The
mission of the
Department of Mass Media
is to prepare competent,
well-trained, and
liberally educated men
and women in the
converging field of mass
media. Students will
gain knowledge through
theory, practical and
applied learning which
will provide the
valuable education and
experience needed for a
career in this
challenging field.
Program Description
The mass
communication curriculum
is designed to whet your
appetite by enabling
you to enroll as a
freshman in a series of
beginning-level courses:
Introduction to Mass
Media, Visual
Communication and the
BCU-Radio practicum. We
then begin to shape your
writing skills. As a
sophomore, you will
enter our newswriting
sequence (print and
broadcast). At the
beginning of your junior
year, now that you have
mastered the art of
writing, you enter the
advanced level
coursework in media
ethics and law, computer
graphic design and video
production. By the
end of your junior year,
as a pre-professional,
you are ready for
courses that are more
advanced and
internships. By the time
you graduate, you will
have the beginnings of
an impressive resume, a
media portfolio and
practical experience in
the field. Upon
graduation, you will
have the basic tools,
talent and experience
necessary to be highly
competitive for the many
entry-level media slots.
Requirements for the
Bachelor of Arts Degree
in Mass Communication
(59 credits)
MCOM
101
Introduction to
Mass Media (3)
MCOM 200
Beginning Newswriting (3)
MCOM 216
Basic Photography
(3)
MCOM 220
Visual
Communication (3)
MCOM 225
Graphic
Communication (3)
MCOM 225L Graphic Communication Lab (1)
MCOM 230 Global Media Studies (3)
MCOM 300
Ethical and Legal
issues in Mass Media (3)
MCOM 307
Public Relations
(3)
MCOM 310 Photojournalism (3)
MCOM 331
Reporting for the Electronic Media (3)
MCOM 312
Advanced
Newswriting and Copy
Editing (3)
MCOM 332
Video
Production I (3)
MCOM 315
Video
Production II (3)
MCOM 325
Web site
Production (3)
MCOM 407 Social Media (3)
MCOM 440
Research in Mass
Media (3)
MCOM 490
Internships/Work
Experiences (3)
Total 53 credits
Practicums
MCOM 031 Cliff News Practicum (1)
MCOM 032 Cliff News Practicum (1)
MCOM 051 BCU Radio Practicum (1)
MCOM 053 BCU Radio Practicum (1)
MCOM 061 BCU TV Practicum (1)
MCOM 062 BCU TV Practicum (1)
Total 59 credits
Minor
Requirement: 18 hours
approved by the
department chairperson
of which 6 hours must be
from the 300-level
courses.
Internships and Career
Placement
You
also will gain necessary
practical experience by
working with
professionals in the
field. Each student
completes two
internships.
A
career in mass
communications can take
you just about anywhere.
Successful department of
mass communications
alumni include: Mike
Wankum, Emmy
award-winning
weatherman, WLVI-TV,
Boston, Mass.; Ron
Demers, weather
director, KTIV-TV, Sioux
City, Iowa; Matt Shill,
publications
coordinator, Creighton
University, Omaha, Neb.;
Katie Seuntjens, graphic
designer, Long Lines,
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa;
Richard Lichlyter-Klein,
web programmer, The
News-Gazette, Champaign,
Ill; Kristen Hansen,
news producer, “Live at
Daybreak” WOWT-TV,
Omaha, Neb.; and Matt
Steichen, sports editor,
Austin Daily Herald,
Austin, Minn.
Facilities
Integrated Multimedia
Center
The
Integrated Multimedia
Center (IMC) is the
central hub for all mass
communication.
It is connected
to the BCU radio studio
and the BCU Radio/Cliff
News staff office. The
IMC is a fully digital
production area.
The facility has
film, slide transparency
and photo scanning
capability; digital
non-linear video and
audio editing; CD-Rom
production; web page
design; and is digital
versatile disc (DVD)
capable. Video
production is
accomplished on Final
Cut Pro software.
The student newspaper,
the Cliff News @ Briar
Cliff University, is
produced and placed on
the Internet via the
World Wide Web on a
weekly basis.
Photographs are captured
on 7 Nikon D70 digital
cameras and edited in
Adobe Photoshop. The
facility serves as a
digital darkroom where
students can print to
one of three Epson 4000
color inkjet printers up
to 17’ wide on roll
paper.
