COMM 1307 (COMM 1307) Introduction to Mass Communication (3-0). A survey and analysis of the history, regulations, scope, social implications, and problems of electronic mass media, including radio, television and news media.
COMM 1310 Fundamentals of Communication (3-0). Introductory communication course focusing on oral communication theory and skills needed by game and communication designers. Course emphasizes team work utilizing the SCRUM technique, interviewing, concept pitching and oral reports that would be found in the gaming and communication design industries.
COMM 1315 (SPCH 1315) Public Speaking (3-0). This course is designed to develop effective skills in public speaking, critical thinking, research, writing, and conscientious listening. Topics will include cultural conventions of speech, perceptions of others, verbal and nonverbal messages, and techniques of informative and persuasive speech presentation. Students will learn how to research, outline, and deliver short, informal presentations as well as longer speeches.
COMM 1318 (SPCH 1318) Interpersonal Communication (3-0). An introductory course designed to raise student awareness of the complexity and power of the communication process in daily life; to provide students with personally relevant concepts of interpersonal communication; and to help students develop their interpersonal communication skills. Prerequisite: COMM 1311
COMM 1320 (SPCH 1321) Business and Professional Communication (3-0). This course focuses on multiple modes of communication in business, government, industrial, and not-for-profit or service organizations ranging from routine messages, memos, and email to letters and professional presentations. Course highlights persuasion as a key component of all business and professional messages. It will include an analysis of the organizational structures of the workplace as well as job-oriented interviewing from the standpoint of the employer and employees. Meets oral communication requirement.
COMM 1325 Introduction to Film Studies (3-0). This course focuses on viewing films as literature and promotes understanding the ‘story within the story’. It serves as an introductory course in film theory and criticism with some global cinema perspectives.
COMM 1330 Introduction to Strategic Communication (3-0). This course will explore the history of public relations and strategic communications in American society with particular emphasis on print media, broadcasting, advertising, and the internet. Basic theories, concepts, and approaches to strategic communication will be introduced, as well as discussions of the professional and ethical demands on practitioners.
COMM 1335 Introduction to Communication Studies (3-0). An introductory survey of the discipline of communication studies and its major fields. Course will cover a broad range of communication concepts and their application, such as communication in the workplace, effectively using social media, and improving interpersonal relationships. New and prospective majors will be exposed to the four emphasis areas of the program and students will also be exposed to the career opportunities associated with communication studies.
COMM 2306 Basic Video Production (3-1). Theory and practice of video production and television station operation. Lab practice in studio operations, scriptwriting, fundamental production skills (cameras, microphone, lighting, editing, etc.), studio and field assignments. Includes one-hour production lab.
COMM 2307 (COMM 2303) Basic Radio (3-1). Theory and practice of audio production and radio station operation. Lab practice in studio operations, scriptwriting, fundamental production skills (microphone, recording, editing, etc.), studio and field assignments. Includes one-hour production lab.
COMM 2308 Web Page Design (1-2). A computer based course in which students learn to design, construct, and evaluate web pages. Will include the use of web page software.
COMM 2309 Communication and Sport (3-0). This course surveys several fields within the discipline of communication studies as they approach sport as a context. The course includes discussions of sport across a wide range of topics including gender, crisis communication, parent-child interactions, race and ethnicity, performing identity, commodification, sport fan cultures, and more. Prerequisite: COMM 1311
COMM 2333 (SPCH 2333) Discussion & Small Group Communication (3-0). Emphasis on effective group interaction in task-oriented situations. Course will focus on elements of small group structures and communication styles which influence the problem- solving process. Includes small group participation and analysis of group communication.
COMM 2335 Visual Communication (2-1). This course is an introduction to visual communication using perceptual, physiological, psychological, cultural and semiotic concepts. The course focuses on visual awareness and processing as key elements in effective communication. This course studies the principles, theories, and language of visual communication, emphasizing the evaluation and use of images, both mediated and face-to-face. Prerequisite: ENG 1301
COMM 3302 Broadcast News Gathering (3-1). Theory and practice of electronic journalism. Lab practice in writing and editing new copy, studio and field operations, reporting, preparation of newscasts and stories, studio and field assignments. Includes one-hour production lab.
