跳到主要內容
課程介紹

自資學士學位課程

Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Media and Social Communication
媒體及社會傳播社會科學學士 (榮譽) 學位課程



Major Core Courses (54 units)

Cases and Issues in Social Communication [MSCN3005] (3 units)
The concept of social communication is used heuristically in both the programme and the course since a solid academic paradigm of social communication is yet to form. It aims to capture the blurring conceptual boundary between existing communication institutions as well as education due to rapid change in media technology and people’s media practices. This course is designed to navigate students to attend to changes and transformation of media-related social practices to develop students' understanding and critical appreciation of the distinctive features of new/digital media and how these relate to 'old' media. The module is attentive to the complex inter-relations between 'new' and the established or 'old' media. It locates digital media as the latest of several waves of technology-enabled communication systems. With the method of case study, students are expected to integrate what they have learnt in other major courses for critically analyzing the factors, conditions, dynamics and consequences of changing media practices. Concepts and theories in sociology, politics and cultural studies will be introduced in due course. And students are expected to be able to analyze issues in media and communication in the sociopolitical and cultural context, and also to argue how to respond to the changes.

Digital Graphic Production [MSCN3015] (3 units)
The course aims at developing students’ knowledge and skills of graphic design in digital environment. With understanding of design elements and principles, students will develop execution skills in manipulation of graphics, imageries and typefaces in order to present messages in digital media. This visual presentation serves as a process of problem solving in media communication.

Globalization and Social Change [MSCN3025] (3 units)
This course is designed to enhance students’ understanding of the causes, processes and consequences of globalization. Globalization has reshaped contemporary social lives around the world. This course explores relationships between globalization, power, and inequality; issues of development and poverty, conflicts and violence, social justice, and cultural diversity; and how these resonate with the on-going process of globalizing culture and communications. Students will also reflect on ethical responses to globalization and the possibilities of alternatives.

Health Communication [MSCN3035] (3 units)
This course aims at introducing the theories, models, and approaches on communication in health and illness contexts. Focus will be put on how health beliefs and behaviours are influenced by messages delivered from interpersonal, organizational, cultural and media sources. Communication in health care delivery, health care organizations, as well as health promotion and disease prevention will be explored. This course will look into how health communication is practised and examined at an individual, family, professional, organizational and societal level through a variety of perspectives.

Media and Integrated Marketing Communication [MSCN3045] (3 units)
This course aims at providing an overview of integrated marketing communication principles and strategies. Students will be introduced to the steps in planning and implementing integrated marketing communication campaigns and programmes. They will also examine the roles of various traditional and emerging media in the process of marketing communication. Special emphasis will be given to current media trends.

Audio and Video Production for New Media [MSCN3055] (3 units)
Through this course, students will acquire basic techniques necessary for audio and video production. Students will learn to develop various genres of media projects through the preproduction, production and postproduction stages. The course will build the visual literacy skills that help them communicate ideas through producing these projects. Students’ sense of accustoming their creative works to new media environment will also be developed.

Media Professional Practices [MSCN3075] (3 units)
Many media and communication students start their careers as journalists. Therefore knowledge and production skills of journalistic basics are necessary for the graduates of this school. This course is intended to provide students with a critical awareness of the current trends of journalism and a systematic understanding of news production processes, laying a foundation for their professional working practices in media after graduation.

Writing for Media and Community Resources [MSCN3085] (3 units)
The students will be equipped with writing abilities needed in non-governmental, commercial/business, public relations and media organizations. Students will learn various types of news, media and persuasive writings in handling different media situations, acquiring funding and publicizing their missions.

Data Analysis and Visualization [MSCN3805] (3 units)
Technological change has been shaping a lot of professions. The course is designed to enhance students’ ability to collect, manage and evaluate data in a critical way and to apply data in support of evidence-based decision making. Students will team up to review a social issue on the data collected and stored, following by cleaning the data, and give suggestions on data presentation strategies based on data analysis and visualization. Each group needs to complete a creative project by analyzing, visualizing, and presenting data for one social issue.

Communication Campaign Planning and Practices [MSCN4005] (3 units)
This course offers practical training on the role of media practitioners in crafting and reproducing public relations activities and campaigns. In addition to a comprehensive overview of the challenges and realities of campaign planning in an international context, campaign planning models and skills set that make contributions to reputation building and management will be introduced. Focusing on strategic planning in practice, this course will empower students to generate publicity, attract media interest, and solve communication crisis through the strategic use of campaigning and management of traditional and new media platforms.

