Note:
Course content may be changed, term to term, without
notice. The information below is provided as a guide
for course selection and is not binding in any form,
and should not be used to purchase course materials.
COMS 534 Course Syllabus
COURSE SYLLABUS
COMS 534
STRATEGIC MEDIA ANALYSIS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Analysis of the use of sight and sound to affect audiences.
RATIONALE
Media students at the graduate level must understand how the creative aspects (mise-en-scene,
montage, scoring, SFX, etc.) of all moving image media, regardless of delivery medium (motion
picture theater, broadcast and cable television, internet streaming, etc.), work together to affect
audiences. This is crucial for effective media use in the student’s professional or academic
career; and it is perhaps even more vital for the student to understand how the media consumed
affects him or her and the rest of the audience.
I.
PREREQUISITE
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic
Course Catalog.
II.
REQUIRED RESOURCE PURCHASE
Click on the following link to view the required resource(s) for the term in which you are
registered: http://bookstore.mbsdirect.net/liberty.htm
III.
IV.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS FOR LEARNING
A.
Computer with basic audio/video output equipment
B.
Internet access (broadband recommended)
C.
Microsoft Office
D.
DVD player
MEASURABLE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
A.
Understand the essential creative departments in moving image media and how
each contributes to the total message.
B.
Analyze the use of media creative techniques to communicate in existing moving
image media.
C.
Evaluate different media products across delivery medium and genre for
effectiveness of total media communication technique.
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COMS 534 Course Syllabus
D.
V.
Create a strategy for using media communication techniques to produce original
media product, including (though not limited to) Christian media.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
A.
Textbook readings and lecture presentations
B.
Course Requirements Checklist
After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will
complete the related checklist found in Module/Week 1.
C.
Discussion Board Forums (4)
Discussion boards are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student
will create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each
thread must be at least 400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In
addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’
threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words.
D.
Media Analysis Essay
The student will write a succinct 5–10-page essay analyzing 4 scenes from the
movie, Groundhog Day. The analysis will explore how the filmmakers used the
creative departments of moving image production to communicate meaning in a
concise example of moving image media. You must use at least 2 of your
textbooks as references to support your observations and conclusions.
E.
Media Creation Concept and Christian Rationale Project
The student will write a thoroughly developed 2,000–2,900-word paper of a
creative idea that will be submitted in 3 parts. The paper must include the
message intended, the proposed creative techniques necessary to achieve message
effectiveness, and the justification of such techniques from an evangelical
viewpoint. The paper must be formatted in current APA format.
F.
Media Evaluation Presentation
The student will develop a media presentation (PowerPoint) using analytical
techniques to compare and contrast the effectiveness of the creative departments
of moving image production in communicating meaning from 2 works with a
given medium. The length of the presentation must be 10–15 slides.
G.
Creative Comprehension Exam
This exam will demonstrate the student’s understanding of the construction and
purposes of the creative departments of moving image production. The exam will
be open-book/open-notes, contain 50 multiple-choice questions, and have a 1hour and 30-minute time limit.
VI.
COURSE GRADING AND POLICIES
A.
Points
Course Requirements Checklist
10
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COMS 534 Course Syllabus
Discussion Board Forums (4 at 50 pts ea)
Media Analysis Essay
Media Evaluation Presentation
Medial Creation Concept and Christian Rationale Project
Part I
Part II
Final Submission
Creative Comprehension Exam
Total
B.
200
150
200
100
100
100
150
1010
Scale
A = 940–1010 A- = 920–939 B+ = 900–919 B = 860–899 B- = 840–859
C+ = 820–839 C = 780–819 C- = 760–779 D+ = 740–759 D = 700–739
D- = 680–699 F = 0–679
C.
Late Assignment Policy
If the student is unable to complete an assignment on time, then he or she must
contact the instructor immediately by email.
Assignments that are submitted after the due date without prior approval from the
instructor will receive the following deductions:
1.
Late assignments submitted within one week of the due date will
receive a 10% deduction.
2.
Assignments submitted more than one week late will receive a 20%
deduction.
3.
Assignments submitted two weeks late or after the final date of the
course will not be accepted.
4.
Late Discussion Board threads or replies will not be accepted.
Special circumstances (e.g. death in the family, personal health issues) will be
reviewed by the instructor on a case-by-case basis.
D.
Disability Assistance
Students with a documented disability may contact Liberty University Online’s
Office of Disability Academic Support (ODAS) at LUOODAS@liberty.edu to
make arrangements for academic accommodations. Further information can be
found at www.liberty.edu/disabilitysupport.
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COMS 534 Course Schedule
COURSE SCHEDULE
COMS 534
Textbooks: Bowen & Thompson, Grammar of The Shot (GOS) (2013).
Bowen & Thompson, Grammar of The Edit (GOE) (2013).
MODULE/
WEEK
READING & STUDY
1
1 presentation
2 DVDs
1 PDF
2
Bowen & Thompson GOS: Appendix
b, Glossary
Bowen &Thompson GOE: Appendix
b, Glossary
1 presentation
1 DVD
3
Bowen & Thompson GOS: chs. 1–2
Bowen & Thompson GOE: ch. 1
1 presentation
1 DVD
4
ASSIGNMENTS
POINTS
Course Requirements Checklist
Class Introductions
DB Forum 1
10
0
50
DB Forum 2
50
Creative Comprehension Exam
150
Bowen & Thompson GOS: ch. 3
Bowen & Thompson GOE: ch. 2
1 presentation
1 DVD
Media Analysis Essay
Media Creation Concept and
Christian Rationale Project - Part I
150
5
Bowen & Thompson GOS: ch. 4
Bowen & Thompson GOE: ch. 3
1 presentation
1 DVD
DB Forum 3
50
Media Evaluation Presentation
Media Creation Concept and
Christian Rationale Project - Part II
200
6
Bowen & Thompson GOS: ch. 5
Bowen & Thompson GOE: ch. 4
1 presentation
1 DVD
7
Bowen & Thompson GOS: ch. 6
Bowen & Thompson GOE: ch. 5
1 presentation
1 DVD
DB Forum 4
50
8
Bowen & Thompson GOS: chs. 7–8
Bowen & Thompson GOE: chs. 6–7
1 presentation
1 DVD
Media Creation Concept and
Christian Rationale Project - Final
Submission
100
TOTAL
1010
100
100
DB = Discussion Board
NOTE: Each course module/week begins on Monday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Sunday
night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.