Approaches to Communication offers a wide range overview of major theories and models in communication and embraces a series of selected case studies of the emergence, impact and social shaping of different communication and media technologies through history and into the future.

This unit introduces students to forms and theories of writing as processes of communication. Students will work with processes of writing in creative, stylistic and rhetorical contexts. Students will be introduced to theories and practices of creativity, rhetorical analysis and human communication. Areas studied include writing as a communication technology, fiction writing, rhetorical and analytic approaches to writing, writing as affect and expression.

This unit will provide an introduction to film and media theories, practices and industries in Australia and internationally. It will develop critical skills in assessing a variety of moving images, modes of production and audience responses.

In this unit students gain a grounding in the key areas of advertising and the steps in the advertising process, viz. research, strategy, creative (copywriting & art direction), production, account service, media planning and marketing communication. Students are also introduced to the issues surrounding advertising and its role in society.

This unit introduces students to processes of design. It examines how knowledges may be formed through visual design processes and how visual design reveals knowledges. It also introduces students to basic visual literacies, current design applications and production processes.

This unit aims to introduce the underlying rationale of the modern research process in professional communication settings including electronic database searches, critically reviewing research literature, data collection and analysis, writing the research report, and research ethics.

This unit introduces the student to the theory and research that serves as the foundation of the practice of public relations. The unit surveys the history of the discipline, the theories on which the discipline is based, and current models of practice. The unit focuses on understanding how to research and analyse the opinions of organisational publics in order to develop mutually beneficial relationships with those publics. The contemporary practice of public relations requires an understanding of a broad range of social science theory and research and the ability to incorporate that knowledge in the solution of public relations problems.

The unit introduces students to the field of journalism, the concept of news, the role of the journalist and the professional skills of news gathering and news writing. The unit also considers the legal and ethical obstacles and obligations faced by journalists.

This unit gives students a thorough understanding of the legal framework in which the communication industries operate and the ethical context of decision-making in the media professions. It covers the basics of contempt and defamation law; copyright; advertising; promotions and public relations; the legal framework for electronic communication using the internet and email; issues in the regulation and control of print, broadcast and electronic media and the professional codes of ethics that apply in all fields of communication practice.

This unit is a survey of the marketing process, introducing students to the marketing concept, strategic and marketing planning, marketing research, consumer and customer behaviour, issues of market segmentation, targeting and positioning as well as all the elements of the marketing mix (product/service, pricing, distribution and marketing communication strategies).

Advertising: Strategy is a dynamic practice-oriented course designed to teach students how to interrogate and analyse clients, brands, products, markets, and audiences, in order to develop effective advertising strategies. Through discussion topics and project-based work, students will gain an understanding of the importance of brand personality and positioning, 'selling' propositions, and how to write an advertising brief capable of generating successful campaigns. (Note: for students considering 'Advertising: Strategy' as an elective: this unit has a quota on enrolments. Priority will be given to Public Relations majors taking 'Advertising: Strategy' as an elective, as the unit is relevant to a career in Public Relations. After that priority will be given to other Bachelor of Communication and Bachelor of Design students).

This is a practice-oriented unit designed to teach students how to conceive and produce original and effective advertising to meet strategic goals. From interpretation of a brief, to creating and evaluating concepts, and presenting campaigns, the course aims to mirror real processes within the advertising industry. Note: for students considering 'Advertising: Creative' as an elective: priority will be given to Graphic Design and Media Production students taking 'Advertising: Creative' as an elective, as the unit is also relevant to a career in these disciplines. After that priority will be given to other Bachelor of Communication and Bachelor of Design students.

The convergences and diversifications in the communications media industries of the past two decades have completely altered the environment within which they operate for producers and consumers alike. Issues about digitalisation, convergence, globalisation, the network society and communications media governance require a complete reconceptualisation of the media in order to be able to understand the impact of these changes upon professional practices and consumer habits. This unit will introduce students to international perspectives on issues in the new media contexts, and an appreciation of some of the social and cultural implications.

A focus on the consumer is critical in marketing philosophy. Effective marketing strategies are necessarily formulated as a result of the understanding of basic consumer behaviour. This unit covers assumptions and concepts related to understanding the consumer, including but not limited to cultural and ethnic values, social class and status, personal influence, family and household influences, situational influences, consumer resources, involvement, motivation and knowledge, attitudes, individual differences in behaviour, personality, values and lifestyle, information processing, learning, influencing attitudes, diagnosis of decision process and behaviour, consumer decision-making process and need recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase and its outcomes, retailing and consumer trends, market segmentation, diffusion of innovations, global consumer markets, consumerism and social responsibility.

This is a practice-oriented unit designed to teach students how to conceive and produce original and effective advertising to meet strategic goals. From interpretation of a brief, to creating and evaluating concepts, and presenting campaigns, the course aims to mirror real processes within the advertising industry. Note: for students considering 'Advertising: Creative' as an elective: priority will be given to Graphic Design and Media Production students taking 'Advertising: Creative' as an elective, as the unit is also relevant to a career in these disciplines. After that priority will be given to other Bachelor of Communication and Bachelor of Design students.

Advertising: Strategy is a dynamic practice-oriented course designed to teach students how to interrogate and analyse clients, brands, products, markets, and audiences, in order to develop effective advertising strategies. Through discussion topics and project-based work, students will gain an understanding of the importance of brand personality and positioning, 'selling' propositions, and how to write an advertising brief capable of generating successful campaigns. (Note: for students considering 'Advertising: Strategy' as an elective: this unit has a quota on enrolments. Priority will be given to Public Relations majors taking 'Advertising: Strategy' as an elective, as the unit is relevant to a career in Public Relations. After that priority will be given to other Bachelor of Communication and Bachelor of Design students).

