Communication Studies
Interim chair
Professors
- Tamara Afifi, Leslie Baxter, Steve Duck (Daniel and Amy Starch Distinguished Research Chair; Communication Studies/Psychology), Kembrew McLeod, Kristine L. Muñoz, John Durham Peters (A. Craig Baird Professor)
Associate professors
- Jeff Bennett, Shelly Campo (Communication Studies/Community and Behavioral Health), Timothy Havens (Communication Studies/African American Studies), Joy Hayes, David Hingstman
Assistant professors
- Natalie Fixmer-Oraiz, Andrew High, Jiyeon Kang, Rachel McLaren, Keli Steuber, Darrel Wanzer, Isaac West, Rita Zajacz
Lecturer
Adjunct assistant professors
- Paul Bellus, Matthew Cohen, "Lance" Brendan Young
Adjunct lecturer
Professors emeriti
- David Depew, Bruce E. Gronbeck, Robert Kemp
Associate professor emeritus
Undergraduate minor: communication studies
Graduate degrees: M.A. in communication studies; Ph.D. in communication studies
Web site: http://clas.uiowa.edu/commstudies/
The Department of Communication Studies focuses on the study of human communication as a social practice. Scholarship and teaching in the department center on the role that human communication processes play in the construction, maintenance, reinforcement, and reformation of various aspects of social, professional, and institutional life.
The department provides a liberal-arts-based undergraduate education that prepares students to meet the complex communication challenges of the 21st century. It provides top-ranked doctoral education and is a national and international leader in research and knowledge dissemination.
The department has three areas of specialization. The rhetoric and discourse specialization focuses on how citizens use public argumentation and other rhetorical processes to bring about cultural, social, and political changes. The media studies specialization focuses on modern media in their cultural, economic, historical, political, and social contexts to understand how society and social relations shape and are shaped by media practices. The interpersonal communication and relationships specialization focuses on how the communicative practices of relating in everyday life construct, shape, sustain, and change who people are as individuals, as well as the quality of their lives.
The Department of Communication Studies encourages exploration of the practical, political, social, and aesthetic dimensions of symbolic exchange and awareness of the relationships among these dimensions. The department has produced many influential scholars and artists and has been a hub for the intersection of programs and projects of the University and other institutions.
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Undergraduate Programs of Study
- Major in communication studies (Bachelor of Arts)
- Minor in communication studies
First-year students interested in completing a major in communication studies are advised at the Academic Advising Center. Students who have earned 24 s.h. or more and have declared the communication studies major are advised in the department by the communication studies academic advisor.
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Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts with a major in communication studies requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including 36 s.h. of work for the major. Students must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.
The curriculum is designed to encourage learning that progresses from foundation courses that teach the basics of communication to intermediate and advanced (capstone) courses. Students may choose to build creative combinations of course work that suit their individual learning and career goals.
Students may count up to 50 s.h. of communication studies course work toward credit required for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Guided Independent Study and transfer courses may be applied toward the requirements of the major, with the department's approval. A maximum of 15 s.h. of transfer credit may be counted toward the major.
Students must have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50 in order to enroll in most communication studies courses.
Students work with the communication studies academic advisor to develop study plans that meet the requirements of the major. Students may check their progress toward the degree on ISIS.
Students are encouraged to discuss their career goals and interests with faculty members.
The 36 s.h. required for the communications studies major consists of foundation courses (15 s.h.), intermediate courses (12 s.h.), a capstone course (3 s.h.), and an additional 6 s.h., which may be earned in courses listed under "Intermediate Courses," "Capstone Experience," and/or "Additional Courses," below. Students may not use a course to satisfy more than one requirement of the major.
Foundations of Communication
Foundation courses cover introductory concepts in the field of communication. Students must complete five foundation courses (15 s.h.) and should take them early in their studies.
The following foundation courses are appropriate for first-year students. They do not require a minimum grade-point average for enrollment and do not have prerequisites, except 036:017 (COMM:1117), which requires fulfillment of the General Education Program's Rhetoric requirement for enrollment. Students complete the first three foundation courses as follows.
One of these:
One of these:
And one of these:
The fourth and fifth foundation courses are appropriate for second-year students. Enrollment in these courses requires completion of 30 s.h. and a g.p.a. of at least 2.50 for University of Iowa and transfer course work.
Both of these:
Intermediate Courses
Intermediate courses cover detailed aspects of the study of communication. Students must complete four intermediate courses (12 s.h.), usually during their third and fourth years of study. They must have completed four of five foundation courses listed above and must have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50 in order to enroll in intermediate courses.
