Special topic courses are new or emerging classes offered for three credit hours during a regular academic session - fall, spring or summer semesters.
Register in MyRed and learn more at https://journalism.unl.edu/special-topics.
Social Media and the Digital Landscape
Social Media continues to transform and disrupt our digital world on a daily basis. A million new social media users are born every day and on average, people around the world spend 15 hours a week on social media. This course introduces students to the idea of social influence and how social media trends are changing the way information flows into our society. Through Socratic-based discussions, students will explore the impact of social media on global political and social change movements.
Preferred pre-requisites: Students will be required to critically, think, analyze and write at an advanced level so at least an introductory writing course is recommended, for example: English 150/151, ADPR 221, JOUR 200A or JOUR 200B.
Faculty: Jemalyn Griffin
Analyzing and visualizing political data
This course will give students the technical skills and subject expertise to sort through the mounds of polling, campaign contribution and campaign expenditures data that are produced by an election cycle. We will talk about both the FEC-mandated disclosures required of candidates, and other ways to get data on their Facebook and television advertising buys. Over the course of the democratic primary season, as states hold their primaries, we will also work on processing and visualizing those results.There is also a possibility of a field trip to a polling station either for the Iowa caucuses which are early in the semester, or during the Nebraska Democratic primary which is toward the end of the semester.
Faculty: Olga Pierce
Investigating Climate Change
Apply to be a part of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications' award-winning Depth Reporting program during Spring semester 2020 where you will explore the Earth's changing climate and what it means for our future.Telling this story will require an energetic team of writers, photographers, videographers, graphic artists, social media managers, web designers and data researchers. It will also require an additional group of students whose passion and fervor for the project will help make for a better world. Undergraduate and graduate majors from all UNL colleges are encouraged to apply.
Faculty: Joe Starita