This core unit of study analyses corporate communication strategy selection in organisations to determine effectiveness. Students examine the strategic intent of a national or international corporation by studying its corporate communication tactics, specifically its annual reports and other marketing collateral. The unit will equip students to determine the effectiveness of the organisation's communication with stakeholders and strategic publics including customers, employees, environmental groups, governments and shareholders.

The unit will examine how organisations use public relations (PR) to deal with crisis situations. Throughout the unit we will use case studies to explore frameworks, risk prioritisation, issues management, planning, response and evaluation strategies for diverse organisations and topics from environmental and corporate to health and social.

This unit of study analyses and examines the convergence of public relations, advertising and political consulting in the history of political campaigning. The unit's objectives are to demonstrate an understanding of the relationships that exist in the political process between politicians, the media and public relations. It develops student skills specific to the delivery of political public relations and political campaigns. Its focus is the process of professionalisation and internationalisation of electioneering and campaign practices in media-centred democracies.

This unit analyses the relationship between professional communication and public opinion. It focuses on theories of influence and persuasion in the context of the development of policy, and how these are reflected in the public sphere. It develops the notion of the public sphere as represented by Habermas, Fraser, Schudson and others, focusing in particular on the transformation of the public sphere in terms of postmodern public relations.

From the ban on 'Supertrawlers' to investigating the 'live baiting' of greyhounds, modern public policy addresses contemporary issues in ways that mobilise or mitigate public sentiment. Understanding policymaking increasingly depends on analysing how the emotionality of a topic and the salience of an issue create penalties for actors and may influence policy responses. This unit focuses on the way emotional issues rise on the political agenda and can lead to short-term policy responses

This unit focuses on the nature of public policy and the processes by which it is produced. Relevant issues are common to all nation states, although they take specific forms in each individual country. First, the unit takes an overview of public policy - dealing with basic themes such as 'What is policy?' through to different approaches to understanding the policy process. These include policy cycles, rationality, interest groups, institutions, and socio-economic interests. Second, it maps out and examines the main components of public policy making: actors, institutions and policy instruments. Third, it focuses on aspects of policy-making processes which often attract a high level of attention from analysts. These include problem definition, agenda setting, decision-taking, policy implementation, policy evaluation and crisis policy-making. Fourth, it examines wider issues in terms of the state and who ultimately holds power over the making and shaping of public policy. Finally, it examines the 'bigger pictures' of long term policy trends, and the extent to which national policy making capacities and processes have been affected by globalisation. Assessments offer a large element of flexibility, allowing students to concentrate on areas of particular interest.

Based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) this unit introduces the end-to-end project management lifecycle. Students learn how to select appropriate projects based on their alignment with an organisation's strategy and then how to manage those projects successfully from initiation through execution to completion. The unit covers the essential components of effective project management and how to apply them in an integrated manner. The unit also explores both the technical and behavioural aspects of project management - including Microsoft Project - and students gain experience in critically analysing the application of concepts in specific project contexts. As organisations increasingly structure their activities on a project basis, the unit is of value to a range of discipline specialisations. The unit can also contribute to achievement of internationally recognised accreditation from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

This unit provides an overview of the business process architecture and life cycle from a management perspective. It provides a detailed understanding of the concepts, strategies, tools and technologies required for modelling, analysis, design, improvement, integration, performance measurement and governance of business processes (both intra- and inter-enterprise) in any organisational and/or value chain context and relevant industry standards. The unit also develops practical skills in modelling, redesigning and improving business processes using various business process management software tools/suites.

This core unit introduces students to news writing skills required by print media, including the elements of journalistic style, the structure of news stories, interviewing, researching, news gathering and editing skills. The unit of study focuses on journalistic news writing but will also be useful to anyone seeking to work in fields that require professional communication skills, such as public relations and communication management, or corporate roles that require strong writing ability.

Dealing with the Media provides students with practical experience in seeking media coverage for a specific issue on behalf of a non-profit organisation. It requires students to research, design, present, implement and evaluate a communication strategy, and to develop key tactical elements including media releases for distribution across multi-media platforms.

MECO6902 will introduce students to key legal and ethical issues relevant to journalism and the professional fields of public communication. Students will be given an introductory survey of the main ethical theories in Western thought to establish a framework within which to examine specific ethical issues that relate to media systems. They will also be introduced to the structure of Australia's legal system in comparison with other legal systems, and explore selected law, regulation and policy issues.

Effective communication of financial and business information stems from an understanding of how corporations should communicate and the environment in which they operate. This course links public relations theory with the practice areas of financial communication and investor relations. It combines an understanding of how investment markets work from a communications perspective with how to communicate with key stakeholders such as the media, investment community, shareholders and consumers of financial products.

This unit introduces key concepts in health communication. Students will explore micro- and macro-level theories of health (behaviour) communication that inform the design and implementation of health communication campaigns, planned and unplanned effects of communication campaigns, and the evaluation of such campaigns. It aims to give students a critical and practical understanding of theory and research concerning the role of communication in health promotion efforts.

This unit of study introduces students to the theory and practice of international media. It considers variation among international media practice by studying media institutions, occupations, contents and audiences across the world, including China, India, USA, Europe, Africa, Australia and the Middle-East. Students will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of international media practice and to develop knowledge and skills that will assist them in facing the challenges of the global media work environment.

This unit of study introduces key concepts in organisational communication. Students will explore various structures of organisations and how those structures affect the flow of communication within workplaces. Upon the completion of the unit, students will develop their understanding of key concepts in organisational communication and apply them to analyse communication problems in organisations. Students will also be able to offer well-grounded criticism on selected organisational issues.

