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Today’s public relations specialists and marketing professionals must be well-versed in current social media management best practices. But, wise and ethical social media activity is vital for any professional working in today’s digitally-connected economy. This practical class teaches students the skills that they need to use social media strategically to accomplish their goals.
JTC 374 is a service-learn course, which means that students are required to volunteer with a local community agency for at least 15 hours over the course of the semester. This volunteer time does not include time spent completing JTC 374 coursework. Rather, the student’s volunteer work should work directly with the community agency to fulfill the community agency’s current volunteer needs.
Community agencies are non-profit organizations (i.e., 501(c)3 organizations), government agencies, or community leaders. Examples of community agencies include, but are not limited to, organizations (or, in the case of politicians, political figures) that seek to enhance quality of life within the religious, educational, civic, cultural, economic, or scientific spheres. Prior students have volunteered for local churches, political organizations, honor societies, and homeowners associations. Through this volunteerism, students receive real-world experience applying social media principles and best practices to a specific context. Additionally, students consider how social media can be used for the public good in ethically sound ways.
JTC 211 (Visual Communication)
Samuel M. Tham (Ph.D, Michigan State University) is an assistant professor of advertising and strategic communication in the department of Journalism and Media Communication at Colorado State University (CSU). As a media psychologist, Tham’s research interests lies in the domain of digital advertising, ad avoidance, and problematic media use especially in video gaming. He is interested in understanding processes of media engagement, and developing ethical advertising messaging for vulnerable populations that are susceptible to problematic media use. His published research looks at the intersection of digital advertising, problematic media use, and mental and social health.
Prior to academia, Tham worked in the advertising and public relations industry for over a decade, first as a founder of his online gaming company, then as an advertising account executive, and later in corporate communications. His return to academia after a successful industry career was driven towards mentoring students and developing their research toward careers in academia and industry.