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Course Syllabus

COMM 1030 Intro to Social Media

  • Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
  • Department: Communications
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Corequisites: None
  • Semesters Offered: TBA
  • Semester Approved: Fall 2023
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2030
  • End Semester: Summer 2029
  • Optimum Class Size: 20
  • Maximum Class Size: 25

Course Description

In this course, students will explore both how and why people use social media, as well as what the societal implications are for a world connected by these technologies. The course will utilize real-world examples to help students use these online tools to create content personally and professionally. Students will learn how to manage their own online identities and brands, as well as how to create communication plans for organizations and businesses.

Justification

This course will serve to align Snow College's Communication Department's offerings with most other higher education institutions' Communication programs. Having this course available to Snow College Communication students will help them transfer to other Communication programs easier and more successfully upon graduation, as well as they will be more prepared for their respective transfer programs. This course will also serve as a foundational offering for students to complete their Certificate of Proficiency in Communication, as well as several emphases for a Communication degree at Snow College. Importantly, students will also gain important, practical skills for managing their online presences (personally and professionally) to promote their future success in this increasingly digital world.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Explain the key tenets of prominent social media theories, perspectives, principles, and concepts.
  2. Indicate when one social media theory, perspective, principle, and/or concept will be more applicable to a social media situation than another.
  3. Utilize audience data and research to guide their social media decisions.
  4. Create strategic content plans meant to enhance an organization’s online success (e.g., presence, reach, engagement, and/or influence).

Course Content

In this course, students will explore both how and why people use social media, as well as what the societal implications are for a world connected by these technologies. Students will learn about concepts such as personal and organizational branding, audience analysis and segmentation, content creation/management/curation, and even ethical and legal frameworks for social media management. As social media are naturally worldwide communication tools, this course will explore these concepts from a variety of perspectives and discuss the importance of understanding each perspective when constructing a social media presence.