Publication design focuses on the design and production of magazines and other small-scale publications in print and online form. The unit of study explores the visual language of contemporary magazines and introduces students to basic design principles. Students learn about the complex interplay of text, image and sequence occurring in magazine design through the practical experience of creating their own publication using Adobe InDesign software. The unit links creative design processes to current digital and print practice.

Social Marketing integrates marketing concepts with other approaches to influence behaviours that benefit individuals and communities. Examples include smoking cessation, HIV prevention and recycling. Key elements include research, theory, competition and segmentation. This unit builds students' knowledge of how social marketing can be used to facilitate behaviour change and improve social outcomes, including health, environment, economic and education programs. It will include how to design, manage and communicate social and behaviour change programs in Australia and internationally.

This unit introduces the fundamentals of strategic social media use for professional and organisational communication, media practice and cultural production. It aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills to become competent, ethical social media communicators and to critically analyse social media forms, services and cultures. Students will explore online, mobile and locative platforms for interacting with audiences, publics and online communities, including professional networks.

Interviewing covers a range of styles from the performative to the investigative and is a fundamental skill for media work and much scholarly research. This unit will introduce students to interview research, design and practice for both media and academic outlets. Students will examine best practice examples of a range of interview approaches and techniques, as well as delivering a substantial interview project.

This unit will develop students' knowledge of key research methods used in media, communications and digital cultures research. Students will be introduced to a range of research techniques and methods, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods, and will have the opportunity to reflect critically on these methods through practitioner presentations and directed discussion. The assessment tasks will help students develop their skills to design and undertake a supervised research dissertation and enhance their abilities as researchers and practitioners.

This unit gives students an advanced understanding of the foundational traditions in communications, media, and digital cultures. It relates these traditions to contemporary innovations, rethinking ideas to grasp current and future media and communications forms, practices, structures, and meanings. The unit features detailed reading and analysis of key ideas, texts, thinkers, and contexts.

Podcasting is a relatively new genre of audio production, distribution and consumption with its own aesthetics and values. In this unit students will learn to produce documentary-style audio stories, learning practical skills necessary for working in radio and producing podcasts for various media industries.

This unit will provide an analysis of theories and practices of citizenship rights in Australia, other Anglophone countries and European countries in the 20th and 21st centuries. It will examine the relationships between different modes of citizenship, claims for rights and the formation of social movements with regard to the women's movement, Indigenous movements (where applicable) and movements concerned with migration, ethnic diversity and multiculturalism. Analyses will focus on the processes, content and outcomes of social movement advocacy.

This elective is designed for International postgraduates who are new to study in an English language university. It supports the development of study, research, and critical thinking abilities, spoken English and academic language. Knowledge acquired in this unit will strengthen written and spoken English to help meet the standards necessary for successful completion of FASS Masters by coursework degrees. It is recommended that this elective be taken during the first semester.

This elective supports development of skills in critical analysis, writing in different genres, research, presentation, and developing individual scholarly 'voice'. While valuable for all commencing postgraduates, it is of particular benefit to those returning to academia after an extended break, or for International students wishing to orient themselves to local standards of practice for academic communication. This unit is structured to have additional seminars and lectures early in the semester and fewer later in the semester so students have the opportunity to apply new skills to all their coursework. The unit is ideally taken in the first semester of study.

This unit introduces theories of professional writing with a specific focus on composing in the workplace. Students will develop abilities in analysing, writing, revising, and delivering workplace texts, both print and multimedia. By examining and discussing a range of actual workplace documents, from emails to websites, students will gain a broader understanding of the rhetorical principles and ethical responsibilities inherent in professional writing practice. They will improve their ability to negotiate the relationships, tensions, and politics that influence workplace writing contexts.

This unit introduces practical techniques for editing workplace documents for increased clarity and effectiveness. Applying theories and principles of visual rhetoric, students will learn how to improve the readability and reception of workplace texts according to audience conventions and expectations. By analysing actual workplace documents, students will develop their critical reading abilities and gain a better understanding of how to edit texts for word economy, improved design and layout, and inclusive language. Editing print texts for digital or oral presentation will also be emphasised.

This unit requires students to commence the conduct of their own research projects under the supervision of a member of staff and write a dissertation of 12000 words (completed in the second semester of enrolment in MECO6905). In some cases these projects will give students the opportunity to extend lines of enquiry suggested by units of study already completed for the degree. In other cases, students may have an interest in an area not covered by the coursework programs offered during their candidature that can be developed as a supervised project.

This unit requires completion of a dissertation of 12000 words, begun in the previous semester. Together with MECO6904, the unit allows students to conduct their own research projects under the supervision of a member of staff.

This capstone unit of study offers Master degree students in the Department of Media and Communications (MECO) 20 days (140 hours) work experience in roles relating to their degree. Internships require critical reflection on professional practice and foster skills, knowledge and experience that enhance employment prospects. Placements may include reporting, editing, producing, designing, researching, publishing, public and media relations, campaigns, and other tasks. Available to MECO Master students only, following the completion of at least two core units of study.

This capstone unit is designed for students¿ final semester of study, providing them with the opportunity to apply learning from their degree to the completion of a researched project relevant to their career goals. Working with the coordinator, students choose an academic essay, industry report, media campaign or journalism project. Learning is supported by training in literature reviewing and data collection, research methods, project planning and independent consultations.