The course covers key theories and perspectives that allow students to analyze digital and social media and how they impact different forms and professions of communication. Emphasis is placed on developing a foundational understanding of social media and its role in professional communication domains (such as public relations, news media, or marketing). Further, the course introduces concrete steps and tools to analyze, plan, implement, and evaluate communication. The course is split in two main parts:

The first part introduces concepts that are foundational to understanding communication in a social media context. This part dives straight into the practice of engaging stakeholders online, using concrete platform examples. Helped by this project exercise students will explore practices and questions around social media use and develop an appreciation for key challenges and intricacies when using social media for professional communication purposes (e.g., related to the need to be visible and relevant, build a follower base and community online, get people engaged, and generate real value through communication).

The second part builds on the prior foundations to provide a broader overview of various interrelated domains of professional communication, including journalism and mass media, public and media relations and marketing communication. Students will learn about the distinct focus, formats, and principles within these professional domains and understand how social media innovations triggers change within and convergence between these domains.