This course offers an introduction to the study of film as a distinct medium. It introduces the ways in which film style, form, and genre contribute to the meaning and the experience of movies. Topics include film as industrial commodity, narrative and non-narrative form, aspects of style (e.g. composition, cinematography, editing, and sound), and the role of film as a cultural practice. Examples are drawn from new and classic films, from Hollywood and from around the world. This course is intended to serve as a basis for film studies courses you might take in the future.

Taking a comparative and grounded approach, this class explores the diverse and transformative consequences of social media as they become ubiquitous and taken for granted in our everyday lives. It takes as a starting point people?s everyday engagement with social media and analyzing the cultural patterns and social outcomes of practices such as memes, selfies, Facebook friending, social media fundraising, and digital mourning.

The notion that contemporary times are characterized in part by a "consumer culture" permeates many vernacular as well as scholarly analyses. In this course we will examine what people mean by the term "consumer culture" and what particular kinds of social arrangements and ideologies this term attempts to capture for analysis or critique. We will aim for empirical and theoretical comparison across historical, cross-cultural, and disciplinary perspectives.

This course is designed to offer a framework for understanding the processes involved in news production and its impact on public opinion. We will examine various social forces that shape news content, including individual, political, economic, and institutional factors. We will also examine research and theory on the implications of today's new media environment, with a focus on its relationship with citizens' engagement in public life.

This course is a graded introduction to the Communication major, designed to welcome advanced transfer students into the program and address some of their specific needs. This course builds on prior college experiences and introduces students to resources for upper-level UMass Communication majors.

Algorithms and data increasingly power our private and civic life. Companies, nonprofits, and governments have invested heavily in data mining?the bulk collection of user behavior data from web platforms to understand public opinion and to forecast trends. A lot of fashionable terms, such as artificial intelligence and big data, are being thrown around these days. The public and regulators also become increasingly wary of the dark side of algorithms ?

We will view, analyze, and discuss films by modern documentary masters such as Michael Moore ("Sicko"), Chris Paine, ("Revenge of the Electric Car"), Seth Gordon ("The King of Kong - A fistful of Quarters"), Pamela Yates ("Granito") and many others to further the understanding of the documentary craft and art from a filmmaker's perspective. Students will also do preproduction (research and treatment) for their own short documentary, along with shorter hands-on exercises in writing narration, interview techniques, etc.

This is a graded introduction to the Communication major, designed to welcome first year students into the major and inform them of opportunities for their advancement in the department and beyond. The course introduces students to the five subject areas offered in the major and provides a brief overview of the field of communication as well as the major issues and topics that motivate the inquiries conducted in courses and in research.

This is a graded introduction to the Communication major, designed to welcome first year students into the major and inform them of opportunities for their advancement in the department and beyond. The course introduces students to the five subject areas offered in the major and provides a brief overview of the field of communication as well as the major issues and topics that motivate the inquiries conducted in courses and in research.

This is a graded introduction to the Communication major, designed to welcome first year students into the major and inform them of opportunities for their advancement in the department and beyond. The course introduces students to the five subject areas offered in the major and provides a brief overview of the field of communication as well as the major issues and topics that motivate the inquiries conducted in courses and in research.