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. The Andersonian also hosts “Raven Watch,” a weekly program that features game highlights as well as news and feature stories about AU teams and athletes.

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 production and distribution platform gives students hands-on experience in storytelling in film, television, and online media. Black Bird Media Lab follows in the strong tradition of Covenant Productions and shares its name with a film festival held each year to showcase student and alumni filmmakers.

Fifth Street Communications®

This student-powered public relations agency seeks to support the education of Anderson University students and uplift area non-profits. To write for the agency, students must be upper-division public relations majors. Each client is matched with a Fifth Street Communications® associate who serves on an account manager’s team. The agency emphasizes creativity, integrity, and excellence. It develops leaders for the public relations industry and is a relied-upon communication resource for non-profits in the area.