Course Code :      CIS 691         
Course Name :     Special Topics (Mass Media Towards Convergence)               
Level:                   Master
Credit Hours :      3 Hrs

Course Description:

The Course will cover the following materials:

The course aims to identify the convergence implications in media. Areas that will be tackled by this course includes: On-line newspapers, digital newspapers and magazines, Radio on the Web, and satellite radio. New content delivery methods such as pod casting, video casting will be discussed. Other topics may include personalization, and interactivity. The course also demonstrates skills related to the way of accessing and consuming mass media on Web and mobile.

Course Objectives:

·    Provide students with a solid introduction to the topic of convergence implications in media.

·    Introduce students to the new contents delivery methods.

·    Provide students with the basic convergence journalism skills.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing this course, the student should demonstrate the knowledge and ability to:

·   Explain the importance of convergence implications in media.
·   Show various kinds of Information delivery methods.
·  Implement some of the learned techniques and concepts related to the way of accessing and consuming mass media on Web and mobile.

Teaching Methods:

The course will be based on the following teaching and learning activities:
·    Lectures covering the theoretical part using Power Point presentations.
·    Review questions and class discussion.
·    Using the Internet to find the recent information related to the course.

Teaching Resources:

Main Text Books:

·  Wilkinson, J.S., Grant, A.E., and Fisher, D.J. (2008). Principles of Convergent Journalism. Oxford University Press.
·  Quinn S. and Filak V. (2005). Convergent Journalism: An Introduction. Focal Press. Elsevier
·   Kenneth C. Laudon Carol Guercio Traver E-commerce business, technology. society. Second Edition, 2004,
     Pearson Education, Inc.
·   Berners-Lee, T, Hendler, J & Lassila, O ‘The semantic web’, Scientific American, May 2001.
·   Jenkins, H (2006), Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide, New Yourk University Press.

 Supplementary Material:

·   Lecture Notes provided by the Instructor.
·   Power Point Presentation Prepared by the Instructor.

 Evaluation Plan:

Students will be evaluated in this course using a combination of assessment methods, including

Written Exams: Mid Term Exam: 20 Marks,  Final Exam: 40 Marks
Assignments :    40 Marks     

Electronic material:

PowerPoint Slides, Exercises, Assignments, Examples, Announcements and Lecture Notes are found on the Instructor Website.

Course Plan: 

Session 1: Introduction to Media Convergence

·    Course Description
·    Information and Information Society
·    Introduction to Mass Media
·    The concept of Convergence ( Definition, and the phenomenon)
·    Media Convergence
·    Historic Channels for Public Information Distribution
·    Media Revenues
·    Media Convergence and its Implications (Audiences, Institutions, Journalism)
·    Online Contents
·    Challenge Facing Online Content Industry
·    Media Industry Structure
·    Online Content Revenue Models
·    Making a Profit from Online Content 

Session 2: The Web and the New Content Delivery Methods

·    Information Overload
·    New Content Delivery Methods
·    Online News Papers
-         Newspaper web sites
-         Online Newspaper Revenue Models
-         Online Newspaper Industry and Convergence
-         Challenges

·    Digital and Online E-Books
-         Background and Definition

-         E-book Audience

-         Advantages and Disadvantages of E-books

-         E-book Industry and Convergence

-         The Effects of Internet Publishing

·     Digital and Online E-Magazines

-         Background and Definition

-         Sample Online Magazine Websites

-         Online Magazine Revenue Models

-         Online Magazine Industry and Convergence

Session 3: Online Entertainment

·    Background and Definition

·    Online Entertainment Technology

·    Entertainment Trends

·    Digital Music

·    Internet Television

·    Online Gaming

·    Online Entertainment Industry

·    Convergence in the Entertainment Industry

·    Nontraditional Online Entertainment

·    Case Study: AOL and Microsoft

Session 4: Mass Media for the Web

·    Mass Media (Definitions and Purpose)