Media and Social Communication Honours Project I & II [MSCN4008-9] (6 units)
Completion of MSC Year 3
The honours project is designed to offer a summation of students’ ability to achieve the aims and objectives of the programme. It is the culmination of students’ academic and practical training in media and social communication. Under the guidance of an adviser, students will develop their project independently or in a small group and they are allowed to choose one of following four tracks: 1) digital production (non-fictional video/film), 2) journalistic production (written documentary or data-driven journalistic project), 3) campaign proposal for an actual client and 4) a scholarly research. Project guidelines with clear specifications on project schedule, requirements and structure will be introduced to students at the beginning of the course.

Communication Research Methods [MSCN4015] (3 units)
The students will learn basic concepts of research and research methodologies as applied in communication. This course provides an overview of the concepts, methods, and tools by which communication research is designed, conducted, interpreted, and critically evaluated. The primary goals of this course are to help students become a knowledgeable consumer and a limited producer of communication research as they develop skills in gathering, organizing, interpreting and presenting research information using competent and ethically defensible methods.

Media Consumption [MSCN4025] (3 units)
This course explores theories and research on why and how audience consumes media. Students will adopt various approaches to examine media consumption activities in relation to audience needs, desire and identity. Issues and topics will span across traditional to new, local to global media. Key topics will include gender, brand and fashion, popular culture, fandom, political parody and sufferings. Students will reflect on their own media consumption practices and their relation to values, attitudes and identity, as well as engaging with case studies of media uses in Hong Kong/Asia. Upon the completion of the course, the students will be able to reflect their own everyday media consumption activities and make informed consumption choices desirable to them.

Public Opinion and Social Communication [MSCN4035] (3 units)
This course explores the dynamics of public opinion and its forces that shape people’s social attitudes. The course will give an overview about the definitions of public opinion and theories of opinion formation, how public opinion is influenced and how it in turn influences governmental policy, and public opinion in specific issue areas of the changing society. Emphasis will be particularly placed on examining the strategies used by social interest groups to shape audience belief through influencing media and public agenda.

Communication Theory [MSCN4045] (3 units)
This course aims at giving students a broad overview of theoretical development encompassing different levels of communication including interpersonal, group, organization, mass and public communication. Students will also learn to apply and evaluate theories in various communication contexts. Students are encouraged to make ideas relevant to the context of Chinese society and Hong Kong experience in order to build a solid ground to meet changes arising from the increasing social complexity in the discipline of communication.

Media Law [MSCN4055] (3 units)
This course examines the laws, regulations and court decisions affecting the traditional and new media. Topics include defamation, privacy, court reporting, copyright and more. Students will be given the opportunity to analyze and explore a wide spectrum of contemporary court cases in Hong Kong, and the ethical dilemma that journalists and media workers facing in daily life. Special topics about media law in Mainland China will also be included.

New Media Communication [MSCN4065] (3 units)
Through this course, students will acquire a basic understanding of the process and characteristics of, and application in new media communication. The students will be taught to analyze the emergence of using new media in response to the dynamic changes in audience activity and technology. The course will then focus on how various media industry, including journalism, public relations and advertising, transform their media content and delivery on digital media platform. The course will end with providing hands-on experience to the students to produce their own content in digital communication, and with discussing the social and cultural issues encompassing the rise of digital media.

Major Elective Courses (9 units)

Studies in Film and Television Classics [CRWG4055] (3 units)
Classics involve innovations and canons. They not only demonstrate the creative intensity but also the force of shaping the development of subsequent works. This course will survey a number of film and television classics from America, Europe, and Asia created by various auteurs and of various genres. By exploring the definitive and enduring qualities of these “classics”, the course will analyze the cultural and industrial significance of these texts.

Special Topics in Hollywood Cinema [CRWG4155] (3 units)
The course aims to give a comprehensive introduction to Hollywood cinema, examining its cultural and aesthetic significance. By spotlighting some movies within the economic and historical context of their production, circulation, and consumption, it explores and interprets Hollywood cinema in history and in the present, in theory and in practice.

Special Topics in Hong Kong Cinema [CRWG4165] (3 units)
This course aims to address different topics of the Hong Kong Cinema, mainly focusing on the 1970’s to the post 97’ period. Genres, gender issues, and transnational movies will be analysed.