COMM 3303 Radio Workshop (1-4). Application of basic audio skills in radio station setting. Students will produce individual and group projects/productions. Emphasis will be placed on the creative use of the audio medium. Prerequisite: Communication 2307 or instructor’s permission. Course may be repeated for credit but not more than once for credit toward Communication major or minor.
COMM 3304 Critical Reasoning (3-0). This course is designed to provide an introduction to ideas about rationality and criticism. Through the study of the practical reasoning process, students will learn how to articulate the stages through which actual arguments and discussions go. Class discussion and exercise assignments are used to explore the human transaction known as reasoning.
COMM 3305 Mass Communication and Culture (3-0). This course is designed to provide an introduction to the history and theories of mass communication for students majoring in communication and as a general education for students from other disciplines who seek to understand the processes and impact of mass communication. The history and cultural impact of individual media examined will include, print media, film, television, radio and news media.
COMM 3307 Studies in Film (3-0). Students will be exposed to classic methods of film analysis (e.g. historical, content, psychological, genre studies, liturgical, and cultural, et al.). Utilizing a combination of full length films and “film on film,” students will gain an understanding of film and related mass media. Course may be repeated for credit when film topic changes (e.g. Women in Film; Minorities in Film; Family in Film; et al.).
COMM 3308 Video Workshop (1-4). This course is designed for students interested in applying basic television knowledge and skills to the production of individual and group video projects and productions. Emphasis will be placed on creative use of the video medium. Prerequisite: Communication 2306 or instructor’s permission. Course may be repeated for credit but not more than once for credit toward Communication major or minor.
COMM 3309 Family Communication (3-0). The family unit is studied from a communication perspective, considering in-depth the communication processes within the family as well as the extent to which they affect and are affected by the interdependence of family members.
COMM 3311 Gender Communication (3-0). This course is designed to teach students how gender is socially constructed and sustained in cultural life. Students will be encouraged to expand their communication skills by utilizing styles historically associated with both genders, rather than a single gendered form of speech.
COMM 3312 Advanced Web Page Workshop (0-3). This course is designed for students interested in applying basic web page design knowledge and skills to the construction of individual and group projects. Emphasis will be placed on creative web page design and construction. Course meets university computer competency requirement. Prerequisite: COMM 2308 or instructor’s permission. Course may be repeated for credit but not more than once for credit toward Communication major or minor.
COMM 3313 Advanced Video Production (3-1). Continued study of camera, lighting and sound techniques. Pre-production and post-production elements also included. Course will focus on producing program content to be aired on campus television station. Prerequisite: Communication 2306.
COMM 3315 Organizational Communication (3-0). This course provides an examination and exploration of applications of communication theories within the framework of an organization. Attention will be given to strategies for diagnosing communication problems and affecting change in communication behaviors through an analysis of organizational communication theories and methods and a study of organizational culture and communication patterns.
COMM 3320 Principles of Public Relations (3-0). A study of the principles and practices in the field of public relations with special emphasis on practical case study experiences. Prerequisite: CSAT 2323 Writing for Digital Media or COMM 1330 Intro to Strategic Communication
COMM 4301 Persuasion (3-0). This course focuses on our dual roles as producers and consumers of persuasive messages. Students will examine persuasion in a variety of texts and contexts, as well as examine persuasive elements in human interaction and behavior. Topics covered include characteristics such as expertise, trustworthiness, and likeability; the use of emotions such as fear and humor; and the sequencing of massages for maximum impact. The course explores how psychological theories about consistency, conformity, and reciprocity help us understand what is persuasive.
