COMMUNICATION STUDIES, BA (120 credit hours)
Updated on 03/27/2015
Name
AU ID
Second major
or minor
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE WRITING AND MATH - Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F
Requirements must be completed within 60 credit hours of course work.
College Writing: 6 credit hours
Math: 3 credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
WRTG-
Credit hours
3
3 or 4
WRTG3
*Transfer students who present 6 credit hours of acceptable composition credit satisfy the College Writing requirement by
passing the Writing Proficiency Exam before completing 30 credits at AU.
UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION - Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F (check important notes for grade requirements)
Two courses must be taken from each foundational area; a maximum of 2 courses per academic discipline may be taken.
Only four courses may be fulfilled by AP or IB credit; Must be completed during first 60 credit hours of course work.
Course
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
Course
Semester
FA1 Creative Arts
Grade
Credit hours
1.
FA2 Traditions that Shape the Western World
3
2.
3
1.
FA3 Cross Cultural Perspectives
3
2.
3
1.
FA4 Social Institutions and Behavior
3
2.
3
1.
FA5 Natural Sciences (one course must include a lab)
3
2.
3
1.
4
2.
RELATED COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F
U.S. History: 3 credit hours
Economics or Marketing: 3 credit hours
Course
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
Course
Semester
3
Grade
Credit hours
HIST3
Choose one from the following:
Choose one from the following:
HIST-130 History of American Popular Culture
ECON-100 Macroeconomics (FA4)
HIST-205 American Encounters: 1492-1865 (FA2)
ECON-110 The Global Majority (FA3)
HIST-206 U.S. History since 1865
ECON-200 Microeconomics (FA4)
HIST-208 African-American History: to 1877
MKTG-250 Marketing and Business for Communications
HIST-209 African-American History: 1877 to Present
HIST-210 Ethnicity in America (FA4)
HIST-215 Social Forces That Shaped America (FA2)
HIST-219 Women in America to 1850
HIST-220 Women in America since 1850 (FA4)
HIST-235 West in Crisis, 1900-1945 (FA2)
HIST-288 Oliver Stone's America
HIST-305 Topics in Race and Ethnicity in the United States
IMPORTANT NOTES
*12 credit hours of communication courses may be transferred in prior to matriculation at AU with advisor approval.
*A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required to declare a major in SOC and to take all 300 level or above communication courses.
*Only 2 communication courses may be taken abroad with prior approval from your SOC academic advisor.
*A second major or minor outside the School of Communication is required.
*A minimum of 80 credit hours of course work outside of COMM is required; 65 credit hours must be in liberal arts.
*Liberal arts do NOT include: ACCT, EDU, FIN, HFIT, IBUS, ITEC, KSB, MGMT and MKTG.
*This requirement worksheet should not be considered an official explanation of degree requirements. It should only be used as a guide
to assist in your academic planning. For an official explanation of degree requirements, please review the American University catalog
for your catalog year.
*The courses that appear on the requirement worksheet may not be offered every semester. For a list of courses offered in a particular
semester, please see the Schedule of Classes website.
*For students with catalog year 2014-2015 or later, a C or better is required in general education courses. For students with catalog years
prior to 2014-2015, a D or better is required in general education courses.
3
COMMUNICATION STUDIES COURSE REQUIREMENTS - 36 credit hours in Communication Studies required.
Grade of C or better required; Must be taken A-F and NOT P/F
CORE COURSES : All of the following (15 credit hours)
Course
Title
Prerequisite
Semester
Grade
Credit hours
COMM-100(FA4) Understanding Media
COMM-105(FA1) Visual Literacy
COMM-200
Writing for Communication
COMM-209(FA4) Communication and Society
COMM-305
Digital Skills
COMM-100 & COMM-200
MEDIA AND ETHICS COURSE: Choose one of the following (3 credit hours)
COMMCOMM-401 Communication Law OR COMM-504 Journalism Ethics OR COMM-533 Ethics in Strategic Communication
CONCENTRATION: Choose one area of concentration (18 credit hours)
COMMCOMMCOMMCOMMCOMMCOMMHISTORY OF THE MEDIA
COMM-270 How the News Media Shape History (FA2)
COMM-275 Dissident Media (FA4)
COMM-359 Decisive Moments in Communication
COMM-360 Myths of the Media
COMM-401 Communication Law (if not used above)
COMM-504 Journalism Ethics (if not used above)
COMM-411 History of Documentary Film
COMM-477 History of Photography
COMM-514 Censorship and the Media
COMM-517 History of Cross Cultural Cinema
COMM-520 History of Animation
COMM-533 Ethics in Strategic Communication (if not used above)
COMM-558 Survey of American Cinema
COMM-490 OR COMM-491*
MEDIA AND SOCIETY
COMM-275 Dissident Media (FA4)
COMM-280 Contemporary Media in a Global Society (FA3)
COMM-359 Decisive Moments in Communication
COMM-360 Myths of the Media
COMM-365 Digital Media and Culture
COMM-401 Communication Law (if not used above)
COMM-411 History of Documentary Film
COMM-415 Children, Youth and Digital Culture
COMM-489 Communication, Culture and the Environment
COMM-503 Broadcast and Multimedia Journalism Management
COMM-504 Journalism Ethics (if not used above)
COMM-514 Censorship and the Media
COMM-517 History of Cross Cultural Cinema
COMM-533 Ethics in Strategic Communication (if not used above)
COMM-538 Contemporary Media Issues
COMM-558 Survey of American Cinema
COMM-490 OR COMM-491*
MEDIA AND THE GOVERNMENT
COMM-275 Dissident Media (FA4)
COMM-327 The PR Presidency
COMM-359 Decisive Moments in Communication
COMM-360 Myths of the Media
COMM-365 Digital Media and Culture
COMM-401 Communication Law (if not used above)
COMM-415 Children, Youth and Digital Culture
COMM-439 Political Communication
COMM-489 Communication, Culture and the Environment
COMM-504 Journalism Ethics (if not used above)
COMM-509 Politics and the Media
COMM-514 Censorship and the Media
COMM-533 Ethics in Strategic Communication (if not used above)
COMM-538 Contemporary Media Issues
COMM-490 OR COMM-491*
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
COMM-280 Contemporary Media in a Global Society (FA3)
COMM-359 Decisive Moments in Communication
COMM-360 Myths of the Media
COMM-407 News Media in Britain (London)
COMM-443 Foreign Policy and the Press
COMM-445 Communication, Culture and the Environment
COMM-514 Censorship and the Media
COMM-517 History of Cross Cultural Cinema
COMM-538 Contemporary Media Issues
COMM-539 International Public Communication
COMM-445 Global Journalism: Issues & Trends in 21st Century
COMM-490 OR COMM-491*
* Students are permitted to do an internship OR an independent study
**Students may take one course for the concentration outside of SOC with
prior approval from their SOC advisor.
***Students may choose courses designated for Communication Studies
from the approved Special Topics list published each semester.