A communications course could range from information about journalism to instruction in visual and digital aspects of storytelling online. No matter if the communications is in reporting, advertising, public relations or marketing, the gamut of knowledge includes ethics, policies, information technology and even foreign languages. All these topics and more are covered in this list of 50 enlightening open courseware classes on communication.

Journalism

1. BBC Academy: From television to radio, new media and broadcast tech, this site covers the entire spectrum of journalism [BBC].
2. Center for the Study of the Public Domain: This entire site, offered by Duke Law, concentrates on intellectual property unprotected by intellectual property rights and free for all to use or build upon [Center for the Study of the Public Domain].
3. City Council: Learn how to cover a city council meeting through an actual example [City Council].
4. Columbia Interactive: This page offers several seminars and lectures on how to report war, the dilemmas involved in reporting terrorist activities and more [Columbia Interactive].
5. Information Law and Policy: This series of iPod lectures covers copyright and other forms of legal protection for new media [Webcast Berkeley].
6. Journalism: This link leads to a variety of videos about journalism, from genre to gender [Research Channel].
7. News University: This link leads to the list of courses offered at news University. Look for “self-directed courses” which are free [News University].
8. Newsroom 101: Practice exercises in grammar, usage and AP style [Newsroom 101].
9. Processes of Research and Engagement: In this course, students identify issues in educational or other professional settings on which to focus their critical and creative thinking skills [UMass Boston].
10. Text as Property/Property as Text: Learn the difference between collaboration and plagiarism as well as information about ownership, licenses and more [Rice Connexions].
11. The Withering Watchdog: This expose by PBS provides insight into today’s media environment [PBS].
12. Understanding media: the celebrity in the text: How has the media created celebrity status and how does this press influence opinion? [The Open University].

Information Technology

13. Berkman Center for Internet & Society: Explore and understand cyberspace through this site’s offerings [Berkman Center for Internet & Society].
14. Blogs, Wikis, New Media for Learning: This course is designed to help you understand and effectively use a variety of “web 2.0″ technologies [Utah State University].
15. Columbia Interactive: This page contains several topics including interactive tours, a lecture on “Digital Media and Its Implications for Academia and at least 15 more IT learning tools [Columbia Interactive].
16. Computer Applications: This course explores the use of multimedia in communicating information and solving problems [Notre Dame].
17. Computer Sciences: This group of three courses offers information about “Machine Learning,” “Kernel-Based Learning” and an introduction to artificial intelligence [University of California at Irvine].
18. Digital Communications: Learn how fibers link, examine the technology used and assess the future direction of this continually developing area of communication [The Open University].
19. Global Issues in Information Technology: Learn why technologies remain the same across national borders, but how usage and context changes according to cultures and laws [Weber State University].
20. Principles of Digital Communication I: This first course serves as an introduction to the theory and practice behind many of today’s communications systems [MIT].
21. TUlib: How to find and use scientific information: This site provides researchers with methods on finding, using and judging online resources [TUDelft].
22. Understanding Online Interaction: This course is designed to provide an introductory level of understanding of the manner in which individuals interact with one another via the network [Utah State University].
23. Using Internet Communications: This course enhances students’ theoretical understanding of electronic communication and their ability to communicate as professionals using the Internet [UMass Boston].

Visual Communications

24. Art and Technology: Learn about digital technologies and cutting-edge bio-technologies (cloning, genetic engineering) [Capilano University].
25. Blender 3D Design: This course updates and replaces Three-Dimensional Modeling, Animation and Rendering Using Blender 3D Software (2006), previously on Tufts OCW [Tufts].
26. Communication and media studies: Specialists across the UK provide resources for visual communications that range from advertising to publishing [Intute].
27. Data Visualization Theory & Practice: Explore visualization for quantitative data in this course, which uses a variety of software [Utah State University].
28. Designing the user interface: text, color, images, moving images and sound: Why is the way something looks important? [The Open University].
29. Documentary Photography and Photo Journalism: Still Images of A World In Motion: Learn about the photographic documentary tradition [MIT].
30. Creative Online Tutorials: The emphasis is on Photoshop, but other tools are discussed as well as the business end of graphics [The Graphic Reporter].
31. Interactive Multimedia Production: This course uses Flash CS3 (Flash 9)/Actionscript 3.0. You may also be interested in INST 5270, which uses Flash 8/Actionscript 2.0 [Utah State University].
32. Producing Films for Social Change: Learn the basic principles and techniques of video journalism [Tufts].
33. Storytelling for the Web: Storytelling for the Web requires the same journalistic standards as it does for print. Learn more about how to engage in this process [Gannett Online Training].
34. Studio Art: These four courses provide students with a thorough foundation in the fundamentals of visual analysis and creative problem-solving [Capilano University].
35. The Dynamic Word: Textuality and Technology: This course introduces the various ways technology has both influenced and been incorporated into modern literary works [Capilano University].
36. The Elements of Digital Storytelling: Explore this uncharted territory and interact with the site [University of Minnesota].

Languages

37. BBC Languages: This Web site offers beginning and refresher courses and tools for over eight different languages, including Chinese, Greek and Italian [BBC].
38. Creole Language and Culture: This course introduces students to the language of Haitian Kreyòl, or Creole, and to the culture of its speakers [Notre Dame].
39. Creoles, Pidgins and the Evolution of Languages: In this seminar, Salikoko S. Mufwene looks at some of the issues surrounding the evolution of English [Cambridge University Press].
40. eLanguage School: The courses in multiple languages are free, but you must put up with advertising [eLanguage School].
41. First Year Chinese: This course provides an understanding of basic principles of Chinese speaking and written language. When you’re through, move on to the second course [Utah State University].
42. Foreign Languages and Literatures: This list of courses provides a broad selection of language comprehension through literature [MIT].
43. Foreign Language Learning: Learn foreign languages and cultures and engage in interactive learning [Wikiversity].
44. Languages: If you learn best by video, this site offers a wide variety of foreign language lessons [eduFire].
45. Modern languages and area studies: Specialists from across the UK provide the best resources for modern languages at this site [Intute].
46. Skype in Foreign Language Classrooms: This module approaches how to use Skype in a foreign language situation [Rice Connexions].

Other Communications Courses

47. Communication Skills for Academics: This course, primarily, will acquaint you with guidelines that will help you create well-crafted academic communication [MIT].
48. Comparative Media Studies: This list of grad and undergrad open courseware classes provides a variety of material on digital, visual and journalistic genres [MIT].
49. Gender and Media Studies: Women and the Media: This course examines representations of race, class, gender, and sexual identity in the media [MIT].
50. Writing and Humanistic Studies: This list provides a wide variety of courses offered in the writing discipline [MIT].

Tagged as: Advertising, information technology, Journalism, languages, marketing, new media, public domain, Web 2.0 journalism

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