Communication
COMM 1210-3. Perspectives on Human Communication. Surveys communication in a variety of contexts and applications. Topics include basic concepts and general models of communication, ethics, language and nonverbal communication, personal relationships, group decision making, organizational communication, and impact of technological developments on communication. Required for PRCM and COMM majors. Meets MAPS requirement for social science: general. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: contemporary societies.
COMM 1300-3. Public Speaking. Covers theory and skills of speaking in various public settings. Examines fundamental principles from rhetorical and communication theory and applies them to oral presentations. Required for PRCM and COMM majors.
COMM 1600-3. Group Interaction. Covers basic theories, concepts, and characteristics that underlie face-to-face interactions in interpersonal, small group, and organizational settings. Activities stress the development of both task and relational skills in these settings. Required for PRCM and COMM majors.
COMM 2000-3. Topics in Communication. Investigates select topics in communication. Does not count toward the 2000-level courses required for the major, unless explicitly stated in the course schedule. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Recommended prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600.
COMM 2360-3. Campaigns and Revolutions. Introduces concepts in rhetoric and argumentation that are used to explain significant social and political changes in our society. The goal is to show how social actors use rhetoric to promote some social goals and hinder others. Recommended prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Restricted to sophomores/juniors/ seniors.
COMM 2400-3. Discourse, Culture and Identities. Examines how aspects of talk (e.g., turn-taking, speech acts, narratives, dialect, and stance indicators) link with identities (e.g., ethnic and racial, age, gender, work-related, and personal). Considers how communication is central to constructing who people are and examines social controversies related to talk and identities. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: human diversity.
COMM 2500-3. Interpersonal Communication. Focuses on basic processes in face-to-face interaction, including verbal and nonverbal messages, coordination in conversation, messages about self and others, and communication in personal relationships. Emphasizes theory and concepts rather than skills. Recommended prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Restricted to sophomores/juniors/seniors.
COMM 2600-3. Organizational Communication. Provides a communicatively based definition of formal organization and deals with individual-organizational relationships. Addresses topics such as organizational theory, organizational culture, power, technology, decision making, teamwork, leadership, diversity, gender, socialization, and ethics. Recommended prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Restricted to sophomores/juniors/seniors.
COMM 3000-3. Issues in Communication. Explores select issues in communication. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different issues. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600 or instructor consent.
COMM 3210-3. Human Communication Theory. Acquaints students with general, thematic, and contextual theories of human communication. Gives attention to criteria for evaluating theories. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 3300-3. Rhetorical Foundations of Communication. Provides the rhetorical foundations of communication through study of the humanistic traditions of rhetorical theory, with applications to social interaction and message analysis. Prereqs., COMM 1210, 1300 and 1600. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 3310-3. Principles and Practices of Argumentation. Focuses on principles of argument, the process of critical decision making, and uses and limitations of logic and evidence. Contemporary issues (personal, social, political, or philosophical) are analyzed and debated. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Credit not granted for this course and COMM 2310.
COMM 3320-3. Persuasion in Society. Explores how persuasion influences decision making, focusing on different definitions and models of persuasion, ethical perspectives on persuasion, qualitative and quantitative research on persuasion, and the tools of motivation, as well as how to create effective and ethical persuasive messages. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600.
COMM 3340-3. Political Communication. Provides an overview of the role of communication in contemporary political life. Topics include political communication theories, political campaign communication, media and political communication, and the role of political communication in promoting democracy and public policy. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600.
COMM 3410-3. Intercultural Communication. Explores complex relationships between culture and communication processes from various conceptual perspectives, such as social, psychological, interpretive, and critical. Considers the important role of context (e.g., social, historical, and cultural) in intercultural interactions. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: human diversity.
COMM 3510-3. Family Communication. Explores communication in families from various theoretical perspectives, such as social constructionism, systems theory, and dialectical theory. Communication patterns and processes created and sustained by family members are examined, including rules, roles, stories, rituals, myths, metaphors, themes, and cycles. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600.