At least four of these (12 s.h.):
| 036:011 (COMM:2011) Group Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:016 (COMM:2016) Business and Professional Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:040 (COMM:2040) Communication and Conflict | 3 s.h. |
| 036:041 (COMM:2041) Gender Roles and Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:042 (COMM:2042) Intercultural Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:043 (COMM:2043) Rhetoric, Science, and Technology | 3 s.h. |
| 036:044 (COMM:2044) Political Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:048 (COMM:2048) Transforming Media: From Telegraph to Internet | 3 s.h. |
| 036:051 (COMM:2051) Politics of Popular Culture | 3 s.h. |
| 036:053 (COMM:2053) Secrets, Confidences, and Lies: Privacy Management in Interpersonal Relationships | 3 s.h. |
| 036:054 (COMM:2054) Movements, Protest, Resistance | 3 s.h. |
| 036:057 (COMM:2057) Introduction to Computer-Mediated Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:058 (COMM:2058) Rhetoric and Past Public Controversy | 3 s.h. |
| 036:061 (COMM:2061) Persuasion in Society | 3 s.h. |
| 036:062 (COMM:3062) Feminist Critical Practice | 3 s.h. |
| 036:064 (COMM:2064) Media, Advertising, and Society | 3 s.h. |
| 036:065 (COMM:2065) Television Criticism | 3 s.h. |
| 036:069 (COMM:2069) Black TV Drama: The Wire | 3 s.h. |
| 036:071 (COMM:2071) Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies | 3 s.h. |
| 036:075 (COMM:2075) Gender, Sexuality, and Media | 3 s.h. |
| 036:076 (COMM:2076) Race, Ethnicity, and Media | 3 s.h. |
| 036:077 (COMM:2077) Writing and Producing Television | 3 s.h. |
| 036:085 (COMM:2085) Media Industries and Organizations | 3 s.h. |
| 036:086 (COMM:2086) Global Media Studies | 3 s.h. |
| 036:087 (COMM:2087) Copyright Controversies | 3 s.h. |
| 036:088 (COMM:2088) Media and Democracy | 3 s.h. |
| 036:089 (COMM:2089) Nonverbal Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:090 (COMM:2090) Topics in Communication Studies | 3 s.h. |
| 036:091 (COMM:2091) Organizational Communication | 3 s.h. |
| 036:095 (COMM:2095) Queer Rhetorics | 3 s.h. |
Capstone Experience
Students must complete one capstone course (3 s.h.), a faculty-led experience in which they participate directly in producing knowledge, research, or creative work about communication. The capstone experience gives students a chance to synthesize what they have learned about the study of communication.
In order to enroll in a capstone course, students must have completed at least two of the required intermediate courses and must have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50. Most students take the capstone course during their senior year.
Additional Courses
Students earn an additional 6 s.h. to complete the 36 s.h. in communication studies courses required for the major. They may choose from the courses listed below and/or from the lists of intermediate and capstone courses above. However, students may not use one course to fulfill more than one requirement for the major, so in selecting the additional 6 s.h. of course work, they may not choose a course they already used to fulfill the intermediate or capstone course requirement.
The following courses are open to all students; they do not have prerequisites or require a minimum grade-point average requirement for enrollment.
The following courses have prerequisites, a minimum grade-point average, or other requirements for enrollment.
Internships
Internships enable students to supplement their course work with professional experiences relevant to careers in communication-related fields. The department's internship program is open only to communication studies majors.
To earn academic credit for internships, students must obtain approval for their internship experience and site before they register for 036:028 (COMM:2828) Communication Studies Internship (arr.). Internship academic credit is awarded for an analytical paper and daily log submitted at the end of the internship and for the number of hours worked. Internships can be completed during fall semester, spring semester, or summer session.
Visit the department's web site for information on communication studies internships.
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Four-Year Graduation Plan
The University of Iowa Four-Year Graduation Plan is being revised. The original Four-Year Graduation Plan continues to apply to students who have already signed it. Students who commit to the four-year plan beginning fall 2013 will be held to the revised requirements. For information about the plan, visit Four-Year Graduation Plan on the First-Year Experience web site.
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Honors in the Major
The department offers outstanding students the opportunity to graduate with honors in the communication studies major. Departmental honors students must be members of the University's honors program, which requires students to have a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 and to fulfill other requirements; visit Honors at Iowa to learn about the University of Iowa Honors Program.
To graduate with honors in the communication studies major, students must maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 and must complete the following courses.
In special cases, an independent study course may be substituted for 036:098 (COMM:2898), with the honors advisor's permission. Additional course work may be required by the student's honors advisor.
To begin work toward graduation with honors in the major, students choose a faculty member to supervise their honors project and to act as their honors advisor.
Departmental honors students are eligible to take courses offered through the University of Iowa Honors Program and to add an honors designation to any other departmental course by completing an agreement with the course instructor for special work in that course.
For detailed information, see Honors Program in Communication Studies on the department's web site.
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Minor
The minor in communication studies requires a minimum of 18 s.h. in communication studies courses, including 12 s.h. in courses taken at The University of Iowa. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the minor. Course work in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass. The minor must include the five courses (15 s.h.) listed under "Foundations of Communication" above and one (3 s.h.) listed under "Intermediate Courses" above. Although students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in courses taken for the minor, they must have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50 in order to enroll in some of the courses required for the minor.
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Forensics/Debate
Students in the forensics/debate program have the opportunity to participate in on-campus debates, in developmental programs designed to improve speech activities in the state, and as members of competitive intercollegiate debate teams. Forensics scholarships are available. Students interested in debate should enroll in 036:013 (COMM:2813) Practicum in Debate or 036:014 (COMM:1814) Elements of Debate.
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Graduate Programs of Study
- Master of Arts in communication studies
- Doctor of Philosophy in communication studies
The Doctor of Philosophy program in communication studies includes specializations in interpersonal communication and relationships, media studies, and rhetoric and discourse.
Graduate education in communication studies focuses on the Ph.D., but doctoral students may choose to earn a Master of Arts on their way toward the Ph.D. A terminal master's degree may be an option for some students already admitted to the doctoral program.
