Studies in Media and Communication

3U
This course provides an introduction to major theories in media and communication. It is organized around three overarching questions: First, in what ways does the work of communication professionals influence individuals in society, as citizens and as consumers? Second, how are meanings created in mediated communication processes and what is the role of citizens and consumers in this process? Third, how do media and communication relate to critical issues such as social inequality and social justice? Why might the media be deemed to contribute to certain problems? Many of the theories covered in this course were developed in different traditions which have wide-ranging implications for our understanding of media and communication.

COMM 2600 Introduction to Journalism (For the 4-year curriculum only.)

3U
This course provides basic introduction to the field of journalism so that students can have a general understanding of the concepts, debates, structure, processes, roles, functions and social implications of the profession.
Course Outline

COMM 2610 Foreign News Desk Practice

3U
Principles, techniques and problems of producing foreign news stories for the Hong Kong media, including the translation of news stories from English to Chinese. Emphasis is on the production of news stories that are truthful, accurate, and yet also readable and understandable to a local public.
Course Outline

COMM 2710 Fundamentals in Visual Media

3U
This course introduces students to the exciting changes taking place in the accelerating convergence of various electronic media. It covers the basic history, technologies, systems, programming, production techniques, technical vocabulary, and elementary theory required in the world of radio, television, film, and multimedia production.
Course Outline

COMM 2733 Radio Production

3U
The studio production of radio programmes including information and entertainment. Introduction to new formats, documentaries and others through theory and practices to obtain the experience. (Not for students who have taken COMM2739.)
Course Outline

COMM 2740 Broadcast News

3U
Theories and techniques of reporting, writing, delivery and production of radio and television news. Students learn the basic principles through workshop exercises.
Course Outline

COMM 2812 Professional Public Relations Writing

3U
This course equips students who plan to develop careers in the fields of public relations, marketing and communications with writing skills to develop and design key messages that will reach the public accurately and effectively. It covers major categories of PR writing, including writing for press kit, in-house publication, annual report, press announcement and feature article for media placement.
Course Outline

COMM 2813 Social Media and Crisis Communication

3U
With the advent of the new media technology, new forms of organizational crisis emerge. They are called Internet-mediated crises. A major difference between the Internet-mediated crises and the traditional crises lies in the intensive interactivity, collectivity, simultaneity and dialogic sphericity of the former. This very nature of Internet-mediated crisis makes it all the more hard to handle. A specialized and critical function of the public relations practice is the management of crisis. This course covers two major levels. The first level takes on a functionalism approach to crisis management. The second level takes on a more critical approach in public relations. Students will learn how crisis reflects complicity and dynamism between citizens and organizations in modern societies. They will acquire an enhanced appreciation of communication that can be brought to bear in such crisis situations and a greater familiarity with the interactivity of an organization and its stakeholders as well as the environments in times of crises. They will also gain more sensitivity in public demands of socially responsible practices in the business contexts. (COMM2813 is double-coded with UGEC2636. Not for students who have taken UGEC2636.)
Course Outline

COMM 2814 Social Campaigning and Public Relations for NGOs

3U
This course aims to provide students with an understanding of strategic public communications of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the organization of social campaign through critically examining social movements and advocacy campaigns in real world. The course will delve into techniques, funding and ethical issues that NGOs face when driving policy change. Students will apply knowledge and devise campaigns to mobilize the civil society to contribute to social benefits.
Course Outline

COMM 2820 Principles of Advertising (For the 3-year curriculum only.)

3U
Functions of advertising in marketing/communication mix, and its effect on economy and society. Discussion is also on campaigns and appropriations, retail and industrial aspects.

COMM 2830 Account Planning and Management

3U
This course focuses on the business side of advertising by discussing issues of account planning as well as applications of practical techniques in managing advertising accounts. Attention is also given to the applications of advertising management decisions to solve marketing communication problems for advertisers, media executives and creative people, including strategic planning, preparing, directing, controlling and evaluating advertising campaigns.
Course Outline

COMM 2840 Advertising and Society

3U
In this course, students will analyze real life campaigns to understand major effects of advertising in everyday life. Students will examine topics like materialism and commercialization of friendship to see how advertising persuade consumers through subtle uses of messages. They will also decode the formation and shifting of values promoted by Government and green campaigns. The course will help students distinguish between authentic and mediated reality regarding topics on artificial perfection of body image, sexual objectification and gender stereotyping. (UGEC2637 is double-coded with COMM2840. Not for students who have taken UGEC2637.)
Course Outline

COMM 2850 Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications (For the 4-year curriculum only.)

