Required Courses
COMM 5120 Globalization and Communication
3 U; 3 Sem.
Analysis of national or cultural patterns of communication and media system. Emphasis will be on factors facilitating or restricting the flow of information across national or cultural borders as well as their implications for planned social change. (For taught postgraduate students only, not for students who have taken COMM6220.)
COMM 5520 Applied Communication Research
3 U; 3 Sem.
Introduction to qualitative and quantitative communication research, including ways of collecting data materials and analysis. (not for Ph.D. and M.Phil. students)
COMM 5590 Communication in Intercultural Settings
3 U; 3 Sem.
This seminar will provide students with an introduction into research and practice of what is commonly called “intercultural communication” but which has become a diversified field of studies. You will gain insights into particular ways of theorizing culture and communication and will have ample opportunities to practice the concepts that you learn in class through in-class assignments, role-plays, case studies, and field research in Hong Kong.
COMM 5710 Seminar in Communication Theories
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course introduces students to a range of theoretical perspectives in Communication Studies related to diverse aspects of globalization processes and current debates on communication, culture, politics, and the digital. We will explore some main paradigms of theorizing and the question of whether and how communication theory is socioculturally situated. The course focuses on theories of human communication which includes embodied as well as digital practices. Students have ample opportunities to apply their theoretical knowledge to case studies, analyze and reflect on their own social interaction patterns, discourses of dominance and marginalization, the role of the digital in their social worlds, and explain communication phenomena in different locales.
COMM 5711 Global Internet: Comparison and Critique
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course looks at emerging features of digital infrastructure, platforms, and data that do not only add to ongoing processes of globalization but can also change where globalization is headed. Developing critical and comparative perspectives, we study the social contexts and repercussions of technological integration along with divergent adaptations and disconnections.
Elective Course
COMM 5110, 5111 Topical Studies in Communication I, II
3 U each; 3 Sem.
Students focus on one particular topic and work on it under the supervision of a professor/instructor.
COMM 5310 Statistical Analysis in Communication
3 U; 3 Sem.
The course covers analyses of data using the general linear model. Topics include simple and multiple regression, analysis of variance and covariance, tests of significance, the interpretation of model parameters, and other topics like path analysis and structural equation modeling. Students are expected to conduct a complete quantitative analysis by the end of the course.
COMM 5510 Media Management
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course aims at acquainting students with general management principles, concepts, and theories, with particular emphasis on their applications in media organizations in a commercial, competitive, and rapidly changing environment. The focus is on training future media managers’ problem-solving and decision-making skills. The communications industries covered will include the print media, radio, broadcast, cable television, advertising and public relations. The students will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, and case studies.
COMM 5530 Crisis Management
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course is designed to help students familiarize themselves with the theories and practice of crisis communication. They will learn how professional public relations practitioners help their clients in everyday situations to reduce risk, get prepared, respond to and recover from crises. Students are required to devise and evaluate their own crisis simulation exercises in class. The experience will prepare students for real life crisis communication-related assignments.
COMM 5561, 5562, 5563, 5564, 5565 Topical Studies in Corporate Communication I,II, III, VI, V
3 U each; 3 Sem.
The instructor will lecture on and direct the study of a topic in Corporate Communication he or she specializes in. Students are allowed to take the above-listed Special Topic courses for more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.
COMM 5580 Strategic Public Relations in Greater China
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course is designed as a guided study of the development and practice of public relations in the Greater China region, with an emphasis on its integration with business activities in Mainland China. With the emerging importance of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, focus will be given to business sectors in this Area. Case studies will be used to illustrate Public Relations practitioners’ front-line experiences in the region.
COMM 5612 English News Writing and Reporting
3 U; 3 Sem.
This is an introductory course in English news writing and reporting for the M.A. in Journalism students. Basic techniques of news reporting will be covered including: dealing with news sources, interviewing, library search and the use of electronic resources. The course also helps students develop various writing skills and familiarize them with different news formats.
COMM 5631, 5632 Topical Studies in Journalism I, II
3 U each; 3 Sem.
The instructor will lecture and direct the study of a topic in Journalism he or she specializes in.
