This course will prepare you for the future by helping you to develop specific methods for speaking and delivery as well as critical thinking and analytical skills that focus on how to organize a presentation, solve problems, build arguments, and be creative. As a result of the satisfactory completion of this course, you should become a more confident presenter and a more professional presentation writer.

This course is designed to examine the role of research in communication. We will discuss how research is done, what is effective research, and what quantitative statistics are used to analyze and interpret research. At the end of this course, students will be able to understand concepts related to research methods, apply appropriate statistics to hypothesis testing, conduct hand calculations of basic statistical tests, use and apply appropriate visualizations of statistics, and propose, outline, and justify a business venture using statistics.

Prerequisites: COMM 1000
Recommended preparation: A mathematics course

This course examines communication theory and applies it to real world situations.  From studying the history of organizational communication to building effective messages, the goal of this course is to successfully communicate in a professional realm.  The student will learn various topics including grammar, formatting and structure of memos, letters, and emails, how to build resumes and cover letters, design basics, and many other applied topics.  At the end of the course, the student should have strong written and presentational skills.

Prerequisite: COMM 1000

Recommended preparation:  COMM 1100

This course is an introduction to research and theories in the field of interpersonal communication. Students will learn to define interpersonal communication, identify the goals of this form of communication and the needs interpersonal communication helps individuals meet, and differentiate these concepts from other related terms; to analyze the process of identity-formation and the influence of interpersonal communication on understandings of self; and to differentiate the stages of relationship development and the process of relational maintenance, including how to manage and engage in conflict, as well as issues related to closeness, affection, love, sex, and uncertainty.

Prerequisites: COMM 1000

This course is designed to examine the effects of mass media on individuals and society. Mass media research focuses on the discovery of what happens to people who listen to, read, or view media messages, and how these messages affect them. The first part of the course will focus on surveying the evolution of mass media theories and the remainder of the course will focus on various aspects of media influence such as advertising, news, politics, and new technology. At the end of this course, you will be able to: identify examples of theoretical concepts in current media, interpret your own media use in light of mass media theories, and critique mass media messages that are presented to you.

Prerequisites: COMM 1000

This course will focus on the processes, theories, and strategies related to the communicative nature of persuasion. It is an introduction to theories of attitude formation, change, and reinforcement. At the end of this course, a student will be able to: understand and describe the evolution of persuasive theory and inquiry, explain how persuasive techniques are applied, identify examples of persuasive techniques, interpret others’ attempts at persuasion, and apply concepts of persuasion to a prosocial persuasive campaign.

Prerequisites: COMM 1000

This course is designed to explore mass communication as a unique field of study, and also how it relates to broader social and economic processes.  It will provide an overview of key historical events and timelines pertaining to different media.  Attention will be paid to how different types of media forms and content influence individuals and, in turn, shape society. As a result of this course, students will be prepared to critically evaluate media trends, norms, policies, and outcomes, and to make informed decisions on media consumption choices and behaviors.

Prerequisites: Recommended preparation: COMM 1000, which may be taken concurrently.

This course provides an overview of the theory and technique behind successful digital production. This course will fuse practical training with theoretical understanding while also considering the nuances of tailoring production works to diverse audiences, managing a digital workflow, and developing a project from initial creative ideas through the fine-tuning of post-production. Throughout, we will consistently connect these skills with the communicative function of digital media. Ultimately, this course will provide you with a foundation from which you can build your own digital production projects, in both your college and professional endeavors.

Prerequisites: COMM 1000

This course covers classic and current theories of organizations. Information flow within various channels as well as participative decision making are examined, with their impact on worker satisfaction and productivity assessed. A group project allows students to gather data from an organization and conduct a network analysis of that organization.  Roles, norms, centrality, and feedback processes are discussed.

Prerequisites: COMM 2100 or 2200

This course explores issues related to communicating in groups and teams. We will explore what constitutes a group, verbal and nonverbal communication in groups, how groups are structured, your role as a group member, group decision making, leadership, conflict management, group development, meeting management, and how to observe group process and provide feedback. During the term, you will have various opportunities to practice what you have learned about group communication. Also, the writing component of this course will be group-oriented, providing you with an opportunity to examine a group-related content area of your choice.