3U
The course is to introduce the value-based, consumer/customer-focused approach to Integrated Marketing Communications. Students will learn and practice touchpoint integrations to create an integrated brand experience on the part of the consumers/customers using various promotional tools including advertising, public relations, promotions, marketing, strategic campaign planning, social media marketing, as well as word-of-mouth and viral marketing, Special attention to effectiveness and measurable results of IMC, in the form of Return On Investment (ROI), will be emphasized. The students enrolling in this course will be at the forefront of the surging IMC 3.0 movement that is currently taking place in business corporations, agencies, NGOs and Government.
Course Outline

COMM 2910 News Analysis

3U
Theories and methods in news sociology for understanding the news-making process and the impacts on the product itself and the society. Students also learn to conduct their own analysis of news in local or foreign media. (Not for students who have taken UGEC2621.)
Course Outline

COMM 2920 Media, Sex and Violence

3U
This course is designed to provide students with some familiarity with and critical perspectives on media representations of violence, social conflict, sex, sexuality, and gender roles. Efforts will be made to explore the potential impact of such media representations on conflicts, violence, crimes, and sexual practices in the real world. (Not for students who have taken UGEC2632.)
Course Outline

COMM 2922 Introduction to Creative and New Media

3U
The course is an introductory course on the creative aspects of the mass media, media art, new media and popular culture. The course aims to enhance students' creative, aesthetic as well as intellectual ability of evaluating different media art forms and expression. The course covers art theory, aesthetics, theories on creativity, technical and commercial aspects of various forms of production and popular culture.
Course Outline

COMM 2925 Principles of Editing in Creative Media

3U
Through learning and practicing basic principles of video editing in creative media, students will have a holistic understanding of the process of video/film production, including planning, filming, as well as the roles and functions of the Producer, Director, Cinematographer and Editor.
Course Outline

COMM 2926 Creative Design and Layout

3U
The course covers editing, formats, layout, image and color usage of popular print media including books, comics, picture books, magazines, information graphics, logos, business cards, flyers, typography, newsletters and advertising. The course puts emphasis on real life application and possibilities for producing creative work and culture.
Course Outline

COMM 2928 Art Direction

3U
The course takes a practical look at the duties, planning, techniques and skills of art directors and production designers during the entire creative process. It teaches students how to analyze a script, develop concepts that meet the needs of a script, develop sketches and construction drawings, work with directors and producers, and operate within budget limitations.
Course Outline

COMM 2930 Understanding Movies

3U
This course aims at helping students to earn a solid vocabulary and a sharp eye in analyzing films. Students will learn about the basic cinematic techniques and structures, including mise-en-scene and montage, use of cinematic time and space, the image, soundtrack, and the script. Theoretical perspectives such as realism, feminism, postmodernism would be introduced to address the political, economic and socio-cultural implications of movies. Equipped with these analytical tools, students can critically appreciate movies of different era and different places. (UGED2637 is double-coded with COMM2930. Not for students who have taken UGED2637.)
Course Outline

COMM 2932 Film Genres: Love, Death and Laughs

3U
(Not for students who have taken GESC2010.) This course focuses on a variety of film genres, such as detective and gangster films, musicals, comedies, family dramas and westerns. Genres have been popular since the beginning of the film medium. This course will examine the cultural and economic reasons for their continued popularity. Film showings and film clips will demonstrate how genres evolve over time and how some of the great film directors have made genre films of lasting impact. This class assumes no prior knowledge of film. Students will be assessed on the basis of a paper and an examination.
Course Outline