COMM 4302 Communication Theory and Research (3-0). QEP MAPPED COURSE This course covers a broad exploration of communication theory and research practices. The course introduces various theories of communication and research methods in and across communication contexts. Emphasis is placed on understanding human communication as a symbolic process that creates, maintains, and alters personal, social, and cultural identities.
COMM 4303 Studies in Speech (3-0). Directed individual study and practice in a selected area of speech. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
COMM 4304 Special Topics (3-0). A course dealing with topics in speech communications. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
COMM 4305 Relational Communication (3-0). This course examines social scientific research and theory on the role of communication in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Nature of interpersonal communication, relationship change processes, interpersonal control through communication and personal communication networks.
COMM 4307 Intercultural Communication (3-0). An examination of the interpersonal dimensions of intercultural communication as it occurs in a variety of contexts. Topics include: international cultures, co-cultures, cultural contexts, verbal processes, nonverbal interaction, and ethical considerations for the future.
COMM 4310 Senior Capstone (0-3). The Senior Capstone is the culminating course in the Communication major sequence. Each Capstone is implemented by students with the help and encouragement of an academic advisor. Capstone experiences allow each student to demonstrate the capacity to bring information, skills, and ideas acquired from the major to bear on one significant project. It is aimed at providing students with the opportunity to integrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired as communication majors as well as provide experiences for students to exhibit competent communication skills learned during their program of study in order to prepare for a career in communication.
COMM 4315 Public Relations Campaigns (3-0). A comprehensive study of case-method and campaign planning as they pertain to strategic communications in a modern society. Students learn the professional approach to the practice of strategic communication that includes all media print, electronic, Social Networking, and broadcast/radio and how to evaluate its creative strategy and media selection. Prerequisite: CSAT 2323
COMM 5304 Speech Communication Workshop (1-4). Advanced study and analysis of speech communication performance areas. Course may be repeated for credit.
COMM 5305 Individual Study in Speech Communication (3-0). Individually guided research in speech communication. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.
COMM 5307 Public Relations (3-0). Graduate Public Relations is designed to acquaint public administrators and other professionals with the terms, theory and procedures associated with modern public relations efforts. Special emphasis will be placed on practical applications of PR techniques, including organizational analysis, resource preparation, and crisis management.
COMM 5308 Nonverbal Communication (3-0). The course is designated to provide student with an in-depth examination of the major theories, principles, and latest research findings regarding nonverbal communication and its role in the total communication process. Through assigned readings, class discussions, and research projects, this course will examine how different nonverbal communication codes function in interaction to influence the management of conversation, the impressions formed in interaction, the development and maintenance of relationships, and the process of social influence
COMM 5309 Organizational Communication (3-0). This course provides the student with frameworks for thinking about how and why communication occurs at different levels of analysis in organizations, and how to recognize, analyze and improve different communication problems. Through assigned readings, class discussion, and research projects, this course will examine the nature of organizations communication; classical or organizational structure theories; behavioral and systems theories; sense-making theories; organizational climate and cultures and; information flow and communication networks.
COMM 5310 Internet and Society (3-0). Special courses on topics not included in the regular curriculum. May be repeated for credit with departmental approval.
COMM 5311 Small Group Communication (3-0). The aim of this course is to study the nature and dynamics of small groups focusing on communication research and theory as applied to the process of small group decision-making.
COMM 5312 Oral Communication Course Development (3-0). A course designed to prepare students to teach the basic communication course in higher education and other professional environments. The course covers course design, course evaluation, methodologies for skill development, and related topics. Provides theoretical and experiential knowledge about communication goals/objectives, teacher/student communication needs & expectations, reinforcement & feedback, climate & influence, and teacher/student communicator style, characteristics, and behavior.
COMM 5313 Mass Communication Theory and Research (3-0). This course is designed to explore the research and theory that attempt to explain the effect of mass communication on individuals and society. The course will primarily concentrate on the mass media of the last two centuries, considering how they have been shaped by society and how they have affected society by reviewing relevant theory and research.