Students are allowed to take the above Topical Studies courses for more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.
COMM 5649 Analyzing Public Affairs
3 U; 3 Sem.
Basic and background knowledge about a society’s political, economic, and social systems are essential for journalists working on public affairs. This class aims at equipping students with such basic background knowledge and strengthening students’ capabilities in studying public affairs and policies. The class introduces students to fundamental concepts regarding the set up of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – its government, its legal system, its economy, etc. It also discusses a few specific “hot” policy issues.
COMM 5650 Journalism Theory and Analysis
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course introduces various theories in journalism and discusses important issues in the field. The scope of the course covers many aspects including the journalists, their work organizations, their daily work routines, relationships between the press and other social institutions, news media and social environment, news culture, etc.
COMM 5690 Feature Writing
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course trains students in composing a variety of different feature articles by generating ideas and compiling information essential for the composition of these pieces. Moreover, the course also aims at helping students to understand the ecology of the mass media from the standpoint of a contributing journalist. Furthermore, it makes students understand how feature articles are a powerful tool for shaping social and political worldviews.
COMM 5723 Public Relations and Globalization
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course addresses the topic of public relations in a globalized world. It helps students analyze various current affairs topics, social and cultural issues and their relations with local and global business operations, and it requires frequent practical application of the learned materials.
COMM 5725 Setting the Agenda through Social Media
3 U; 3 Sem.
The course will explain the basics of agenda setting and the global flow of information. It will also introduce some of the major agenda setters such as governments, organizations, and civil society.
COMM 5735 New Media and Society
3 U; 3 Sem.
The course provides an introduction to and analysis of emerging communication technologies, the Internet, multimedia technologies, and new media, including some basic technical descriptions, trends, history, diffusion, applications, and their social, economic, political and cultural implications. Topics include electronic government, online crimes, addiction, digital divide and online communities, etc.
COMM 5771, 5772 Topical Studies in Global Communication I, II
3 U each; 3 Sem.
The instructor will direct the study of a topic in Global Communication he or she specializies in. Students are allowed to take the above-listed Topical Studies courses for more than once, and gain the units each time they pass the course. However, students cannot take courses with the same course code more than once in a single term.
COMM 5775 Cultures in Media
3 U; 3 Sem.
This course analyzes intercultural communication and postcolonial media cultures. It explores the ways in which different media can facilitate cultural expression and intercultural exchange or gave way to contestation and conflict. It examines the agency and responsibility of media makers, institutions, and platforms.
COMM 5960 Issues of ICTs in China
3 U; 3 Sem.
From a social science perspective, this course introduces basic concepts, research tools, and thematic issues in the study of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in China. The objective of the course is to inform students of the key questions, findings, and challenges in studying ICTs in China, and, in so doing, enable students to conduct systematic research on related issues in the public sector, business environments and/or the academia.
COMM 6120, 6121 Topical Studies in Communication III, IV
3 U each; 3 Sem.
Students focus on one particular topic of interest under the supervision of a professor/lecturer.
COMM 6330 Advanced Qualitative Communication Research
3 U; 3 Sem.
This is an advanced course in qualitative communication research methods. Students should be familiar with qualitative research fundamentals before taking this course. Specifically, this course aims at familiarizing students with qualitative methodology and various methods such as narrative analysis, (critical) discourse analysis, and participatory action research. Students will gain hands-on experience in presenting and analyzing data, comparing different methods, discussing outlets for qualitative research, and writing up their reseach for conferences and publications.
COMM 6612 Advanced English News Writing and Reporting
3 U; 3 Sem.
This is an advanced course for M.A. in Journalism students who have taken COMM5612. This course focuses on major types of English journalistic practice such as precision journalism, investigative reporting, feature writing, editorial writing, etc. Students will have opportunities to practice reporting and writing in these different news formats. Pre-requisite: COMM5612.
COMM 6900 Graduation Project
3 U
Students are required to complete a Graduation Project on an approved topic under supervision of a faculty member. By the end of the course, students are expected to produce a high-quality research article, which can be published in a journal.