Section
Communication Studies

COURSE Descriptions

CommunicationsCOM 104  Introduction to Communication: Relational Communication     3
An introduction to the study of human communication. The nature of communication, how it works and the role it plays in human social relations is introduced and applied to the major contexts of communication: interpersonal, small group, and organizations.

COM 105  Introduction to Communication: Mass Media     3
Introduces students to the study of contemporary forms of mass mediated communication. The course surveys the main topics in the field of media studies and introduces students to a variety of analytical perspectives. Issues include the economic, political, and social contexts of media production; the roles that media products and industries play in the lives of individuals and societies; and the global significance of new media technologies.

COM 108  Media as Profession    3
This course introduces students to the structure, functions, routines, conventions, and challenges that form the complex professional landscape of the mass media industries. 

COM 120  Public Speaking     3
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of public speaking. Students are encouraged to think critically about situation and audience analysis, methods of speech organization, the uses of different types of supporting material, and the effective use of visual aids. Students will learn how to write and deliver effective informative, persuasive, and ceremonial speeches.

COM 201  Interpersonal Communication     3
This course presents the theories, skills, and competencies required to establish and support healthy, ongoing interpersonal relationships. Prerequisite: COM 104

COM 203  Group Communication and Leadership     3
The focus of this course is on the theories and skills related to the initiation, development and effective conduct of task-focused small groups. The theory and skills of leadership appropriate to small task groups is also emphasized. Prerequisite: COM 104, COM 201 recommended or permission of instructor.

COM 215  Writing for Media     3
This course is an introduction to writing for radio and television, in which students will practice writing radio news, television news, and public service announcements, as well as developing documentary and fiction television programs.  We will concentrate on appropriate writing style, basic writing formats, and writing terminology for broadcast media, as well as on creative development of broadcast programming, both fictional and nonfictional. Prerequisites: COM 105, COM 108.

CommunicationsCOM 220 The Art of Film     3
An academic film appreciation course intended to enhance students’understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of movies. It aims to familiarize students with the history of an art form, as well as with the complex combination of techniques and technologies that make the art form powerful. As a secondary critical approach, students will consider the economic and sociological aspects of film, including what it means to say that a movie is a “cultural artifact” and what position film occupies in contemporary popular culture. Prerequisite: COM 105 is recommended.

COM 221  Public Relations     3
An introduction to the theory and practices of public relations and its role in influencing attitudes and actions of both internal and external publics to businesses or other complex social organizations. The course includes analysis of the policies and actions of organizations with respect to public attitudes and the development of communication programs intended to affect public attitudes. Prerequisite: COM 215.

COM 222  Analysis of Argument/Discourse     3
The study of argumentation as applied to public and mediated discourse. Topics include: patterns of reasoning, identification and analysis of fallacies, types of supporting evidence, presentation and refutation of cases. Specific topics for analysis will be taken from contemporary discussions of political, social, and economic issues.

COM 240  Persuasion     3
Persuasion is the study of the theories and strategies that affect the attitudes, beliefs, values, and practices of others. This course analyzes strategies of persuasion found in a wide variety of public discourse. The objective is to increase skill in critically analyzing persuasive communication.

COM 260  Intercultural Communication     3
This course explores theories of communication and culture and examines how culture is evident in language, behaviors, and worldviews. Students learn to examine and describe their own cultural heritage and develop the communication skills required for effective communication within multicultural contexts. Prerequisite: COM 104.

COM 280  Introduction to Communication Theory     3
An introductory survey of the history, utilization and value of various theories that inform explanations of the nature and dynamics of communication across contexts.  The nature of theory, its role in shaping scholarship within a discipline, and the results of research that follow from such theories are the focus of the course.  Prerequisites: COM 104, COM 105.

COM 285  Introduction to Research Methods     3
A survey of the research methods employed in the study of communication and its effects.  Emphasis is on the assumptions by which various methodological approaches rest, the appropriateness of various methods in the study of communication behavior and effects, the nature of data and data analysis, and the design of appropriate studies. Students will learn to read published research and design studies appropriate to particular research questions common in the study of communication. Prerequisite: COM 104; COM 280 is strongly recommended.

COM 290  Rhetorical Theory – Classical to Middle Ages     3
This course covers the origins and evolution of rhetorical theory in western civilization through a critical examination of the surviving texts of historical figures from Gorgias to Robert of Basevorn. Prerequisite: COM 104, COM 105 or permission of instructor.

COM 295  Rhetorical Theory – Renaissance to the Present     3
This course covers the evolution of rhetorical theory in western civilization through a critical examination of the surviving texts of historical figures from Erasmus and Peter Ramus to 20th century theorists like Kenneth Burke, Richard Weaver, and Michel Foucault. Prerequisite: COM 290.