Studies in Non-Fiction Films [CRWG4175] (3 units)
This course will introduce the basic concept and comprehensive historical development of non-fiction films (in this course, we focus on documentary films only, although non-fiction films include avant-garde films, educational films and industrial films, etc.). It introduces students to the fascinating world of documentaries and the intriguing but inspiring relationship between reality and its representation. The aesthetics of realism and documentary as political propaganda will also be discussed and explored.

Media Business Environment [ICMT3125] (3 units)
This course addresses basic issues of the contemporary media business environment from the economic, political, and organizational perspectives. Cases and strategies related to the performance of the traditional and digital media industry in global and local environments will be discussed.

Television and Hong Kong Society [ICMT3185] (3 units)
This course focuses on the study of Hong Kong television and social change, the role of TV in the formation and maintenance of HK cultural identities, and its impact on other media and on the Asian Community. The course explores the Hong Kong TV industry in its socio-historical context, televisual discourses, audience reception, as well as in relation with society from late 50’s to the present. The multi-screen phenomenon and its influence to the TV industry in the digital era will also be discussed.

Financial Literacy [ICMT3245] (3 units)
This course introduces some fundamental principles in financial management for first-time business managers and future investor communication leaders. The instructor will guide students to get familiar with the financial statements, corporate finance practices pertaining to investor communication, and behavioural finance with reference to the Hong Kong investment market. The course shall enhance marketing communication students’ appreciation of financial literacy that ultimately enhance communication decision-making qualities to enhance corporate values in their junior leadership roles.

Strategic Public Relations Management [ICMT4125] (3 units)
ICMT3017 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING
This course aims to equip students with the strategic public relations skillsets required for a young manager. It goes beyond the traditional perspective on public relations executions by emphasizing strategic elements of public relations in the digital era. It focuses on relationship of public relations management to organizational structure, communication functions, and organizational effectiveness. The challenges of the public relations industry with rapid technology advancement in the digital era will also be covered.

Media Ethics [MSCN3065] (3 units)
This course aims at using a critical approach to develop students’ awareness and analytical understanding of ethical issues in the media industry. It combines a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical principles and the philosophies that underlie the application of media ethics, as well as the critical theories that depict politics of representations. Students will use ethical decision-making strategies to analyze cases, develop ethical guidelines for media professional behaviours, as well as evaluate cases critically to offer recommendations for ethical communication.

Children, Elderly and Communication [MSCN3115] (3 units)
This course aims at discussing issues with students regarding media consumption and communication behaviours among children and ageing populations in relations to their well-beings. The course will start with the discussion of theories and approaches that structure our understandings of how children and elderly use media and are influenced by communication acts. The issues discussed will include the use of media, media influence, and the role of media in the daily life of children and the elderly. Students will learn to develop communication programmes suitable for these individuals to enhance their quality of life. The students will also acquire a more macro vision by discussing the policies regarding communication and these two vulnerable groups.

Computer Animation [MSCN3135] (3 units)
The course aims at developing students’ knowledge and skills of motion graphic production. The process of motion graphic production will be introduced from concept, storyboarding, style frames, animation and rendering. Hands-on practices are emphasized for the production of motion graphic video.

Digital Photography [MSCN3155] (3 units)
This course covers the principles and techniques of photography, focusing on digital photography as creative communication. Students will be introduced to the visual language of photography in application of digital camera equipment, formats and editing software. Course content includes both conceptual introduction to the nature and culture of photography and hands-on techniques of photo taking. By the end of the course, students should be able to have in-depth understanding to digital photography and know how to produce good photographs digitally.

Gender and Communication [MSCN3165] (3 units)
This course is designed to introduce a wide range of perspectives about gender and communication. To enhance students’ understanding of gender issues in communication, the course starts with an overview of various theoretical approaches to gender studies, and then investigate how concepts of gender are produced, circulated and consumed by media audiences. The main purpose of the course is to sharpen students’ critical thinking and analytical skills in identifying and discussing the construction, mediation, representation and misrepresentation of gender in the global context of media communication.

