Courses

This course takes a communication-based approach to key workplace processes that operate in the shadows (e.g., violence, wrongdoing, harassment) and what are called hidden organizations (e.g., terrorist cells, informal economy, secret societies).

 Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the various problematic practices in organizations and the destructive forms of communication typically associated with them.
• Diagnose dark/problematic communication in organizations and make recommendations for addressing such problems.
• Recognize types of and examples of dark organizations based on the characteristics that determine a dark organization.
• Discuss the (in)effectiveness and (in)appropriateness of organizations and organizational practices that can be described as dark/hidden.

The student negotiates or gains a work placement of approximately 50 to 150 hours. The internship provides supervised professional work experience in a corporate, research, or educational setting, where there is opportunity to apply and further develop knowledge and skills acquired in the Information Technology and Informatics course work.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Gain knowledge and experience of working as an information technology professional.
• Develop skills of negotiating job placements.
• Analyze work opportunities in terms of goals, responsibilities, tasks, outputs, and performance indicators.
• Apply knowledge and technical competencies acquired within the major.
• Analyze workplace survival and success mechanisms.
• Develop workplace problem-solving skills.
• Evaluate workplace experiences.
• Write a resume for the workplace.
• Develop an understanding the importance of professionalism and continuing professional development in information technology environments.

What is a promotional culture? Bringing together elements of media studies, visual culture, critical branding/marketing studies, and consumer culture, this course is designed to provide advanced undergraduate students with analytical tools to understand the extent to which promotional language, communication, and habits suffuse our everyday lives.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Analyze media content and industries.
• Differentiate promotional language from editorial content, opinion, and argument.
• Connect theoretical and critical perspectives on promotional culture to real-world examples and practices.