COMM 3610-3. Communication, Technology, and Society. Presents theory, research, and exploration into computer-based technologies; studies implications for communication, interaction, and social relationships. Recommended prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600.
COMM 3740-3. Qualitative Communication Research Methods. Provides an understanding of philosophies, theories, and methods associated with the study of communication in natural settings. Focuses on strategies of collecting, analyzing, and reporting qualitative data, including participant observation, in-depth interviewing, textual analysis, and ethnographic narrative. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 3750-3. Quantitative Research Methods. Introduces empirically oriented research methods in communication, critical review of the logic of social-scientific principles in communication, and analysis of quantitative data. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 3760-3. Rhetorical Criticism. Applies key concepts from rhetorical theory to the analysis of specific speeches, written texts, and social situations within the humanistic tradition. Students read a variety of types of criticism and are encouraged to develop their own strategies for critical analysis. Prereqs., COMM 1210 and 1600. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 4000 (1-3). Advanced Topics in Communication. Analyzes special interest areas of communication theory, research, and practice. Course format involves lecture, discussion, investigative analysis, and practical application. May be repeated twice for credit on different topics. Prereqs., COMM 3210 and 3300 or consent required. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 4100-3. Seminar in Honors Thesis Writing and Research. Provides the opportunity for students writing an honors thesis to develop their understanding of the research process and to improve their research and writing skills. Restricted to COMM majors in the honors program.
COMM 4220-3. Senior Seminar: Functions of Communication. Topical seminar on the functions of communication across interpersonal, group, organizational, and public contexts. Reviews current theory and research on topics such as communication and conflict, persuasion, and ethical dimensions of communication practices. May be taken twice for credit on different topics. Prereqs., COMM 3210 and 3300. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 4300-3. Senior Seminar: Rhetoric. Reviews current theory and research on topics such as rhetoric and publics, rhetoric as an interpretive social science, and rhetoric of social movements and political campaigns. May be taken twice for credit on different topics. Prereqs., COMM 3210 and 3300. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors. Same as COMM 5300.
COMM 4400-3. Senior Seminar: Communication Codes. Topical seminar on dialogic and nonverbal communication codes. Reviews current theory and research on topics such as relationship between verbal and nonverbal codes, discourse processes, and cultural differences in communication processes. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Prereqs., COMM 3210 and 3300. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors.
COMM 4510-3. Senior Seminar: Interpersonal Communication. Reviews current theory and research on topics such as strategic interaction, relationship formation and maintenance, and identity and self-presentation. May be taken twice for credit on different topics. Prereqs., COMM 3210 and 3300. Restricted to junior/ senior COMM majors.
COMM 4600-3. Senior Seminar: Organizational Communication. Reviews current theory and research on topics such as communication and organizational decision making, organizational culture, gender relations, communication technology, and power and control in organizations. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Prereqs., COMM 3210 and 3300. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors. Same as COMM 5600.
COMM 4610-3. Communication Studies of Science and Technology. Reviews current theory and research associated with science, technology, and medicine. Topics include new communication technologies in organizations and society, discourses of scientific theory and science policy, and interaction in clinical setting. May be taken twice for credit on different topics. Prereqs., COMM 3210 and 3300 or instructor consent.
COMM 4840 (1-6). Undergraduate Independent Study. Note that the 14-hour limit in the major applies to any combination of independent study and internship credit. This course does not count toward the 33 credit hours required for the major. Recommended prereq., COMM 3250 or 3360. Restricted to junior/ senior COMM majors.
COMM 4930 (1-6). Internship. Studies are pursued in communication-related work experience projects that generally require 40 hours on the job per credit hour and evidence (e.g., journal, paper, and employer evaluation) of significant learning. Prereqs., COMM major status, 72 hours of overall course work, 18 hours of communication course work completed, 2.50 overall GPA, and a faculty sponsor. Restricted to junior/senior COMM majors. The 14-hour limit in the major applies to any combination of independent study and internship credit. This course does not count toward the 33 hours required for the major. Course is offered only for pass/fail credit.
