Currently Offered Courses - Spring 2022
Preparation and presentation of short informative and persuasive speeches; emphasis on the selection and organization of material, methods of securing interest and attention, and the elements of delivery. Credit is not given for both CMN 101 and either CMN 111 or CMN 112.
Provides students with an overview of the major areas of study across the diverse field of Communication. Attention is given to the study of argumentation, persuasion, mediated communication effects, rhetoric, face-to-face communication with family, friends, and romantic partners, social support, nonverbal and verbal communication, group communication, health communication, organizational communication, race and communication, sports and communication, and common research methods in the field.
Continuation of Oral & Written Comm I; stress on deliberation and fundamentals of communication and public argument through speaking and writing. The campus Composition I general education requirement is fulfilled by this course in conjunction with CMN 111. Credit is not given for both CMN 111+CMN 112 and other courses that fulfill the Composition I requirement (such as RHET 101+ RHET 102; RHET 105; ESL 115); Credit is also not given for both CMN 111+ CMN 112 and CMN 101. CMN 111+ CMN 112 may not be taken by students who have completed the campus Composition I general education requirement. Prerequisite: CMN 111.
Supervised experience in assisting in the teaching of an undergraduate course in communication; practice in preparing and presenting brief lectures, conducting activities within class, and assisting students outside of class. Prerequisite: Junior standing, cumulative 3.0 grade-point average, 3.5 grade-point average in Communication coursework, recommendation from an instructor, and approval by application.
Introduces concepts useful for the critical analysis of public communication in everyday life. Drawing on communication theory and practice, especially theories of rhetoric, the course investigates techniques of persuasion, offers tools for critical analysis of public discourse, and considers the political and ethical implications of various forms of public communication.
Focus on relevant theory and research on communication strategies and skills vital to diverse business and professional contexts. Topics include personal branding and self-marketing; job interviewing basics; business ethics; business writing; networking; professional etiquette and behaviors; and business presentations. Activities include presentations, written assignments, and practice interviews. Prerequisite: CMN 101.
Considers major theories, research questions, and approaches to organizational communication.
Considers major theories, processes, and practical measures contributing to effective communication in small group and team contexts.
A focus on the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for students to understand and address various components of diversity in organizations. This class is designed to give students an environment to discuss diverse perspectives related to organizations. Thus, this course will explore such areas as power, gender, race, social class, sexuality, ability and age. The relationship between these areas to organizational communication concepts such as, assimilation & socialization, power, culture, employee conflict and relationships will be explored. Students do not need to have any prior knowledge of organizational communication in order to benefit from this course. Students will draw from their personal and familial organizational socialization experiences to learn about the role of culture in organizations.
Questioning is fundamental to human communication. The process for questioning in a structured, purposeful way is called interviewing, which is both an art and a social science. Students will learn theoretical principles related to major types of interviews and apply this knowledge through practice as both interviewer and interviewee, leading to competency in employment and informational interviews. Additionally, they will learn to be a critical observer of interviews taking place in the public sphere. Credit is not given for both CMN 115 and CMN 215. Prerequisite: CMN 101 or CMN 111 and CMN 112.
Study of the nature of policy-oriented communication; analysis and formulation of positions on issues of professional, personal, or public interest; design and presentation of public policy messages addressed to varying tasks and audiences, with special emphasis on advanced writing skills. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I general education requirement.
Study of communication theory and its application to interpersonal relationships; extensive discussion of problems of conflict and misunderstanding in personal affairs to facilitate the development of knowledge, insights, and skills in the processes of face-to-face interaction.
Examines how people experience and manage conflict in both private and public settings. Units focus on conflict in interpersonal, small group, and organizational contexts.
Introduction to the study of intercultural communication in a variety of contexts, including domestic and international; examines theory and research to explain what happens when people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds interact. Requires students to think critically about the ways in which "taken-for-granted" ways of thinking, acting, and interacting are culturally specific.
Examines the communication strategies of social movements, concentrating on the types of messages that social movements create (including rhetorical messaging, social protest, grassroots organizing, fundraising, and media outreach). Focuses on the communication of major 19th, 20th, and 21st century social protest movements, including movements for civil rights, environmentalism, women's rights, and others. Emphasizes the functions of communication for identity formation, promulgation, and social change. Provides knowledge and tools for the analysis and production of messages.
Introduces theory and research on communication in health and illness contexts. Explores how messages from media, interpersonal, and organizational sources affect health beliefs and behaviors.
Survey of the history, structure, forms, and social effects of the American mass media, with significant focus on study of how media shape perceptions of people of color and other stigmatized groups.
Introduction to theory and research on both old and new communication technologies; focus will be on how these technological systems develop and are used, and what implications of these systems have for culture and society.
Directed internship experience for Communication majors. Students must have consent of the Internship Coordinator. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours.
This course challenges the notion that good ideas are produced by "lone geniuses." Surveying theories from organizational communication, we will explore the important role communication plays in fostering innovation and creativity in the workplace. Some topics discussed include: socialization, group decision-making, information sharing, positive workplace environments, the role of communication technologies, and social networks. Students will analyze real-world cases and participate in class activities designed to demonstrate innovation processes in action.
Study of the theory of argument, e.g., evidence, reasoning, and construction of briefs; practice in formal and informal forms of debate and public discourse on current public questions. Prerequisite: CMN 101.
Presents information on how to conceptualize audiences, mass media use, and reception of media messages. Also examines the character of the audience experience, uses and gratifications of mass media, social cognition, and studies of audiences as interpretive communities.
Examines the nature and functions of communication in various family configurations (e.g. nuclear families, single-parent families, stepfamilies); discusses both problematic interaction patterns and links between family interaction and strong families.