COMM 2940 Internet, Digital Media and Information Society

3U
(COMM2940 is double-coded with UGEC2624. Not for students who have taken UGEC2624)This course aims to examine a number of key issues that are closely related to developments in Internet and digital media. The advent of communication technologies has brought tremendous changes to media environments. Media convergence and participatory culture are two most notable emerging trends that have contributed to new forms of media production and consumption. Students will be introduced to key concepts and perspectives in appreciating, analyzing and evaluating such trends. Through case studies about social media, streaming entertainment, Internet celebrities, networked social movements and digital surveillance culture, etc, students will review the many tacit assumptions about Internet in their everyday life.
Course Outline

COMM 2962 Photography

3U
This course combines a basic introduction to the practical skills of photography with an introduction to the idea of visual literacy - a look at the history and social role of the image in the contemporary image-driven multimedia environment. (Not for students who have taken COMM2440.)
Course Outline

COMM 3100 Critical Communication Theories

3U
This is an introduction of selected theories and theorists in sociology and anthropology which have been adopted by communication scholars or have significant implications for communication studies.

COMM 3131, 3132 Special Topic in Communication Studies I, II

3U each
The instructor will lecture on and direct the study of a topic in Communication Studies that he or she specializes in. Students are allowed to take this Special Topic course at most twice, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.
Course Outline

COMM 3140 Chinese News Editing

3U
To acquaint the students with the principles and skills in copy editing, headline writing, news display, illustration and page make-up. Majors are required to take an active part in reporting, editing and advertising for the School's practicum publication. Prerequisite: COMM2170.
Course Outline

COMM 3191 Film, Television and Hong Kong Culture

3U
Since the 1970s, a very distinctive Hong Kong culture has emerged. The course will focus on the role of film and television in the historical formation of this vibrant Hong Kong culture. It will also explore themes such as re-nationalization, nostalgia and representations of mainlanders after the sovereignty transfer in 1997. (COMM3191 is double-coded with UGEC3635. Not for students who have taken UGEC3635.)
Course Outline

COMM 3193 Media and Gender

3U
(Not for students who have taken UGEC3612.) The course is developed and evolved around two major themes, namely mass media and gender. Using key concepts and theories in mass communication and cultural studies, it discusses the influences and power of mass media with an emphasis on gender-related issues. The latter are in turn related to other social and cultural phenomena that will bring in knowledge an perspectives from other disciplines (e.g. sociology and psychology). The course will examine several recurrig controversies related to gender in mass media. These controversies range from representation of sex and gender in media, to the media portrayals of homosexuals and the treatment of taboos. The course will identify and discuss the many competing viewpoints, and the ensuing actions, held by different stakeholders, including media producers, social activists, government regulators, educators and the general audiences. Their implications to legislation and education will also be identified. Students will be able to describe the key characteristics of modern media, in particular their roles in the construction of gender identities and discourses about various gender issues.
Course Outline

COMM 3200 Communication Professional Internship (For the 4-year curriculum only.)

3U
Students are expected to gain professional communication knowledge and experience in the print, electronic, online media, or advertising/public relations agencies, or other related media organizations for two to three months.

COMM 3210 Field Study I

3U
The course is an integral part in the curriculum of the Global Communication programme. It is also associated with other courses in the year-two curriculum. Students are expected to execute parts of a research project, which is planned through a couple of courses students should have already taken, during the field trip. The field trip, therefore, is aimed at providing students with real opportunities to do research on global issues on the ground. The trip will be held during a term break under the supervision of one or more faculty members.

COMM 3220 Field Study II

3U
The second field study course is also an integral part in the curriculum of the Global Communication program. Students are expected to execute the remaining parts of the research project that had already begun in COMM3210 Field Study I. Combined with the first field trip, the series of courses provide students with the opportunities to work on a research project with a proper scale and comparative angle. The trip will be held during a term break under the supervision of one or more faculty members.