Prerequisites: COMM 2100 or 2200; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

This course examines a broad range of theories, concepts, and topics on gender, sex, and communication. Throughout this course, we will discuss research from a variety of fields, including communication, women’s studies, sociology, and psychology. The goal of this course is for students to understand the ways in which gender is learned and communicated, the implications of gender on our lives, and possibilities for change insofar as individuals are able to reject gender norms. Ultimately, students in this course should develop a strong understanding of how gender and sex influence their everyday lives and be able to critique the impact of gender construction on larger social structures.

Prerequisites: COMM 1000 or instructor consent.

Recommended preparation: COMM 2200

The role of communication in family life, including marital, parent/child, and sibling relationships; the interdependence of families and the unique demands these interrelationships place on communication.

Prerequisites: COMM 2200

Facial expression, body movement, spatial behavior and para-language, with a consideration of applications for information theory.

Prerequisites: COMM 2200 or 2500

The goal of this course is to introduce advanced undergraduate students to current and emerging theory, methodology, and research literature in motivation and emotion, particularly emotional communication. Topics will include cognition, brain mechanisms, biofeedback, aggression, sex, competence, social influence, and conformity.

Prerequisites: PSYC 1100 and PSYC 1101 or 1103; open to juniors or higher

History, analysis and evaluation of technique, content and aesthetic effect of media messages. Cultural, political, economic, and institutional factors that help define the grammar of popular mass media content; social scientific perspectives addressing how audiences learn to comprehend media content including efforts to promote media literacy.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2600

History, analysis and evaluation of technique, content and aesthetic effect of media messages. Cultural, political, economic, and institutional factors that help define the grammar of popular mass media content; social scientific perspectives addressing how audiences learn to comprehend media content including efforts to promote media literacy.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2600; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

This course covers issues of race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, and sexuality in mainstream and alternative media. It involves an analysis of how diverse groups use the media, are represented in and interpret media content. By the end of this course, the student should have a more developed and expanded media knowledge as it relates to U.S. ethnic populations and other population segments. It is desired that the student will gain more sophisticated knowledge about ethnicity, race, culture, social class, and gender. This course is for any student who is planning a career in the communication field or wishes to have a more complex understanding of mass media in a diverse world.

Prerequisites: Open to juniors or higher.

Recommended preparation: COMM 1000, 2300 or 2600.

The role of ethnicity and race in women's lives. Special attention to communication research on ethnic and racial minority women.

Prerequisites: Open only to juniors or higher.

This course analyzes the socio-cultural functions of soap operas/telenovelas as mediated serials constructed by commercial organizations and consumed by United States and global audiences. At the completion of this course, you should be able to: identify international and domestic television programs of particular social and commercial value in soap opera/drama/telenovela history, identify motivating factors (e.g. nation’s technological development level, profit, consumer desires) involved in global flows (distribution, export, import, ideas) of television programs, differentiate unique country styles for content (e.g. aesthetics, length, themes, technical quality, etc.) among international and domestic television programs, specify the kinds of television program content that can have deleterious (harmful) impact on viewers, evaluate how television programs have the potential to inform and educate viewers for social good.

Prerequisites: Open to juniors or higher

Recommended preparation: COMM 1000, 2300 or 2600.

This course provides an overview of important issues and research regarding children’s and adolescent’s reactions to mass media. Emphasis will be placed on developmental differences in the processing of media content and in the effects of such materials. Major emphasis will also be placed on theoretical perspectives in communication and developmental psychology that frame the media-related topics to be covered. Topics will include educational television, frightening media, violent television, computer games, the Internet, and media policy.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300

This course provides an overview of important issues and research regarding children’s and adolescent’s reactions to mass media. Emphasis will be placed on developmental differences in the processing of media content and in the effects of such materials. Major emphasis will also be placed on theoretical perspectives in communication and developmental psychology that frame the media-related topics to be covered. Topics will include educational television, frightening media, violent television, computer games, the Internet, and media policy.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011

Communication in political processes and the role of mass media in American politics. Topics may include campaigning, issue management, lobbying, interest-group strategies, government relations, grassroots action, and coalition building.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2500

Communication in political processes and the role of mass media in American politics. Topics may include campaigning, issue management, lobbying, interest-group strategies, government relations, grassroots action, and coalition building.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2500; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011

This course provides an overview of health communication, including health behavior change interventions, emergency communication, risk assessment, media influences, provider-patient communication, socialization and identity, stereotyping, social support, diverse populations, and new communication technologies. Communication is central to health promotion and disease prevention efforts. In this course, you will gain a deep understanding of the major theories that guide health communication research and real-world application.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2500.

