Approaches to Communications 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 Level 2 unit will help you understand the public sphere as an intermediary between society and politics both as a communication and social system. You will learn to distinguish between various structures, roles and processes of public opinion as a product of communication and competition between social forces and interests powerful enough to set leading agendas, themes, social issues, frames, cultural packages, contents, feelings and other symbolic elements constituting the public opinion. You will be able to analyse critically the public opinion industry and evaluate the currently emerging and transforming public spheres in regard of their democratic virtues and vices.

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.

This unit maps contemporary communications media industries, institutions, government regulatory agencies and policy contexts. Through case studies of existing and emerging communications media industry forms and practices, (including cinema, radio, television, the internet and mobile telephony) the unit critically examines the wider communication environment, and its processes of production, distribution and consumption. The unit analyses transformations in contemporary communications, including key trends: digitalisation and new media technologies; industry, product and service, and regulatory convergence; deregulation/marketization, transforming industry structures and global patterns in media ownership.

This unit develops to a greater extent the theories and practices presented in Public Relations Theory and Practice. It establishes an understanding of the relationship between the client and professional and uses a variety of resources to achieve strategic outcomes.

This unit covers flow and transmission views; theory and research in organisational communication; the major theorists; internal and external factors affecting organisational communication techniques; problems in organisational communication; communication skills in organisations and communication audits.

This unit explores visual thinking in communications and design contexts, including the persuasive and expressive uses of visual design and media images. It draws upon design theory and media analysis to explore visualisation and to build a multimodal view of mediated communications in the light of new converged visual forms of digital media. The unit explores the move for communications from critique to design, from critical scrutiny of media texts to the design tasks of setting future aims and uncovering the means and resources for achieving them. The unit will foster an applied understanding of how multiple representational forms can be combined and remade to generate new forms of meaning.

Politcal Public Relations examines the convergence of public relations, advertising and political consulting in marking a new chapter in the history of political campaigns. The central topic is the ongoing process of professionalisation and internationalisation of electioneering and campaign practices in media-centred democracies. It examines comparatively the diffusion theory of directional convergence processes and the modernist theory of fragmentation of the public sphere and its associated structural change. The study of professional norms and standards of political consultants - the new power elite - is relatively new, requiring us to adopt a historicist perspective in order to evaluate contemporary political public relations.

The study of events promotion has emerged as a distinctive academic focus in response to the worldwide growth of events as a public relations activity. Events represent a unique form of service product development to satisfy diverse publics including consumers (residents and/or tourists), government, community and cultural groups, media and business sponsors or financiers. Accordingly, the study of events promotion is valuable for students of public relations as events increasingly serve a mainstream pubilc relations role for both public and private sector bodies. Students will learn the strategies necessary to host a viable event and learn how important the events are to the practice of public relations.

This unit investigates a range of specialised activities within the public relations discipline exploring this range of specialised public relations functions from the perspective of contemporary public relations theory. A range of perspectives provides thoughtful and challenging approaches to the work of a public relations practitioner.

The study of audiences is the study of people in interaction with media technologies. The term 'audience research' came into vogue at the dawn of the era of broadcasting, when it was used to refer to research designed to reveal the 'invisible' audience clustered by the domestic radio set. This unit tells the ongoing story of our developing understanding of audiences, the research strategies and methods used to reveal their 'hidden' activities, and the part they play in a continuously evolving democratic process. The unit documents the shift from broadcast to interactive media and the new approaches to research that are designed to address audience interactivity in increasingly complex media and urban environments.

This unit should only be taken by students studying the Public Relations majors only. Key aspects of the public relations management process are learned from the consulting role adopted by students. This unit provides the opportunity to link and apply theoretical understanding with writing, planning and presentation skills gained during the public relations sequence, in response to a client brief. The real life situation allows students to demonstrate their capacity for problem analysis and to develop appropriate and timely program solutions. Assignments enable students to demonstrate their capacity to develop a public relations campaign and prepare themselves for a public relations position, either in an in-house or consultancy role.

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). In addition to the following points, prospective students must submit an application for entry (see below). It is the responsibility of students to nominate suitable workplaces. Students must provide adequate details of the placement they have been able to organise. You will need to do your own canvassing and arrange a suitable workplace on your own behalf. While, on occasion, academic staff may help you find a placement through contacts with employers, as well as offers from employers seeking students, you should not rely on anyone but yourself to arrange a suitable work placement. You will need to: find a suitable placement; discuss your choice with the course coordinator (phone or email); complete the workplace agreement form.

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.