COMM 4950 (1-6). Senior Thesis: Honors. For exceptional communication majors who wish to graduate with department honors and receive credit for writing an honors thesis. Prereqs., COMM 4100, overall GPA of 3.35 or higher, and COMM GPA of 3.50 or higher.
COMM 5210-3. Readings in Communication Theory. Critical overview of leading theoretical traditions in communication studies. Gives attention to metatheoretical issues, including epistemological foundations, the structure of communication theory as a field, and reflexivity between communication theory and cultural practice. Required for doctoral students in COMM; optional for master’s students. Restricted to graduate students or instructor consent.
COMM 5230-3. Applied Communication. Examines application of communication concepts, theories, methods, facilitations, and other practices to address real-world issues and problems. Discusses conceptual issues framing applied communication, examines purposes and methods informing such scholarship, and provides opportunity to evaluate and propose research. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 5300-3. Seminar: Rhetoric. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Same as COMM 4300.
COMM 5310-3. Contemporary Rhetorical Criticism. Advanced critical analysis of rhetorical texts in terms of how they shape issues and appeal for judgment, create identities for speakers and their audiences, and construct perceptions of time, space, and the human condition. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 5320-3. Readings in Rhetoric. Survey of classical and contemporary readings in rhetoric. Required for doctoral students in COMM; optional for master’s students. Restricted to graduate students or instructor consent.
COMM 5420-3. Readings in Group Interaction. Reading course examining communicative problems, practices, and outcomes in groups. Definitions of group and interaction, meta-theoretical and theoretical orientations, methodological practices for studying group interactions, including boundary development and management, interpersonal symbolic practices, deliberation, dialogue, and decision making are examined. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 5520-3. Readings in Interpersonal Communication. Survey course of advanced readings in interpersonal communication. Focuses on historical and contemporary works, with emphasis on theory and research. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 5600-3. Seminar: Organizational Communication. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Same as COMM 4600.
COMM 5610-3. Organizational Culture and Symbolism. Focuses on relationship between ideological elements (e.g., norms, values, and beliefs) and symbolic practices (e.g., metaphor, ritual, and storytelling) of organizational culture. Analyzes topics from viewpoints of academic theory and managerial practice. Reviews interpretive methods of researching workplace culture and symbolism. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 5620-3. Readings in Organizational Communication. Survey of traditional and contemporary readings in organizational communication. Treats theory, research, and application from a variety of perspectives. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 5720-3. Readings in Communication and Technology. Survey of multidisciplinary research that examines various relationships between communication and technology. Students are encouraged to develop critical skills in perceiving assumptions and perspectives that motivate major theories in this area, and to examine how these have changed over time. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6010-3. Communication Research and Theory. Provides an integrative overview of approaches and areas of study in communication. Required for MA and PhD communication students. Prereq., graduate standing in COMM.
COMM 6020-3. Quantitative Research Methods. Introduces students to the practice of quantitative research in communication: conceptualization and critique of research projects, coding, experimental and survey approaches, reliability and validity, and statistical reasoning and methods of analysis. Required for doctoral students in COMM; optional for master’s students. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6030-3. Qualitative Research Methods. Introduction to the epistemology, methodology, and representational practices associated with qualitative studies in communication. Fieldwork methods emphasized include participant observation, interviewing, and document/artifact analysis. Required for doctoral students in communication; option for master’s students. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6200 (1-3). Seminar: Selected Topics. Facilitates understanding of current and past theory and research on a selected topic in communication and the ability to develop new theory and research on that topic. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours on different topics. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6310-3. Rhetorical Criticism. Reviews current critical methods and issues related to rhetorical criticism, such as contemporary theory of rhetorical criticism, continental discourse theory, and critical theory. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereqs., COMM 5310 and 5320.
COMM 6320-3. Rhetorical Theory. Reviews current theory and research on topics such as contemporary rhetorical theory, rhetoric and public life, rhetoric as an interpretive social science, and rhetoric of social movements and political campaigns. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320.
COMM 6330-3. Seminar in Rhetoric of Science and Technology. Surveys foundational texts and contemporary research in the rhetoric of science and technology. Focuses on the role of persuasion in the production of scientific knowledge and technological artifacts, professional discursive practices, and public understandings of science and technology. Emphasizes critical analysis of major theoretical and methodological traditions. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320.
COMM 6340-3. Rhetoric and Civic Community. Considers performances of public life as rhetorical inducements of civitas. Topics include negotiation of self-regulation among interdependent partners, rhetorical exclusions and/or counterpublics, and dialectical tensions of public/private as these contribute to and have civic consequences for publicness, community, and social will. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320.
COMM 6350-3. Seminar in Argumentation. Surveys foundational texts and contemporary research in argumentation. Analysis of distinctions between philosophical and rhetorical approaches to argument. Critical analysis of major theoretical and methodological traditions and topics with an emphasis on social dimensions of argument. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320.
COMM 6360-3. Social and Cultural Theory. Traces select traditions in social and/or cultural theory, emphasizing how these traditions affect and are affected by the field of rhetoric studies. Examines the origins and resolutions of major debates in social and/or cultural theory from a rhetorical perspective. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320.
COMM 6410-3. Discourse Analysis. Acquaints students with the main types of discourse analysis: conversation analysis, critical discourse analysis, and rhetorically-informed discourse approaches. Teaches how to conduct discourse analysis, including transcribing, selecting excerpts, documenting inferences, and linking to scholarly controversies. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6420-3. Interaction Analysis. Educates students in one of a selected set of methodological specializations used in the study of human interaction. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6430-3. Communication in Family Groups. Examines theories of family communication, focusing on how group processes influence family life. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6435-3. Interpersonal Processes in Communication. Focuses on key processes in interpersonal communication relevant to understanding interaction at the dyadic, group, and organizational levels. Examines theory and research on selected interpersonal processes such as facework/identity, support/emotional communication, relational communication, and conflict in interaction. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent.
COMM 6440-3. Grounded Practical Theory. Examines theory, method, and application of grounded practical theory, an approach to building normative theory through description, critique, and theoretical reconstruction of situated communication practices. Semester project involves analysis of a sample of discourse from a public or field observation setting. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5210.
COMM 6450-3. Group Interaction Facilitation and Pedagogy. Examines theory, research, and practice associated with facilitating group interaction processes (e.g., group creation, conflict communication management, conversation and discussion, task accomplishment, and team communication), including facilitation associated with teaching an introductory group interaction course. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5420.
COMM 6470-3. Meetings, Their Practices and Problems. Explores the history, routine communicative practices, common interactional troubles, cross-cultural differences, and expectations about “ideal” communicative conduct for workplace and public meetings. Seminar project involves field study of a meeting group. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 6030.
COMM 6730-3. Collaboration and Decision Making in Organizations. Explores theory and research on communication processes associated with collaboration and decision making in contemporary organizations, particularly as they are influenced by participation programs, technology, and team structures. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereqs., COMM 5620 and 6010.
COMM 6740-3. Power and Control in Organizational Communication. Reviews theory and research in organizational communication concerned with power and control. Focuses on symbolic practices of influence in the context of organizational structure and culture. Reviews interpretive and critical theories emphasizing relationships between power, discourse, identity, and institutions. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5620.
COMM 6750-3. Communication and Organizational Change. Addresses the role of communication in cultural change efforts in organizations. Topics include the nature and function of organizational cultures, the role of leadership, ethical issues, and member involvement in change processes. Specific organizational cases are highlighted throughout. Prereq., graduate standing or instructor consent. Recommended prereq., COMM 5620.
COMM 6840 (1-3). Master’s Independent Study. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
COMM 6940 (1-3). Master’s Degree Candidate.
COMM 6950 (1-6). Master’s Thesis.
COMM 8840 (1-6). Doctoral Independent Study. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
COMM 8990 (1-10). Doctoral Dissertation. All doctoral students must register for not fewer than 30 hours of dissertation credit as part of the requirements for the degree. For a detailed discussion of doctoral dissertation credit, refer to the Graduate School section.