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Master of Arts
The Master of Arts program in communication studies requires a minimum of 30 s.h. of graduate credit. It may be granted to students working toward the Ph.D.; it also may be granted as a terminal degree for doctoral students who decide not to complete the Ph.D. All master's students take 036:200 (COMM:5200) Introduction to Research and Teaching (1 s.h.) and at least two courses numbered 200 or above. They also prepare a graduate seminar paper that involves significant original research. To learn more about M.A. requirements, see the Graduate Student Handbook (2011) on the department's Current Graduate Students page.
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Doctor of Philosophy
The Doctor of Philosophy program in communication studies requires a minimum of 82 s.h. of graduate credit, including dissertation credit. All students take 036:200 (COMM:5200) Introduction to Research and Teaching and earn at least 10 s.h. of dissertation credit in 036:399 (COMM:6399) Ph.D. Dissertation.
Ph.D. students must take a 3 s.h. course in each of the program's three areas of specialization; successfully complete a qualifying examination during their second or third semester and a comprehensive (predissertation) examination in their major research area during their fifth or sixth semester; and write a substantial scholarly dissertation. Students must maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.00 throughout the graduate program.
Admission usually is for fall semester entry. Applicants whose materials are received at the department by January 1 receive preference for admission and financial support. Admission decisions are based on undergraduate achievement, letters of reference, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores, the statement of purpose, and samples of scholarly work.
Interpersonal Communication and Relationships
The communication and relationships program is centered on theory complemented by strength in quantitative and qualitative research methods. It focuses on scholarly issues that arise from face-to-face, everyday communication practices. It emphasizes personal relationship and family processes, identity construction, persuasion, and culture.
The goal of the program is to produce scholars who possess sophisticated knowledge of theory and methodology, who are careful consumers of theories and methods, and who can develop their own approaches to communication phenomena. The program emphasizes systematic analysis of the forms, functions, and meanings of messages within various contexts. Its broad social-scientific orientation springs from the belief that many methodological approaches are appropriate to studying and building theoretical explanations of communication.
Graduate students typically enter the program to earn a Ph.D. Advisors and committee members work closely with individual students to select courses from communication studies and other University departments and plan teaching and research experiences that will prepare students well for the employment they seek after graduation.
Media Studies
The graduate program in media studies focuses on the interplay of institutions, texts, and audiences in mediated communication systems. Its central aim is to examine modern media—radio, television, advertising, music, new media, and a wide range of other popular cultural expressions—within their historical, social, political, economic, and cultural contexts. It also uses the mass media as sites for asking basic questions about culture, society, politics, and modernity.
Like the department's other graduate programs, media studies has a strong interdisciplinary flavor. Students draw not only on allied areas in the Department of Communication Studies but on fields across the University.
Rhetoric and Discourse
The program in rhetoric and discourse is built on foundation courses in classical and 20th-century rhetorical theory and in an overview of 20th-century rhetorical criticism. Courses from a rhetorical perspective include rhetorical theory, rhetorical criticism, visual rhetoric and politics, public address and public culture, studies in argumentation and freedom of speech, work in science and technology as well as academic inquiry, and historical methods. Cognate work of interest to rhetoricians also can be found in interpersonal communication and relationship studies as well as media studies.
The Ph.D. in rhetoric and discourse is designed to give students a mature grasp of the specialties and perspectives embraced by the field and to develop research competence essential to a life of productive scholarship.
Work in related disciplines—political science, history, sociology, English, cinema and comparative literature, anthropology, American studies, and journalism—complements rhetorical studies course offerings. Faculty from the Departments of Rhetoric, Political Science, and American Studies cross-reference their courses on rhetorical topics in this program.
The Project on Rhetorics of Inquiry (POROI) offers a certificate program, offering doctoral students the opportunity to specialize in the study of how academic fields use argumentative and linguistic strategies to generate and control knowledge. Many doctoral students also do extensive work in media studies or interpersonal communication to improve their range of teaching opportunities and their research skills.
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Admission
Applicants to graduate programs in communication studies must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College or the Graduate College section of the Catalog.
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Facilities
The Samuel L. Becker Communication Studies Building is designed to meet the department's research and technological needs.
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Courses
Courses numbered below 200 are intended primarily for undergraduates; those numbered 200 and above are for graduate students. Graduate students may take courses numbered 100-199 for credit, with their committee's approval.
Not all courses are offered each semester.
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For Undergraduates
To register for most undergraduate communication studies courses, students must have earned 30 s.h. and have a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50. However, registration for the following General Education courses is open to all undergraduates, regardless of their grade-point average.
Registration in 036:029 (COMM:1000) First-Year Seminar is open to first- and second-semester students regardless of grade-point average.
| 036:001 (COMM:1301) Core Concepts in Communication Studies | 3 s.h. |
|
Introduction to communication topics; face‑to‑face interaction, public speaking, globally‑distributed film, music, and television; ways of thinking, vocabulary, and overview of concepts used in other communication studies courses. Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and 30 s.h. of credit.
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| 036:002 (COMM:1002) Workshop in Debate and Forensics | 3 s.h. |
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Public argument on questions of value and policy; opportunities for demonstration and practice in discussion and debate. Requirements: concurrent enrollment in the National Summer Institute in Forensics.
