Communications and Media - Freshmen

Course # MDIA 1211

Credits 6

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: None

Course Description

This course introduces the skills and knowledge needed to be effective storytellers and to develop impactful narratives in a culturally relevant manner.  The key historical, economic, technical and cultural developments are examined to gain an understanding of the evolution of English writing for media. The fundamentals of writing clarity, an eye for criticality, an awareness of audience as well as the importance of a proper structure, and format are key elements of the course.  This course will introduce students to the basic skills and knowledge needed to write for newspapers, magazines as well as for a range of digital media. The competencies gained in this course will be useful for all the production courses, but especially Media Production (Text) and Specialised Media Labs (Text).

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to: 

• Describe a brief history of media in English and relate it to the Central Asian context
• Identify key rules of writing for publication
• Discuss the various forms of writing used in mainstream media
• Identify the key components of professional interviewing techniques
• Demonstrate, through practical exercises, the basic differences in writing for different short and longform formats, including print, sound and screen.
• Describe how writing for media is evolving in digital environments

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # HUSS 1241

Credits 4

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: None                           

Course description

The course aims to provide students with the ability to communicate in Kyrgyz language on the Beginner level and to develop students’ sociocultural competence through studies of Kyrgyz culture. Students learn to conduct conversations in the Kyrgyz community. Students practice and apply language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the Beginner level.

Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon the completion of the course students will be able to:

• understand short, simple questions and statements, provided they are delivered slowly and clearly and accompanied by visuals or manual gestures to support understanding and repeated if necessary.
• recognize every day, familiar words/signs, provided they are delivered clearly and slowly in a clearly defined, familiar everyday context.
• recognise numbers, prices, dates and days of the week, provided they are delivered slowly and clearly in a defined, familiar everyday context.
• understand very short, simple texts a single phrase at a time, picking up familiar names, words and basic phrases and rereading as required.
• produce simple, mainly isolated phrases about people and places.
• give information about matters of personal relevance (e.g. likes and dislikes, family, pets) using simple words/signs and basic expressions.
• produce simple isolated phrases and sentences.
• interact in a simple way but communication is totally dependent on repetition at a slower rate, rephrasing and repair.
• ask and answer simple questions, initiate and respond to simple statements in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.
• ask for or pass on personal details.
• use basic information about Kyrgyz culture, nation, and speech etiquette to achieve mutual understanding with representatives of Kyrgyz culture

Course assessment and Grading

Course # HUSS 1242

Credits 4

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: None                   

Course description

In this course students will acquire Kyrgyz language on elementary level and familiarize themselves with an overview over Kyrgyz culture. Upon this course students will be able to conduct basic conversations in the Kyrgyz community. Students practice and apply language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the Elementary level. Relevant information about Kyrgyz culture will be shared.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of the course students will be able to:

• understand enough to be able to meet needs of a concrete type, provided people articulate clearly and slowly.
• understand phrases and expressions related to areas of most immediate priority (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment), provided people articulate clearly and slowly
• understand short, simple texts on familiar matters of a concrete type which consist of high frequency every day or job-related language.
• understand short, simple texts containing the highest frequency vocabulary, including a proportion of shared international vocabulary items.
• give a simple description or presentation of people, living or working conditions, daily routines. likes/ dislikes, etc. as a short series of simple phrases and sentences linked into a list.
• Can produce a series of simple phrases and sentences linked with simple connectors like “and”, “but” and “because”.
• interact with reasonable ease in structured situations and short conversations, provided the other person helps if necessary.
• manage simple, routine exchanges without undue effort; can ask and answer questions and exchange ideas and information on familiar topics in predictable everyday situations.
• communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters to do with work and free time.
• handle very short social exchanges but is rarely able to understand enough to keep conversation going of their own accord
• compose short, simple formulaic notes relating to matters in areas of immediate need.
• use information about Kyrgyz culture, nation, speech etiquette to achieve mutual understanding with Kyrgyz culture bearers

