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Academics

1. The general requirements stated under the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
2. Required courses in the major: COMM 25, 40, 41, 100, 110, 150, 199; 18 additional hours of 100-level courses in Communication, as approved by the major advisor.
3. Required courses in related areas: 15 credit hours in 100-level courses in one other department, program, or field of study, as approved by the major advisor.

Minor in Communication or Organizational Communication

Minor in Communication
18 credit hours of Communication courses, including COMM 25, 40 OR 41; 120; 150; and two UPPER division Communication electives.

Minor in Organizational Communication
18 credit hours of courses, including COMM 170, 171; ORSC 109; PSYC 144; and two UPPER division Communication electives.

Communication Courses

KEY:	COURSE #	Course Title	(credit hours)	Professor
	Course description

COMM 25   Introduction to Communication Studies (3)
Introduction to historical and intellectual development of the field. Students survey the origins of contemporary theory; learn about fundamental concepts, models, investigative tools, and contexts of communication; and explore a variety of professional opportunities awaiting communication graduates.

COMM 40   Public Communication (3)
Study and practice of the basic techniques of public speaking used to inform, to entertain, and to persuade audiences. Emphasis on the speech-building process: audience analysis, research, development, composition, organization, style, delivery, and criticism.

COMM 41   Interpersonal Communication (3)
Study and practice of the role of verbal and nonverbal communication in ritual, information and perspective sharing, problem solving, and relationship formation, maintenance, and dissolution. Designed to raise awareness of the complexity and power of the communication process in daily life and to help students develop their interpersonal skills cognitively, affectively, and behaviorally.

COMM 42   Business and Professional Speaking (3)
Study of the communication process in business and professional organizations; practice in interviewing, small group communication, and public presentations. For non-majors and non-minors only.

COMM 100   Communication Theory (3)
Inquiry into the nature and function of communication theory as a framework for the study of communicative behavior. Emphasis is placed on analysis of paradigmatic approaches in rhetorical, interpersonal, and mass communication theories and models, and on examination of contemporary research literature in communication. Prerequisite: Comm 25.

COMM 110   Research Methods (3)
Processes of inquiry within interpersonal and public communication. Students are introduced to concepts of framing research questions, conducting literature reviews, developing a research design, using qualitive and quantative research tools, and interpreting results of research in communication. Prerequisite: Comm 100.

COMM 120   Small Group Communication (3)
The study and practice of communication in small groups, focusing on problem solving, norms, roles, and leadership. Prerequisite: Comm 25 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 140   Nonverbal Communication (3)
Introduction to predominant theories, principles, and problems in the study of nonverbal behavior ; application of research results to everyday life. Topics include facial expression, eye behavior, physical appearance, body movement and gestures, tactile messages, vocal characteristics, use of time, spatial dynamics, gender and life-stage differences.

COMM 150   Persuasion (3)
In-depth study of the principles and techniques of persuasion from both production and consumption perspectives, in both personal and mediated contexts. Emphasis on the common-premise model, with consideration of such topic areas as artistic and scientific approaches, pathos/ethos/logos, attitude and behavior change, effectiveness, ethics, and subconscious influence. Prerequisite: Comm 25.

COMM 170   Organizational Communication (3)
Exploration of the philosophy, process, problems, and potential of human communication within organizational contexts. May involve experiential workshops and fieldwork. Prerequisite: Comm 41 or 120 or permission of instructor.

COMM 171   Professional Communication (3)
Principles and theories of communication applied to situations encountered in organizational and professional environments. Development of knowledge and abilities for workplace tasks, such as interviewing, facilitating meetings, providing performance appraisals, designing and delivering instructional materials and other professional presentations.

COMM 172   Health Communication (3)
Exploration of the nature, functions, and impact of relational communication in the context of health care. Both formal (health care organizations) and informal (family communication) systems may be studied. Topics can include provider-patient interaction, media and health, confirmatory communication. Prerequisite: Comm 41 or Comm 100 or permission of instructor.

COMM 173   Communication in a Mediated World (3)
Exploration of human-to-human communication mediated by computer technology. Traditional communication theories will be applied and adapted to the computer-mediated realm; and newer theories of computer-mediated communication (CMC) will be addressed.

COMM 174  Intercultural Communication (3)
Exploration of the process, trends, rewards, and difficulties of human communication in intercultural contexts, with an eye toward establishing guidelines for mitigating miscommunication across cultures. May involve fieldwork. Prerequisite: Comm 41 or permission of instructor.

COMM 176  Issues and Image Management (3)
Theoretical and practical exploration of the issues and image management function in corporate, professional, and non-profit organizations. Assignments may include in-class collaboration on case studies of communication campaigns and crisis communication strategies, interviews with professionals in the practice of communication management, and a communication audit of strategies and messages of a selected organization.

COMM 180   Communication Criticism (3)
Evaluation of communication paradigms along critical dimensions of analysis. Prerequisite: Comm 40 or 150 or permission of instructor.

COMM 190   Selected Topics (3)
Topic announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit provided the topic differs. Past courses have included Communication and Social Change in Developing Societies and Family Communication.

COMM 196   Independent Study (1 to 3)
Independent research and special projects. Open to seniors or exceptionally well-prepared juniors majoring in communication. Before students are permitted to register, they must submit a written proposal of the plan of study and obtain approval of the faculty member who will direct the study and of the program chair.

COMM 197   Internship (3)
For communication majors and minors. Student-secured internships in communication-related organizations. Students spend at least 15 hours per week doing communication-related work in a public or private organization. Seminars, meetings, reports, and/or analysis paper may be required by supervising instructor. Admission requires prior program approval. Grade is on a pass/no pass basis.

COMM 199   Senior Seminar (3)
Capstone course limited to communication majors. Selected reading and discussion. Each student works on an individually designed research project throughout the term, the results of which will be presented in a major paper. Prerequisites: Comm 100 and 110.

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