Fall 2008 Media Electives

One of the club officers in the Media Management Association just sent out an informal list of the Fall 2008 Media-related electives at CBS as well as within the broader university. I hope you find it useful!


Mediaphiles --

Something that seems potentially helpful is a list of the media courses that the B-School is offering, so that you don’t have to search everywhere for them.

Please note – this isn’t an “official” list – just something I threw together based on various resources in hopes of helping other people navigate the bidding process; it’s possible I missed classes or inadvertently left one out that could be deemed media-related; no slight intended. I’ve also added courses from other grad schools that might be helpful. Please see this guide for information on cross-registration.

Please let me know if you have any questions … and I’m willing to bet that professors would also probably welcome questions about the courses.


Media Metrics, Analytics and Economics
Tuesdays (A term)
5:45-9 p.m.
Professors Scott McDonald, David Poltrack, and Horst Stripp

This is a half term course taught by the research heads of CBS, NBC Universal and Conde Nast. This is an updated version of a popular class taught for the last 10 years called “Measuring Media Audiences” and is taught by senior media execs who are on the cutting edge of these issues.

This course analyzes how media companies use audience research both to establish the economic value of media for advertising and to select and develop products. Subjects include methods to collect audience data for the various media (primarily TV, print, Internet, radio); how they are analyzed; the use of data for media planning; program testing and strategic planning; and the impact of digital technologies on audience measurement systems and on the economics of the media marketplace.

Strategic Management of Media
Wednesdays (Full term)
5:45-9 p.m.
Professor Jonathan Knee

The course will be concerned with the economics of strategic behavior as applied to the Media Industry. This course is designed to reinforce and develop student abilities to apply the concepts of industry analysis and game theory to that were introduced in the core course in Business Economics (B6005). The important distinction will be between the nature of content provision on the one hand and distribution on the other. The course will cover telecommunications, digital networks, local theaters, and varieties of retail on the distribution side; and film, program production, books, magazines, newspapers, and databases on the content side. Coursework will be evenly distributed between lectures, cases, and guest speakers.

Communications, Internet and Media (Master Class)
Wednesdays (Full term)
2:15-5:30 p.m.
Professors Robert Atkinson and Eli Noam
Limited to 36 second-year students

The course consists of supervised team projects of students with companies. It begins with weekly lectures on the business dynamics, drivers, technologies, and policy framework of the telecom/internet/media industries. There will be analyses of notable success and failure stories, with the participation of industry insiders, in order to provide teams with a sufficient basis for their consulting assignments. Teams interested in entrepreneurialism will focus on the internet, new media, and content projects. Teams oriented to finance and strategy will work with established telecom and media companies that are trying to adapt to new challenges. In the aggregate, the projects will provide understanding and skills for dealing with management challenges in a sector characterized by rapid change and boom-bust cycles, and to integrate the MBA curriculum with management practice in a feedback loop. Teams will be asked to account for the MBA tools they have utilized in the process. Each consulting team will deliver a report and presentation to senior management at the company, and to their fellow students.

Integrated Communication and New Media (Master Class)
Mondays (Full term)
5:45-9 p.m.
Professor Jeremy Kagan
Limited to 36 second-year students

The Integrated Communication and New Media Master Class will allow students to work with senior executive teams from client companies and their advertising agencies to develop strategic marketing recommendations for integrating new media marketing channels into their advertising, sales, and customer communications channels. The course will be offered in the fall to mesh with the strategic planning cycle of client and agency teams for 2009 brand and company marketing strategies. Students will develop a strategic marketing plan for presentation to client decision-makers integrating new media into corporate and brand strategic marketing plans, including advertising campaigns, customer communications, and brand communities and customer service. The student teams will review the competitive landscape and devise operational recommendations using a variety of interactive channels and new media strategies to reach overall strategic goals and support traditional media buys, “brick and mortar” retail efforts, and customer relationship management (CRM) plans.
Plans will include:
· Interactive advertising plans including search, OLA, social media, branded entertainment, and microsites, etc;
· Customer communications strategies encompassing email, blogs, branded communities, and life cycle management, where appropriate;
· Research and metrics for success recommendations including both primary and secondary research, to ensure success guidelines and a focus on measurable return on investment;
· Thorough reviews of the competitive environment and best-in-class marketing as it applies to the client.

Marketing Arts, Culture and Entertainment
Mondays and Wednesdays (Full term)
9-10:30 a.m.
Professor Joseph Plummer
The course applies the marketing discipline to the Arts, Culture and Entertainment environment. Key areas of focus are

· Similarities/differences between other businesses and the ACE arena

· The discipline of marketing planning in an ACE environment

· Marketing tactical implementation — how to apply marketing in ACE



Other classes of interest:

Developing Strategies for High Tech Firms
Mondays (Full term)
2:15-5:30 p.m.
Professor Raul Katz
The purpose of this seminar is to explore strategy development and implementation, with a specific focus on international high technology industries (e.g., telecommunications, content distribution, software, electronics and semiconductors). Strategy formulation in global high technology industries requires in-depth exploration of sector-specific dynamics with a tailored set of tools to ensure successful implementation. Issues driving complexity range from national/regional markets segmented by different stages of technological development to national regulatory frameworks constraining industry evolution, amplified by the management imperative to achieve competitive advantage in a global world. In other words, the frameworks for industry analysis, the assessment of competitive advantage and the formulation of strategy warrant specific analysis and focus.


Film School:

The Business of Film
Schedule unknown
Professor Unknown
Film R6004 section 001

The Role of the Producer
Professor Ira Deutchman
Schedule unknown
Film R6027 section 001

Journalism School:
No relevant/open courses posted thus far; typically, related fall courses include Media and Contemporary Society and Social Impact of Mass Media

Law School:

Comparative Mass Media Law
Professor Richard Winfield
Wednesdays, 4:10-6 p.m.

Law, Media and Public Policy
Professor Patricia Williams
Tuesdays, 2:10-4 p.m.

Law and Internet Society
Professor Eben Moglen
Thursdays, 4:10-6 p.m.

Law and the Music Industry
Professor Fred Koenigsberg
Mondays, 4:10-6 p.m.

Law and Sports
Professor Robert Kheel
Wednesdays, 4:10-6 p.m.

School of Arts and Sciences:
Mass Media In American Government and Politics
Unknown