Course Description (core course)
This course is the Capstone in the MA Strategic Communication degree program. It provides practical experience in the planning and management of strategic communication projects involving the use of new and digital media. Using a service-learning format, it requires the application of managerial, communication, and strategic skills to a realistic business project in a virtual team setting. This course introduces the project management lifecycle for new media in the domain of Strategic Communication. Beginning with project initiation and assembling a team, students have an opportunity to apply project management principles to all aspects of planning and managing a project, including scheduling and budgeting. Major project management topics include managing a team, including setting goals for professionals in strategic communication industries; managing assets; documentation; setting and adhering to deadlines and client expectations; and balancing continuous assessment and improvement against the need to manage the scope of work.
Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate the importance of project management as it relates to Digital Media.
- Differentiate between planning, executing, monitoring and controlling project work.
- Describe the relevance of and integration of project management knowledge areas and processes.
- Describe organizational and functional structures and their influence on deliverables.
- Identify stakeholders and effectively manage client expectations.
- Apply project management principles and techniques to a real-world project.
- Use strategies from persuasion, narrative, and communication research.
- Craft messages that are appropriate for a variety of media and an understanding of how to use these different messages to enhance and complement each other.
- Develop a taxonomy of persuasive appeal strategies and a knowledge of when to deploy each.
- Analyze and identify trends in their market communication environment and implement their conclusions in their communication strategy.