Negotiation and Lobbying [MSCN3175] (3 units)
This course is designed to provide the theoretical and practical training to negotiation and conflict management. Emphasis is put on the negotiation workshop approach which will be adopted to provide various simulated exercises to help students apply concepts into practice. The subject will also cover aspects the background and current applications of lobbying as a global industry which thrives wherever democracy is established. The course will be comprised of lectures, class discussions based on readings, class presentations, and viewing and interpreting various texts. The course readings are both practical and theoretical, and while many of them focus on specific case studies, they are intended to provoke thoughtfulness in each student such that it can be applied to a variety of real life situations. Students will also get an opportunity to produce their own presentations.

Communication for Professional Purposes [MSCN3185] (3 units)
This course aims at strengthening students’ practical communication skills and enriching their knowledge of professional communication in social and organizational settings. To help students developing spoken and written communication skills effectively, this course covers a wide range of topics and contents, including the acquisition and practice of communication skills, designing and producing oral presentations, delivering concise written messages, and bridging different communication styles. Using real-world scenarios and case studies, students will be encouraged to participate actively in activities and discussions so as to sharpen their practical communication skills, guide them towards leadership and entrepreneurship, and develop their competencies to acquire personal growth.

Media Practicum [MSCN3195] (3 units)
This course aims to provide students with practical training of media production. The training is designed to further enhance students’ interviewing and writing skills, offer students the basic skills of magazine editing, and enable students to conduct professional integrated application in a simulated editorial environment. This is a practicum course. Under the supervision of the supervisor(s), each student is required to perform reporting and editing duties for a magazine. The team members discuss story ideas, carry out reporting assignments and edit the layout of the magazine for publishing. The supervisor(s) overhaul the entire reporting and editorial process and approve all pages before publishing.

Analytical and Opinion Writing for Chinese Media [MSCN3205] (3 units)
This course introduces students to various forms of analytical, commentary and opinion writing on different media platforms, such as newspapers, magazines, blogs or news websites. Students will learn the principles and techniques of making opinion writing persuasive through building arguments and structuring facts and comments. Through an examination of political, social, public relations or environmental issues, the course helps students to develop both their analytical skills and writing skills for print or online media. As a lot of cases in the local context will be examined and discussed, the medium of instruction is Chinese.

AI and Digital Communication [MSCN3215] (3 units)
This course aims to introduce students to artificial intelligence (AI), guide them to explore cases and applications of AI. In the process, students are expected to understand AI concepts and terms like machine learning, deep learning and neural networks. They will be exposed to various issues and ethical concerns surrounding the ways in which AI is changing the world. The AI applications that students will study include data-driven digital marketing, gaming, media production and search engines. Students will also explore such issues as fake news, algorithm-confounded audience polarization, privacy protection, surveillance society, dampening of news professionalism and widening digital divides. By reflecting on these controversial issues, students are expected to develop an interdisciplinary and critical perspective that helps them make sense of AI’s social, cultural, and political implications in both global and local contexts.

MSC Internship [MSCN3905] (0 units)
All MSC students are encouraged to undertake a non-graded and zero-credit bearing internship. The internship is expected to be either a full-time employment or a media-related professional practice completed during the summer between the third and fourth year of study. The minimum hour of work are 160 hours. Students are required to conform to all requirements set by the Programme Team and their internship employers. Both the employer and the student will have to submit work reports for evaluation purposes after an internship has ended.

Social Media Marketing [MSCN4105] (3 units)
This course examines the use of social media in today’s society and guides students to understand what make successful social media marketing. By the end of the course students should be able to understand why social media matters to social and economic development, to gain the basic skills to appropriate and integrate social media communication strategies, and learn how to measure social media success.

Audio and Video Production for Commercial Purposes [MSCN4115] (3 units)
This course will help students to develop more sophisticated video productions in commercial scenarios, including TVCs, viral advertising, corporate videos and micro-films. Students will learn to create audio and visual contents from conception to completion. Through discussion, in-class exercises and group projects, students will be equipped with knowledge on every aspect of a commercial production.

Data Analysis with Python [MSCN4125] (3 units)
This course is designed for students without programming background to grasp data management and analysis with Python. By learning the programming language and applying it to scaping, managing, analyzing and visualizing data, students will also be familiarized with computational thinking, basic programming concepts, and also developers’ community culture. Students will be guided to take a bridging role between technical and the non-technical media workers. They will be trained to associate the understanding to media practices with data communication by coding. Programming topics include package installation, program execution, data structures, web scraping, interface building, data analysis, and visualization.