SOC Centers and Institutes
The Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI), is an innovation lab and research center that creates, studies, and showcases media for social impact. Focusing on independent, documentary and public media, as well as entertainment storytelling, the Center bridges boundaries between scholars, producers, and communication practitioners across media production, media impact, public policy, and audience engagement. The Center produces resources for the field and academic research; convenes conferences and events; and works collaboratively to understand and design media that matter. CMSI is directed by Caty Borum Chattoo and was founded by Patricia Aufderheide in 2001. For more information, go to www.cmsimpact.org.
The Center for Environmental Filmmaking (CEF) was founded on the conviction that films and new media are essential educational and policy tools in the struggle to protect the environment. The center’s mission is to train students to produce films and new media that focus attention on the need to conserve the environment in a way that is effective as well as ethically sound, educationally powerful, and entertaining. The world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, from climate change to species extinction, but powerful images and films can capture our attention and alert millions to the value of protecting the natural world. With the right combination of creative thinking, enthusiasm, practical knowledge, altruism, and a commitment to the natural world, today’s students will become tomorrow’s environmental stewards. For more information, go to www.american.edu/soc/environmental-film/.
The Investigative Reporting Workshop is a nonprofit, professional news organization publishing in-depth stories about government and corporate accountability, from the environment and health to national security and the economy. The Workshop pairs experienced professional reporters with graduate students and co-publishes with mainstream media partners and nonprofit newsrooms, including PBS Frontline and The Washington Post. The Workshop helped develop the American Press Institute’s guiding principles for nonprofit newsrooms.
The AU Foreign Correspondence Network (FCN) provides tools and guidance for students seeking to work overseas. A platform for the study of international news coverage, the FCN is bolstered by AU’s partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. It is maintained by Professor Bill Gentile, former foreign correspondent for United Press International (UPI) and Newsweek magazine. For more information, go to https://foreigncorrespondencenet.wordpress.com.
The American University Game Lab serves as a hub for experiential education, game research and innovative production. The Game Lab educates leaders in this field through a master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts and a graduate certificate program. The Game Lab also operates the Game Studio that works with paying external clients in education, health, social policy, journalism, and a variety of other fields to produce games for non-game contexts. The Game Lab brings together students and faculty from across the institution and is jointly administered by the School of Communication and the College of Arts and Sciences . For more information, go to www.american.edu/gamelab.
Student Opportunities and Programs
Career Development
All students are supported through their stages of career development, which includes learning about personal skills, values and personality; exploring majors and careers; selecting coursework to align with academic and career goals; learning about the internship and job search and application process; successfully completing and learning from internship experiences; and in seeking jobs post-graduation. Many students utilize formal assistance in these areas provided by the AU Career Center as well as more informal assistance from SOC professors.
SOC Dean’s Internship Program
The School of Communication has a distinct advantage among top competitive peer institutions for the experiential learning opportunities offered with our world-class partners. Top students are recommended by faculty for the Dean’s Internship Program. Premiere partners select Dean’s Interns to work with their organizations on substantive, real-world assignments that provide Dean’s Interns with recognition and future pathways to jobs. Dean’s Intern host sites include The Washington Post, NBC, Discovery Communications, NPR, the Smithsonian Institution, and USA Today. For more information, go to www.american.edu/deansinternships.
SOC Alumni Mentor Program
SOC’s Alumni Mentor Program bridges the gap between the classroom and the professional world as students prepare for future careers in the ever-changing field of communication. Each year SOC students who are admitted into the program are paired with top SOC alumni for career advice through a partnership between the School of Communication, AU Career Center, and SOC Development Team. Whether it is helping mentees meet short and long-term career goals, sharing tips to improve resumes and portfolios or helping students network their way into the communication field, professional mentors are an invaluable source of knowledge and experience for students.
SOC Student Ambassadors
The SOC Student Ambassadors are a select group of current undergraduate students in the School of Communication. They provide leadership in recruitment, assist new students in the transition to college, and engage in community building. SOC Student Ambassadors serve under a three-part mission:
(1) To serve as a recruitment team, sharing personal experiences and insights with prospective SOC students;
(2) To serve as mentors for SOC first year and transfer students, aiding in the successful transition to AU and SOC;
(3) To serve as a community building team, bringing together current students in the School of Communication.
SOC Ambassadors are an active and integral part of the community. The Ambassador team coordinates events and activities sponsored by members of our AU, SOC, and communication community in the spirit of celebration, education, and growth. All are welcome to participate in and/or contribute to the creation of activities that celebrate the excellence of the AU School of Communication. More information: www.american.edu/soc/resources/soc-ambassadors.cfm.
Involvement in Student Clubs and Organizations
The School of Communication is committed to creating involvement experiences that engage students through college transitions, traditions, leadership development, and community building opportunities. Engagement both inside and outside of the classroom help students develop life skills that will bring success during the collegiate career and into the future.
Though not officially governed by any academic unit, student-run organizations are an important method of engaging with the AU community outside of the classroom. Involvement in these organizations provides peer support, an opportunity to utilize skills learned in the classroom, personal and professional development, and space to develop the ability to critically evaluate information in order to make good decisions.
Many students in the School of Communication seek out AU Student Media organizations such as The Eagle, ATV, AmLit, and more. Other student organizations popular in the School of Communication include the Public Relations Student Society of American University, AU Association of Black Journalists, Social Media Club, and more. More information: www.american.edu/ocl/universitycenter/.
Study Abroad (AU Abroad)
AU Abroad offers the opportunity for students to study abroad and gain full American University course credit. All students are encouraged to learn and work in another culture. For more information on AU Abroad programs, call 202-885-1320 or 866-313-0757, e-mail auabroad@american.edu or go to: auabroad.american.edu.
Visions Awards
Now more than twenty years old, the School of Communication’s Visions Awards celebrates outstanding visual student work at American University. Students and work from all skill levels receive recognition for the best work in documentary, fiction, digital/new media production, screenwriting, photography and more. More information: www.american.edu/soc/visions/index.cfm.
SOC Professional Partnerships
In The Washington Post Practicum, graduate students selected in a competitive process each spring, spend as long as a year in a class that takes them inside the investigative team of one of the nation’s leading newspapers. Students work along side Post reporters and a Pulitzer Prize-winning SOC faculty member, to learn how to research, write and fact check major investigative stories.
Named Fellowships SOC graduate students may apply for a number of named fellowships.
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