NYC - Academics
- Shelly Griffin
Students will register for a minimum of 12 credits.
COM 475 is required for all students. You may take for 1-3 credits (Add class and select 1, 2, or 3 credits from drop down menu).
Students may enroll in available online A&S classes to complete their schedule.
To search for NYC based classes within myslice: Go to: Class Search / Search for Classes / Enter Search Criteria / Term: Fall 2023 / Uncheck box for "Show Open Classes Only" / Scroll to Additional Search Criteria / under "Campus" scroll to New York City / under" Location Code" scroll to New York City / Click on Search.
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ADV 307 Conceptual and Creative Thinking in Media Planning (3 cr.). (Prerequisite ADV 208)
This course is designed to give you the basics of media strategy, planning, sales, and analysis. Whether you’re destined to be a great Creative Director, or you will create the next big media startup, you will gain valuable insights into how to craft an engaging communications plan. Offered in the spring.
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ADV 400 / PRL 400 Integrated Agency Life (3 cr.)
New York City is the global epicenter of the advertising, PR, media, branding, marketing research and digital agency world. This course will provide students behind-the-scenes access to leading communications agencies in New York and, in some cases, the world. You will learn first-hand the different skills sets and capabilities of Omnicom’s agencies (DDB, Merkley+Partners, Interbrand, RAPP, Ketchum, Sparks & Honey, etc.) the services they offer to brands, a deep dive into each discipline, their distinct agency cultures, and what they are looking for in young talent. In addition, you will experience how they come together to develop integrated strategic communications solutions for multi-national brands like AT&T, Nissan, and Mercedes Benz among others.
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ADV 509 Advertising Research & Planning (3 cr.) (Prerequisite ADV 208)
Students will learn how to apply theory and practice of advertising research by analyzing cases and studies in marketing communications and academic publications. Account planning, qualitative, and quantitative research skills are emphasized. Offered in the fall.
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COM 346 Race, Gender, and the Media (3 cr.)
Introduction of fundamental issues of diversity that confront media workers and audiences. Topics include roles, obligations, stereotypes, ownership of media in a multicultural society.
Students will discuss the “theoretical tools” from social psychology, cultural studies and critical theory that help us understand identity issues and the media. Throughout the remainder of the course, we will apply these tools to understanding the effects of cultural hegemony on class, ethnicity, religion, and gender. Students should leave the course with a better appreciation for how people with different backgrounds, life experiences, and cultural competencies often have different and valid perspectives. Using this awareness of the validity of differing perspectives, they should be more mindful media consumers and more ethical and inclusive media producers.
REQUIRED: Textbook requested from the bookstore, also available online via Routledge and Amazon (links below). Copies of the required chapters will be made available until the book is available at the bookstore.
This course fulfills the Newhouse diversity requirement. PREREQ: COM 107
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COM 415 Digital Nation (3 cr.)
Digital Nation is the perfect entry point into the industry at a unique time in history. Every media company is being forced to reimagine and reinvent to become factories of video content. Television, while once the most lucrative platform in the ecosystem, is now in competition for ad dollars and has been morphed by YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Content creation, ideation and distribution is happening everywhere with no barrier for entry. Digital Nation will explore where this leaves the once lucrative print industry. Are public relations firms a dying breed? How do brands get their message out? And most importantly how and where are the ad dollars coming from? Through the span of one semester, we will learn how and why original digital content now rules the day; what are the new rules of engagement. We’ll explore what is relevant every week, meet top creators working in the industry, and you will take part in the ultimate role-playing exercise. Digital Nation will cover:
- Digital and social business models
- How to monetize content
- How have traditional sectors of the industry have transformed, and who is left behind
- Branded content
- Short form vs. long form content
- How to pitch, ideate and sell an idea
- Each platform is different: Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter- once size does NOT fit all
- Audience targeting
- The job markets
HOW THE COURSE WORKS: Teams will be chosen and broken down into the following categories:
CREATORS: You are a content maker, an idea person. You love the creative, the ideation, the story telling. You are obsessed with content everywhere, from YouTube to traditional television. You love every genre, non-scripted, scripted, comedy, drama, and reality. Your goal is to come up with incredible content for your magazine brand, your advertising client, or your new PR initiative. It’s about cutting- edge ideas that you think will scale and sell to a distributor.
OPTIMIZERS: You have an idea, and now it’s time to figure out how you can make money. How do you take that content and figure out it can best drive views, or how to integrate an advertiser or how to get millions of people to share it? The optimizer is to find the most creative ways to scale incredible content. Maybe it’s a deal with a broadcast network, or the power of a partnership with a major film company.
DISTRIBUTORS: You are an executive at Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. You know you have millions of people engaging every hour, but what kind of content do you think will bring more people to your platform? Is it a new series? Is it celebrity driven? You’re going to make deals with the content creators and the optimizers and then release this incredible content, but it’s up to you what you think will work.
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COM 425 Social Platforms, Processes, & Perspectives (3 cr.)
In just a matter of years, social media for publishers, marketers and advertisers has evolved from an afterthought to incredibly instrumental. With over 2.8 billion people across the globe using social media platforms, who wouldn’t want to learn more?
As early adopters, you know what the platforms do on a user/consumer level, but this course will challenge you to think like a marketer, an advertiser, a broadcaster, and a publisher. You’ll hear from movers and shakers in the industry, take field trips to the offices of powerhouse brands, and put your knowledge right to work through assignments that mirror #IRL tasks and deliverables that exist in real social media jobs.
Students will learn how to use social platforms in a professional setting from the people who do it every day—a luxury most current social media editors never had since they had to learn it on the fly. Manning a social handle from a professional standpoint is very different than running your own. You can’t just “delete” a tweet and expect it to go unnoticed, just like you can’t post an image and the same copy to both Facebook and Instagram and expect them both to exceed benchmarks.
Because this course is designed with live lectures, off-site field trips around Manhattan, and in-class workshops, you are responsible for taking notes, engaging in discussion, and applying what you learn in your regular written summaries class projects. Thus, it is imperative to attend every class, so you don’t miss out on key speakers and pertinent information.
The assignments and final presentation mirror the tasks and deliverables you can expect when working in the field as a community manager, social strategist, or another like role.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/TEXTS/SUPPLIES REQUIRED:
There is no textbook, for class is driven by lectures, discussions, group projects and guest speakers. Students will be expected to be astute listeners and be actively engaged at all times, contributing to in-class discussions and take notes to later use as references when completing assignments. Students will be expected to stay up to date on platform news and the social media landscape via outlets like The New York Times, Recode, Neiman Lab, Adweek, Wired, Mashable, Fast Company, The Atlantic, Digiday, AdAge, MediaBistro, Social Times, etc. Many of these publications have free newsletters. Aside from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, you will need to have the following platforms to interact with the curriculum: Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Tumblr. (You don’t need to be active on each app, just spend interactive time with each one.)
One assignment requires taking over the @NewhouseNYC Twitter, so a working knowledge of this platform and its best practices is expected. If you aren’t familiar, you must take the time to do independent research.
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COM 475 NYC Communications Industry Practicum–REQUIRED (1-3 cr.)
This course goes together with the actual internship all students will have in the professional workplace in their field of study. During the semester, students will meet to discuss what they are learning at their internships as well as troubleshoot any issues or concerns they are having. While every internship experience is unique, there will likely be overlap with questions and concerns, so all the students will benefit from hearing these conversations.
Students will also have the unique opportunity to learn from key industry decision makers and influencers from various backgrounds. This course caters to all Newhouse majors, so speakers will come from all 8 specialties. One of the most defining aspects of this course, students will have the ability to interact with working professionals in an intimate setting. These connections are a significant perk of studying in New York City, and they will hopefully be relationships that continue far after the semester is over.
Students are expected to research all guest speakers before class so they can ask thoughtful questions during the lectures and can engage in the class conversation. Class participation is key, especially during these guest visits. The Director will give background information for any guest to students in advance, but it’s the students’ responsibility to learn as much as they can so they are well-versed in the company and the career trajectory of the speaker.
REQUIRED READING
Textbook: Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World, by Lindsey Pollack (Amazon paperback $9.98 / Kindle $12.99 / Barnes & Noble revised edition paperback $16.19 / Nook $12.99)
Journal: Students will be expected to keep a journal (or blog) of their experiences at their internships, in classes, with guest speakers and/or mentors, and other personal connections
INTERNSHIPS
Students participating in internships with external companies/organizations must comply with all health and safety rules, including those related to COVID-19 prevention, set by the external companies/organizations. For example, external companies/organizations may have different masking or vaccination rules than the University, including in some instances stricter rules, and students must comply with those rules, in addition to the Syracuse University rules.
Failure to comply with a company/organization’s health and safety rules may prevent a particular placement or result in the loss of a placement. If you have any questions about requirements for companies/organizations, please let us know.
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COM 509 Communications Law for Public Communicators (3 cr.)
The course covers the First Amendment; systems of media regulation; corporate speech and election-related speech; commercial speech (advertising regulation); defamation; privacy; access to places, documents and meetings; reporter/source confidentiality; and intellectual property.
ADDITIONAL COURSE DESCRIPTION
COM 509 is an integrated communications law course for students from all majors at the Newhouse School that takes full advantage of the unique resources and personnel available in New York City. Additional materials will be incorporated for specific populations: journalism; public relations/advertising and television radio and film. Students are encouraged to relate general concepts and cases to their respective fields of study.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/TEXTS/SUPPLIES– REQUIRED:
The First Amendment and the Fourth Estate by T. Barton Carter, Marc A. Franklin, Amy Sanders, and Jay B. Wright (Foundation Press, 12th Edition, 2017).