Explores the role of visual images in U.S. culture, paying special attention to the ways that images function persuasively as political communication. Provides tools for analyzing historical and contemporary images and artifacts, such as photographs, prints, paintings, advertisements, and memorials. Emphasis on how visual images are used for remembering and memorializing; confronting and resisting; consuming and commodifying; governing and authorizing; and visualizing and informing.
Provides an introduction to visual media effects in communication, and is intended for students with little or no experience with visual aspects of communication. Focuses on social scientific approaches to understanding visual media effects and theories of visual communication.
Describes sex as a fundamental activity in the development and maintenance of human relationships. Communication about sex happens in a variety of interpersonal, group, organizational, and mediated contexts. Explores the many ways in which sexual communication intersects our personal, relational, cultural, and institutional norms and values. Topics will include social norms about sexual communication, sexual harassment, family communication about sex, sexual health education, doctor-patient communication about sex, and sex in the media and in advertising. Theory and research on communication processes will be used to elaborate how talk about sex can achieve multiple goals.
Using the critical lens of theories on race, class, gender, and sexuality, this class will investigate the complicated relations among popular media and culture, including how our everyday life and attitudes are thought to be shaped by the media, and how cultural systems can be said to inform the media. By exploring a wide range of media (e.g., film, television, music, the internet, and computer games), students will investigate the national, political, and personal dimensions of popular media and the varied ways in which media construct, reflect and intersect with specific cultural systems, identities, and classifications. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours.
Individual investigation of special problems. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: Twelve hours of communication coursework; a grade-point average of 3.25; and consent of head of department.
Special topics in communication not treated in regularly scheduled courses. See Class Schedule for current topics. May be repeated as topics vary.
Focuses on how communication technologies are designed, implemented, adopted, and used within and across organizations. Reviews a broad array of theories used to conceptualize technology in the workplace. Emphasis on how theory may be used to understand applications such as knowledge management, telecommuting, distributed work, and virtual organizations. Further focus on analyzing real-world cases to develop skills necessary for working in contemporary organizations. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Organizational communication theory applied to the assessment of communication practices in organizations; systematic procedures for diagnosing communication problems and facilitating effective communication in organizations. Extensive use of case studies. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: CMN 212.
Study of interactive relationships between gender and communication in contemporary American society. Examines how gender identity and expression are influenced by race, ethnicity, culture, age, ability, class, faith and other social characteristics. Explores how communication in social contexts creates and perpetuates gender roles. Same as GWS 432. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Study of the major processes involved in an individual's adjustment to the communication situations of everyday life; emphasis on the development of interpersonal competency and orientations, social perception, interpersonal sentiment and hostility, trust, and the social context as factors influencing the understanding and evaluation of interpersonal messages. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: CMN 230 or consent of instructor.
Explores topics in public communication not treated in regularly scheduled courses, with special attention to the ways that public communication unfolds in concrete rhetorical situations and moments in time; see Class Schedule for current topics. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated as topics vary to a maximum of 12 undergraduate hours or 16 graduate hours.
Examines the role of communication in the management of mental and physical health. Focuses on topics such as communication and illness identity, health and interpersonal relationships, health care provider-patient interactions, impacts of technology on health communication, and health education and prevention efforts. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Focuses on the theoretical principles behind designing, implementing, and evaluating a health communication campaign. Students will be exposed to campaigns pertaining to alcohol abuse, illicit drug use, organ donation, safe sex, tobacco use, among others. The first part of the course reviews theories used in health communication campaigns, derived from the disciplines of communication, social psychology, and public health. The second part of the course focuses on designing campaigns and creating messages as well as evaluating the effects of those campaigns and messages. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Social marketing offers a revolutionary approach to solving a wide range of societal problems. Social marketing applies traditional marketing principles and techniques to the challenges and rewards of influencing positive public behavior. This course is designed to give students a thorough orientation to key marketing concepts and their application to a range of communication issues with an emphasis on promoting community engagement, environmental conservation, financial literacy, health promotion, and injury prevention. Throughout the semester, attention is given to several behavior change models employed to guide current social marketing campaigns as well as a focus on the ten steps for developing, implementing, and evaluating a campaign. Students will acquire practical skills in designing a campaign as well as an appreciation for the role of behavior change models in social marketing. Same as CHLH 465. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Individual investigation of special problems. 2 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 4 undergraduate hours. Prerequisite: Twelve hours of communication; a grade-point average of 3.50; and consent of head of department.
Individual study leading to a thesis for honors in the Department of Communication. 2 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 4 undergraduate hours. Prerequisite: Senior standing; a grade-point average of 3.50; and consent of head of department.
Advanced topics in communication not treated in regularly scheduled courses; see Class Schedule for current topics. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated as topics vary.
Introduction to theoretical frameworks, research, and applications of health campaigns. Literature from contributing disciplines will be reviewed (e.g., advertising, communication, marketing, public health, political science, psychology and sociology) and key aspects of campaign development will be discussed (e.g., formative research, audience segmentation, message tailoring and evaluation). Offered Spring terms only. Prerequisite: Only for students enrolled in the MS in Health Communication degree program.
Special topics in communication theory and research. May be repeated to a maximum of 16 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Study of special topics in the history of rhetorical theory. May be repeated to a maximum of 16 hours.
Provides capstone experience for students in the MS in Health Communication degree program.
Individual investigation of special projects not included in theses. May be repeated in separate terms. Open to master's candidates for a maximum of 4 graduate hours and to doctoral candidates for a maximum of 12 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Consent from head of department.