Program Objectives
Program Objectives IEM Matrix
Department of Performing and Fine Arts
Program: Communication
Course Descriptions
COMM 205 Introduction to Communication:
The study of communication in expediting
learning, affecting social interaction and
effective change, and an exploration of the
components of interpersonal, small group,
public and organizational communication.
COMM 210 Introduction to Mass
Communications: A survey of the role of
mass media in modern society. The process,
functions, responsibility and effects of
various forms of mass communication will
be analyzed.
Prerequisite: COMM 205
COMM 235 Public Relation/Advertising:
This course provides an introduction to the
basic principles of public relations and
advertising. Student will study the history
and trends of the public relations and
advertising industry focusing on principles,
tools, techniques, practices, and ethics.
Accepted standards used in public relations
and advertising will be presented.
COMM 385 International Communication:
This course surveys the communication
systems of the world focusing on major
newspaper networks, broadcasting and film
consortia, and the Internet. Theories of
international communication are used to
compare and contrast the communication
systems of different nations.
Prerequisite: COMM 210
SPEE 210 Interpersonal Communication: A
study of the process of communication,
including functions, models, and theories,
with an emphasis on self-disclosure,
empathic listening, relational
communication, and conflict management.
SPEE 250 Presentation Technologies:
SPEE 332 Problems in Media
Communication: This course will examine
contemporary problems of mediated
communication, including gatekeeping,
propaganda, agenda setting, cultural
transmission, regulation and censorship,
regulation and censorship, and
commercialization. Students will examine the
discursive implications of newspaper, radio,
television, film, computer, polling, and
advertising technologies. Students will
assume a rhetorical perspective to evaluate
the role of these technologies in shaping
public opinion and our perceptions of reality.
Prerequisite: SPEE 200
SPEE 390 Communication Theory:
Theoretical paradigms within the
communication discipline are surveyed with
attention given to the assumptions that
undergird theoretical traditions and the types
of research questions that can be studied
from within different theoretical
perspectives. Several traditional theoretical
perspectives are presented, including
Aristotelian analysis, symbolic
interactionism, pragmatism, and
technological determinism, along with
modern theoretical approaches such as
constructivism, discourse theory, and critical
cultural approaches.
Prerequisite: COMM 205
SPEE 430 Intercultural Communication: The
course provides basic principles and rules for
understanding intercultural communication
and provides instruction on how to apply the
principles when communicating in
intercultural situations. The course also
provides a wide range of examples and cases
of communication practices in different
cultures to increase the student¿s knowledge
base about communication diversity in the
world.
Prerequisite: SPEE 200 and COMM 205
COMM 490 (3-3-0) Mass Communication
Theory and Research: The development of
mass communication theory is studied with
attention given to the emergence of major
paradigms of theory including the
development of process and effective
perspectives, the development of social
learning perspectives, the development of
uses and gratifications perspectives, and the
development of critical and cultural
perspectives.
Prerequisite: COMM 205 and COMM 210
and SPEE 210 and SPEE 390
SPEE 490 Communication Research
Methods
Concentration: Mass Communication
(Select 18 Credits from the following)
COMM 320 Audio Production I: An
introduction to the planning and production
of audio in mass media, including practical
studies of the uses of sound and the planning,
scripting, rehearsing, and directing process of
audio production.
Prerequisite: COMM 210
COMM 330 Writing For Mass Media: A
survey of the various forms of written
expression in mass media.
Prerequisite: COMM 205 and ENGL 120
COMM 350 Telecommunications
Management: A course exploring
management functions in a
telecommunications environment. Economic
support patterns, programming, promotion,
advertising, determination of community
needs and facility operations will be covered.
Prerequisite: COMM 210
COMM 360 Video Production I: An
introduction to the elements of television
production, including cameras, audio,
staging, lighting, graphics, recording, and
special effects.
Prerequisite: COMM 210
COMM 380 Non-Broadcast
Telecommunications Systems: An
introduction to the use of
telecommunications media in corporate,
industrial, medical, educational, military,
governmental and public service institutions.
Prerequisite: COMM 210
COMM 390 Cable Communications: An
examination of the cable television industry
including technical aspects, franchising,
programming, and government regulation.
