Courses Offered

Communication is the means by which individuals learn about themselves and the world around them. This course is an introduction to Communication, which emphasizes the understanding of messages in various settings, including interpersonal, small group, organizational, and mass communication. Such topics as the interplay between American society and mass media are discussed.

Examination of the principles of oral message preparation and presentation. Students will prepare and present actual public communications.

Principles of personal interaction as a basis of communication: role of communication in interpersonal relationships; role of identity and self-concept in communication behavior; significance of information reception and evaluation in the effectiveness of communication.

This course is designed to apply one of the major critical thinking learning components of the Communication major: Problem solving. Students work individually and in groups to analyze problems and assess appropriate solutions to varied communication problems. Effective problems-solving and decision-making strategies are emphasized.

The study of human cognition from an information processing perspective. Examines the processes of sensation, perception, memory, thinking, language, and problem solving with special attention to their roles in communications.

Reporting, interviewing, writing, and editing a variety of basic news stories for the mass media, with an emphasis on using correct news style. Accuracy, fairness, objectivity, and ethics are stressed.

Supervised hands-on experience as a staff member of the Fourth Estate, the campus newspaper. Provides opportunities for in-depth study of one facet of newspaper operation: newswriting, feature writing, photojournalism, layout, management or editing. Involves one-on-one work with professor and editor.

• Course is repeatable to 6 credits.

Business and Professional Communication Skills provides the student with the information and practice to develop communication skills in business writing, employment interviewing, and business speaking to inform and persuade.

An overview of topics, issues, concepts, and practices of public relations/corporate communications; individual and group case work.

Travel courses are conducted to various parts of the world and are led by one or more faculty members. May be repeated to different locations.

• Gen Ed: World Culture
• Travel Course
• Course is repeatable for credit.

Researching, reporting, writing, interviewing, and editing several types of feature stories for both newspapers and magazines. There is also an emphasis on marketing newspaper and magazine features.

Exploring the potentials of electronic media; analyzing communication strategies employed in these media; examining policy and practice in commercial and educational operations and the forces that control them.

Commercial and non-commercial radio as a communications medium and as a business enterprise: radio audiences, audience ratings, programming and program formats, news, advertising, promotion and sales.

Exploration of various uses of television as an informative, persuasive, and entertainment medium. Combines analysis of current uses of the medium in a professional context with practical experience in planning and producing a finished product for television.

A survey of information technologies, their operations and limitations, and how the major electronic technologies are changing and affecting both the workplace and the household.

TV/media/Internet advertising as a unique form of communication. Through the use of both individual and team/group projects, the demands and rigors of the strategic creative process are revealed. Legal, ethical and Internet considerations are also discussed.

Structure and system in language, with attention to modern English and including principles of structural, computational and generative-transformational linguistics.

A study of meaning of language: how meanings of words and phrases change, how meanings may be measured, the relations between logic and meaning, cultural differences in meaning due to language structure differences, and the effects of situation on meaning.

Awareness, appreciation, understanding, and skill in contemporary forms and methods of oral persuasion and argumentation.

Communication in the modern organization: communication variables in the context of organizational theory; development of a systems perspective regarding functions, structures and levels of communication in the organization; use of evaluation tools and training strategies.

Basic theory behind conducting effective interviews. Specific types of interviews are discussed, such as selection, counseling, exit, discipline, appraisal, mass media and research interviews, from both the interviewer's and the interviewee's perspective.

The role communication plays in small group processes; focuses on development of the special communication skills needed in the small group setting.

Supervised hands-on experience on the staff of the Fourth Estate, the campus newspaper. Provides opportunities for developing advanced skills in some facet of newspaper operation: reporting, feature writing, photojournalism, layout, editing, or management. Involves one-on-one work with professor and editor.

• Course is repeatable for credit.

This course examines the processes used in connecting advertisers' messages with their target audiences. Through lecture, readings, and two case studies, students prepare and present a comprehensive media plan and a media sales package. Traditional media channels (e.g., newspapers, TV) and new media (e.g. the Internet) are included.

Freedom of the press and broadcast media, problems of gag orders, contempt, privacy, censorship, libel and slander. Overview of copyright law, the Federal Communications Act and other laws affecting communication.

This course provides students with professional preparation for the writing required for a public relations career. Students will learn strategies for creating, delivering, and evaluating several types of P.R. writing: news releases, PSAs, magazine queries, newsletters, backgrounders, among others.

Development of advanced-level reporting, interviewing, writing, and editing of investigative stories, in-depth articles, and copy for the new world of online journalism.

The role of information in society, including interpersonal, mass, and institutional sources, in producing a range of effects on individuals, groups, and society as a whole; critical examination of the changing information environment in legal, economic, political, and social contexts.

Integration of a variety of theories to promote sensitivity to and understanding of the complexity of human communications; examines the construction of various communication theories, contexts and processes in communication.

This course is designed to expose students to the theories of conflict and conflict management, including communication strategies for managing human conflict. Students learn to assess and investigate the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions that influence confilct through theoretical lenses, and participate in negotiation and mediation simulations.

This course examines the strategies and practices of communications and media management in organizations. Students integrate their knowledge of oral, written, and visual communication to solve real-world cases.

A communication audit identifies and analyzes strengths and weaknesses of communications within an organization. In conducting an audit, students gain practical experience as well as furthering their understanding of theoretical concepts in organizational communication.

Students will learn the successful components related to successful instruction, including theoretical perspectives, empirical research, and pedagogical techniques relating to teaching that they can apply to a broad array of future teaching and learning experiences.

• Course is repeatable to 6 credits.

Students will assist faculty in conducting research. Responsibilities may include literature reviews, library/Internet investigations, questionnaire development, recruitment and interview of research participants, data collection, management of research studies, data entry and analysis.

• Course is repeatable to 12 credits.

Supervised practical experience in an organization or activity appropriate to a student's career and educational interests. Internships are supervised by faculty members and require periodic student/faculty meetings.

• Course is repeatable for credit.

Independent study is offered on an individual basis at the student's request and consists of a program of learning activities planned in consultation with a faculty member. A student wishing to study or conduct research in an area not represented in available scheduled courses should develop a preliminary proposal and seek the sponsorship of a faculty member. The student's advisor can direct him or her to instructors with appropriate interests. A written report or equivalent is required for evaluation, and a short title describing the program must be sent early inthe semester to the registrar for entry on the student's transcript.

• Course is repeatable for credit.

Travel courses are conducted to various parts of the world and are led by one or more faculty members. May be repeated to different locations.

• Gen Ed: World Culture
• Travel Course
• Course is repeatable for credit.