Communication
COM 1101: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (5)
Offerings
In this fundamental course in communication between people, class sessions incorporate lectures with discussion and examples from popular culture and media. The focus of this course is on direct application of basic communication concepts essential to our daily lives. Topics include perception, gender, and culture and their effects on ourselves and others; self-expression and disclosure; friendship, family, and dating; verbal and nonverbal cues and their meanings; listening; and conflict management.
Attributes: WK Humanities
COM 1321: Public Speaking (5)
Offerings
Analyzes platform speaking; includes analysis, preparation and presentation of formal speeches. Includes rhetorical criticism of significant models. Recommended for students planning to major in communication; open to other students as well.
Attributes: WK Humanities
COM 1930: Forensics Practicum (1-2)
Offerings
Provides experience in co-curricular speech activities. Meets weekly by arrangement; individual coaching conferences. May be repeated for credit up to 12 credits.
Restrictions: Junior, Senior students are excluded.
COM 1931: Communication Practicum (1-2)
Offerings
Provides field experience in communication activities with faculty guidance in selection, preparation and review; application to campus ministry teams, speakers' bureau, and other contexts. May be repeated for credit up to 12 credits.
Restrictions: Junior, Senior students are excluded.
COM 2227: Small Group Discussion and Leadership (5)
Offerings
Develops awareness of and experience in the processes of small, co-acting group activity; examines and applies theories of structure, climate, roles, norms, and leadership in planning and managing member participation. Explores group effort in fact-finding, problem-solving, and decision making.
COM 2323: Argumentation and Analysis (5)
Offerings
Examines ambiguity, analysis, evidence, observation and inference; applies principles of reasoning to significant issues through extensive practice in public discourse, questioning, response to questions, refutation, and negotiation.
COM 3001: Theories of Communication (5)
Offerings
Examines theories of human communication and introduces a range of research methodologies used in investigating and creating those theories. Prerequisite for COM 4142 and 4899.
Attributes: Upper-Division, Writing "W" Course
COM 3160: Conflict Management (5)
Offerings
Introduces students to the work of managing conflict well in a variety of contexts (personal relationships, business settings, disputes between friends, etc.). Explores both the theory and practice of conflict management; trains students in methods of conflict resolution and examines the related skills of negotiation and mediation.
Attributes: Upper-Division
COM 3630: Rhetoric in Public Life (5)
Offerings
Examines theories of rhetoric from antiquity to the present, with special emphasis on how people in diverse societies make decisions about issues of common concern and create social realities through symbolic action. (Students may not receive credit for this course if they have earned credit for COM 3628 or COM 3629.)
Attributes: Upper-Division, Writing "W" Course
COM 3700: Health Communication (3)
Offerings
Health Communication is a field within Communication Studies that seeks to investigate the manner in which individuals, campaigns, and healthcare providers deliver and receive messages regarding health related phenomena within a variety of contexts. These contexts can include but are not limited to, the family, healthcare settings, the media, and the self. This course provides an overview of current scholarship focused on health communication with the goal of developing students’ understanding of theories, issues, and methodologies that cover the field. In addition, this course will explore and examine the sociohistorical, interpersonal, narrative, and translational aspects of health in order for students to become more mindful, educated, and effective health communicators.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies, Nursing Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Freshman students are excluded.
Prerequisites: COM 1101: D or better
COM 3701: Applied Health Communication (2)
Offerings
This course allows students to practice health communication research by participating in a service-learning project. Thus, the project serves to highlight the overarching objective of this course: for students to learn to develop a commitment to social justice.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Junior, Senior, Sophomore students only.
COM 3780: The Art of Film (5)
Offerings
The goal of this course is to develop students' abilities to view films critically and to deepen their understanding of the film experience. The course first teaches analysis of narrative strategies, shot properties, mise-en-scene, editing, acting, and the use of sound in film, particularly classical Hollywood cinema. The course then focuses on the study of different genres of films and how cinematic elements create meaning.
Attributes: Upper-Division, WK Arts, Writing "W" Course
Restrictions: Freshman students are excluded.
COM 3781: A World on Film (5)
Offerings
This course explores a range of international films. We will take a comparative, case-study approach to show how movies variously represent the vision and values of filmmakers around the world. Thus, this course is a grand survey of movies that aims through viewing, discussing, reading, and writing about foreign films to teach critical thinking about and appreciation of film art and international filmmaking. Typically offered: Summer, Spring.
Equivalents: FLM 3781
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement, Upper-Division, Ways of Engaging, Writing "W" Course
Restrictions: Freshman students are excluded.
COM 3930: Forensics Practicum (1-2)
Offerings
Provides experience in co-curricular speech activities. Meets weekly by arrangement; Individual coaching conferences. May be repeated for credit up to 12 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman, Sophomore students are excluded.
