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Looking for an elective? Check out these Special Topics courses to add to your spring schedule. And don't forget, spring registration begins November 4th.
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Aspects of Contemporary Cinema
- CCA 404 + JMM 592 section 5T
The Scariest Decade: The Horror and Science Fiction Films of the 1980s. This course will explore the explosion of the horror and sci-fi movie genres in the 1980s and how they reflected the fears and mores of that era. Each class session will consist of a lecture, screening and post-film discussion. Grades will be based on three exams and three written assignments over the course of the semester.
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Critical Studies in American Television: Blackness on American Television:
- CCA 431/795 + COM 609 section 1T
Blackness on American Televisionexamines the sites of production, reception, representation and industry as related to black televisual images from the 1950s to today. While this course focuses on television and blackness, we will also be concerned with black intersectionality including class, gender and sexuality.
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From Script to Screen:
Advanced production concepts and techniques explored in a variety of media. Students will produce an approved film or script. The class will explore the language of motion picture and how this language is utilized in the story telling process.
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Advanced Cinematic Lighting:
An in-depth and hands-on production course where students get introduced to, utilize and design advanced lighting setups that could help frame the state of mind, evolving emotions, and underlying motivations of the characters, and set nuanced mood, ambience, and visual impact in a narrative film.
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Documentary in Guatemala:
This graduate and upper-level undergraduate course focuses on the production of short social impact documentary films. Students work in groups and spend the first half of the semester pre-planning their film in collaboration with grassroots organizations in and around Antigua, Guatemala. The class travels to Antigua over spring break to film their projects that focus on the work of organizations that are dedicated to Environmental Sustainability and Governance (ESG) goals. The second half of the semester focuses on editing and completing the short films.
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Producing the Art Documentary:
- CCA 494/795 + LAW 950 section 1R
Taught by the former President and CEO of Oolite Arts, Dennis Scholl, this course will guide students through the production of short documentaries focused on art/artists.
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Global Black Film:
- CCA 494/795 + COM 609 section 1J
This course explores the international history of film, centered on the pioneering innovations by people of African descent from 1898 to the present.
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Podcasting:
Podcast Storytelling affords students the opportunity to develop a new wave of audio content, create virtual gathering spaces and has the potential to create new audiences. Students will produce projects as either stand-alone or episodic and will publish their projects on a hosting site.
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Media Reception Studies:
This graduate-level course covers a broad range of approaches to qualitative media reception studies. Focused on the ways “real people” interact with and use media, this course covers both “classic” and contemporary considerations of media reception. Course topics include discussions of methodologies for gathering information about reception, the importance of identities to reception, and fans and fan behaviors. This course is not for people who hold the text, and its alleged meanings sacred. We will focus on what people do with media; not necessarily what academic scholars might think they ought to do.
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Video Game Spectatorship and Esports
- CIM 464/664 + JMM 592/692 section 1P
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Business and Legal for Games:
Designed for anyone interested in the video game industry, this course focuses on the legal and business issues of game development and distribution, including marketing, the economics of the industry, the essential terms of the primary agreements, and the latest regulatory issues.
About the Instructors
Veda Cruz serves as in-house counsel at Gearbox Entertainment, where she started working immediately after law school. At Gearbox, she works on almost every facet of the business: development and publishing deals, license agreements, asset reviews, intellectual property, privacy, and more. She also does motion capture work at the studio for several projects. Veda received her B.A., J.D., and MBA at the University of Miami. She regularly volunteers at the Game Developers Conference and strives to make legal and business issues in the video game industry digestible and fun for game developers. She is currently working on her own game in Unreal Engine. When not working, Veda spends her time at the dojo training in karate and jiu-jitsu.
David Greenspan has been involved in the video game business for over 25 years, working independently and in Business and Legal Affairs at 989 Studios/Sony, THQ, Midway, and Bandai Namco Entertainment America. David was the lead author of the 1st edition of Mastering the Game: Business and Legal Issues for Video Game Developers and co-author of the 2nd edition released in 2022. The first edition, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, has been downloaded over 200,000 times. Mr. Greenspan was one of the first to teach legal and business classes about the video game industry at the university and postgraduate levels and has been teaching for more than 25 years. When not working, David spends his time getting hurt playing hockey. Combined, both professors have worked on over 100 video games and have been involved in all aspects of video game development, publishing, licensing, distribution, and marketing, and have negotiated hundreds of agreements covering these areas. Many of these deals have involved major game developers, publishers, distributors, motion picture studios, professional sports leagues, music labels, talent, and service vendors. Both professors have spoken at more than 20 worldwide conferences about the game industry, and they continue to find ways to help game developers worldwide be prepared for the legal and business issues of video games.