Recommended preparation: COMM 2000Q

Overview of health communication, including health behavior change interventions, emergency communication, risk assessment, media influences, provider-patient communication, socialization and identity, stereotyping, social support, diverse populations, and new communication technologies.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2500; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

Recommended preparation: COMM 2000Q

The role of communication and media in shaping science and technology in society. Topics include theories and debates in the field, media coverage of science, activism and science campaigns, and using new and social media to communicate science issues.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2500.

The role of communication and media in shaping science and technology in society. Topics include theories and debates in the field, media coverage of science, activism and science campaigns, and using new and social media to communicate science issues.

Prerequisites: COMM 2300 or 2500; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

This course explores the principles, strategies, and theories of communication in product and brand marketing contexts. The course builds on and elaborates on the persuasion core course COMM 3100 and involves material from COMM 3000Q and COMM 3300. The course emphasizes theory and application associated with marketing, branding, and popular culture. The course is geared towards those who want to pursue a career in marketing, although those interested in advertising or public relations may also find the course valuable.

Prerequisites: COMM 2500 or 2600

This course covers communications theory relevant to advertising, with specific application to the creative elements of art and copy. Students will learn and practice the analysis of companies, markets, and brands, the development of marking insights by profiling consumer behavior, the communication of a branding message to position a product in the market, and the development of an advertising campaign. Students will create actual print advertisements and radio commercials.

Prerequisites: COMM 2500 or 2600

This course explores practical applications of major theories of communication and mass media to public relations practiced by organizations. By the end of the course you should have a thorough understanding of public relations and be able to: survey the landscape of public relations theory, research and practice, understand the functions of public relations in various settings, understand the impact of public relations on society, learn how to develop a public relations campaign and appropriate plans to address problems and opportunities across a range of industries, and develop a plan for your portfolio that will enhance your ability to secure an internship or a job within the public relations profession.

Prerequisites: COMM 2500 or 2600

In Fall 2021, the topic will be Food Marketing. Food and beverage marketing shapes your food preferences and eating behaviors starting from childhood. By the end of this course students will learn to evaluate the controversial role of food marketing and its impact on children’s eating preferences, develop critical skills to assess food advertising tactics used by the industry, and gain experience in conducting research on the topic of their interest to improve food marketing environment. Other topics include food advertising effect on racial and ethnic minorities, research implications on food policy, and ethical aspects of food marketing.

Prerequisites: COMM 2500 or 2600 or instructor consent

This course will help students become informed members of the Information Society in the age of the Internet and social media. The course reviews the functions and regulatory policies of new communication technologies, with an emphasis on how they affect users.

Prerequisites: COMM 2600

This course explores contentious topics in current media effects research and their theoretical implications. Topics may include sexual content on television, pornography, alcohol on television, video games, and media impact on body image.

Prerequisites: COMM 2000Q and 2300

This course explores contentious topics in current media effects research and their theoretical implications. Topics may include sexual content on television, pornography, alcohol on television, video games, and media impact on body image.

Prerequisites: COMM 2000Q and 2300; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011

Application of media, persuasion, and social change theories to the design of communication campaigns, including focus groups, interviews and other background research. Students will work with community organizations.

Prerequisites: COMM 2000 and 2500.

Recommended preparation: COMM 2300.

1.00 - 6.00 credits | May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisites: Open to juniors or higher with instructor consent

Successful communication professionals must be able to showcase their work for relevant audiences. In this course, you will build upon the work you have done during your undergraduate career to create a complete, compelling digital portfolio to help you succeed in your professional endeavors. This is a studio course, graded S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory), and may be used to satisfy the Immersion Course requirement for Communication Majors.

1.00 - 3.00 credits | May be repeated for a total of 3 credits.

Prerequisites: At least 12 credits of 2000 level or above COMM courses; open to juniors or higher. Recommended preparation: COMM 2100 and 2700.

Provides students with an opportunity for supervised field work in a professional communication organization. Student's performance will be evaluated both by the field supervisor and course instructor. May be repeated once for credit. More>

Prerequisites: At least 12 units of 2000 level or above Communication courses; open to juniors or higher. Should be taken senior year. May be repeated once for credit.