Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

School of Communication

Minor in Sports Media Studies

USC has a unique historical relationship to sports and sports media, and is near the center of the current sports media capital of Los Angeles. The courses examine the role of sports and sports media in culture, how the presentation of sports in media has evolved, has been shaped by cultural issues and, itself, impacted culture. This 24-unit minor will enhance students’ skills in working and interacting with, sports media.

Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing).

Required Core Communication Courses		units
COMM 381	Issues in Contemporary Sport	4
COMM 383	Sports, Communication and Culture	4

Electives		units
Choose four classes from the following:
COMM 300	Foundations for the Study of Entertainment, Communication and Society	4
COMM 310	Media and Society	4
COMM 363	Media Consumption	4
COMM 387	Sports and Social Change	4
COMM 444	Critical Theories of Sport	4
JOUR 380	Sports, Business and Media in Today’s Society	4
JOUR 432	Sports Commentary	4
MOR 479	The Business of Sports	4
OT 333	Sports Ethics	4

Minor in Communication and the Entertainment Industry

This minor offers courses that examine the theory, social impact and economics of the music, film and television industries. Students will learn strategies for analyzing popular culture texts; management and public relations in the entertainment field; and social, cultural and political issues related to entertainment. USC provides a broad array of courses that equip students with tools to evaluate the marketing of entertainment and the cultural products of the film, television, theatre and music industries. This minor is intended to encourage students in a variety of majors to draw upon these properties in preparation for different careers in the entertainment industry.

Admission requirements are a minimum 3.0 grade point average and completion of 32 units (sophomore standing). The 3.0 GPA is a minimum standard and does not guarantee admission.

Required Core Communication Courses (Choose three of four)		units
COMM 300	Foundations for the Study of Entertainment, Communication and Society	4
COMM 310	Media and Society	4
COMM 384	Interpreting Popular Culture	4
COMM 395	Gender, Media and Communication	4

Electives		units
Choose 3–4 courses (12 units). One (4-unit) course must be in COMM; 8 units must be in an outside area.
COMM 306	Innovation, Entertainment, and the Arts	4
COMM 339	Communication Technology and Culture	4
COMM 340	The Cultures of New Media	4
COMM 360	The Rhetoric of Los Angeles	4
COMM 395	Gender, Media and Communication	4
COMM 430	Global Entertainment	4
COMM 431	Global Strategy for the Communications Industry	4
COMM 432	American Media and Entertainment Industries	4
COMM 456	Entertainment, Marketing and Culture	4
COMM 457	Children and Media	4
COMM 458	Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts	4
COMM 465	Gender in Media Industries and Products	4
COMM 480	Nonverbal Communication	4
COMM 498	Ethical Issues in Entertainment and Communication	4
CTCS 409	Censorship in Cinema	4
CTCS 464	Film and/or Television Genres	4
CTPR 386	Art and Industry of the Theatrical Film	4
CTPR 410	The Movie Business: From Story Concept to Exhibition	2
CTPR 460	Film Business Procedures and Distribution	2 or 4
CTPR 461	TV Station Management	2
JOUR 452	Public Relations in Entertainment	4
JOUR 459	Fact and Fiction: From Journalism to the Docudrama	4
JOUR 466	People of Color and the News Media	4
JOUR 467	Gender and the News Media	4
MUIN 360	Introduction to Music Law	4
MUIN 370	Music Publishing and Licensing	2
MUIN 385	Radio in the Music Industry	4
THTR 487	Promotion for the Performing Arts	4

Total units: 24

Minor in Communication Technology Practices and Platforms

Students in this 20-unit minor trace the roots and dynamics of contemporary networked technologies and learn how to participate and excel within media cultures, online networks and organizational workplaces. The minor focuses on three areas: cultures (connecting communication technologies to histories, values, and ethics of social relationships and civic communities); networks (developing qualitative and quantitative skills to model, explain and influence relationships among media and people at local and global scales); institutions (tracing the legal, organizational, economic and interpersonal contexts that produce and transform communication technologies). The field of communication technology requires individuals who can critique, cultivate, build and influence new relationships among people, platforms and practices. Whether starting careers in strategic consulting, medical informatics, non-profit management, social media design, public sector service or new media entrepreneurship, students are encouraged to utilize skills and foundational concepts underlying 21st century communication technologies.

Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing). The 3.0 GPA is a minimum standard and does not guarantee admission.

Required Core Communication Courses		units
COMM 202	Communication and Technology	4
COMM 339	Communication Technology and Culture	4
COMM 340	The Cultures of New Media	4

Electives — choose two from the following		units
COMM 310	Media and Society	4
COMM 321	Communication in the Virtual Group	4
COMM 345	Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies	4
COMM 350	Video Games: Content, Industry, and Policy	4
COMM 422	Legal Issues and New Media	4
COMM 431	Global Strategy for the Communication Industry	4
COMM 449	Perspectives on the Networked Press	4
COMM 465	Gender in Media Industries and Products	4
COMM 486	Human and Technological Systems in Organizations	4
COMM 498	Ethical Issues in Entertainment and Communication	4
CTIN 462	Critical Theory and Analysis of Videogames	4
CTIN 463	Anatomy of a Game	4
CTIN 488	Game Design Workshop	4

Total units: 20

Minor in Professional and Managerial Communication

The ability to succeed in today’s workplace necessitates a growing number of communication skills. As today’s increasingly global and highly competitive marketplace grows in complexity, the need to understand intercultural differences, the power of structure in the workplace and other issues such as dealing with interpersonal conflicts continues to increase. This 24-unit minor will provide students interested in the management of people, resources or products with these necessary tools. Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing).