Supplemental (Not required): Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry. 4th Edition (Mark Litwak)
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JNL 400 Reporting and Storytelling for Digital Brands (3 cr.)
“Reporting & Storytelling for Digital Brands” seeks to be a collaborative course where students and the professor come together to talk frankly about how to best report, present and distribute the news in 2021 and the foreseeable future. In doing so, students will learn how to properly tell stories in these evolving times using different mediums, discover how to find lesser-known stories for amplification, and ensure all stories have the representation they require. Additionally, a select number of top student pieces will be considered for publication on actual Verizon Media brands and other platforms for consumption by the world.
More specifically, students will use editorial writing, video, audio and XR to create content from the lens of being Gen Z. The course will refine students’ storytelling skills, enhance their ability to see nuance in storytelling and enable students to feel confident creating content that is ready for bigtime publication.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
By the end of this course students will be able to...
- Demonstrate and create sound and newsworthy content using video, audio, XR or editorial writing as a tool to tell accurate information.
- Describe, analyze, compare, and contrast a story from concept to publishing, with the goal of being ready for national publication.
- Apply logical reasoning methods and approaches to the importance of telling stories with diverse experts, different backgrounds and how to fact-check the “facts.”
- Explain orally how newsgathering and storytelling by scale is evolving in America today more than any other period previously.
- Demonstrate professional standards by creating stories that showcase thoroughness, accuracy, and thoughtfulness.
- Apply news judgment to identify a story’s newsworthiness and angle.
PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES:
- As members of small teams or individually, students can pitch and execute Gen-Z content for brands under Verizon Media which includes Yahoo News, Yahoo Sports and Yahoo Lifestyle. There will also be additional digital brand opportunities throughout the semester.
Additional opportunities may also include creating content for brands on deadline for the CLLCTVE network throughout the semester by way of “challenges.”
REQUIRED READINGS:
- Weekly current events and relevant articles (TBD) :
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MND 400 Pitching 101: Craft, Frame & Get Paid (3 cr.)
Over this 15-week course, you will learn how to pitch across various disciplines including news articles, podcasts, personal essays, photographs and more. The course will help you identify what elements are needed to tell a good story, and how, in an evolving digital landscape, to determine the best way to tell it. The course will also address the economic aspects of freelancing, giving you financial literacy resources that are needed when setting up contracts and payment. At the end of the class, you will have at least five ideas that you will be able to pitch to various publications, as well as a proficiency in pitching.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In this class, you’ll learn to:
- Understand how to pitch, as well as provide and receive feedback for others’ pitches
- Submit analysis on publications, sections, columns, podcasts, and other forms of media to pitch to
- Optimize pitches for different mediums and across journalistic disciplines
- Characterize the difference between a topic and a story pitch
- Develop an ongoing list of story ideas
- Identify how to pre-report a pitch
BIBLIOGRAPHY/TEXTS/SUPPLIES—Required:
New York Times subscription
“The Byline Bible” by Susan Shapiro
Subscribe to Abbie Lee Hood’s newsletter
Follow Successful Pitches on Twitter
Subscribe to the Freelancing with Tim newsletter
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TRF 450 Film & TV Production: Craft & Culture (3 cr.)
The course will provide students with an examination of the art, craft and culture of film and television production. It offers a mix of theory about production fundamentals through lecture and experiential learning through workshops, guest speakers and practical assignments.
This course will supplement the hands-on learning students are experiencing at their internship at Lionsgate Studio in Yonkers, NY. Areas of focus will include feature films, television, digital media, commercials, and podcasts.
Within the coursework, students will learn about different production genres/styles all of which generate a prism of subtly different interpretations and outcomes of production process: Film (both fiction and non-fiction), TV scripted, TV docuseries and Digital/Shortform. Students will also rotate through the studio complex as on-set observers to enable them to witness real films and television series being made. Each student will observe all key production areas including: Camera, Set Decoration, Grip, Electric, Directing, Continuity, Wardrobe, Hair and Makeup and Special Effects.
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TRF 450 Film & TV Production: Studio Process and Workflow (3 cr.)
This course is designed as a series of workshops lead by guest speakers, and each workshop will be pieced together by practical exercises assigned by the course professor that apply the knowledge gained in previous theory-based courses. These workshops will also allow students to gain hands-on experience in topics, such as unit production management, grip, hair/makeup, prop management, etc. Students will also utilize the equipment provided by Great Point Studios in Yonkers. This course will ultimately provide the students with an isolated focus on vital studio activities which they do not have access to on campus.