The lab includes
a color laser printer
for documents up to 11”
x 17” which is useful
for graphic design
courses and majors. Dual
flat-screen computers in
the "quad" allow
students to work in
close communication with
each other.
The workstations
are networked together
via the computer network
(LAN), thus allowing
file-sharing and
transferring of media
from one station to the
next.
All 16 computers (both
PC and Macs) have CD-ROM
burners and are DVD
capable.
The lab is
accessible 24 hours a
day by authorized
students (students
majoring in graphic
design, mass
communications and new
media or students
enrolled in courses that
require the use of the
lab).
BCU Radio
The Department of
Mass Media maintains a
campus-based radio
station which reaches a
potential audience of
100,000
listeners/viewers in
Iowa and South Dakota. A
color video camera
places a live, in-studio
image over a cable
channel which reaches
audiences in Sioux City
and Sergeant Bluff,
Iowa; and North Sioux
City and McCook Lake,
South Dakota. The format
of the station is
"alternative"...
programming the genres
of rock, punk, reggae,
folk, world, new age,
rap, hip-hop, dance, and
other styles. BCU Radio
is equipped with Simian,
a digital audio
automation system.
BCU Radio can be
seen on Cable One
Channel 12.
BCU TV (Cable One
Channel 12)
The Department of
Mass Media maintains a
three-camera television
studio for the
production of a variety
of student-centered
productions, as well as
off-campus public
service and contracted
productions. Students in
the Television
Production course
produce a half-hour
newscast which contains
on-campus and off-campus
news and sports video
packages. The newscast
is produced
"live-on-tape" for cable
casting over the
educational access cable
channel into two states.
BCU Radio/Cliff News
Office
Connected to the
Integrated Multimedia
Center is the BCU
Radio/Cliff News staff
office. This space is
for staff members of the
campus radio and
newspaper, complete with
networked computers.
Faculty Highlights
Faculty members in the
Department of Mass
Communications are
committed to remaining
on the cutting edge of
instruction and
technology. The faculty
in the department are
aware of the skills,
which those in the
businesses of radio,
television, print,
public relations,
photography,
advertising, graphic
design and new media
demand of incoming
professionals in a
converging industry. The
faculty not only teach,
they also work in their
fields of expertise.
Department Chairperson
Michael Crowley, chair
and associate professor
of mass communications.
He holds an M.A. from
Ball State University; a
B.A. from California
State University,
Sacramento; and a
Certificate of
Multimedia from Georgia
Institute of Technology.
He is a member of the
Society for Professional
Journalists, the
Association for
Education in Journalism
and Mass Communication
and National Press
Photographers
Association. He has been
at Briar Cliff
University since 1989.
For
more information, please
contact Michael Crowley,
associate professor and
chair of the Department
of Mass Media,
712.279.5459,
Michael.Crowley@briarcliff.edu.
Student Learning
Outcomes
Students who
complete the mass
communication major at
Briar Cliff University
will obtain:
Knowledge:
Information and
Theoretical Concepts:
Interpret the
role of the media and how
it has affected society
from a historical
perspective.
Demonstrate an
understanding of the
profession within the
context of convergence.
Have knowledge of
theories and concepts
prevalent in the field.
Ethical, Legal,
and Social
Responsibility
Be familiar
with important legal
issues that face the
field of mass
communication.
Develop
personal values based
upon ethical standards.
Recognize ethical
dilemmas that face mass
media professionals.
Recognize the power of
the media and its
effects on society.
Writing for the
Communication Field
Demonstrate
proficiency in the
various writing styles
appropriate for the
communication
professions.
Demonstrate the ability
to write and edit
articles for
publication.
Critically evaluate
written and oral
presentations for style
and content.
Visual
Communication
Interpret,
create, and disseminate
visual information.
Electronic
Applications
[Obtain and]
demonstrate the skill
necessary to use
technologies appropriate
to the field.
Plan, create, and
complete projects using
electronic media.
Applied Learning
Apply the
knowledge and skills
appropriate in the
communication field.
Demonstrate skills
needed for an
entry-level position in
the profession.
Research in Mass
Communication
Understand,
analyze, and evaluate
research.
Demonstrate an
understanding of
research methods.
See The
for more
information about the
mass communication major
and The Department of
Mass Media.
|