Required Core Communication Courses		units
COMM 320	Small Group and Team Communication	4
COMM 375	Business and Professional Communication	4
COMM 385	Survey of Organizational Communication	4

Electives — Choose three from the following:		units
COMM 302	Persuasion	4
COMM 304	Interpersonal Communication	4
COMM 308	Communication and Conflict	4
COMM 315	Health Communication	4
COMM 321	Communication in the Virtual Group	4
COMM 322	Argumentation and Advocacy	4
COMM 324	Intercultural Communication	4
COMM 345	Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies	4
COMM 388	Ethics in Human Communication	4
COMM 431	Global Strategy for the Communications Industry	4
COMM 486	Human and Technological Systems in Organizations	4
COMM 487	Communication and Global Organizations	4
Total units: 24

Minor in Communication Law and Media Policy

The rapid advance in information and communication technologies raises serious questions about the limits of free speech, censorship, and the impact of present and emerging communication policies on domestic and international industries. To address these developments, this 24-unit cross-departmental minor combines courses from communication, law, economics, political science and journalism. This minor not only enables students to understand what is occurring in the communication revolution, it also prepares them to participate in the movement as critics and advocates. Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing).

Required Core Communication Courses		units
COMM 371	Censorship and the Law: From the Press to Cyberspace	4
COMM 322	Argumentation and Advocacy	4
COMM 421	Legal Communication	4

Elective Courses		units
Choose three from the following. One must be in COMM; two must be in an outside area.
COMM 324	Intercultural Communication	4
COMM 345	Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies	4
COMM 370	The Rhetoric of Ideas: Ideology and Propaganda	4
COMM 388	Ethics in Human Communication	4
COMM 402	Public Communication Campaigns	4
COMM 412	Communication and Social Movements	4
COMM 422	Legal Issues and New Media	4
COMM 489	Campaign Communication	4
ECON 330	The Political Economy of Institutions	4
ECON 434	Economic Analysis of Law	4
JOUR 373	Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies	4
JOUR 460	Social Responsibility of the News Media	4
LAW 200x	Law and Society	4
LAW 201x	Law and Politics: Electing a President	4
POSC 441	Cultural Diversity and the Law	4
POSC 442	The Politics of Human Differences: Diversity and Discrimination	4

Total units: 24

Minor in Media Economics and Entrepreneurship

In recognition of the dislocation and restructuring underway in contemporary media and information industries, this 24-unit minor introduces students to the microeconomics and trends of the sector and gives them an understanding of the role that entrepreneurship plays in the new economy. Students with professional media industry aspirations will learn basic economic literacy and discover the key factors that shape competition in information markets. Further, the minor fosters an entrepreneurial mindset in students and helps them to develop the entrepreneurial skills required to build successful careers and ventures in the media and information sector. Requirements for admission are a minimum 3.0 GPA and completion of a minimum of 32 units (sophomore standing). A minimum of 24 units is required for completion of the minor.

Required Courses (8 units)		units
BAEP 450	Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, or
BAEP 451	The Management of New Enterprises	4
COMM 207	Economic Thinking for Communication and Journalism	2
COMM 208	Media Economics: Perspectives on Communication Industries	2

Elective Courses – choose 16 units from the following		units
4 units must be in BAEP:
BAEP 452*	Feasibility Analysis	4
BAEP 454**	Venture Initiation: Launching and Scaling Your Startup	4
BAEP 460	Seminar in Entrepreneurship	2-4
BAEP 470	The Entrepreneurial Mindset – Taking the Leap	2

*Prerequisite: BAEP 450 or BAEP 451

**Prerequisite: BAEP 452

4-8 units must be in COMM:
COMM 306	Innovation, Entertainment, and the Arts	4
COMM 345	Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies	4
COMM 430	Global Entertainment	4
COMM 431	Global Strategy for the Communications Industry	4
COMM 432	American Media and Entertainment Industries	4
COMM 433	Home Entertainment	4
COMM 454	Media, Money, and Society	4

4-8 units must be in JOUR:
JOUR 381	Entertainment, Business and Media in Today’s Society	4
JOUR 429*	Business and Economic Foundations of Public Relations	4
JOUR 469	Money, Markets and Media	4
JOUR 473	Emerging Media Strategies for Communication and Public Relations	4
JOUR 494	Transmedia, New Media and Strategic Communication	4

*Prerequisite: JOUR 250

Minor in Global Communication

The rise of global firms and international changes that followed the end of the cold war raise new opportunities and challenges. This minor provides students from fields such as business, journalism, engineering and political science an understanding of the dynamic nature of global relations, communications and technology. The global communication minor consists of six 4-unit courses, three from international relations and three from communication. Students are required to complete IR 305 Managing New Global Challenges; two additional IR upper division courses, at least one of which must be a course which focuses on a specific region; COMM 487 Communication and Global Organizations; and two elective courses relevant to global communication. See the School of International Relations for complete course requirements.

Minor in Health Communication

This minor is designed to appeal to students with a wide range of interests, including those with a general interest in promoting healthy lifestyle practices through communication. These students will be prepared to seek future job opportunities from various areas including the managed care industry, hospitals, wellness programs, broadcast and cable companies, private and governmental agencies as well as other organizations looking for experts with demonstrated knowledge in health-related fields.

For degree requirements or to apply to this minor, contact the Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine.