CA364 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT Course Syllabus - Wall, Bekah

Term
Fall 2026
Section
M1
Course Delivery
ln person­[FTF]
Class Program
Credits 4.00
This course examines the changing landscape of communications, as influenced by social media. Students will explore transformations within the public relations and journalism fields directly and indirectly caused by social media. A significant portion of the course will focus on message design, message dissemination, message reception, evaluation, market research and theory, all related to participatory media.
Prerequisites

Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details

Meeting Days:
Tuesday/Thursday
Meeting Times:
2:40-4:10 PM
Location:
RCC101A
Delivery Details

This course examines the changing landscape of communications, as influenced by social media. Students will explore transformations within the public relations and journalism fields directly and indirectly caused by social media. Class will focus on message design, message dissemination, message reception, evaluation, market research and theory, all related to participatory media. Prerequisites: CA231 or CA233

Contact Information

Instructor:
Wall, Bekah
Instructor Email:
bekah.wall@wilmington.edu
Office Location:
RCC105
Phone Number
937-481-2407, 937-728-2874
Office Hours:
T/TR by appointment
Course Materials

Textbook: Social Media Strategy
Edition: 3rd 
ISBN: 1538138174
Author: Keith A Quesenberry
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Instructor's Course Objectives

1. Understand the use of social media as a method for communicating to mass audiences
2. Integrate social media models, platforms and techniques into an overall communications strategy
3. Evaluate the effect(s) of social media on an audience
4. Implement and manage a social media campaign 

Course Schedule

Week

TUESDAYTHURSDAY

1 Week of Aug 24

8/25 Syllabus; discussion of takeover calendar; personal headline, broadcasting v. narrowcasting, target audience8/27 Creating a content calendar/content creation based on takeover businesses / pitching content to a stakeholder

2 Week of Aug 31

9/1 Brand archetypes; Seth Godin on tribes; storytelling (storycorps); Intro to Canva CH1 QUIZ9/3 Canva lab/classroom brainstorm on businesses for social media takeover

3 Week of Sep 7

9/8 FB Dilemma 1 & 2 - Round Table Discussion after each section QUIZ @ Home CH29/10 FB Dilemma 1 & 2 - Round Table Discussion after each section 

4 Week of Sep 14

9/15  Simon Sinek on Why; introduction to WC Brand Guidelines (and the brands that didn’t stick) CH3 QUIZ ONLINE ONLY9/17 Guest speaker Josh McGee, Senior Social Media Strategist for Luxid US Q&A before Stakeholder meetings TAKEOVERS BEGIN/PREP FOR STAKEHOLDER MTG.

5 Week of Sep 21

9/22 LAB- content calendar creation, macro and micro due September 24 to give to stakeholders/Blackboard9/24 First F2F Stakeholder meetings First set of Content Calendars, sample graphics, and word banks due

6 Week of Sep 28

9/29  Social Media Crisis Simulation Lab: Hypothetical social media crisis scenario and devise a crisis management plan- how to continue building a brand through crisis CH4 QUIZ10/1 Emerging Trends in Social Media: Staying up-to-date with the latest developments, tech, and trends to maintain an edge Podcasting basics; Buzzfeed and Reddit explore; Crowdsourcing defined; exploring Google Trends; what is the “Public Sphere?”

7 Week of Oct 5

10/6  Westheimer Peace Symposium CH5 QUIZ ONLINE ONLY10/8 Creating a successful ad campaign Analysis of social media platforms and connecting with an audience /Digging deeper into SWOT

8 Week of Oct 12

10/13 Faculty In-service Day- No classes. Stakeholder calendar due EOD instead of F2F class CH6-7 QUIZ10/15 Guest speaker Alexis Haines, Communications & Marketing Coordinator with Miamisburg Parks and Rec

9 Week of Oct 19

10/20 Social Listening- how to monitor conversations and mentions of your brand on social to gain insights, respond to feedback, and improve Community management and engagement CH8 QUIZ10/22 Video project introduced- students can pick their topic to present on the 27th

10 Week of Oct 26

10/27 Video project presentations 10/29 Adaptability and Flexibility- how to rise above the noise on social media for your business. Explore new social platforms where your community might be. How do you make your community follow your CTA

11 Week of Nov 2

11/3 Social Media Ethics and Legal Considerations privacy concerns and legal aspects of using social for marketing

CH9-10 QUIZ

11/5 No F2F class- online lecture and exercises on blackboard. 

Social Media Management Tools Review- research and review different social media management tools, features, pros, and cons

12 Week of Nov 9

11/10 Collaboration and Networking building relationships with influencers, partners, and other brands to expand your reach and engage with a broader audience CH11-12 QUIZ11/12 NO F2F CLASS--ON YOUR OWN: Concentrate on your business this week- Finish your content calendars for November and contact your stakeholder - Stakeholder calendar will be your attendance grade

13 Week of Nov 16

11/17 Social Media Policy Development in class project to create a social media policy for an organization, outline guidelines for employees’ social media usage and protecting the brand reputation CH13 QUIZ11/19 Content Creation and Curation techniques for engaging and creating shareable content- how to find content from other sources

14 Week of Nov 23

11/24 Insights and analytics-using and presenting your analytics CH14-15 QUIZ11/26 THANKSGIVING BREAK

15 Week of Nov 30

12/1 Presentations12/3 Presentations 

16 Week of Dec 7

12/8 Final Social Media Plan Case Study due 12/10 @ 5:00 PM LAST DAY OF CLASS12/10 Final Social Media Plan Case Study due 12/10 @ 5:00 PM (12/10 Study Day, no class)

17 Week of Dec 14

Final Class Survey Final social media presentations/ final exam week Final Class Survey Final social media presentations/ final exam week
Course Assignments

 

Major Assignments (Graded) 

 
Weekly Textbook Exercises140 points
Takeover Preplan Presentation30 points 
Social Media Takeover Assignment 10 points 
Final Social Media Plan 40 points
Final Social Media Presentation/Exam20 points 
Attendance10 points 

TOTAL POINTS

250 points
Course Final Exam
December 15th from 3:15 PM- 5:15 PM
Evaluation of Work

Students will be evaluated via performance indicators applied to a variety of assignments, quizzes and tests designed to evaluate students’ mastery of course concepts. 

A = above 89% 

B = 80 – 89% 

C = 70 – 79% 

D = 60 – 69% 

F = below 60% 

All late work will be returned to students with no grade (zero) for that assignment. Students are instructed to request an extension for any assignment that cannot be completed by deadline. Requests must come in person (face-to-face) and at least 48 hours prior to the start of the class during which the assignment is due.

Instructor Course Policies

Instructor's Course Attendance Policy

Attendance is required. Attendance will be taken randomly. Students missing from class will lose 3 points from their attendance grade. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences. 

Instructor's Academic Integrity Policy

Academic misconduct will not be tolerated in the classroom. Failure to follow the aforementioned classroom policies may result in additional academic penalties as determined by the instructor and/or by the Office of Academic Affairs. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences.

Fall 2026 Exam Schedule

Institutional and Program-Level Policies

Final Exam Schedule
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.

Undergraduate:  FA26 Final Exam Schedule    

 

Out-of-class Work Expectation

A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week.

Instructional Course Delivery                                                                                                            

Definition of Courses

Academic Integrity Policy

The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions.

Academic Integrity Policy

Class Attendance Policy                              

Institutional Class Attendance Policy