Communication & design arts blackbird media lab

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DEPARTMENT Of communication & design arts

We help students make the journey from being merely consumers of media to being skilled and thoughtful storytellers, content creators and designers in a range of professional areas. The Department of Communication & Design Arts offers programs of study in:

Students encounter a curriculum focusing on theory and practice, and their academic work is complemented by hands-on experiences with Fifth Street Communications®, the Andersonian, and Black Bird Media Lab.

Students also may choose a minor in cinema and media arts, communication, event planning and management, journalism, public relations, and visual communication design. A complete list of minors in the School of Humanities and Behavioral Science is available here.

Getting involved

The Andersonian

Founded in 1947 as the student newspaper of Anderson University, the Andersonian now does student journalism via an online platform that includes traditional reporting as well as newscasts and audio pieces. The weekly newscast, sponsored by the Folgate Agency, features news and sports headlines and has led to national and statewide recognition through the College Media Association, the Indiana Collegiate Press Association, the Sports Video Group and the Indiana chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Paid staff positions offer students a chance to develop their reporting, writing, editing, design, photography, leadership and management skills. Newscasts are a joint production of majors in journalism and cinema and media arts. Andersonian staff members provide editorial content, while the technical elements are handled by students in the Department’s production and distribution platform known as Black Bird Media Lab.

Black Bird Media Lab

This is the production and distribution platform for cinema and media arts students as they gain storytelling experience in film, television, and online media. Following in the strong tradition of the Department’s former production company, Covenant Productions, Black Bird Media Lab shares its name with an annual film festival that showcases the work of student and alumni filmmakers.

Fifth Street Communications®

This student-powered public relations agency enhances the professional preparation of public relations majors by supporting
area non-profts with a variety of complimentary communication services. Each semester, non-proft client organizations are
matched with an upper-division PR major who serves as an account manager and oversees the work of other students on the
client’s behalf. The team develops strategy and content with respect to media relations, websites, publications, event planning
and social media. Fifth Street Communications emphasizes creativity, integrity and excellence as it develops future leaders for
the PR industry.