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| 036:005 (COMM:1305) Studying Communication: Methods and Critiques | 3 s.h. |
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Social scientific methods used to generate knowledge about communication processes; basic tools necessary to conduct and evaluate communication research; epistemological perspectives, research procedures, and data analysis; readings and hands‑on activities. Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and 30 s.h. of credit.
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| 036:011 (COMM:2011) Group Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Study of relevant theory, research, and application to increase understanding of communication in small groups; critical thinking and communication skills; individual roles in groups, creativity, leadership, decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174) or 036:068 (COMM:1168). Requirements: cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:012 (COMM:1112) Interpersonal Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Introduction to face‑to‑face communication in social and personal relationships; maximizing communicative effectiveness in relationships with knowledge about how communication functions; analysis of one's own and others' communication practices and experiences.
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| 036:013 (COMM:2813) Practicum in Debate | 1 s.h. |
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Practice of skills in research, reasoning, argument development, and argumentative performance in debate undertaken by members of the A. Craig Baird Debate Forum in preparation for and participation in intercollegiate debate competition. Requirements: participation in A. Craig Baird Debate Forum.
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| 036:014 (COMM:1814) Elements of Debate | 3 s.h. |
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Debates that occur everyday in a wide variety of situations and settings; how to recognize when a debate is occurring and different procedures by which people conduct debates; emphasis on development of personal advocacy skills and how one goes about teaching those same skills to others by example and practice; examination of role of debate in achieving collective economic and political purposes in contemporary societies.
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| 036:016 (COMM:2016) Business and Professional Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Introduction to business and professional communication at individual and corporate levels; individual‑level topics cover organizational communication, business vocabulary, speaking and writing, professionalism and interviewing; corporate‑level topics focus on marketing, advertising, public relations, corporate communications, crisis communication management, business and communication plans, proposals; guest speakers from for‑profit and not‑for‑profit organizations. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:017 (COMM:1117) Theory and Practice of Argument | 4 s.h. |
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Public arguments as practiced in law, politics, science, and other public arenas; improvement of skills in researching, constructing, organizing, and presenting arguments on disputed subjects; analyzing and refuting arguments of others; developing a better understanding of how scholars apply tools of formal and informal logic in a variety of disciplines to improve quality of academic argument. Requirements: completion of General Education Program rhetoric component.
GE: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning. | | |
| 036:018 (COMM:1818) Leadership and Organizational Procedures | 2 s.h. |
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Use of organizational procedures to facilitate discussion, from by‑laws to full parliamentary procedure; how knowledge of effective organizational procedures enhances ability to participate in meetings and organizational business to run more smoothly; benefit to instructors of speech communication with inclusion of parliamentary procedure/debate units. Offered only through Guided Independent Study.
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| 036:019 (COMM:1819) Organizational Leadership | 2-3 s.h. |
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Introduction to nature of leadership, styles of leadership that are most effective, and ways in which obstacles may be overcome in groups or organizations; different approaches to qualities of leadership, role of visions and motivation, interpersonal and decision‑making skills, meeting preparation and evaluation, and related communication skills. Offered only through Guided Independent Study.
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| 036:021 (COMM:1821) Oral Interpretation | 3 s.h. |
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Weekly perfomances to develop and define communication skills for professional careers in teaching and business; performances include poetry, prose, monologue, storytelling, duo interpretation, reader's theatre, and demonstration speeches. Requirements: for 036:021 (COMM:1821) — g.p.a. of at least 2.60 and 30 s.h. of credit.
Same as 07E:021 (EDTL:1821). | | |
| 036:029 (COMM:1000) First-Year Seminar | 1 s.h. |
|
Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, visits to research facilities). Requirements: first‑ or second‑semester standing.
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| 036:030 (COMM:1130) The Art of Persuading Others | 3 s.h. |
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Basic theoretical concepts of effective public communication; employ knowledge of concepts in analyzing texts; definition and influence of rhetorical situation, different elements of persuasion (message logic, appeal to feelings, character of speaker), ability of speakers to invent arguments; issues of judgment, public discourse, identity, and agency.
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| 036:044 (COMM:2044) Political Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Relationship between media, cultural politics, and the American political system; focus on advertising, campaigns, and new media outlets; ways politicians, the press, and intermediaries create and disseminate messages into mainstream culture; how people generate their own discourses of political identity and dissent, creating a robust democratic practice that is both empowering and central to the contemporary political landscape. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:051 (COMM:2051) Politics of Popular Culture | 3 s.h. |
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How culture is political and how politics is cultural; overview of theories of culture and critical‑cultural approaches to study of popular culture, past and present; specific topics of analysis vary, may include television, celebrity culture, music, film, games, and sports. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:054 (COMM:2054) Movements, Protest, Resistance | 3 s.h. |
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Historical and contemporary study of social movements from a symbolic perspective (e.g., speeches, protests, propaganda, media events); social movements as interpersonal and group communication; relationships between media and social change: efficacy of individual and larger‑scale forms of resistance. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:057 (COMM:2057) Introduction to Computer-Mediated Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Theoretical and practical introduction to concepts and research in computer‑mediated communication; emphasis on study of social effects of communication and information technology; factors that distinguish mediated from face‑to‑face interaction, theories of mediated communication, self‑presentation online; Internet‑based relationships, online supportive communication, online communities; how the Internet influences communication and how to use computer‑mediated communication for self‑presentation. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:058 (COMM:2058) Rhetoric and Past Public Controversy | 3 s.h. |
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Role of rhetoric in public controversy in particular historical time periods; focus on various perspectives, diverse voices, and multiple arguments informing particular movements/issues. Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
Same as 010:099 (RHET:2410). | | |
| 036:061 (COMM:2061) Persuasion in Society | 3 s.h. |
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Introduction to concepts, theories, and methods designed to build critical understanding of mass persuasion processes; persuasion theory and research; theories that account for processes of social acculturation, maintenance, and change; specific mass persuasion processes (i.e., advertising, corporate advocacy or public relations, film and television programming, sociopolitical rituals, and social protest and change). Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:068 (COMM:1168) Media, Music, and Culture | 3 s.h. |
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What makes popular music important for people; music's power to change culture; production, distribution, reception of popular music in cultural and historical contexts.
