The Programme’s Educational Objectives (PEO) of the Communication Studies Programme were formulated to align with the views and/or needs of various stakeholders as well as mission and vision of UNIMAS. The PEO of the programme are to produce:
This is a three-year undergraduate programme where students are given exposure in both theoretical and practical trainings to enable them to handle real-life communication problems in the work place. Grounded within the social sciences framework, the programme offers courses that equip students with knowledge and skills in public relations, journalism, advertising and promotion. Hence our graduates are capable of becoming knowledgeable thinkers and leaders in their chosen profession.
After completing their program of study, our graduates will:
Program prasiswazah selama tiga tahun ini memberikan pendedahan teori dan amali yang membolehkan mereka mengurus permasalahan komunikasi sebenar di tempat kerja. Program berlandaskan kerangka sains sosial ini menawarkan kursus-kursus yang menyediakan pelajar dengan pengetahuan dan kemahiran dalam perhubungan awam, kewartawanan, periklanan dan promosi. Siswazah kami mampu menjadi pemikir dan pemimpin berketrampilan dalam kerjaya pilihan.
Setelah tamat pengajian, siswazah kami berkebolehan:
Courses offered during the three years program are as below:
Year 1
All social science students enrolled in the following courses during their first academic year to provide them with basic social science concepts essential for their development as social science graduates.
This course contextualises the historical development of the social sciences within world civilization. It introduces students to important social science terminology in preparation for the understanding of other courses in the faculty. It also gives students an opportunity to conceptualise and explain social reality through social science perspectives.
The course introduces students to the application of psychological concepts in contemporary society. Main areas of psychology taught in this course are general psychology, developmental, social and abnormal psychology. This also includes key topics such as learning, memory, social communication and motivation which will also be discussed in-depth in order to bring about understanding their relevancy to everyday life and work. Different core psychological domains such as cognition, social, perception and emotion that are fundamental to understanding of human behaviour will be examined.
This is not a conventional history course which deals with events in a chronological order. Instead, it discusses history thematically and exposes the student to the processes of social and historical transformation.
This course highlights in detail the range of academic topics in political science to include theoretical approaches, basic concepts and definition of politics in the context of formal government institutions, power relations, value distribution systems and public policies. In addition, concepts about power, states, sovereignty and political culture will be covered. This course also discusses basic political concepts which later pave the way for constructing debates and discussions of current political affairs. There are four components in this introductory course namely; the field of political science, political institutions, political processes and politics and society. With emphasis on these four areas, it is hoped that students will be able to critically analyse and understand the subject of political science.
This course is divided into three major sections, namely, Section I: Understanding basic economic concepts, principles and theories; Section II: Understanding national and global Economy, and Section III: Analysing social issues from the economic perspective. Section I exposes students to topics related to the definition of economics, some basic economic concepts, principles and theories and their relationship to us. Theories of demand and supply, the application of elasticity concept, as well as different market structures will be discussed in Section I. Section II helps students to relate national economy to their daily lives. Topics covered in this section include measuring a nation?s income, measuring the cost of living, money and banking system, unemployment, foreign exchange, international trade and its importance among nations. Some basic concepts of open-economy macroeconomics as well as economic growth and public policy will also be discussed in Section II. The final section provides students with the opportunity to apply their understanding and knowledge concerning basic economic principles on contemporary social issues that are related to their respective field of study.
Anthropology and sociology are two distinctive disciplines BUT at the same time fundamentally share one common characteristic, that is, the study of human phenomena. More often than not sociology is perceived as the study of human social life in urban societies whereas anthropology is the study of human cultures and rural communities. While sociology is usually perceived to study social behaviors such as juvenile delinquency, family structure and criminal behaviors, anthropology tends to study cultural functions such as the rites of passage, kinship and ritual chastisement.
In this course, the student is expected to understand that anthropology and sociology do not merely give them the academic insight to society but also plays a fundamental role in their lives as they attempt to understand the wider facets of social relationships and experiences. More importantly, introducing anthropology and sociology will hopefully enable the student to critically question what they already know and claim to understand as being part of their society.
This course will discuss the changes in patterns of communication within a society by focusing on the historical transition from traditional communication system, its transformation processes, to its contemporary modern forms. The characteristics of communication that will be focused in this course are human and mass communication. Among the topics that will be discussed will be culture and society, media literacy, general opinion, persuasion, new communication technology and its effects on society, and towards information society.
Societies are not just simply an amorphous mass of people. A society is characterised by differentiation of people into various categories according to social divisions such as gender, ethnicity and class. These divisions form the basis for the distribution of power, status and opportunities. Who we are depends on how and where we fit into society. An understanding of how the intersection of these forces work in the life of an individual is imperative for all students of social sciences.
This course is an introduction to statistical concepts in various fields of the social sciences. The course consists of: (1) Descriptive statistics which cover univariate and multivariate data, probabilities, the normal distribution and variability sampling; (2) Inferential statistics which deal with hypothesis testing, analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear correlation and regression analysis.
Year 2
This course offers an introduction to the various principles, models, theories, and paradigms in the field of communication, which includes verbal and nonverbal communication, intrapersonal and interpersonal communication, group communication, intercultural communication, and mass communication.
Kursus ini adalah berkaitan dengan salah satu aspek sistem komunikasi. Mempelajari media massa amat penting kerana peranan signifikannya dalam masyarakat. Media massa di Malaysia memainkan peranan penting dalam memberitahu, mendidik dan menghiburkan khalayak. Media massa mempengaruhi kepercayaan kita, cita rasa, dan tingkah laku, selain menetapkan agenda sosial, politik, dan budaya. Pelajar akan didedahkan kepada pelbagai bentuk media seperti akhbar, majalah, buku, filem, televisyen, radio, dan internet dengan penekanan khusus diberikan kepada perkembangan dan keadaan, perkembangan, peranan dan cabaran industri media di Malaysia.