COMM 3310 [2310] Images and Creative Media

3U
This is a course with an emphasis on the use of various forms of images as a means for creative expression. It will encompass comprehensive theories and technical training on conceptualization and production. Students are required to produce various types of image content (photography, video, photo sculpture, video installation etc.) with integration of concepts and skills for Creative Media Laboratory Portal. (Prerequisite: COMM2300)
Course Outline

COMM 3400 Integrated Strategic Campaign II

3U
This course integrates public relations and advertising elements into a professional plan of actions that lead to the implementation of a hands-on campaign for the industry. (Prerequisite: COMM2240)
Course Outline

COMM 3600 Laws and Ethics for Communication

3U
This course attempts to examine two essential confines of mass media communication, namely, the legal limits and ethical constraints. It covers major media laws and ethical issues that are related to the operation and practices of media organizations and practitioners in Hong Kong. The course will focus on the various constraints and the rationales of such constraints on mass media, and the way they affect journalists and the media in a professional manner.

COMM 3610 English News Editing

3U
To acquaint students with the principles and skills in copy editing, headline writing, news display, illustration and page make-up. Majors are required to take an active part in reporting, editing and advertising for the School's practicum publication. Prerequisite: COMM2180.
Course Outline

COMM 3630 Digital Journalism

3U
This course is designed to provide students a broad perspective and a practical experience in the emergence of new forms of journalism. The course is divided into two parts. The first part is dedicated to the study of digital journalism through readings, lectures and class discussions. It covers the usage of different multimedia elements, such as graphics/photos, audio, video, and animation. The second part of the course is dedicated to the hands-on experience of producing journalistic pieces using different multimedia elements. Students will learn basic HTML coding and some other software to produce multimedia elements.

COMM 3640 China News Reporting

3U
The course aims at equipping students with fundamental analytical skills and practical skills in reporting news in Mainland China. From the perspective of a veteran journalist, the teacher will introduce and analyze the background and major historical events of contemporary China. Through case studies and discussion, the course encourages students to develop a good mentality to confront the many moral issues of China news reporting.
Course Outline

COMM 3650 Social Media Analytics for Communication Professionals

3U
This course is designed to provide training on the basic techniques of social media analytics. It covers a variety of methods and tools that help students conduct a range of applications including web data scraping (e.g., news websites, Facebook, Twitter, discussion forums), text mining (e.g., word cloud, topic extraction, sentiment analysis), and data visualization (e.g., mapping). The course is designed and taught in problem-based or project-driven mode, which aims to facilitate real life application of the techniques in a variety of media and communication settings, such as data journalism and social media marketing.
Course Outline

COMM 3670 Issues in Current Affairs

3U
This course introduces the correlation between politics and news and current affairs. This course aims to enhance students' judgment and sensitivity to current affairs to allow them to review the background and development trend of current affairs.

COMM 3680 Business and Financial Reporting

3U
Theories and techniques of reporting, writing and editing for business and financial news. Study of their specific content, staff, design and production methods, including the roles of business and financial publications in community development, and the interaction between them.
Course Outline

COMM 3681, 3862 Special Topic in Journalism I, II

3U
The instructor will lecture on and direct the study of a topic in Journalism that he or she specializes in. Students are allowed to take this Special Topic course at most twice, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.
Course Outline

COMM 3700 Intercultural Communication

3U
Rooted in a recognition and appreciation of cultural diversity, this course introduces students to theories about and critical issues involved in the communication and interpretation of culture by people with diverse backgrounds. Issues to be examined in the course include, among others, cultural differences not only across national boundaries but also across social groups defined by ethnicity, gender, and social classes, cultural issues in the global marketplace, relationships between national, regional, and organizational cultures, and communications across cultures in professional settings.

COMM 3711 Script Writing and Screenplay

3U
This course covers an introduction to and workshop in dramatic writing and to the many forms which writing for the screen may take. The course focuses on narrative structure, theme, plot, characters and dialogue in scenes and sequences, development of outline and treatment for screenplay, and marriage of images and sound on TV and films.
Course Outline

COMM 3733 Television Production

3U
Introduction to the use of studio equipment in the production of television programmes; experimentation in the scripting, programming and production of basic programme formats with hands-on experiences.
Course Outline

COMM 3740 Advanced Broadcast News

3U
This course is an advanced broadcast news class which further refines skills acquired in Broadcast News. Through the production of a weekly newcast, the class will simulate a functioning TV newsroom in which student reporters and news editors must adhere to deadlines for producing ENG packages and airing a newscast. Students will also receive instruction in on-air performance as news anchors. Prerequisite: COMM2740.
Course Outline