COM 3931: Communication Practicum (1-2)
Offerings
Provides field experience in communication activities with faculty guidance in selection, preparation and review; application to campus ministry teams, speakers' bureau, and other contexts. May be repeated for credit up to 12 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman, Sophomore students are excluded.
COM 4180: Cultural Communication (5)
Offerings
This course explores how to productively and sensitively interact with people from cultures that differ from our own. We explore the dimensions across which cultures vary through a variety of in-class activities, lectures, films, and stories. Students will gain an understanding of cultural differences around the world and will gain some skills to communicate competently in a variety of cultural settings.
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement, Upper-Division
COM 4265: Organizational Communication (5)
Offerings
Examines how communication functions within organizations and explores use of communication to improve employee relationships and organizational effectiveness.
Attributes: Upper-Division
COM 4323: Performing Literature (5)
Offerings
Analyzes literary works for the purpose of presenting them in oral performance; provides opportunities for guided practical experience in storytelling, lyric poetry, and dramatic reading.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman students are excluded.
COM 4601: Communication Seminar: Advanced Public Speaking (5)
Offerings
Advances application of speech principles to prepare public address for various contexts; provides individualized instruction in research, organization, composition, style, and presentation.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
Prerequisites: COM 1321: D or better
COM 4602: Communication Seminar: Advanced Interpersonal Communication (5)
Offerings
Focuses on selected communication theories, research and application pertaining to romantic, friendship and family relationships.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
Prerequisites: COM 1101: D or better
AND COM 3001: D or better
COM 4603: Communication Seminar: Persuasive Campaigns (5)
Offerings
Evaluates the role of persuasion in society; the role of symbolic persuasion; production and reception of persuasive messages; the persuasive event and the persuasive campaign; ethical questions in social influence.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
COM 4604: Communication Seminar: Writing Film Criticism (5)
Offerings
This course develops students' abilities to think, write, and express ideas effectively and creatively through the study and practice of film criticism. Film criticism at best is an activity that engages the critic, aesthetically, psychologically, morally, emotionally, and politically. Our study of aesthetic and critical practices will provide valuable tools in our larger exploration of the relationship between knowledge, values, artistic expression, and vocation choices. We will examine reviews by leading U.S. film critics whose work has appeared in wide-circulation periodicals over the past 75 years, as well as associated films.
Equivalents: FLM 4899
Attributes: Upper-Division, Writing "W" Course
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
COM 4605: Communication Seminar: Gender Communication (5)
Offerings
Focuses on interactive relationships between gender and communication in contemporary American society. Students explore multiple ways communication in families, schools, media, and society in general create and perpetuate gender. They also examine how people enact socially-created gender differences in public and private settings and how this affects success, satisfaction, and self-esteem. Finally, students consider not only what is in terms of gender roles, but what also might be and how they, as change agents, may act to improve their individual and collective lives.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
COM 4606: Communication & Technology (5)
Offerings
Examines the impact of communication technologies on individuals and societies, with special emphasis on emerging technologies. Typically offered: Winter.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies, Journalism Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
COM 4607: Communication Seminar: Rhetoric of Dissent (5)
Offerings
Considers discourse in its rhetorical, historical, political, social, and religious contexts and pays particular attention to women and minority voices. Typically offered: Autumn.
Attributes: Cultural Understand&Engagement, Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies, Soc Justice/Cultural Studies Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Senior students only.
COM 4899: Communication Ethics (Capstone) (5)
Offerings
This senior level capstone course uses case studies to explore ethical foundations of communication practices and test methods of moral reasoning.
Attributes: Upper-Division, Writing "W" Course
Restrictions: Communication, Communication Studies Majors, Minors, Concentrations only. Post-Baccalaureate, Senior students only.
Prerequisites: COM 3001: D or better
COM 4900: Independent Study (1-5)
Offerings
Individual research and conferences in area of specialization. May be repeated for credit up to 15 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Freshman, Sophomore students are excluded.
COM 4930: Instructional Practicum (1-5)
Offerings
Provides selected students with experience as undergraduate teaching assistants in lower-division courses. May be repeated for credit 2 times.
Attributes: Upper-Division
Restrictions: Communication Majors only.
COM 4940: Coop Education: Internship in Communication (1-5)
Offerings
Prerequisites: 15 credits of B work in communication; an approved internship plan; and COM 3001. Provides supervised application of interpersonal and public communication skills in the marketplace. May be repeated for credit up to 10 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division
COM 4950: Advanced Topics in Communication (1-5)
Offerings
Explores selected topics in communication, with emphasis on theories and research not normally examined in regular curriculum. May be repeated for credit up to 15 credits.
Attributes: Upper-Division