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Internet Culture: Social Media, Image, and Our New Reality:
This course will explore the impact of the internet and social media on our culture, identity, and perception of reality. With a historical lens we will examine stan culture, culture-jamming activism, expressions of identity, and more, looking at both pre-internet and current phenomena. We will also look at the history of the internet and social media platforms and discuss how these technologies have shaped our understanding of the world around us. You will have the opportunity to explore these ideas by regularly creating content in the medium and on the platform of your choice. For example, you might create a social media campaign, a video essay, or a work of art.
About the Instructor
Michelle Kempner is the Director of Product Content operations and leads Meta's global strategy and execution for product content across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Her key areas of focus encompass recommender systems, generative AI and LLMs, scaled incentives, and the future landscape of content. Before joining Meta, Michelle played a pivotal role at Buzzfeed, where she spearheaded the creation and leadership of their video product, overseeing publishing and operations. During her tenure, she was instrumental in establishing and expanding numerous properties, contributing to Buzzfeed's growth from a small team to a workforce of over 1600, making it the leading online media producer. She also helmed various teams, including those in social media, analytics, production, post-production, studio, and research, spanning across more than ten countries.
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Religion & Sacred Space in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality:
Throughout human history, religion has been a significant factor in the formation of human community and the communication of prosocial values and practices. Digital culture has created new modes of communication--both aural and visual--that may affect and change how religion works and its impact on society. This course will examine the various impacts that emerging technologies have on religion's structure and practice in the contemporary world.
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Persuasion, Propaganda & Genocide:
This course examines how governments, and the cultures and societies that support them, create discourses that make it plausible for citizens to harm, degrade, and murder other citizens. We will take both a comparative and methodological approach to understanding how to answer this basic question. We will explore contemporary theories and modes of persuasion and propaganda and apply them to selected historical and contemporary cases of genocide. We also will attempt to identify approaches to preventing mass atrocities.
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Media Reception Studies:
This graduate-level course covers a broad range of approaches to qualitative media reception studies. Focused on the ways “real people” interact with and use media, this course covers both “classic” and contemporary considerations of media reception. Course topics include discussions of methodologies for gathering information about reception, the importance of identities to reception, and fans and fan behaviors. This course is not for people who hold the text, and its alleged meanings sacred. We will focus on what people do with media; not necessarily what academic scholars might think they ought to do.
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Communication in Romantic Relationships:
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COS 391/691 section 5R
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COS 391/691 section 5T
Research and theory organized around the inextricable link between communication processes (including message production and reception) and the development of romantic/intimate relationships emerged under the rubric “relational communication” in the early to mid-1980’s.
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Broadcast Meteorology:
This course will be taught by an experience broadcast meteorologist and will introduce the students to the elements of forecasting and weather reporting for broadcast television.
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After Effects:
Students will learn to create basic animations, special effects, and motion graphics using Adobe After Effects through project-based instruction relevant to both beginners and experienced users.
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Media and the Environment
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Covering the Hispanic Community, a bicultural approach
This course offers practical and conceptual knowledge for reporting about and with the diverse Latino/a/x community in the United States. Emphasizing cultural competency and journalistic skill building, students learn through experience within Miami’s vibrant and evolving Latino/a/x environment. Field trips and visits to Spanish-language and bilingual media organizations bring lessons to life. The course will be of interest to students in the Hispanic Media Minor and majors in journalism, broadcast journalism, media management and other media and communication fields. Latin American Studies, American Studies and Spanish majors may join with permission of the instructor. The class is taught in English. Basic conversational Spanish is required.
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Strategic Decision Making + Entrepreneurship in the Global Internet Economy
This is an International Business Course for non-business students. By examining actual business decisions that entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and even government leaders, have made, students learn the key business concepts, including the panoply of available business models.
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STC 444/644 + COM 609 section O
Social Media Analytics:
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STC 490 section Q
Innovation in Advertising:
This class introduces students to the workings of advertising in the digital era. In this class, students will learn strategic frameworks that apply to consumers in digital, learn the basics of digital technologies, platforms, and measurements. Students will also apply their knowledge by analyzing consumer behaviors in the digital era and developing a strategic advertising plan. You will learn how to approach digital platforms from the consumer’s perspective, and practice critical and strategic thinking skills to solve advertising problems as a strategist, using conceptual, technological, and analytical skills.
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STC 494 section U
PRISM: Project Management - Real-world Integration, Self-awareness, and Mastery:
Life is a project. Project management gets stuff done. This dynamic course immerses students in the hands-on application of project management principles; drawing from engaging real-world cases in industries spanning hospitality, construction, sports, and music. In addition to mastering project management methodology, students will cultivate self-exploration and self-awareness skills, empowering them to navigate personal and professional challenges with adeptness while excelling as proficient project managers.
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STC 494/629 section 4J
Social Media Data Mining:
Unlock the Power of Social Media for Business: Learn to craft winning strategies, analyze performance across diverse industries, and supercharge success with creative content and targeted paid campaigns in this intensive course. This class will also explore the fundamentals of social media, delve into platform histories and demographics, and how to master industry-specific tools.
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