COMM 3750 Storytelling in Journalism

3U
This course aims at providing student a "head start" in journalistic storytelling in the age of information abundance. The course focuses on the principles of storytelling and making ideas stick, the essential intellectual equipment of a successful storyteller and how are they applied to broadcast, printed and digital media.
Course Outline

COMM 3800 Multimedia Design and Techniques

3U
This course introduces the practical skills and use of software for multimedia design from its inception (developing the concept) to its completion (hands-on production, testing and distribution).

COMM 3810 Public Relations and Social Theory

3U
Public relations is often studied and researched from marketing, business, communication management and functionalism perspectives. However, these perspectives do not suffice to understand its role in building, or destroying, trust, social legitimacy and reputation in the era of social media in which a ruthless comment, a 140-word microblog or a casual choice of words might trigger public reprimands and boycotts. As such, public relations should also be examined as a social phenomenon as well as a social activity in its own right and with its societal context. A more extensive use of social theories could help to provide analytical frameworks that highlight the consequences of public relations have for other actors and society as a whole. By applying the work of a group of prominent social theorists including Jürgen Habermas, Niklas Luhmann, Michel Foucault, etc, insights can be garnered for public relations studies at the macro, meso, and micro levels. Issues of how social power, behavior, and language exchanged or negotiated among various social actors in public relations phenomena will be intensively discussed in this course.

COMM 3811, 3812 Special Topic in Public Relations I, II

3U each
The instructor will lecture on and direct the study of a topic in Public Relations that he or she specializes in. Students are allowed to take this Special Topic course at most twice, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.

COMM 3820 Media Management for Public Relations

3U
This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of the operation of media industry and how public relations professionals work with the media through case studies, discussions and exercises. Students will understand the importance of timely dissemination of information, message accuracy and consistency and effective deployment of all channels of communications. They will be equipped with the knowledge and skills on how to work with the media and organize media events.

COMM 3831, 3832 Special Topic in Advertising I, II

3U
The instructor will lecture on and direct the study of a topic in Advertising that he or she specializes in. Students are allowed to take this Special Topic course at most twice, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.

COMM 3840 Advertising Copywriting

3U
This course introduces the theories and practicum in advertising, copy and script writing, strategies and campaigns. Prerequisite: COMM2820 or COMM2850.
Course Outline

COMM 3850 Advertising Art Direction

3U
This course covers essential principles of art direction and design from conception through production in the advertising industry. Students will have hands-on experience to work on the planning, development of idea, layout and illustrative drawing of the advertisement. Conceptual, technical, aesthetic and communicative skills in visual advertising are taught to develop an understanding of the importance of fusing visual images with copy when communicating ideas in advertising.
Course Outline

COMM 3855 Advertising Media Planning

3U
The media planning course teaches students how to formulate a media plan that can effectively convey the advertising message to the target audience. The course will cover topics like the overview of the market, the trend, and understanding of media from both quantitative and qualitative points of view, the creative use of media, research data analysis, consumer insight and the selection of media. Prerequisite: COMM2820 or COMM2850.

COMM 3881 Public Relations Case Analysis and Campaigns

3U
This course will study public relations as a management function in strategic communication that applies communication, organization, and management theories to the research, planning, execution, and evaluation of the public relations programs of organizations. The case study approach is adopted to allow students to develop the competence of logical thinking and critical analysis in a wide variety of issues, which include marketing public relations, corporate social responsibility, crisis communication, image restoration, reputation management, relationship management, public affairs, and issue management. Students will be able to conduct situation analysis and formulate strategies and tactics to achieve various public relations goals of the organization after completing the course.

COMM 3888 Financial Public Relations

3U
The course draws on case studies and professional experience to acquaint the students with the principles and practices of public relations in financial sector. Stock market, financial and accounting knowledge is also discussed in the course. Prerequisite: COMM2810 or COMM2850.

