Communication Skills C—Other Communication Skills
Courses
Overview: This category allows students to explore a variety of courses related to the
communication skills theme, including courses in theatre, public speaking, classical
languages and electronic communication (digital literacy).Unlike the more prescriptive
requirements for the Writing and Critical Thinking and Communication Contexts
categories, the requirements for courses to qualify for this category are to address any
three Communication Skills student learning outcomes, plus one additional outcome
from any of the five themes.
Approved Courses:
CLST 2600 Greek and Latin Roots in English
The ancient languages of Greek and Latin have significantly influenced the vocabulary and
grammatical structure of English. This course will expose students to the systematic and
concentrated study of the Greek and Latin roots of English. Even a cursory knowledge of these
roots empowers a person with the ability to connect many polysyllabic, abstract words in English
with the original, native words denoting tangible things. The emphasis throughout will be on
learning the etymological skills which will enable students to improve their own vocabularies by
critically analyzing new words.
The study of English etymology can lead not only to an enhanced vocabulary and ability to use the
English language in particular but also to an understanding of how languages in general develop
and change, and an ability to think critically about both words themselves and the ways in which
words have been used in the past continue today to be used in a wide variety of discourses.
COM 1500 Public Speaking in a Mediated World
This online only course advances theoretical knowledge of communication processes and
enhances understanding of the basic principles of and skills involved in oral communication
within professional settings and situations. Fundamentals of effective oral communication are
examined from both speaker and listener perspectives with emphasis on delivering presentations
in a mediated environment. Students will apply fundamental knowledge of organizing, writing,
and delivering oral presentations designed to entertain, inform, and persuade.
Emphasis is given to the theory and application of oral communication presentations in
individual and group contexts, on choice and organization of material, audience analysis, sound
reasoning, oral style, and delivery of speeches. The course also examines computer-mediated
forms of communication and the influence of communication technologies on human interaction.
COM 2000 Public Speaking
This course will provide students with the practice and knowledge of public speaking skills.
Students will have the opportunity to prepare and write speeches, make oral presentations,
practice impromptu speaking, work with groups, learn about different types and styles of
speaking, and have a better understanding of intercultural communication.
The course offers a perspective on public speaking that recognizes the direct relationship between
the speaker, message, and audience. We analyze the attributes of individuals and their cultures as
critical variables that speakers must address when designing and delivering messages that call for
changes in beliefs, attitudes, and values. The course also provides instruction in broad-based
research skills targeting the collection, assessment, organization, and integration of research in
oral presentation. Students receive multiple opportunities to speak in various contexts before a
dynamic audience and qualified critic, who provide feedback on the speaker’s critical, strategic,
and stylistic choices.
COM 2640 Argumentation and Debate
The course introduces basic argumentation theory including burden of proof, logical, analysis,
research, strategies and tactics of persuasive communication in the context of politics, business,
and cultural venues; gathering and weighing of evidence, reasoning, case construction, refutation;
presentation of public address and debate. The course has significant instruction in audience
analysis and adaptation, which includes discussions of how difference and identity, expressed
through in various ways such as gender, ethnicity, and age, are integral elements of debate. There
is also an emphasis on organizational realities and how they impact one’s potential effectiveness
in various settings. Students will prepare and participate in several debate formats, all of which
require critical thinking and organizational skills. Most debate formats require the use of library
research. Students also learn to apply tests for evidence and speaker credibility in critiques of
debates.
CSCI 1011 Introduction to Computer information Systems.
The course provides an introduction to computer terminology and technology including concepts,
applications, and the impact of computer technology on society. Students have hands-on computer
experience with word processing, spreadsheets, and electronic presentation programs to help them
understand and apply that knowledge in their academic and professional endeavors. The course
emphasizes electronic communication. Students gain experience in a number of techniques for
constructing and communicating meaning, such as various ways of searching the Internet,
choosing and using images, digitally editing text and images, creating and formatting lists of
information, presenting tables to convey information, using charts to illustrate or manipulate
meaning, and collecting, organizing, and presenting content both in written and orally-presented
form. This course meets the Digital Literacy Cross-Theme requirement.
LAT 1100 Beginning Latin 1
This course is the first semester of a two-semester course devoted to an introduction to the Latin
language. By the end of the course, students will have been exposed to the fundamentals of Latin
grammar, enabling them to read Latin authors such as Plautus, Cicero, and Virgil, among others.
There will be special emphasis on grammar and word etymology.
Contrary to popular belief, Latin is not a dead language! It is the ancestor of many languages,
including the "Romance Languages" (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian), and
has influenced English as well. Historically, European writers were shaped by their training in the
language of Virgil and Cicero. Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible (the "Vulgate") was a
continuous presence within the Catholic church until the last century. Even today, across the
country, students are returning to Latin in the recognition that the benefits of studying this
"dead" language are far from esoteric. Latin is one of the best ways of exercising your analytical
and logical muscles that you will find in any university-level course.