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| 036:069 (COMM:2069) Black TV Drama: The Wire | 3 s.h. |
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Social and political impact of television dramas featuring people of African descent in the West; HBO's The Wire series—a social commentary, commercial, and aesthetic force—has pioneered new ways of thinking about the relationship between media and society at large while revolutionizing ways in which black urban life is portrayed in today's world; focus on complex intersections between urban poverty, education, and political system, crime, mediation in Western society.
Same as 129:070 (AFAM:2070). | | |
| 036:070 (COMM:1170) Communication Theory in Everyday Life | 3 s.h. |
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General overview of everyday life communication, theories and research techniques used to understand it; sheer depth and complexity of processes in communication that occur in everyday lives and which appear to be trivial; how to observe conversations and identify what is really happening in them; ways in which scholars explain everyday communication and how it works; applications of theoretical thinking to explain processes of everyday communication.
GE: Social Sciences. | | |
| 036:074 (COMM:1174) Media and Society | 3 s.h. |
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Processes and effects of mass communication; how mass media operate in the United States; how mass communication scholars develop knowledge.
GE: Social Sciences; Values, Society, and Diversity. | | |
| 036:075 (COMM:2075) Gender, Sexuality, and Media | 3 s.h. |
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Mediated representations of gender and sexuality (television, film, and internet) to understand how these complex and complicated codes influence meaning of sex, sexuality, and gender; contemporary and historical examples used to engage texts that illuminate cultural conceptions of femininity, masculinity, heterosexuality, and homosexuality; cases that confuse and trouble the stability of these categories. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
Same as 131:065 (GWSS:2075). | | |
| 036:085 (COMM:2085) Media Industries and Organizations | 3 s.h. |
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Trends in media industries as reflected in changes of ownership, different work conditions, media convergence, and globalization generally; focus on local, network, and cable television; examination of industry structures, business practices, economic fundamentals, and theoretical explanations of media industries in society. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:089 (COMM:2089) Nonverbal Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Introduction to theoretical study of nonverbal communication; focus on major principles and research trends; examination of role of nonverbal communication in communication as a whole; perception and interpretation of nonverbal communication (i.e., posture, eye movements, tone of voice); nonverbal behaviors (i.e., facial expression, eye movement) as used to persuade, impress, or deceive someone. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:091 (COMM:2091) Organizational Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Theories and concepts of organizational communication; focus on issues of good communication at a number of levels—people within organization must be able to work with one another and communicate in effective ways; people, and especially leaders, need to be able to persuade one another effectively; organizations must be able to persuade outsiders, whether persuading them to buy organization's products, or in more complex circumstances, persuade outside world to accept apologies or statements of regret when the company does something wrong. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50 and completion of Foundations of Communication requirement.
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| 036:096 (COMM:2896) Workshop in Teaching Communication and Forensics | arr. |
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Methods, materials, progression, evaluation in teaching and supervising students in courses and class activities; opportunities for observation, demonstration, practice in teaching theater, discussion and debate, individual speech, dramatic and forensic events. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:099 (COMM:2899) Honors Thesis | 3 s.h. |
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Individual research, writing, or creative production under faculty supervision. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), 036:074 (COMM:1174), and 036:101. Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 3.33, honors standing, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:135 (COMM:4135) Media, Culture, and Relationships | 3 s.h. |
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Intersections of interpersonal communication and media; often studied as separate phenomena, approached as integrated systems, and integration as a central issue of our times; application of theories of interpersonal communication, media, and culture to a project that identifies a communication problem involving interpersonal and media issues, and proposes a solution to a potential client or audience; students draw on skills central to communication sudies major (critical thinking, identifying and solving problems, effective oral and written communication). Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:140 (COMM:4140) Communication and Relationships | 3 s.h. |
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Communication process in personal relationships; how communication functions to initiate, sustain, and dissolve a variety of relationships including friendships, romantic couples, marital pairs, and family relationships. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:142 (COMM:4142) Advanced Intercultural Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Defining culture as a historically‑transmitted, socially‑constructed system of meaning enacted in face‑to‑face interaction and mass media; focus on a specific topic within intercultural communication research and theory (i.e., cultural nature of personal relationships, built environment as culture, intersection of private with public cultural meaning); in‑depth follow‑up of general approach to intercultural communication covered in lower‑level courses. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:143 (COMM:4143) Classical Rhetoric and Greek Culture | 3 s.h. |
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Origins and development of the art of rhetoric from Sophists to Aristotle; significance to Greek culture from fifth to fourth century B.C. Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:146 (COMM:3600) Issues in Rhetoric and Culture | 3 s.h. |
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Rhetorical theory and criticism as culturally embedded practices; rhetorical production of selves and social difference; relationships between rhetoric and literature, philosophy, popular texts.