COMM 3920 Creative Writing in Media

3U
The course explores new style of writings other than news, documentary and other formal writings. It emphasizes creative writings for entertainment, magazine writings, features, biography, fiction, advertisement, lyrics and soft articles.
Course Outline

COMM 3921, 3922 Special Topic in Creative and New Media I, II

3U
The instructor will lecture on and direct the study of a topic in Creative and New Media that he or she specializes in. Students are allowed to take this Special Topic course at most twice, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.
Course Outline

COMM 3930 Digital Video Production

3U
This is a production-based course with an emphasis on hands-on learning. The course provides students with intensive training on digital storytelling techniques from cinematography, lighting to sound recording. Going through different stages of video-making from preproduction, production to postproduction, students will be able to understand the aesthetic reasoning behind visual production. They will learn how to communicate and tell a story via visual images.
Course Outline

COMM 3933 Music Industry, Production and Marketing

3U
The course introduces Hong Kong popular music and the basic operations of the music industry. It covers a wide range of practical operation of record companies, including Artist and Repertoire Management, production of music and lyrics, marketing and sales, promotion and distribution. Besides the practical and management aspects, it also covers history and issues of popular music in Hong Kong, music commentary and the board theoretical, legal and social implications of the industry.
Course Outline

COMM 3939 Film Directors

3U
This course will explore the "auteur" or "author" theory by focusing on several directors each time the course is offered. Auteur directors such as Alfred This course will explore the "auteur" or "author" theory by focusing on several directors each time the course is offered. Auteur directors such as Alfred Hitchcock(希治閣), John Ford(約翰福特), Billy Wilder(比利懷德), Charlie Chaplin(卓別林), Akira Kurosawa(黑澤明), Francis Ford Coppola(哥普拉), Orson Welles(奧信威爾斯), Martin Scorcese(史高西斯), Zhang Yimou(張藝謀), Stanley Kwan(關錦鵬), Ann Hui(許鞍華) , Wong Kar Wai(王家衛), Woody Allen(活地亞倫), Fellini(費里尼), Ingmar Bergman(柏格曼), Stanley Kubrick(寇比力克), Lars von Trier(查艾爾), etc., are among the possible choices for study in this course. Each semester the selection of directors will ensure a mix of past and present, as well as American, European and Asian filmmakers.
Course Outline

COMM 3940 Multimedia and Digital Entertainment Design

3U
This advanced course is designed to introduce students to the theory, principles and practice of interactive multimedia technologies. The course provides an overview of leading theorists of interface design, and teaches advanced applied human-computer interface and information representations. General topics include design process, design principles of aesthetics, user perspective, user interface history and trends, interaction methods, and usability studies.

COMM 3941 New Media Business

3U
The aim of the course is to provide an overview of New Media and help students to understand the market landscape, business environment, how to leverage the opportunities, overcome the challenges, as well as measuring the success in New Media.

COMM 3963 Entertainment Business

3U
The course aims at teaching students how to manage projects related to media entertainment businesses, including production of multimedia performance, stage performance, showbiz, concert, music, commercials, movies and dramas in different media. The course covers the management, financial as well as operational flow in different entertainment businesses and organizations.

COMM 4040 Directed Studies in Communication

3U
Students will complete a communication-related project under the supervision of the course teacher. The topic and content of the project will be individually determined.

COMM 4150 Senior Research Project

3U
Students are required to finish a research project on selected topics related to current journalism and communication phenomena under the supervision of a faculty member The requirements include reviewing of literature, formulating research questions, data collection and report writing. Upon completion of this course, students shall be able to conduct a research and produce evidence in tackling a communication-related issue.

COMM 4191 Cultural Studies and Popular Culture

3U
Popular culture circulates popular images, encourages communal identities and articulates social divisions. This course will examine the social implications of popular culture by concepts and methods developed by cultural studies theoriests. Cultural studies is the study of meaning and power. The course will introduce to students leading thinkers, concepts and tools in the emerging field and encourage students to assess the consumption of popular culture in their daily life.