Course assessment and Grading 

Course # 1243

Credits 4

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: None

Course description:

The course aims at developing and refining students’ language skills to take part in relatively complex conversations and exchanges that evidence their expanded and refined listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students practice and apply language skills in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the Upper Intermediate Level. The course offers relevant information about making business in Kyrgyzstan; Kyrgyz values, culture and traditions; Kyrgyz literature and proverbs and famous sayings of Kyrgyz thinkers, writers and poets.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of the course students will be able to:

• understand straightforward factual information about common every day or job-related topics, identifying both general messages and specific details, provided people articulate clearly in a generally familiar variety.
• understand the main points made in clear standard language or a familiar variety on familiar matters regularly encountered at work, school, leisure, etc., including short narratives.
• read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, and using appropriate reference sources selectively. Has a broad active reading vocabulary but may experience some difficulty with low-frequency idioms.
• give clear, systematically developed descriptions and presentations, with appropriate highlighting of significant points, and relevant supporting detail.
• give clear, detailed descriptions and presentations on a wide range of subjects related to their field of interest, expanding and supporting ideas with subsidiary points and relevant examples.
• produce clear, detailed texts on a variety of subjects related to their field of interest, synthesizing and evaluating information and arguments from a number of sources.
• use the language fluently, accurately and effectively on a wide range of general, academic, vocational or leisure topics, marking clearly the relationships between ideas.
• communicate spontaneously with good grammatical control without much sign of having to restrict what they want to say, adopting a level of formality appropriate to the circumstances.
• interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction, and sustained relationships with users of the target language, quite possible without imposing strain on either party.
• highlight the personal significance of events and experiences, and account for and sustain views clearly by providing relevant explanations and arguments.
• express news and views effectively in writing and relate to those of others.
• use information about Kyrgyz culture, nation, speech etiquette to achieve mutual understanding with representatives of Kyrgyz culture.

Course assessment and Grading 

Course # HUSS 1232 

Credits 2

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: None

Course Description 

This course offers students a comprehensive introduction to Kyrgyzstan's geography. By examining the country's physical and human geography in detail, students will gain insight into the unique features of the country’s landscape, climate, biodiversity, and geographical landmarks and resources. 

Utilizing primary sources, maps, and visual aids, students will learn fundamental geographic concepts and theories that have significantly shaped and continue to influence the field of Kyrgyzstan's geography and its associated subdisciplines. 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 

• Develop a thorough understanding of Kyrgyzstan's geography, including its notable landmarks, climatic patterns, and natural characteristics. 
• Critically analyze various forms of information presented in lectures and seminars, enhancing their comprehension of geographical processes and socio-economic dynamics. 
• Interpret and evaluate various geographical sources, including historical and contemporary maps, photographs, and other visual materials. 
• Through these objectives, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of Kyrgyzstan's geographical characteristics and its broader significance within the field of geography.

Course Assessments and Grading 

Course # HUSS 2042

Credits 6

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: None

Course Description

The course aims to introduce students to the sociological study of society. This introductory course of sociology studies and analyzes social interactions and relationships, social and cultural institutions, and societal change patterns. This course examines the key theoretical and methodological techniques used in sociology to address a variety of themes, including culture, kinship, class, race/ethnicity, gender, education, norms and deviances, social changes and so forth through a sociological perspective. This course provides students with an intellectual opportunity to explore and analyze the self, others, and society, and to reflect on their own position within social structures, preparing them to understand, design, and adapt to future societal norms. In addition, the course will particularly focus on critical assessment of construction of power and inequality created by mass media with an emphasis on images, contents and context as presented by mass media.  Students address issues of culture, socialization and the role of media, inequality, and reality as a social construction through a combination of readings, seminar discussions, visual sociological activities, and research projects. Lastly, this course will enable students to also study the digitalization of human society, examining how human behavior and society is shaped by algorithms and technologies (technology fetishism) rapidly influencing larger social systems.

Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to: 

• Identify basic sociological concepts and major theoretical perspectives.
• Describe key aspects of the social history of human societies and processes of socialization.
• Demonstrate sociological imagination by recognizing connections between individual experiences and broader social structures
• Identify and describe basic sociological research methods used to study contemporary and historical social issues.
• Communicate ideas effectively in diverse peer groups and participate collaboratively in group-based activities.

Course Assessments and Grading 

Course # DMNS 1213

Credits 3

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: None

Course Description

This course is designed for undergraduate students majoring in Communication and Media and other non-technical fields. It focuses on practical statistics and data analysis skills that are directly applicable to real-world contexts such as media research, audience analysis, surveys, digital platforms, and social trends. The course emphasizes learning statistics through hands-on practice, rather than abstract theory.

Students will work extensively in Microsoft Excel, using both built-in statistical functions and simple Python programming within Excel to analyze and visualize data. No prior programming experience is required. The course prepares students to handle real datasets, interpret numerical and graphical information, and make data-informed decisions they are likely to encounter in professional environments after graduation.

By the end of the course, students will develop statistical literacy and practical problem-solving skills that support their academic work, future careers, and informed participation in society. 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to: 

• Interpret and evaluate conclusions drawn from statistical and quantitative information commonly used in media and communication contexts.
• Apply appropriate statistical methods and computational tools in Excel and Python to analyze real-world data efficiently.
• Explain how statistical analysis supports decision-making and problem-solving in professional and societal settings.
• Use formulas, functions, and basic algorithms to summarize and analyze datasets.
• Create and interpret tables, charts, and graphical representations to communicate data insights clearly.
• Analyze datasets by calculating descriptive statistics and visualizing patterns to draw meaningful and practical conclusions.

Course Assessments and Grading 

Course # MDIA 2072

Credits 6

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: Media Literacy

Course Description 

This course explores the notion of audience and the ways in which consumption of media guides and shapes its production. Beginning with the genealogy of the character of the audience, students are introduced to theories, concepts, and ideologies in relation to political, economic, and socio-cultural paradigms to analyse the underlying principles of meaning reception and interpretation by audiences. There will be an emphasis on the role of the citizen communicators by examining emerging social discourses and media technologies and institutions through which civic agency in the forms of participation and advocacy are structured and find expression. Not only how media messages are perceived and understood at the theoretical level, but also how they may lead to changes in the social and political behaviour of the consumers. Through creative practices and media experimentation, students learn how to develop concepts and scenarios and apply analytical techniques in response to real cases for the intended impact and change and the skills of critical thinking, reflective practice, and constructive collaboration with peers.

Course Learning Outcomes  

Upon the completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Map the current trends to key historical moments in the evolution of contemporary media audiences.
• Analyse and contextually evaluate the critical perspectives in media audience behaviour and research.
• Examine audience environments, develop concepts, and ideate scenarios that can ensure impacts and changes for the better.
• Define their own conviction and discursive position in relation to emerging audience identities and activities.

Course Assessments and Gradings  

Course # HUSS 1082

Credits 0

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: None

Course description

The purpose of physical education is to strengthen health and develop the physical and mental abilities of students. Physical exercises and sports games are the way to a powerful and functional body, clear mind and strong spirit. The course is both practical and theoretical, it covers basic concepts of anatomy and physiology as well as health and safety requirements.  

Course learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to: 

• Perform a range of physical activities
• Understand health and safety requirements for a range of physical activities
• Describe the role and progress of sport in Central Asia
• Chose an appropriate physical activities programme for their age and gender
• Identify tiredness and its symptoms to control the body during athletic exercises
• Describe the technique of running for a long and a short distance and jumping
• Accomplish running for a short and a long distance and jumping according to all necessary norms
• Describe the rules of a range of sports games

Course Assessments and Grading

The course will be graded with PASS/FAIL.

Course # COOP 1001

Credits 3