Same as 010:160 (RHET:3600). | | |
| 036:150 (COMM:4150) Cultural History of Advertising | 3 s.h. |
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Cultural, historical, and critical approach to creating, maintaining, repairing, and transforming a consumption culture in the United States; material and ideological character of life in the United States as it evolved from a culture of production in Gilded Age (late 19th century) to a culture of consumption through first half of 20th century, culminating in a collective fantasy of the American Dream as articulated and celebrated in 1950s; emergence of corporate capitalism and its crucial ideological voice, national brand advertising. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:151 (COMM:4151) Cultural History of Television | 3 s.h. |
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Cultural history of television in the United States; focus on rise of network television, relationship between networks and advertisers, imagery surrounding introduction of television into the home, and larger historical context; postwar era (1950s) and rise of genres that are still with us, especially sitcom (situation comedy); questions about desire, gender, family, nation, and the body. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:152 (COMM:4152) Latin American Media | 3 s.h. |
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Development of media institutions, texts, and audiences across a number of Latin American countries; focus on broadcast media (radio and television) and situates them within larger historical context of 20th‑ and 21st‑century Latin America; readings, discussions, and assignments with particular attention to influence of U.S. corporate and state interests on Latin American media; debates over cultural dependency, globalization, and hybridity in region. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), and 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), and 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:153 (COMM:4153) Communication Technologies in History | 3 s.h. |
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How media has altered culture, society, and human consciousness throughout history with focus on last two centuries (or modernity); how communication has been shaped by a variety of media (i.e., gesture, language, writing, printing, calendars, clocks, photography, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, film, radio, television, computers); 21st‑century questions concerning technology and how few communicate today without aid of some kind of machine or technique. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:160 (COMM:4160) The Talk of Everyday Life | 3 s.h. |
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In‑depth study of various genres of talk that organize everyday communicative life; mundane interaction rituals (i.e., as small talk, gossip, face‑saving talk, compliance‑gaining, asking for and giving advice and support, and telling stories); formalized interaction rituals (i.e., rites of passage); functions of talk in constructing identities, building relationships, and sustaining social order more generally across all genres. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:164 (COMM:4164) Life Happens. Don't Worry About It: The Communication of Social Support | 3 s.h. |
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Advanced look at communication of social support as a research tradition in interpersonal communication scholarship; in‑depth overview of theories, concepts, types, processes, and mechanisms that constitute different forms of comforting behaviors; emphasis on factors that change people's abilities, motivations, or perceptions of success during experiences of social support; Internet influences on social support by online support groups, Internet‑based intervention programs, how process of communicating comfort is altered by conveying these messages online. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:165 (COMM:4165) Criticism and Public Culture | 3 s.h. |
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How people formulate attitudes, beliefs, and values about an array of arenas in public culture; critical perspectives (i.e., feminism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, queer theory); sporting rituals, television programs, political speeches, museums, sacred cultural documents; practice of critical reading to engage various cultural texts (i.e., films, national memorials, social movement rhetoric). Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:166 (COMM:4166) Life-Span Communication | 3 s.h. |
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How communication processes (i.e., social support, language skills, interpersonal relationship management) change across the course of one's existence; normative and unexpected demographic and health events mapped out across a life span; how our communication processes influence and are influenced by social experiences; underlying premise of life‑span perspective that our potential for human growth extends throughout our life course. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:167 (COMM:4167) Communication, Cognition, and Emotion | 3 s.h. |
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Understanding how communication, cognition, and emotion are tied together; different theories of emotion and types of emotions (i.e., love, anger, jealousy, happiness, embarrassment, hurt). Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:168 (COMM:4168) Rhetoric of the Body | 3 s.h. |
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Survey of a range of theories about the body and application to specific case studies; implications of how bodies are endowed with and convey meaning; theories of pollution, pain, ability, and normativity; diverse case studies that are seemingly disparate, but all preoccupy themselves with public conceptions of bodily meaning (i.e., beauty pageants, freak shows, plastic surgery, the wannabe movement, tattoos, the FDR Presidential Memorial, Deaf culture, fat bodies, illness, and torture). Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:169 (COMM:4169) Feminist Rhetorics | 3 s.h. |
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Exploration of multiple, varied, and complex histories of U.S. feminisms from rhetorical perspectives; focus on primary documents, the letters, speeches, essays, and manifesto/as that shaped women's movements and inspire social change from late 18th century to present; social, political, and personal issues that feminists sought to address and transform, communicative and rhetorical methods utilized, and implications of these efforts for women's lives and broader U.S. American culture. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
Same as 131:176 (GWSS:4169). | | |
| 036:170 (COMM:4170) Theories of Persuasion | 3 s.h. |
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Theoretical examination of historical, psychological, social, and cultural perspectives on persuasion; analysis of persuasive attempts; questions of cultural persuadables and current problems in U.S. American culture (i.e., obesity, drunk driving, date rape). Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:172 (COMM:4172) Television and African American Culture | 3 s.h. |
