Principles of Social Media
COM 293 - Special Topics
Instructor: Dr. Kathleen Stansberry
Dr. Kathleen Stansberry is an assistant professor of public relations and social media at Cleveland State University. She earned her doctorate in Communication and Society from the University of Oregon in 2012 and her research addresses the intersection of public relations and online communities. She is particularly interested in the ways online publics build trust, develop influence and organize to pursue shared goals. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed academic journals and she frequently speaks on the subject of online influence at professional conferences and industry events. Dr. Stansberry has worked in agency, corporate, and nonprofit public relations, most recently as the online community manager for the International Society for Technology in Education.
Monday Wednesday and Friday from 12:25 - 1:15pm
Course Outline
Course Description:
This course provides students with a thorough understanding of social media as it relates to the tools, history, theories, ethics and practice of communication.
No Pre-requisites/Co-requisites
Course Outline:
This course provides students with an introduction to social media as it relates to the history, theories, ethics and practice of communication. Through lectures, in-class activities, and assignments, students in this class will explore a diverse range of social media forms including blogs, virtual communities, wikis, mobile, and video and photo sharing sites. They will become familiar with basic social media research and analytics programs and understand how social media can be used as part of a strategic communication campaign.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will be able to summarize the history of social media development and the current role social media tools play in the field of communications.
- Students will be able to identify commonly used social media platforms and describe their features.
- Students will be practice responsible, ethical and strategic social media use.
- Students will be able to critically analyze social media communication campaigns to identify best practices.
- Students will demonstrate their mastery of participatory communication through the application of social media tools, theory, and practice in both real world and hypothetical situations.