·    Mass Media Communication Channels

·    Internet and Mass Media

·    Web Journalism

·    Traditional News Writing and the Web

·    Telling Your Story through Multiple Media

·    Blogs: Do-It Yourself Journalism

·    Changing Attitudes to Fit the Web

·    Accessing and Consuming Mass Media on Web

·    Four Key Aspects

·    Specific Practices Affected by Convergence

·    Repurposing Content for the Web

·    Six Guides About Presenting Web Content

Session 5: The Convergent Journalism- Essentials and Guidelines

·    What is Journalism

·    Overview of Convergent Journalism

·    Traditional Journalism

·    Technology and Mass Media

·    Actions for Convergent Journalism

·    Guidelines for Broadcasting

·    The Multi-skilled Journalism

·    Gathering Information

·    Writing the Story

·    Motivation for Convergence

·    Internet News

-         Audience Considerations

-         Technical Considerations

-         Aesthetic Considerations

-         Ethical Considerations

-         Computer-Assisted Reporting

-         Elements of Multimedia Storytelling

-         Hyperlinks

-         Adding True Multimedia

-         Archives

-         Measuring Web Audiences

Session 6:  Multimedia for Journalism and Public Relations

·    Multimedia for Journalism

-         Advantages of each Media

-         Covering the News in the Multimedia World

-         Multimedia Skills

-         The Multimedia Process

-         Multimedia Advertising

-         Searching for Advertising Revenues on the Web

·    Multimedia for Public Relations

-         Public Relations in the Digital Age

-         Using Multimedia to Build Relations

-         Using Multimedia to Communicate with Media

-         Using Multimedia to Communicate with Employees

-         Using Multimedia to Communicate with Communities

Session 7: Web 2.0 as a Casting Media

·    Web 1.0

·    What is Web 2.0

·    WEB 2.0 Applications

·    Benefits of Web 2.0

·    Web 2.0 Users

·    The Impact of Web 2.0 on Mass Media

·    Web 2.0 website features

Session 8:  Web 2.0 Converging with Other Emerging Media

·    Blogs

·    Wikis

·    RSS (Rich Site Summary)

·    SMS

·    Examples of Emerging Websites and services

Session 9:  Digital Video Photography and Video Casting

·    Digital Video Photography

-         Photography and Still Images

-         Video-graphy

-         Graphics Design

-         Web Design

-         The Professional Television Camera

-         White and Black Balancing

-         Composing Images for the Screen, Television, and Computer

-         Audio: A Sound Foundation

-         Putting it all together to Tell a Story

-         Story Building

-         Teamwork

-         Get Work

·    Video Casting

-         What is a Video Podcast

-         Video Podcasting Drivers

-         Why Video Podcasting

Session 10: Mass Media and Pod Casting

·    The Convergence of Pod Casting

-         Background and Definition

-         Pod Casting and Audio

-         Subscribe to a Podcast

-         Podcasting Advantages

Session 11: Mass Media on Mobile

·    Writing for Mobile

·    Accessing and Consuming Mass Media on Mobile

·    Mobile video

·    Mobile TV

·    Problems with Broadcast to Mobiles

·    Mobile Technology Options

Session 12: The Semantic Web as a Media Convergent Facilitator

·    The Current Web

·    What is Semantic Web

·    AI and Semantic Web

·    Applications of Semantic Web

·    Semantic Technology

Session 13:  Convergent Journalism and Future Career

·    Overview

·    Evolving Media, Evolving Jobs

·    Cross-Ownership and Global Perspective

·    The Public

·    Sources: Another Social Network

·    Competing Among Media

·    The Multi-skilled Journalist

·    Leveraging Convergent Skill to Get a Job Today

·    Life Planning and Positioning Yourself

·    Finding a Job as a Multi-skilled Journalist

·    Launching and Fine Tuning Your Career

Session 14: The Convergent Media for Education

·      Pod Casting for Education

·      Educational Uses of Podcasting

·      Creating a Podcast

·      iTunes University

·      Educational Podcasts

·      Resources for educational uses

GOOD LUCK !