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Role of television in African American culture; examination of debates, stereotyping, authenticity, effects of programming, aesthetics, and television's relationship to other forms of cultural expression. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
Same as 129:195 (AFAM:4001). | | |
| 036:173 (COMM:4173) Social Media, Culture, and Politics | 3 s.h. |
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Introduction to theoretical issues raised by social media for communication; particular emphasis on cultural and political implications; how social media is understood, forms of digital communication, individual and collective identity formations via social media, online communities, and intersection of social media and existing culture and politics. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:174 (COMM:4174) Communication, Technology, and National Security | 3 s.h. |
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Relationship between communication technologies and national security via three main themes—use of communications infrastructure in previous and future wars for the purpose of securing and maintaining U.S. leadership in world system, uses of propaganda for domestic and foreign consumption, and representation of national security issues in popular media; historical and contemporary components. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:176 (COMM:4176) Advanced Relational Theory | 3 s.h. |
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Relationships and how they significantly shape our experiences of the world, sense of identity, outlook on life, and way in which we think about experiences and life in general; premise that relationships are more than emotional attachments or bonds; relationships as happy, emotionally satisfying elements of life; demonstrations of a variety of communicative situations that establish, reconstitute, and demonstrate importance of membership of communities and relationships. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:181 (COMM:4181) Legal Communication and Culture | 3 s.h. |
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Law and legal system as communicative networks of meaning‑making; law viewed as a symbolic system, from courtroom arguments to judicial opinions to legal reporting to circulation of law in everyday life, in contrast with legal courses concerned with learning blackletter law; law from a rhetorical perspective that allows us to think in new and different ways about cultural implications of legal argument. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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| 036:183 (COMM:4183) Networking America: The Cultural History of Broadcasting | 3 s.h. |
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Exposure to different interpretations of cultural impact and legacy of U.S. broadcasting in 20th century; institutional practices, program genres, and audience formations of 1920s‑1970s radio and television network eras; how historical contexts shape, and are shaped by, production and reception of broadcasting texts. Prerequisites: 036:001 (COMM:1301), 036:005 (COMM:1305), 036:012 (COMM:1112) or 036:070 (COMM:1170), 036:017 (COMM:1117) or 036:030 (COMM:1130), and 036:068 (COMM:1168) or 036:074 (COMM:1174). Requirements: g.p.a. of at least 2.50, completion of Foundations of Communication requirement, and 6 s.h. of intermediate‑level course work.
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For Graduate Students
Graduate students also may take courses numbered 100-199 for credit, with approval of their committee.
| 036:200 (COMM:5200) Introduction to Research and Teaching | 1 s.h. |
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Introduction to communication studies as a field of scholarship; selection of research problems, major lines of research represented in the department, bibliographical tools for scholarship in the field; issues, practical tasks, and concerns relevant to effective college or university classroom teaching.
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| 036:210 (COMM:6200) Introduction to Rhetorics of Inquiry | 2-4 s.h. |
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How connections between discourses that don't seem connected suggest innovative arguments and ways of crossing boundaries between disciplines.
Same as 160:200 (PORO:6200). | | |
| 036:220 (COMM:5220) Rhetorical Criticism | 3 s.h. |
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Approaches to rhetorical analysis of communicative artifacts, acts, events, rhetorical‑critical essay writing.
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| 036:223 (COMM:5223) Deliberation, Advocacy, and Civic Engagement | 3 s.h. |
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Practices of public deliberation in governance and civil society; counterpublic sphere discourses.
Same as 160:223 (PORO:6223). | | |
| 036:230 (COMM:5230) Introduction to Rhetoric and Discourse | 3 s.h. |
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Introduction to major theories, principles, and practices of rhetorical theory, rhetorical criticism, and discourse analysis.
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| 036:241 (COMM:5241) Theories of Mass Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Major concepts, theories, schools of thought in media studies, mass communication.
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| 036:250 (COMM:6250) Introduction to Rhetoric of Science | 3 s.h. |
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How science is related to social and political practices, examined by placing philosophical and pedagogical controversies about scientific method into their historical and rhetorical contexts.
Same as 160:250 (PORO:6250). | | |
| 036:270 (COMM:6210) Health Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Theories, concepts, research associated with health communication; interpersonal and mass communication approaches. Offered summer sessions.
Same as 172:240 (CBH:6210). | | |
| 036:319 (COMM:6319) Practical Criticism | 3 s.h. |
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Basics of rhetorical criticism; rhetoric as practice or technique; how to read rhetorically; fundamentals (i.e., figuration and tropes, form and genre, voice, style, topoi) and art of rhetorical critique.
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| 036:335 (COMM:6335) Proseminar: Contemporary Rhetorical Studies | 2-4 s.h. |
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Problems in contemporary rhetorical studies; may include works of Kenneth Burke, Wayne Booth, deconstructionists, feminist theorists and critics, critics of communication technologies.
Same as 160:335 (PORO:6335). | | |
| 036:336 (COMM:6336) Seminar in Rhetorical Theory | 1-4 s.h. |
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Topics in history and development of rhetorical theory; theory construction and application to critical practice.
Same as 160:336 (PORO:6336). | | |
| 036:339 (COMM:6339) Seminar: Rhetoric and Culture | 1-4 s.h. |
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Cultural theories, their utility in accounting for communication practices.
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| 036:340 (COMM:6340) Media and Modernity | 3 s.h. |
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Survey of classic and contemporary theoretical texts on cultural, social, political, and human consequences of 19th‑ and 20th‑century media.
