department of communication — undergraduate course descriptions

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COM 2000 Introduction to Communication SS (3) AS SPE Introduction to the roles, contexts, and issues in contemporary human communication. Required of Communication majors. COM 3014 Communication, Gender and Identity (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above or consent of instructor (CI). Examines the communicative origins and implications of gender roles. COM 3110 Communication For Business and the Professions (3) AS SPE For non-majors only. Identification of communication situations specific to business and the professions. Analysis of variables related to communication objectives and preparation of oral presentations in the form of informational reports, conference management, persuasive communications, interviews, and public hearing. COM 3120 Introduction to Communication Theory in Organizations (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above or consent of instructor (CI). A survey of communication concepts which impact upon organizational effectiveness. COM 3122 Interview Communication (3) AS SPE Student must sign up for a one-hour lab if registering for day-time mass lecture class. A study of communication theory relative to interview situations with emphasis on the employment interview, appraisal interview, and persuasive interview. Student must sign up for a one-hour lab unless registering for night section of 3122. COM 3122L Interview Communication Lab (0) AS SPE Students must take this course in conjunction with the mass lecture COM 3122 offered during day. Interview laboratory for practice and individual consultation. Open to majors and non-majors. COM 4020 Communicating Illness, Grief, and Loss 6A (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above or consent of instructor (CI). Focus on stories of illness, grief, and loss to make sense of these experiences; to understand the cultural and rhetorical influences on how stories are told; and to explore the context of everyday life, romantic relationship, families, institutions, and culture in which they occur. COM 4022 Health Communication (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above or consent of instructor (CI). Application of communication theory and research to the health context including provider-patient communication, health information campaigns, and health beliefs and behavior. Special attention to the value issues in health communication. COM 4030 Women and Communication 6A MW (3) AS SPE Examines women’s patterns of communication in a variety of contexts. Also offered under Women’s Studies. COM 4124 Communication and Organizational Change (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above and COM 3120 or consent of instructor (CI). An advanced course covering current issues in organizational transformation (e.g., organizational dialogue, learning organizations, reengineering, work teams), and the role communication processes play in such changes. COM 4710 Writing Lives 6A (3) AS SPE PR: Junior/Senior standing or CI. Emphasizes writing stories about our lives and the lives of others as a way to understand, cope with and communicate social experiences. COM 4942 Communication Intern Seminar (3) AS SPE PR: Communication major, minimum GPA 3.0, 75 hours completed, 15 hours of core requirements and 9 elective hours completed, and CI. Seminar provides students with an opportunity to put into practice concepts and skills acquired in their study of communication. Weekly seminar sessions augment intern experience. Application for seminar must be submitted one semester prior to seminar offering. ORI 2000 Introduction to Communication As Performance (3) AS SPE Designed to develop proficiency in the understanding and oral communication of literary and other written materials. ORI 3950 Communication As Performance Laboratory (1-3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 AND COM 2000 AND ORI 2000, each with a grade of C or above, or CI. The study, rehearsal, and performance of literature for Readers Theatre and Chamber Theatre productions. ORI 4120 Performance of Poetry (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 AND COM 2000 AND ORI 2000, each with a grade of C or above, or CI. Critical appreciation of lyric and narrative poetry and communication of that appreciation to audience. Study of poetic theory and prosodic techniques. ORI 4310 Group Performance of Literature (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 AND COM 2000 AND ORI 2000, each with a grade of C or above, or CI. Designed to introduce the student to and give experience in various forms of group approaches to performance. ORI 4931 Performance and Video (3) AS SPE PR: ORI 2000. CR: ORI 3950. This course features adaptation, direction, and performance of literature for video productions. SPC 2541 Persuasion SS (3) AS SPE Examines the role of persuasion in public and social life. Students will be introduced to key concepts and theories of persuasion from a variety of historical and contemporary perspectives. Students will use these concepts to create, analyze, and respond to persuasive messages. SPC 2600 Public Speaking SS (3) AS SPE The nature and basic principles of human communication; emphasis on improving speaking and listening skills common to all forms of oral communication through a variety of experience in public discourse. SPC 3212 Communication Theory (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 and COM 2000 each with a C or above or CI. The study of source, message, and receiver variables in human communication; communication settings; descriptive and predictive models of communication; communication as a process. SPC 3230 Rhetorical Theory HP (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 and COM 2000 each with a C or above or CI. This course surveys the foundations and historical evolution of major concepts, issues, theorists, and approaches to the study of rhetoric from Plato to recent contemporary theorists. SPC 3301 Interpersonal Communication SS (3) AS SPE A study of interpersonal communication in informally structured settings with emphasis on the understanding, description, and analysis of human communication. SPC 3425 Group Communication 6A (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 and COM 2000 each with a C or above or CI. A survey of theory and research in group