Hope College | Communications

Courses

Major & Minor Information

A Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication may be obtained from Hope College by completing 38 hours according to the following coursework specifications. Click here for Major Requirement Checklist to print (requires Adobe Acrobat).

Communication Minor --The communication minor consists of six regularly offered courses in communication for a total of at least 22 credits.

Three additional courses are required at the 200, 300, or 400 level, with no more than two courses at any one level. Substitutions, waivers, and internships are not allowed in the communication minor.

The following is a list of the courses offered through the Department of Communication at Hope College. Each course description is followed by the number of credit hours awarded for completion of the course, the faculty who lead the course, and the semesters during which the course is normally offered.

101. The Communication Process - This course focuses on communication competence. Readings and exercises explore and develop relational communication skills and media literacy. This course also addresses how filters of self, relationships, culture, gender, race, and ethnicity affect communication processes. Four Credits - Anderson, DeVries, Housel, Johnston, Spielvogel - Each Semester

140. Public Presentations - This course introduces students to the theory and practice of public speaking. Topics covered include audience analysis, methods of organizing a speech, the types and uses of supporting material, and the effective use of visual aids. Students will learn how to write and deliver effective informative, persuasive, and ceremonial speeches. Four Credits - DeWitt-Brinks, Pocock - Each Semester

151. Introduction to Mass Communication - This course explores the impact of media in society. The format and function of different types of contemporary media will be introduced. Two Credits - Nathan - Each Semester

160. Analytic Skills in Communication - This course seeks to develop the analytic skills involved in effective reasoning and communication. In developing these skills, the course introduces students to various types of arguments, the tests to which each is susceptible and the characteristics of a reasonable argument: validity, evidence, and linguistic consistency. Analysis of sample arguments is stressed throughout. The course also considers the ethics of advocacy, and the qualities of a reasonable person. Prerequisite: communication major or permission of instructor. Four Credits - Herrick - Each Semester

210. Interpersonal Communication - Interpersonal communication is the study of face-to-face interaction and the creation of meaningful relationships. In this course, we will explore and develop five areas of interpersonal communication skill: interpretive competence, self-competence, role competence, goal competence, and message competence. Topics include family systems, self-identity, intimate relationships, gender issues, power, language, and non-verbal communication. Four Credits - DeVries, Johnston - Fall Semester

220. 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 - Fall Semester

231. Communication and Conflict - This course addresses the theory and practice of conflict resolution from a communication perspective. In the first half of the course, students examine symbolic patterns of destructive conflict behavior, including the role and function of words and images in constructing enemies and dehumanizing others. Role-play, discussion, and lecture are utilized in the second half of the course to introduce students to the theory, practice, and vocation of mediation, a facilitative, non-adversarial conflict resolution process. Students learn how to use communication to maintain mediator neutrality, frame issues, generate problem-solving options, and write agreements. Four Credits - Spielvogel - Spring Semester

251. Media Production l: Introduction to Digital Media Production - 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 - Park - Each Semester

255. Print Media I: Reporting, Writing and Editing for Print Media - This course teaches students the basics of writing for the print media (primarily newspapers). It will also develop their ability to gather, analyze and synthesize information for news reports. The course will also focus on interviewing techniques, legal and ethical issues in print media and the operations of a newsroom. Four Credits - Housel - Fall Semester

257. Communication for Public Relations [does not fulfill major /minor requirement]- This course provides an introduction to basic communication practices among a variety of organizations in both the public and private sectors. In addition to the study of public relations theories, students will simulate public relations and management situations using practical experiences and case studies. Two Credits - Pocock - Spring Semester

260. Rhetoric and 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 - Each Semester

280. 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 addresssing the implications and ethical considerations of research. Four Credits - DeVries, Johnston - Each Semester

290. Independent Media Project [does not fulfill major/minor requirement] - This course provides an opportunity for Communication majors to develop media skills by producing a media project under the supervision of a faculty member. Credit for this course is elective and may not be applied to fulfill the requirements of the major. Students are expected to maintain approximately 4 hours of project work per week for each credit granted. Prerequisites: COMM 255 and 356 or COMM 251 and 352, Junior standing, submission of departmental Independent Media Project Application, approval of instructor, and final approval of media project proposal by department. One to Two Credits - Each Semester