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| 036:341 (COMM:6341) Topics in Mass Communication Scholarship | 1-3 s.h. |
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Theory and research on problems in mass communication.
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| 036:342 (COMM:6342) Critical Television Studies | 3 s.h. |
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Introduction to canonical and contemporary readings in critical television studies; primary questions and theories associated with textual, industrial, ethnographic, and integrated approaches to studying television; how technological, economic, and cultural changes have altered television and how it is studied.
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| 036:346 (COMM:6346) The Public Sphere | 3 s.h. |
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Theories, intellectual history, critics, contemporary issues of the public sphere.
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| 036:351 (COMM:6351) Global Media Seminar | 3 s.h. |
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Theories and processes of globalization and the cultural implications of media globalization; local responses to globalizing processes with reference to questions of modernity and national/transnational identity.
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| 036:354 (COMM:6354) Media and Social Change in Latin America | 3 s.h. |
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Cultural history and political economy of Latin American media; focus on U.S. influence and globalizing processes; media theory in Latin context; national and transnational audience formations.
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| 036:355 (COMM:6355) Cultural History of Radio | 3 s.h. |
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Cultural history, sound aesthetics, political economy, and audience studies of U.S. radio broadcasting; radio as a contested medium of local, regional, and national culture.
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| 036:365 (COMM:6365) The Communication of Social Support | 3 s.h. |
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Substantial knowledge base developed by scholars about types, processes, and mechanisms of social support used by humans to comfort one another; in‑depth examination of theory and empirical research related to communication of social support; emphasis on types of support, verbal person‑centered messages, and various strategies for social support; gender differences and social skills related to comforting; online supportive communication; development of detailed knowledge of this topic, critical assessment of extant research, and synthesis of class readings in written format.
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| 036:367 (COMM:6367) Computer-Mediated Communication | 3 s.h. |
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In‑depth analysis of theory and research related to computer‑mediated communication; factors that distinguish mediated from face‑to‑face interaction, theories of mediated interpersonal communication, self‑presentation online, Internet‑based relationships, and online supportive communication; how the Internet influences communication; online supportive communication, problematic Internet use, preference for online social interaction, the digital divide, mediated social networks, deception, and interventions on the Internet.
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| 036:370 (COMM:6370) Quantitative Research Methods | 3 s.h. |
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Primary methods for conducting quantitative research on interpersonal and group communication.
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| 036:371 (COMM:6371) Communication Theory | 3 s.h. |
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Survey of primary theories of interpersonal, cultural, group, and organizational communication.
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| 036:372 (COMM:6372) Ethnographic Methods | 3 s.h. |
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Qualitative methods used by ethnographers and interpretive researchers, including participant observation, field interviewing.
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| 036:373 (COMM:6373) Persuasion Theory and Research | 3 s.h. |
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Traditional social scientific approaches to research and theory; development of a cultural perspective on persuasion.
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| 036:374 (COMM:6374) Relational Communication Theory and Research | 3 s.h. |
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Communication in initiation, development, maintenance, breakdown, and repair of social and personal relationships.
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| 036:375 (COMM:6375) Theories of Culture | 3 s.h. |
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Research and theory on face‑to‑face communication, from ethnography of communication perspective.
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| 036:376 (COMM:6376) Family Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Theory and research on communication among and between family members (parents, children, marital partners, siblings); quantitative and qualitative research.
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| 036:377 (COMM:6377) The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Communication in dysfunctional, dissatisfying, and otherwise unpleasant aspects of familial, personal, and social relationships; jealousy, deception, infidelity, nagging and complaining, verbal and physical abuse; relational communication's dark side, in which behavior viewed as dysfunctional may actually be functional, and behavior viewed as functional may be dysfunctional.
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| 036:378 (COMM:6660) Critical Ethnography | 3 s.h. |
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How power relations constitute the work of ethnographic research; ethnography as a rhetorical form—how ethnographic inscription renders self, other, culture, and the world intelligible in ways that reinscribe and/or challenge dominant social relations; axes of power such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and nation within postcolonial, feminist, and antiracist approaches to ethnographic/autoethnographic theory and praxis; negotiating researcher privilege and epistemic violence; crisis of representation.
Same as 160:332 (PORO:6660), 131:332 (GWSS:6660). | | |
| 036:379 (COMM:6220) Health Communication Campaigns | 3 s.h. |
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Design and analysis of health campaigns; theory, practice, methods; mass media, community, organization, and interpersonal approaches. Offered spring semesters.
Same as 172:246 (CBH:6220). | | |
| 036:380 (COMM:6380) Seminar: Dialogic Communication | 3 s.h. |
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Dialogic approaches to communication, including Bakhtin and Buber.
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| 036:383 (COMM:6383) Seminar: Constructs, Communication, and Identity | 3 s.h. |
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Concepts of identity and sociality in George Kelly's Personal Construct Theory; their connection to theories of rhetoric, especially Burke, and social community, especially Mead.
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| 036:387 (COMM:6387) Communication, Cognition, and Emotion | 3 s.h. |
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Theoretical and empirical work that integrates communication, cognition, emotion; role of social cognition in communication, theories of emotion, types of emotional experiences; approaches to understanding emotion from perspectives in psychology, social cognition, communication; emotion‑related issues such as influence of gender, effects of mood.
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