FALL SEMESTER 2009 COURSE OFFERINGS

200-Level

COMM210-Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is the study of dyadic interaction and the creation of meaningful relationships. This course is built on five communicative competencies: interpretive, self, role, relational, & goal. We will explore the concepts and theories surrounding these competencies, how they are interconnected, and how they influence the particular ways in which we communicate in intimate, familial, professional/impersonal, and cross-cultural contexts. Four Credits - DeVries

COMM220-Task Group Leadership
This course focuses on understanding and developing communication competence in small groups. This involves learning how to function effectively as part of a team, as well as exercising appropriate leadership. Topics include group development, competitive vs. cooperative climates, decision-making and problem-solving, power resources, and conflict management. Four Credits - Anderson

COMM251-Media Production I.
This course offers an entry-level learning experience introducing students to digital media production from theoretical, aesthetic, and practical perspectives. The course aims to familiarize students with the basic tools and processes of digital media production so that they can communicate their ideas creatively and effectively using various forms of media. The course is divided into seminar and workshop components. In the seminars, students will discover different theoretical approaches to media representation that inform the practice of digital media production. In the workshops, students will gain the technical skills and knowledge required for digital media production, including the use of camera, sound, voice recording, lighting, editing, graphics, and transitions. All students will undertake a series of exercises which demonstrate their understanding, skills, and creativity, and they will present and discuss their own productions. Four Credits - Korf

COMM255-Reporting, Writing, and Visual Design for the Mass Media
This course introduces students to writing, reporting, and editing for newspapers, magazines, broadcast, and online media. Students produce news and features articles suitable for magazines, newspapers, and online media. Students learn how to effectively combine visual elements (photographs and graphics) with the written word to present information through lay-out (using Adobe InDesign). In addition, students write a broadcast script and match voice-over to footage. The versatile skills that students gain from this course are necessary for any media, public relations, or advertising career. Four Credits – Housel

COMM260-Rhetoric & Public Culture
This course explores the rhetorical strategies, argumentative approaches, and definitional techniques embedded in the texts of popular culture. Contrasting current theories of rhetorical analysis and cultural studies with those of the classical period, the course aims to familiarize students with the rhetorical elements in the symbolic world we inhabit and to sharpen their critical skills as consumers of persuasive messages. The course will also introduce students to some of the basic qualitative research approaches commonly employed in the field of communication studies, including Burkean analysis, culture-centered criticism, and narrative criticism. Four Credits - Herrick, Spielvogel

COMM280-Research Methods
This course is an introduction to the social science research process used to study human communication. It provides students with the skills to read, understand, and perform basic communication research. Such skills include conducting a review of literature and addressing the implications and ethical considerations of research. Four Credits - DeVries

300-Level

COMM330-Organizational Communication
This course introduces students to the basic concepts of how communication processes work in organizations. The first section of the course focuses on theories of organizations, including classical theory, humanistic theories, systems theory, cultural theories, and critical theories. The second section focuses on the challenges and misunderstandings that face organizations, such as recruitment and socialization of members, conflict management, and superior-subordinate communication. Four Credits - Anderson

COMM335-Leadership Skills & Perspectives
This course examines the complex and rich process of leadership in two main ways: 1) by studying the main theories of leadership, including traits, skills, styles, situational and transformational leadership, as well as leadership ethics; and 2) by teaching the essential competencies leaders need to be effective, through personal assessment and group projects. This course helps students develop leadership skills, practice critical thinking, engage the local community, and integrate their faith with their understanding of leadership. Prerequisites: Junior standing or permission of instructor. Four Credits - Anderson

COMM371-Intercultural & Gender Communication
This course addresses the social construction of inequality, specifically focusing on how communication processes are the means by which gender, race, class, nationality, culture and ethnicity are created, and are also the means by which individuals can resist personal participation in perpetuating systems of inequality. Through encountering multicultural experiences, interviewing people in different social positions, and engaging in exercises and simulations, we will learn to broaden our self-identities, and our understanding of others by learning about the experiences, feelings and views of people in social situations different from our own. NOTE: This course is cross-listed with Women's Studies. Four Credits - Johnston

COMM 395-01 Social Media and Communication in the Digital Age
This course aims to take a social scientific look at new communication technologies with an emphasis on popular or emerging social media, including, but not limited to, virtual communities, blogs, online games, and social networking websites. In this course, students will learn key concepts and theories of communication technologies, and examine empirical research that has addressed social, cultural, and psychological issues associated with social media. By participating in these course activities, students will gain insights into how communication technologies influence the ways in which people use media for social interaction, information, and entertainment in the digital age. Topics will also include the challenges and opportunities of social media with respect to expression and performance of self and social identity. Four Credits - Lee

COMM 395-02 Honors Course: Communication, Community, and Virtual Worlds
This course examines, from a systems perspective, how increasingly popular virtual worlds like Second Life and games such as World of Warcraft are altering the traditional boundaries and experiences of communal life. By comparing agrarian, industrial, and technological economies, and engaging readings that establish the parameters of vibrant communal systems, students in this honors course will gain a deeper understanding of the potential and limitations of virtual worlds for shaping and sustaining strong group identities. Students will build a replica of Hope's Dimnent Chapel in Second Life, and develop a research paper on a virtual community to assess its potential for meeting the conditions of healthy community systems. Class size is limited to 8 students; admission is by application only. See Honors Program webpage for more information. Four Credits - Spielvogel

COMM399-Communication Internship
Students secure an internship with an organization, agency, or communication media industry to observe, assist, and assume regular duties, or engage in special projects under the supervision of skilled professionals. Students are expected to maintain approximately 3 hours of placement per week for each credit granted. Prerequisites: Communication major, junior standing, completion of Internship Workshop, submission of departmental Internship Application and final approval of internship placement by department. Four Credits - Housel

400-Level

COMM 451 - Media Theory: Critical Perspectives
We live in a media-saturated culture where not only do we spend a great deal of time consuming media, but we also frequently have conversations about the media. We condemn the media for creating a standard of beauty that few can ever live up to. But, we often glorify the media for revolutionizing our access to a variety of information. Indeed, anyone can talk about the media without knowing anything about media theories. Our goal, however, is to enable us to engage in an "informed" discussion of various aspects about the media instead of reiterating common-sense knowledge about them. The educational aim of the course is to provide students with theoretical tools and frameworks required for critically evaluating various issues associated with the media. The course covers a wide range of schools of thought and theories, including cultivation analysis, political economy of communication, cultural imperialism, and reception theory. Throughout the semester, students will conduct a series of short research projects to apply theoretical knowledge to their actual understanding of the contemporary media. Prerequisites: COMM 101, 151, 260, and 280. Four Credits - Kim

COMM 470 – Cultural Communication Theory
This seminar examines theories of how power is expressed symbolically and embedded in cultural texts. Students will develop skills in the interpretation and analysis of cultural meaning. Prerequisites: COMM 101, 160, 260, and 280. Four Credits - Housel