Prerequisite: COMM 210
COMM 410 Mass Media Internship I: A
course providing students with opportunities
for combining theory and practice by their
arranging, outlining, and engaging in a
program of practical experiences under the
joint supervision of a communications
organization or agency and the course
instructor.
COMM 420 Mass Media Internship II: A
second course for students to further their
experiences in communications media by
continuing their program from COMM 410
or arranging a new program under the joint
supervision of a communications agency and
the course instructor.
COMM 430 News and Public Affairs: A
study of the principles, techniques, and forms
of journalism, with students gaining
experience in preparing, editing, and
delivering news and public affairs materials
for a variety of media.
Prerequisite: COMM 330
COMM 440 Audio Production II: An
advanced course in audio production
techniques including remote setups, studio
operations, and multitrack recording.
Prerequisite: COMM 320
COMM 450 Telecommunications Law:
Principles and case studies in
communications law including constitutional
guarantees, libel, privacy, contempt,
privilege, copyright, and governmental
regulatory agencies.
Prerequisite: COMM 210
COMM 460 Video Production II: An
advanced course in video production
techniques providing a laboratory experience
in production and direction of video projects.
Prerequisite: COMM 360
Concentration: Speech (Select 18 Credits
from the following)
SPEE 211 Phonetics: A study of the
production and transcription of phonetic
symbols used in the International Phonetic
Alphabet, with attention to general American
speech and Career speech.
Prerequisite: SPEE 200
SPEE 240 Introduction to Communicative
Disorders: A survey of communicative
disorders, their manifestations, and the
strategies used by professionals in working
with persons with communicative disorders.
Prerequisite: SPEE 200
SPEE 310 Public Speaking: A study of the
principles of effective public communication,
focusing on speech preparation and design,
audience analysis, and speech presentation in
a variety of public situations.
Prerequisite: SPEE 200
SPEE 315 Computer-Mediated
Communication: Computer-Mediated
Communication: A class designed to initiate
students to the field of study known as
computer-mediated communication (CMC).
Computers, their networks, and the content
on them have significantly influenced our
political, religious, commercial, personal,
and professional lives. Students will explore
both qualitative and quantitative scholarship
that focuses upon the implications of online
media in these settings.
SPEE 321 Group Discussion: Training and
practice in the effective exchange of opinions
on selected topics, with emphasis on studying
group interactions during the process of
discussion and observing the effects of
parliamentary procedures on the conduct of
groups in discussion.
Prerequisite: SPEE 200
SPEE 340 Language Development: A study
of the development of speech and language
in young children, with emphasis on theories
of speech and language development and on
the acquisition and refinement of speech
patterns.
Prerequisite: SPEE 200
SPEE 401 Argumentation and Debate: A
study of the process of argumentation, with
special attention to the structure of argument,
reasoning, and the nature of evidence.
Prerequisite: SPEE 310
SPEE 402 Basic Speech and Hearing
Science: Basic Speech and Hearing Science:
A study of sound and speech production,
transmission, interference, and reception,
with emphasis on the physical attributes of
sound duration, intensity, frequency, and on
psychological auditory phenomena.
SPEE 413 Anatomy and Physiology of the
Speech and Hearing Mechanism: A study of
the anatomical structures and the
physiological processes required in the
production and reception of speech.
SPEE 425 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism:
This course focuses on basic rhetorical theory
and a variety of rhetorical criticism
methodologies. Students will study the
importance of rhetoric as the field of study
that investigates all forms of public
persuasion. Students will learn about rhetoric
as one of the oldest public professions and
academic fields of study, the evolution of
thought regarding rhetoric in society, how to
conduct research in the field of
communication using a rhetorical approach
to communication, and how to apply these
basic concepts in their own communication
activities.
SPEE 435 Communication, Technology and
Society: This reading and discussion course
is designed to examine the connections
among communication, technological
development, and society. Students will
explore a rhetorical perspective in their study
of how persuasive communication has
affected our perception and employment of
technology in society and how those
technologies have, in turn, affected public
discourse and interaction. Students will adopt
a rhetorical perspective in evaluating and
understanding classical primary and
secondary readings in technological and
scientific discourse.
Key:
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E
M
Competency is introduced / taught
Competency is emphasized / reinforced
Competency is mastered