The Research in Media Communications course introduces students to the theories and practices used for research in media communications. Students will compare research methodologies and communication theories while learning to differentiate between topics of study. Students will conduct qualitative and quantitative research through the development of basic data-gathering tools, literature review creation and analysis, and data visualization. Students will also be introduced to basic search engine optimization (SEO) methods, using analytics and data analysis to drive choices that maximize audience and customer response.