330. 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 - Spring Semester

335. 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 - Fall Semester

352. Media Production II: Media Literacy - This course introduces students to the field of media literacy and examines critical issues in media education that include, but are not limited to, sex and violence in the media, media ownership concentration, media stereotyping, and the impact of advertising on adolescent attitudes and behavior. The course helps students to become familiar with issues in media literacy and equips them with advanced video techniques for broadcast-quality production. Students should expect to spend at least three hours per week of self-directed production/ practice/ research time in addition to the designated class meetings. For the final project, each student will produce a digital video project with a Web presentation that can be distributed widely for media education in high schools and universities. Prerequisite: Media Production I or permission of instructor. Four Credits - Park - Spring Semester

356. Print Media II: Critical Approaches to News Reporting and Public Relations - This course will introduce students to advanced techniques for communicating through print media. Students will learn to write news feature and public relations articles, edit and rewrite copy, generate story ideas, develop sources, and use technology for effective information gathering. Prerequisite: Print Media I . Four Credits - Housel - Spring Semester

357. Media Production - Social Documentary - This course introduces students to documentary film and video from both theoretical and practical perspectives. By combining theoretical/analytical work with a series of production exercises, the course encourages students to develop a critical understanding of creative, theoretical, and practical dimensions involved in documentary representations. In the first part of the semester, students will learn different approaches to the documentary, including ethnographic documentary, activist documentary, and the politics of representation. Discussion will focus on such issues as insider accounts, processes of othering, reflexivity, realism, the ethics of consent, the politics of editing, and the role of the intended and non-intended audiences in documentary production. The course will cover simultaneously the technical and practical aspects of documentary production that enable students to produce their own projects. During the final part of the semester, each student will produce a broadcast-quality documentary video. Prerequisites: Media Production I and II or permission of instructor. Four Credits - Park - Fall Semester

360. The Art and Science of Persuasion - This course provides a comprehensive view of persuasion by analyzing how persuasion operates at both an interpersonal and a social level. The analysis of persuasive contexts includes discussions of popular culture, news media, advertising, cults, social movements, politics, law, families and interpersonal relationships. The study of persuasion will be applied to personal communication skills such as the production of ethical persuasive messages and critical media literacy skills. Four Credits - Johnston - Spring Semester, Odd Years

371. Communicating Across Differences: Intercultural and 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 - Spring Semester, Even Years

390. Independent Study - An independent study is a program providing advanced students in Communication an opportunity to broaden their perspectives or intensify study in a communication area of unique interest. Prerequisites: Junior standing, submission of departmental Independent Study Application, approval of instructor, and final approval of research proposal by department. One to Four Credits - Each Semester

395. Topics in Communication - A seminar in a special topic of the discipline offered for majors in the department and other interested/qualified students. The course will focus on a particular aspect of the discipline and reflect theory, research and application to the extent expected for the course level and credits assigned. Topics occasionally offered include: Family Communication, Film Criticism, Black Images in Film, Political Communication, and Advanced Research. Two to Four Credits - Occasionally

399. 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 4 hours of placement per week for each credit granted. Up to 4 hours of internship credit may be applied to fulfill the Communication Major 300-level requirements only if the internship constitutes a "field placement" through an established semester-long internship study program. Approved field placement programs include: The Philadelphia Center, The Chicago Semester, The New York Fine Arts Program, and the Washington Honors Semester. Prerequisites: Communication major, junior standing, submission of departmental Internship Application, approval of instructor, and final approval of internship placement by department. One to Four Credits - Each Semester

451. Media Theory - This seminar examines theories of mass communication and explores implications for criticism of media performance. Prerequisites: COMM 101, 151, 260, and 280. Four Credits- Park, Spielvogel - Fall Semester

460. Rhetorical and Communication Theory - This seminar begins with a survey of rhetoric in Western culture. It then considers interpretive and social science theories of communication. Themes carried throughout the course include the nature of language, the construction of meaning, and the impact of social and cultural processes on communication. Prerequisites: COMM 101, 160, 260, and 280. Four Credits - Herrick and Johnston - Spring Semester

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: Communication 101, 160, 260, and 280. Four Credits - Housel - Spring Semester