communication. Group discussions and communication exercises to increase awareness of the dynamics of human communication in small group settings. SPC 3513 Argumentation and Debate (3) AS SPE PR: Junior standing or CI. Study of principles of argumentation as applied in oral discourse, analysis of evidence and modes of reasoning. Practice in debate preparation and delivery. SPC 3602 Advanced Public Speaking (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 and COM 2000 each with a C or above or CI. Study and application of communication strategies in speaking extemporaneously and from manuscript. The course includes study of selected public addresses as aids to increased understanding of speaking skills. SPC 3631 Rhetoric of the Sixties HP (3) AS SPE Survey of the rhetorics associated with the civil rights movement, the Great Society, the anti-Vietnam War movement, the counterculture, the black power movement, and the women’s movement. SPC 3653 Popular Forms of Public Communication (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above or consent of instructor (CI). Analysis of public communication with emphasis on various presentational forms. SPC 3680 Rhetorical Analysis (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 2600 and COM 2000 each with a C or above or CI. This course introduces students to fundamentals of message analysis. Student examines persuasive strategies and language in oral and written discourse. SPC 3710 Communication and Cultural Diversity SS (3) AS SPE Examination of communication and cultural diversity within the United States. Cultural groups include gender, racial and ethnic (e.g., African American, Latino American, Asian American), social class, age and generation, religious (e.g. Jewish) and physical ability. SPC 4201 Oral Tradition MW (3) AS SPE Study of orality, its forms, functions, and transformations, in traditional and literate societies from folkloric and psychological traditions and from contemporary communication and cultural studies perspectives. SPC 4305 Communicating Emotions 6A (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above or consent of instructor (CI). Study of emotional experience, what emotions mean to us, how we talk about them, and the ways group and cultural memership influence them. Focus on attachment and loss in romantic, family and group relationships. SPC 4310 Relationships on Film (3) AS SPE PR: COM 2000 with C or above or consent of instructor (CI). Examination of the ways in which cinema inscribes conceptions and meanings of romance, love, intimacy and sexuality. Focus on systems of interpretation fostered by cinema representations of intimacy, sexuality, emotional, subjectivity, and betrayal. SPC 4431 Family Communication (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 3301 or COM 2000 with a C or above or CI. Examines the processes and functions of communication in family relationships. Examination of scholarly and popular literature on family structure, family systems, family development, and family stories. Analysis of families in fiction and cinema. SPC 4632 Rhetoric and Social Change 6A MW (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 3230 or SPC 3681. This course examines how social change is symbolized and motivated in the rhetorics of institutions, campaigns, social movements and individuals. SPC 4683 Rhetorical Analysis of Mass Media (3) AS SPE PR: SPC 3230 or SPC 3680, SPC 2600 and COM 2000 each with a C or above or CI. An introduction to the criticism of media forms and effects. Contemporary perspectives of the aesthetic and persuasive dimensions of mass media are examined. Students will engage in critical study of media artifacts. SPC 4714 Communication, Culture and Community MW (3) AS SPE Examines the relationships among culture, communication, institutions, and public and private life. Students explore the possibilities and problems of contemporary forms of community through service in a volunteer organization. SPC 4900 Directed Readings (1-3) AS SPE PR: Senior standing, COM 2000, a minimum GPA of 2.5, 15 hours of core requirements and 9 elective hours completed, and/or CI. Individualized reading with professor to complement undergraduate research projects. SPC 4903 Honors Readings (3) AS SPE PR: Admission to Communication Honors Program, COM 2000 AND SPC 2600 with grades of C or better. Focused readings directed toward preparation of a proposal for an undergraduate honors thesis. SPC 4905 Undergraduate Research (1-3) AS SPE PR: Senior standing, COM 2000, a minimum GPA of 2.5, 15 hours of core requirements and 9 elective hours completed, and/or CI. Individual investigations with faculty supervision. SPC 4930 Selected Topics (1-3) AS SPE PR: Senior standing, minimum GPA 2.5, 15 hours of core requirements and 9 elective hours completed, and CI. Variable topics. SPC 4932 Senior Seminar in Communication (3) AS SPE PR: Senior standing, COM 2000, a minimum GPA of 2.5, 15 hours of core requirements and 9 elective hours completed, and/or CI. Exploration of selected topics of current significance to the several areas of communication through group discussion and research. SPC 4970 Honors Thesis (3) AS SPE PR: Admission to Communication Honors Program. Involves individual research and preparation of an undergraduate honors thesis. SPC 5238 Topics in Rhetorical Analysis (3) AS SPE Introduces a variety of critical perspectives applied to rhetoric in specialized contexts. Topics vary depending upon interest of students and faculty. SPC 5930 Topics in Discourse (3) AS SPE Variable topics course. The following is a list of courses taught under SPC 4930 (selected topics) since Spring 2005: Love & Communication Intercultural Communication Reality TV: Social Issues Coordinating Organizational Communication Writing for Performance Rhetoric of Film Performing Children's Literature Performance Art Influencing Public Opinion Race & Gender in Popular Film and TV Family Communication at the End of Life Communication, Spirituality, and Sexuality Communication and Mental Illness Communication and Visual Culture Communication, Travel, and Tourism Communication and Public Memory Promoting Public Dialogue Rhetoric, Globalization, and Democracy Rhetoric of Health Human Relations Through Performance Documentary Film and Social Change Performing Identity Performing Culture Performing Non-Fiction Writing the City Stand Up Comedy Perception, Memory, and Imagination