Media images are not transparent windows on the world, or direct forms of communication, but are “framed” presentations that mirror social values and cultural attitudes. Media do not present reality directly but re-present aspects of “the real” in communicating about us and our world/s. This unit will examine how media do not just inform us, but persuade us, how they influence, educate and entertain us. It will develop skills in analysing and critiquing how the media can make us think, feel, react.

This unit introduces each of the key areas of advertising (which includes media). This unit examines media planning in more depth: media terms, media objectives, the pros and cons of different media (advertising and marketing communications), use of consumer insight in planning, measures of performance, buying, creativity in planning, integrating marketing communication with advertising, maximising effectiveness, and media plans.

Writing for the Professions studies various forms of writing that are used extensively in professional contexts and examines how these texts work from the perspective of the reader and the professional context in which they are used. Students will gain knowledge and skills in elements of professional writing style and text production processes including researching, audience analysis and editing. They will also be introduced to a range of complimentary theories and issues of writing such as rhetoric and persuasion, plain English, text layout and design, readability, influence of culture and the impact of various computer technologies on the processes of writing and reading.

Researching Media Audiences (RMA) interrogates the changing nature of, and altered perspectives on, audiences and publics. Set in the context of emerging technologies of the self, the unit traverses media theory from the Frankfurt School to high-structuralist and postmodern approaches such as the ‘uses and gratification model’ and ‘ethnographic research’. Through an examination of mass audience, community, and markets, the unit also examines categories of public / audience consciousness and media typologies. There is reflection on news values and Australia’s regulatory framework for media is reviewed. As part of a broader consideration of active (rather than reactive) audiences, RMA investigates the formation and behaviour of ‘fandoms’ and the unit also reviews means and mechanisms for audience valuation.

In this unit students apply what they’ve learnt in previous units and develop an extensive promotional campaign. Students draw on their understanding of research, strategy, creative, media and marketing. They are required to work within a limited budget and to realistic industry timelines. The end product is a campaign they can include in their portfolio. (As well as Advertising majors, the unit is appropriate for Writing, Design, Public Relations, Media Production and Marketing students about to enter the work force.)

This unit provides students with the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they are developing during their studies to tasks within a workplace (the host organisation). The unit is likely to involve substantial contact with the public through workplace placements and, for this reason, it is deemed a professional placement. The unit is restricted to students in their third year of study (or part time equivalent).

For most of the twentieth century it was accepted that the Arts and associated creative practices should be publicly funded while the entertainment and information industries would be commercially funded through sponsorships, bequests or advertising. Since the mid 1970s, however, the assumption that the Arts pursue 'quality' while the commercial media are pitched at the lowest common denominator has been strongly challenged. This unit charts the cultural practices that characterised this division and the impact on them of Creative Industries policies that seek to minimise public investment in the Arts while promoting the benefits of a digital media based knowledge economy. The unit maps the terrain of the creative industries as they adjust to expectations that they maximise collective (as opposed to individual) creative potential though interactivity, networking, customisation and the establishment of collaborative enterprises.

This unit is intended to provide students with an opportunity to reflectively consider a conceptual position for their work, and to articulate this in a professional and contemporary context. Students reflect backwards through a mini exegesis that locates their work in theory and contemporary practice, and reflect forwards through a Exegesis for their future professional conduct.

This unit introduces communication and design students to working professionally and creatively with a 'client' or agency. Various processes and methods of working are explored through workshops, discussions, and project work. Students are introduced to the 'brief' as a tool in project development. Students work with guest clients and professionals, and explore a variety of approaches to developing project outcomes.

Students will develop supervised self-directed project work. Students typically develop their own brief/project from proposal to production over two semesters. Students will work in teams and link up with an external mentor. These teams are intended to provide a supportive peer environment for each student.

This unit introduces communication and design students to working professionally and creatively with a 'client' or agency. Various processes and methods of working are explored through workshops, discussions, and project work. Students are introduced to the 'brief' as a tool in project development. Students work with guest clients and professionals, and explore a variety of approaches to developing project outcomes.

Students will develop supervised self-directed project work. Students typically develop their own brief/project from proposal to production over two semesters. Students will work in teams and link up with an external mentor. These teams are intended to provide a supportive peer environment for each student.

Research in communication arts utilises a range of investigative procedures appropriate to the theory and practice of each creative discipline. This unit will introduce fundamental research languages, methods and outcomes relevant to the communication arts disciplines, and encourage students to develop approaches best suited to their theory and practice. Students will write and defend a research proposal and paper for a research program; the unit will enable students to apply a rigorous research framework to their work. Students will engage with a range of significant and critical texts which address broad implications of practices and theories in creative disciplines.

This unit provides training in practical applications of research in the communication arts. Students delineate project-based research topics in their fields. Students may produce research papers, or focus on projects involving creative practical works with accompanying documentation. Students will work in class and with their supervisor, to propose and create an artistic presentation with comprehensive documentation (including theoretical underpinnings), or propose and submit a research paper. These will include literature surveys or works reviews that demonstrate the students' knowledge of their areas of specialisation. Participation in Research Seminars will give students an opportunity to present work for feedback and critique.

These are major projects undertaken by fourth-year Honours students in the School of Communication Arts. They are substantial projects of individual research, in theoretical and/or practical areas, with topics decided in consultation with Supervisors and the Honours Course Advisor. The major projects provide opportunities for students to undertake research projects under academic supervision. Students develop detailed and sophisticated understandings, knowledge of research skills, writing practices, and analysis through production of original work. Major research projects in Communication Arts take two forms: 1) an academic research paper (thesis), 2) a substantial body of creative practical work with accompanying exegesis and documentation.