Ethical Communication

Catalog description

The last decade of the 21st Century has ushered in a complicated new era in the history of America and the world. We have learned that there is reality and alternative reality, news and fake news, powerful social media platforms and widely divergent news sources. Important newspapers have folded...but a plethora of podcasts have sprung into being. Platforms such as WhatsApp and LinkedIn have become powerful portals of communication competing with FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. No subject is out of bounds! Billboards are back. In Year Three of the Pandemic we realize that the virtual venues that were once our sole source of connection to one another during lockdown are here to stay; moreover, they create unbounded opportunities for global reach. Promotion is more democratic -- and problematic -- than ever before. How does the 21st rabbi or cantor navigate their way through this brave new landscape? In this course, you will learn how to use old media and new media alike to agitate, motivate and communicate for maximum effectiveness. You will learn the how-to's of successful promotional event planning (think FlashMobs for a cause) and first-person journalism (think Op-Ed). You will know when to spend the big buck on advertising and when to save your shekels. Bring your passions and be prepared to be empowered by The Ten Commandments of 21st Century Communications for Clergy. This course will count toward the Entrepreneurship requirement.