MULT 1100 Foundations of Multimedia Production
This course introduces the basic software tools and foundational writing systems used in modern
multimedia communication and design. Instruction provides students with the technical
foundation to proceed effectively in the multimedia program. Course work includes software
tutorials as well as the creation of analogue and web-based portfolio material. The use and
purpose of the static image, composition, color, fonts, text-based scripting and motion graphics
will be explored through in-class instruction and home-based experimentation.
Assignments are project-based and center on thematic options introduced in the first week of
class. students must organize their thoughts and ideas effectively, weigh the feelings their work
inspires in themselves and others, and determine if they are effectively and accurately conveying
their ideas at the stages of concept development, written and visual articulation, digital
composition and electronic communication. Students must engage in developing their own ideas,
synthesizing the ideas of others, and recombining mixed media data in a comprehensive way.
THEA 1400 Introduction to Technical Theater Students analyze and participate in the
process of converting a play into a performance. Theoretical and practical examinations of all
elements of stage production are explored and will be applied to the current HPU stage
production. Students will read the play to be performed at HPU that semester and produce
weekly projects displaying their understanding of production elements as related to that play.
The final project for the class is from one area of production, either acting, scene design, lighting
design, sound design or directing. The student will make an oral and visual presentation that
demonstrates a complete understanding of the play and the discipline the student has chosen for
the project. This course meets the Art, Aesthetics and Creativity Cross-Theme requirement.
The following course has been reclassified as World Cultures C course effective Fall
2011 but continuing students enrolled prior to that term may use it for
Communication Skills C
THEA 2320 Acting I: Basic Acting for Stage and Screen
This course provides a basic understanding of the acting process and how it is applied to stage
and film. This process involves preparation, observation, imagination, memorization,
concentration, characterization, analysis of text, critiquing, trusting your instincts, and a
willingness to take risks. It is not mimicking, showing, or pretending, but the genuine
understanding and communication of thoughts and intentions. It is not only being true to a
character but true to one’s self. It is the reduction of human experience to its purest form, making
the actor the universal embodiment of the soul of man.
Acting not only involves communicating through speech and diction but the interaction of eye
contact, facial expression, and body language. It is active listening and reacting. It is total and
natural involvement in what you are doing. It is pursuing the character’s objectives. It is the
intuitive exchange of feelings and emotions, which are the actor’s primary tools. Expressing these
feelings and emotions honestly will generate similar ones in a receptive audience. This course
meets the Art, Aesthetics and Creativity Cross-Theme Requirement
Student Learning Outcomes—Courses in Communication Skills C must address
three general education student learning outcomes from the Communication Skills
Theme plus a fourth outcome from any of the five themes.
The Communication Skills Outcomes:
Students will …
1.
Analyze the way people communicate within and across cultures, genders,
generations, and organizations and develop skills in communicating across these
domains.
2. Understand the effects of communication technology on individuals, society,
government, and industry.
3. Compare, contrast, and interact within the various communication contexts, such as
intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, public, and mass communication.
4. Demonstrate critical reasoning in organizing thoughts, feelings, concepts, and
information for effective, clear, and accurate oral, written, non-verbal, visual, and
electronic communication.
5. Develop the information literacy needed to determine the validity of information
sources and apply these skills in communication environments.
6. Demonstrate appropriate uses of verbal, visual, dramatic, numeric and graphic
modes of presentation in various combinations.
7.
Analyze the way we construct meaning and communicate it to others.
8. Demonstrate proficiency in electronic communication and the use of relevant
technology, including mastery of integrated office productivity software, file
management, Internet navigation, and e-mail systems
Communication Skills Outcomes addressed by each approved course:
Communication Skills Outcomes
1
CLST
2600
COM
1500
COM
2000
COM
2640
CSCI
1011
LAT
1100
MULT
1100
THEA
1400
THEA
2300
3
4
5
Yes
Yes
6
7
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
8
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Outcomes from other themes used in this category.
RESEARCH AND EPISTEMOLOGY
Students will seek and achieve understanding of numerical data. [R&E 5]
Students will recognize the multiple interpretations numerical data permit and ways that they can
be manipulated. [R&E 6]
VALUES AND CHOICES
Students will develop an appreciation for aesthetic expression and achievement through the
study, performance and production of the arts. [V&C 9]
WORLD CULTURES
Students will develop informed perspectives on the historical development of cultures that focus
upon the interrelationship among institutions, values, and ideas. [WC 1]
Students will develop the vocabulary and conceptual skills needed to appreciate or respond to
aesthetic activity from cultures other than one’s own [WC 8]
Which courses address which outcomes from other themes?
R&E 5
CLST
2600
CSCI
1011
LAT 1100
THEA
1400
THEA
2320
R&E 6
V&C 9
WC 1
WC 8
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes