COMM 5520 Applied Communication Research

3 U; 3 Sem

Introduction to applied media research, research criticism, data interpretation and fundamentals of audience analysis. Topics include: surveys, content analysis, experimental test of programmes, field research and formative evaluation. (Not for Ph.D. and M.Phil. students.)

COMM 5611 Chinese News Writing and Reporting

3 U; 3 Sem

This is an introductory course in chinese 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 help students develop various writing skills and familiarize them with different news formats.

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 5620 Media Ethics and Law

3 U; 3 Sem

This course attempts to examine two essential confines of mass media communication, namely, the legal limits and ethical constraints. It covers major media laws and ethical issues that are related to the operation and practices of media organizations and practitioners.

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. Different conceptual approaches are used and various levels of analysis are also included.

Beat / Area of focus
COMM 5635 Financial Reporting and Writing

3 U; 3 Sem.

Students will be able to understand basic financial knowledge. Students will learn to discover issues and report and write various kind of financial news, including finance, real estates, commercial and government financial policy writing, etc. The course will cover hot issues and topics in financial news, and students are expected to actively participate in discussion and reporting and writing.

COMM 5636 Beat Reporting in Technology, Health and Environment

3 U; 3 Sem.

This course offers a unique opportunity to delve into the emerging beats that are paramount to society’s well-being: technology, health and environment. It will cover a wide range of topics, from artificial intelligence to cybersecurity, from medical breakthroughs to public health policies, and from climate change to environmental justice. The course will be divided into three modules on the three beats and taught by experienced journalists.

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 and 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 and “hot” policy issues.

Medium / Methods of expression
COMM 4730*
Documentary

3 U

This course explores the many varieties of documentary forms, from TV news and magazine features (both hard and soft) to stand-alone documentaries produced for television and film. Students groups will produce one short documentary during the semester.

COMM 5640 Online and Mobile Journalism

3 U; 3 Sem.

The course examines the influence of online technologies on journalism from editorial, technological, economic, and social perspectives. The emphasis is on the advanced technologies involved in online news publishing and management skills in editorial, financial and technical fields required of online journalists.

COMM 5660 Photography for Journalists

3 U; 3 Sem.

In this course, students will learn news photography, photographic techniques for news reportage and the application of these techniques to foster visual communication. Photo elements, image editing and various visual approaches to news reportage will be examined.

COMM 5670 Broadcast Journalism

3 U; 3 Sem.

Theories and techniques of reporting, writing, editing, presenting and production of radio and television news will be introduced in this course. Students will acquire the essential skills to produce news magazines and bulletins for the electronic media.

COMM 5680 Radio Studio Production

3 U; 3 Sem.

This course introduces students to the role of radio broadcasting in the multimedia environment. Theories and practices of studio production of radio programmes including information, entertainment, documentaries and other programmes in new formats will be examined.

COMM 5690 Feature Writing

3 U; 3 Sem.

This course seeks to instill students with the necessary skills to generate ideas for feature articles, compile information that is essential for the composition of these pieces, so as to be able to compose a wide variety of different features. Moreover, the course also aims at helping students to understand the ecology of the mass media from the views of a contributing journalist, both in terms of how to locate an outlet for their work, but also in how their work might (and would) become not only a tool with which readers understand the world, and whether their work would contribute to the “reproduction” of a hegemonic, “common-sensical” perspective of the state of the world.

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 5946 Fundamentals in Multimedia Design

3 U; 3 Sem.

This course introduces students to the principles and techniques of multimedia design. Students will be required to create their own multimedia projects from concept development to hands-on production by using design softwares. The quality and effectiveness of multimedia projects will be examined.

COMM 5980 New Media Ecology

3 U; 3 Sem.

This course introduces students to the role of content flow and value chain model in the information industry. It covers various topics such as content creation, selling, distribution, syndication, consumption, content economics, business models, related technology and copyright protection issues faced by different information industries in the new media ecology.

Industry / Practicum
COMM 5510 Media Management

3 U; 3 Sem.

This course aimed to acquaint 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 5699 Future of Journalism

3 U; 3 Sem.

This course will analyze the challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies, changing audience behaviors, and shifting media landscapes. We will scrutinize important innovation cases and discuss the ways in which journalism can adapt to meet the needs of a changing world. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, guest talks, case studies and newsroom practices, the course emphasizes both the normative roles of journalism and a grounded understanding of what is really happening in the global journalism industry.

COMM 6613 Practicum in Journalism

3 U; 3 Sem.

This is a dynamic and practical course designed to simulate the actual environment of a professional newsroom. This immersive experience aims to bridge the gap between classroom learning and the real world of journalism. Students will participate in press conferences, conduct interviews, and produce news content across various platforms including course website and social media accounts. The course provides a unique opportunity for students to apply their journalistic skills and ethics in a practical, hands-on setting, and build up their portfolio.

Topical studies
COMM 5110 Topical Studies in Communication I

 3 U each; 3 Sem.

Students concentrate their reading and study of one particular field in communication of their interests under the supervision of an instructor.

COMM 5111 Topical Studies in Communication II

3 U each; 3 Sem.

Students concentrate their reading and study of one particular field in communication of their interests under the supervision of an instructor.

COMM 6120 Topical Studies in Communication III

3 U each; 3 Sem.

Students concentrate their reading and study of one particular field in communication of their interests under the supervision of an instructor.

COMM 6121 Topical Studies in Communication IV

3 U each; 3 Sem.

Students concentrate their reading and study of one particular field in communication of their interests under the supervision of an instructor.

COMM 5631 Topical Studies in Journalism I

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 Topic 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 5632 Topical Studies in Journalism 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 Topic 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 5633 Topical Studies in Journalism III

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 Topic 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 5710 Seminar in Communication Theories

3 U; 3 Sem.

It is a seminar designed to teach the major communication stream, disciplines, theories and thoughts. The content includes development of communication disciplines, analysis of major communication theories, case studies and applications.

COMM 6680 Independent Study

3 U; 3 Sem.

Students concentrate their reading and study of one particular topic in Journalism of their interests under the supervision of a faculty member. Students are required to submit a paper at the end of the course. (For M.A. in Journalism students only)