This course offers a variety of critical approaches to the analysis of media texts. Texts dealt with include film, television, magazines, e-zines, CD covers, advertising, photography and newspapers. A number of key theoretical concepts are introduced and explored in depth. These include semiotics, structuralism, post-structuralism, postcolonialism, narrative theory and ideology. On completion of the course students, will be able to read texts critically and at the same time write their own critical texts analyzing the modern mass media.
Course Catalogue
Course Code: MSJ 211
Course Name:
Reading Media Texts
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
This course offers a variety of critical approaches to the analysis of media texts. Texts dealt with include film, television, magazines, e-zines, CD covers, advertising, photography and newspapers. A number of key theoretical concepts are introduced and explored in depth. These include semiotics, structuralism, post-structuralism, postcolonialism, narrative theory and ideology. On completion of the course students, will be able to read texts critically and at the same time write their own critical texts analyzing the modern mass media.
Course Code: MSJ 212
Course Name:
Visual Communication
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
This course explores the anthropology and sociology of the image from a number of perspectives. It demonstrates how images are used to construct and disseminate meanings in all societies for many purposes ranging from the religious through the political to commercial reasons. A particular emphasis will be placed on the use of images for symbolic purposes, how they are circulated and decoded. Attention will also be paid to areas often overlooked in traditional courses dealing with imagery, such as the streetscape and popular imagery on the Bangladeshi ricksha. Students will be taught how to document, analyse and interpret a range of image systems.
Course Code: MSJ 212 (New)
Course Name:
Introduction to Journalism
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
The course orients students to the fundamentals of journalism. Topics include the history of journalism, development of press, online journalism, investigative journalism, citizen journalism, and development journalism.
Course Code: MSJ 213
Course Name:
Media Ethics
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
This course will introduce students to the study of ethical issues in the media. Students will develop an understanding and appreciation of these issues and the ability to analyze the important ethical issues involved with the mass media industry of Bangladesh as well as in the world. Issues to be dealt with include sensationalism, chequebook journalism, corruption, contempt of court and the protection of sources of information and the journalistic code of ethics. The course will be taught through the critical exploration of actual case studies from Bangladesh and the rest of the world.
Course Code: MSJ 213 (New)
Course Name:
Principles of Public Relations
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
This course is designed to introduce students to the role and importance of PR in dealing with the existing socio- economic and socio-political problems. The course examines application of basic public relations principles. Students explore important PR case histories and analyze and critique each decision with an emphasis on ethical public relations management. Students learn a range of methods for handling various events with respect to target audiences.
Course Code: MSJ 214 (New)
Course Name:
Convergence Communication 1
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
This course teaches the fundamentals of storytelling in the Digital Age. Students will learn the basic processes, functions and skills of using various streams of communication—online, print, video and photography. They will also learn how to weave them together (hence the term, “convergence”) to convey information through images, text and graphics to today’s increasingly distracted and visual friendly audience. Students will have access to the computer and media lab for assignments.
Course Code: MSJ 215 (New)
Course Name:
Convergence Communication 2
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
Building on the foundation of Convergence Communication I, this course will feature more advanced story-telling techniques, including interactivity and Web development. Students will focus on the finer points of text and image composition and the state of online journalism in Bangladesh. On completion of the course, students will know how to produce a web page, blog and multimedia contents in online that incorporates graphics, text and file sharing. The course is lab based.
Course Code: MSJ 220
Course Name:
Concepts of Journalism
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
This course provides an understanding of journalism as a profession and covers the role and responsibilities of journalists, the evolution and development of the profession and detailed discussion on basic issues of covering news and writing news. Journalism practice in the different news media and newsroom environments is covered as well as the ethics of journalism, practical problems of newspaper production at home and abroad. This course also provides students with a basic idea of journalism as a profession along with background knowledge on the evolution of the press in Bangladesh.
Course Code: MSJ 221
Course Name:
Global Perspectives on Journalism
Credit Hours:
3.00
Detailed Syllabus:
The course will enable students to acquire knowledge about journalism from a global perspective. It will also help them compare and contrast journalism practice in different countries thereby setting a benchmark for journalism in Bangladesh. Students will familiarize themselves with key contemporary and global issues, especially how they relate to Bangladesh. The course will provide the analytical skills and techniques to make sense of these issues and assess the merits of different approaches, theories and practices.