Communication (COMM)
This course explores the evolving theoretical concepts and analysis of visual communication along with their implications for society. Various forms of visual communication (e.g. art, graphic design, advertising, photography, television, film, digital media) and their interaction with each other will be studied.
The study and application of the principles of interpersonal communication: communication ethics, family relationships, problem solving, nonverbal communication, and small group communication.
An exploration of areas not covered by the regular curriculum. Content depends on available faculty. May be repeated for credit.
An opportunity for a qualified student to explore work in an area of individual interest, selected and pursued in consultation with a faculty member. Consent required of the instructor who will supervise the independent study. Repeatable to a total of 8 credits.
This course takes an in-depth look at the use of social networks and digital media platforms for communication campaigns. The course offers an overview of branding and looks at the underlying models and principles that drive successful brand identity management and stategic communication through digital media.
This course applies interpersonal and intercultural theories to the understanding of intercultural communication and the fostering of intercultural communication competence.
Contemporary approaches to persuasion theory and an examination of past and current persuasive efforts. Research, writing, and speaking required.
Students apply their knowledge of communication theory and skills in a professional setting. The student may find the internship and seek the instructor's approval or the instructor may set it up with existing partners.
Digital technologies have become an integral part of personal, political, and professional communication. This course will provide students with the necessary background to investigate legal and ethical issues in digital technology. It will cover topics including, but not limited to, copyright, authorship, attribution, vernacular discourse, privacy, pornography, harassment, and advertising.
This methods course is designed to increase students' awareness of interpersonal and cultural processes that govern development, maintenance, and deterioration of close relationships, and teach them methods ranging from ethnography, interviews and surveys to experimental research in investigating the role of communication in these processes.
This course caps off the study of communication and philosophy. It is themed topically and by at least one of the following high-impact educational practices: a writing-intensive course, undergraduate research, collaborative/team-based projects, and service-learning/community-based learning. Public speaking is required.
An exploration of areas not covered by the regular curriculum. Content depends on available faculty. May be repeated for credit.
Intensive study of an issue, problem, or topic related to Communication. May be repeated for a total of 8 credits.
In this experiential course, students learn what it means to communicate professionally. By engaging with selected employers through class and on-site visits, students are also introduced to various careers and internship opportunities, and understand the kinds of skills that employers look for in successful candidates.
Through experience in a variety of speaking situations, students gain self confidence in organization of thought and self expression.
This course will examine the rhetoric of the civil rights movement. Students will gain a better understanding of the ways in which civil rights activists used rhetoric to create change as well as the ways in which defenders of segregation used rhetoric in an attempt to maintain the status quo.
This course explores how people communicate in workplace and community contexts. Students will develop presentations and projects based on their developing understanding of professional communication principles. Projects emphasize career preparation, audience and genre analysis, visual rhetoric, and a service-learning project addressing the professional communication needs of a client.
This course examines the rhetoric of race in American society. Issues discussed will include: the creation and continuation of racial disparity in America, the debate over reparations for slavery, the permanence of racism in society, the role of race in presidential elections, and the impact of race on popular culture.
The 1980 presidential election signaled a change in the nation's desire to address issues of racial inequality. This change might best be described as the post-civil rights era. This course examines how we talk about race and racism today and how that conversation is different than what came before.
An exploration of the interdisciplinary field of information science, and the impact that information systems have on society. Topics may include information as a commodity, media bias, censorship, privacy, intellectual property, and the digital divide. Students discuss the evolving information environment to become ethical consumers and producers of information.
How do we engage in information creation in ethical ways? How do online groups help produce information? This interdisciplinary course draws from information science, communication, and education, allowing students to produce digital content as a means of self-discovery, self-expression, and community engagement while considering the ethics of knowledge creation.