COMM 4730 Documentary

3U
This course explores the many varieties of documentary forms, from TV news and magazine features (both hard and soft) to stand-alone documentaries produced for television and film. Students groups will produce one short documentary during the semester.
Course Outline

COMM 4733 New Media Business

3U
Study and explore video production in various forms. The course analyzes the artistic and creative possibilities inherent in different programmes. Students are required to write, produce and direct high quality video works. (Prerequisite: COMM3733)

COMM 4848 New Media Advertising

3U
This course examines new media as an evolving advertising media. The emphasis is on understanding the technologies and theories of new media advertising. The course has been developed to guide students through the process of conceiving, executing, and evaluating new media advertising and to achieve an understanding of the subject from practical and theoretical perspectives.
Course Outline

COMM 4935 Cinematography

3U
This course approaches cinematography from both technical and creative aspects. It explores aesthetics in film-making, with emphasis on camera work, lighting design and the roles of cinematographer. Students are expected to experiment with various components in both theory and practice through the course of study.

COMM 4956 Fundamentals of Computer Animation

3U
This course is an animation practicum which builds upon the most current and advanced technical skills in animation production for television and film. In this intensive workshop students will have the opportunity to work with high-end software which currently is used by professionals working with computer graphics in animation. The course covers the entire animation process including modeling, lighting, shading, animation, and rendering. Student will be trained both to conceptualize and execute animation projects.

COMM 4962 Advanced Photography

3U
This course is intended to advance photographic skills learned in previous courses to the professional level. Students are expected to have basic camera skills when they join the course. Prerequisite: COMM2440 or 2962.
Course Outline

COMM 5110, 5111 Topical Studies in Communication I, II

3U each
Students concentrate their reading and study of one particular field in communication of their interests under the supervision of an instructor.

COMM 5631, 5632 Topical Studies in Journalism I, II

3U each
The instructor will lecture and direct the study of a topic in Journalism he or she specializes in.

Students are allowed to take this Special Topic courses more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.

COMM 5650 Journalism Theory and Analysis

3U
This course introduces various theories in journalism and applies these theories in analyzing news events and issues. The scope of the course covers different aspects and levels of journalism including the journalists, their work organizations, their daily work routines, relationships between the press and other social institutions, news media and social environment, news culture, etc. Concrete news cases will be examined both conceptually and empirically.

COMM 5690 Feature Writing

3U
This course seeks to instill students with the necessary skills to generate ideas for feature articles, compile information that is essential for the composition of these pieces, so as to be able to compose a wide variety of different features. Moreover, the course also aims at helping students to understand the ecology of the mass media from the views of a contributing journalist, both in terms of how to locate an outlet for their work, but also in how their work might (and would) become not only a tool with which readers understand the world, and whether their work would contribute to the "reproduction" of a hegemonic, "common-sensical" perspective of the state of the world.

COMM 5775 Understanding Culture through Film

3U
This course explores how film uses a universal language, which cuts across all cultures and yet manages to filter film narratives to reflect local audience tastes and values. It first grounds the student in the theories and issues of intercultural communication as well as the basic concepts of film language and narrative. Then through examples of films from East and West, the course will deepen their understanding of diverse cultural values and perceptions reflected in the filmic narrative and characters, including those characters who are representations of the other from outside the producing culture. Finally, the universality of film language will be illustrated through examples of co-production, crossover directors and actors and Hollywood remakes of Asian films.

COMM 5944 Media Economics and ICTs

3U
In this course students will learn to apply economic theories, principles and concepts in the study and analysis of media companies and industries, with special focus on their application to Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), such as mobile phones and social media. Both macro and microeconomic approaches will be adopted to explore the relationship between media economics and technological innovation, globalization, regulation, and social impact.

COMM 6210 Communication Patterns in Chinese Society

3U
History of Chinese communication developments, special features of Chinese communication structure, trends and issues of Chinese media, traditional and modern, will be analysed. Both behavioural and historical approaches will be utilized in such analysis.

COMM 6420 Strategies for Integrated Communication Campaigns

3U
This course covers concepts and theories of social change, attitude change, diffusion of innovation, development and underdevelopment, and modernization. Students will be trained to do research in these areas and be able to apply communication theories and research methods in designing, executing and evaluating specific campaigns.