COM 300  Rhetorical Criticism     3
Rhetoric is concerned with efforts to influence the beliefs, attitudes, values and practices of others through discourse.  While the public address has been the form most often studied for its effectiveness to influence individuals and societies, other forms of discourse are also important.  This course studies the methods of analysis and evaluation of rhetorical discourse and texts in a society or culture. Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor.

COM 303  Organizational Communication     3
Complex organizations are created and sustained through communication.  This course analyzes the communication that occurs within such organizations and considers how it is shaped because of the organization or acts to influence or affect organizational practices. Prerequisite: COM 201 or permission of instructor.

COM 304  Family Communication    3
This course is designed to explore communication phenomena within the family setting. The goal is to help students understand how, through communication, we develop, maintain, enhance or disturb, family relationships. Prerequisite: COM 201 or permission of instructor.

COM 305  Mass Media in the Lives of Young People     3
For 100 years, adults have expressed anxiety about the effects of the electronic mass media on children. This course examines both the media effects literature and various theoretical alternatives, as well as numerous scholarly case studies, in order to construct a nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between media and youth. Prerequisite: COM 105.

COM 315  Communication and Technology     3
An inquiry into the great revolutions in human communication-literacy, typology, and the electronic media. This course examines the complex relationships between a culture and its dominant modes of mass-mediated communication.  Prerequisite: COM 105, COM 280.

COM 321  Public Relations Case Studies     3
This course invites students to study the strategies and effectiveness of public relations case incidents. The focus is on the levels of professional practice and product as well as issues of values and ethics. Prerequisite: COM 221.

COM 322  Mass Media and Cultural Studies     3
The mass media provide materials out of which we forge our identities, including gender and ethnic identities. This course examines media and identity using a multiperspectival approach, analyzing the production and political economy of culture, media texts, the audience reception of those texts, and their potential effects. Prerequisite: COM 105.

COM 325  Advertising Communication     3
The course focuses on the economic and social effects of advertising, the organization and practices of the advertising industry, the nature of advertising campaigns, and the creation of message product. Course also focuses on analysis of the implications, effectiveness, and ethics of advertising content and campaigns.  Prerequisite: COM 215.

COM 340  Conflict Management and Mediation     3
This course presents the theory and practice of conflict management and the mediation processes utilized to address conflict in interpersonal, family, group, organizational and other contexts where conflict occurs. Recommended for juniors and seniors.

COM 345  Media Theory     3
This course presents advanced theories of media and society and applies these theories to the analysis of media practice and products. Theories of media’s role in society, the effects of media and its content on social structure and behavior, and perspectives on media ethics are the primary focus. Prerequisite: COM 105, COM 280.

COM 370 Political Communication     3
An analysis of the types and distribution of discourse related to political campaigns and advocacy on public issues. This course analyzes the role of media in the presentation and interpretation of political discourse and the shaping of public opinion and acceptance that may result. Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor.

COM 390  Seminar I: Advanced Research Methods     3
The purpose of the culminating senior experience in Communication Studies is to provide students an opportunity to think critically about the discipline. In Seminar I, we will focus on: developing a topic area and research questions; reviewing relevant literature; and proposing data collection procedures. Prerequisite: COM 280, COM 285.

COM 402  Advanced Rhetorical Criticism     3
This course is the culminating experience in the Rhetoric Concentration. The course will focus on the application of rhetorical theory and critical thinking skills in the service of writing a major essay of rhetorical criticism. Prerequisite: COM 300.

COM 425  Training and Development     3
A seminar course in improving organizational communication through training and human resource development. Students will read widely in the scholarship of training and human resource development and will create and deliver an original training session. Prerequisite: COM 303 or permission of instructor.

COM 435  Health Communication     3
This course connects students to the health communication field’s fundamental principles. These include an overview of health communication practices, its societal impact, and the tools one can use to reach a diverse audience. Prerequisite: COM 201 or permission of instructor.

COM 440  Mediation     3
This seminar course deals with methods of third party intervention with an emphasis on mediation and facilitation. The course takes an academic approach to the study of mediation but includes practical applications and experiences. The course initially addresses mediation theory. Following that, the course focuses on mediation in specialized settings. Prerequisite: COM 340 or permission of instructor.

COM 490  Seminar II: Thesis     3
In this capstone course, students will analyze primary data collected as a result of the work done in COM 390, draw conclusions, and provide a discussion related to research questions. Each student will present her/his research in a formal, public colloquium. Prerequisite: COM 390.

COM 495  Internship     2-12
A supervised internship in an off-campus organization that is communication oriented, e.g., advertising or public relations firm, corporate training, consulting, motion picture company, radio station. The student must provide his or her own transportation, consult with his or her off-campus supervisor, and file reports on the experience with his or her on-campus advisor.  May be taken more than once, provided that the total hours do not exceed twelve. Does not count toward the minor in communication.  Prerequisites: COM 104, COM 105, COM 120, COM 280, COM 285 and junior standing with minimum major G.P.A. of 3.0.