The main topics that are covered in this course are definition, characteristics and types of news. The emphasis is given on the ability to write simple news that is comprehensive, clear and interesting. Hence, the students are given intensive training in writing lead, body and heading of the news. At the same time, students are taught on how to conduct interview. Students are also required to be involved in the publication of Madah Samarahan that is specially designed to train students on how to handle newspaper production starting from looking for news, writing the news, forming the editorial team, doing layout, selling space for advertisements and marketing the newspaper.
The purpose of this course is to give students exposure to the techniques of doing research in the social sciences. Various types of research design such as descriptive research, experiments, case studies, correlation studies, and expost facto research will be discussed. Students will be exposed to the various data collection techniques including observation, survey, document analysis, historical data collection, and library research. Data processing and analysis will also be included in the discussion. Students will also get the experience of using computer in data analysis and report writing.
This course examines the philosophical foundation for the creation of knowledge in the social sciences. Students will be exposed to the major school of thoughts concerning social sciences as a science. The course explores the intersection between knowledge, society and culture, and interrogates knowledge production from a social science perspective. Topics that will be included in this course are the theoretical debates in sociology of knowledge, the relationship between empirical knowledge and cultural values or ideologies.
Kursus ini, yang menekankan aspek teori dan praktis, akan membincangkan pelbagai teknik pengucapan awam yang berkesan. Teknik berucap dengan yakin, memilih alat audiovisual, dan teknik menulis ucapan yang berkesan akan diperincikan. Nasihat praktis akan diberi untuk meningkatkan keyakinan pelajar bagi membolehkan mereka berdepan dengan situasi sebenar secara profesional. Antara tajuk yang akan disentuh ialah pelbagai jenis ucapan, menganalisis khalayak, merancang ucapan, menyediakan pendahuluan dan penutup ucapan, jenis penyampaian yang efektif, bahasa badan, penulisan ucapan, dan kuasa bahasa.
This course is divided into a series of effective public relations approaches. Discussions will center on contemporary public relations practices; principles of public relations; basic research both formal and informal; target population or audience analysis; startegic plans for actions; relevant mass media selections and other communication processes needed.
Year 3
A dissertation is a prerequisite to graduate with a Bachelor of Social Sciences.
The course is designed to introduce the students to advertising and marketing foundations and environment. We will discuss how advertising began, and where it fits in today’s marketing mix. Social issues, ethics, regulation, and responsibility are covered.
The students will become familiar with the elements of advertising and marketing such as the consumer audience, segmentation and positioning, research, and strategy. Print, broadcast, and interactive online media are also analyzed. The creative process for print, broadcast and direct response media are discussed, and integrated marketing communication elements – promotions, public relations, and personal selling are also covered.
This course introduces the students to concepts of desktop publishing (DTP), which includes an overview of word processing, graphic and page composition. It familiarizes students to the concepts of layout, message, color, typography, format and components of various publications such as brochures, newsletters, and corporate slides. At the end of the course, students will develop skills that enable them to plan and manage a publication project from conceptualization of ideas, design to production.
This course introduces the students to the concepts and practices of interpersonal communication in two broad parts. Firstly, the basic concepts of interaction among individuals. Students will be introduced to the definitions, functions and ethics of interpersonal communication. Topics on the self and perception in interpersonal communication, listening and responding with empathy, verbal and nonverbal messages, assertiveness and conflicts are also covered in the first part. Secondly, students will be exposed to the more specific contexts of interpersonal communication that are interpersonal relationships of friendship, love, family; conflict; and electronically mediated interpersonal communication.
Media law and policy is concerned with the policies and laws that directly shape how the media operate, that determine the content and channels of expression. The main focus of this course is on the relevant aspect of current legal principles. This course is designed for communication students who anticipate working as professional media practitioners in varied capacities as journalists, editors, writers, broadcast program directors, photojournalists, public relations officers, web site managers, or TV news anchors. Studying media law and policy is important because of their significant roles and influences in the daily operation and decisions of the media and communication industries related to them. The students will be exposed to various acts like Printing Press and Publication Act, Internal Security Act (ISA), Official Secret Act (OSA), Copyright Act, Defamation Act, and other rules concerning routine operation of the media.
It is imperative for social science students living in the developing world to have an understanding of the theories which govern development practices. Development is a controversial term and far from that which has a taken for granted meaning. This course takes students not only through the various theories on development but also introduces feminist critiques to these development theories. An understanding of these critiques is imperative as development is a gendered process.
This course discusses the development and evolution of human communication technologies, focussing on computer-mediated communication and its impacts on individuals, society, business, education, government, and organisations.
Kursus ini terbahagi kepada lima segmen utama iaitu pengenalan kepada kempen perhubungan awam. Ini termasuk menyentuh jens-jenis kempen dan teori dan model yang berkaitan. Seterusnya, segmen penyelidikan kempen di mana melihat kepada kepentingan dan metod yang digunakan. Perancangan kempen merangkumi penentuan sasaran, jadual, belanjawan, tema dan media. Penilaian juga akan disentuh dari segi penilaian positif dan negatif. Di samping itu juga melihat kepada lelebihan dan kelemahan sesuatu kempen yang dijalankan. Akhir sekali, pelaksanaan kempen melihat kepada aktiviti dan teknik penyampaian, pelancaran dan implementasi.
The purpose of this course is to examine intra-organizational communication from the system perspective as a basis for human behavioral interactions within an organizational environment. Lectures will emphasize on, among others, the roles and structures of communication within organization, convergence of organizational theories and communication, basic concepts of conflict resolution and negotiation and external communications.