Rationale: Communication Major with Specializations
As the Humanities Department moves into the Lewis College of Human Sciences, we (along
with the other two departments) are being asked to rethink our existing degree programs
and to develop new ones, in order to attract new students who previously would not have
considered coming to IIT. In looking at our three existing undergraduate programs—B.S.
degrees in Humanities, Professional and Technical Communication (PTC), and Journalism of
Technology, Science and Business (JTSB)—we saw an opportunity to both consolidate and
to reconfigure the latter two as a single degree with three specializations. The title of the
consolidated degree program would be, simply, Communication; one of the specializations
would be PTC; and the existing JTSB degree with its extremely demanding curriculum
would be split into two specializations: Journalism of Science, and Journalism of Technology
and Business.
Although there are currently a few students in the JTSB program, no one has yet completed
it—one student dropped out a few years ago and another has recently taken a leave of
absence only about a year shy of graduation. This program requires extensive coursework
in math, the sciences, computer science, and business, not to mention communication. In
thinking about how we might make the program more doable, while still retaining the
intensive subject-matter course work that differentiates it from other journalism programs,
we decided to split it into two distinct specializations. We decided to continue to pair
technology with business as they are inextricably intertwined today and into the
foreseeable future; science and business, on the other hand, have a relationship that is not
so immediate and intimate. We can see clear evidence of this in the placement of stories in
newspapers and news web sites: scientific discoveries and findings are almost always
placed in general news sections, while technology stories are most often in business
sections.
Finally, Communication is a much more recognizable academic and professional discipline
for high school students than Professional and Technical Communication, or even Technical
Communication. And having PTC, JS and JTB as options within a single major means that
students can decide to come to IIT to major in communication, take general education and
major coursework, but not have to choose a specialization for 3-4 semesters, by which time
they will better understand the nature of the three options as well as their own proclivities.
Proposed Curricula for a Communication Major with Specializations (1/28/2013)
General Education (48 hours)
(Science Journalism requires MATH 151, BIOL 107, CHEM 124, PHYS 123)
Free electives (12 hours)
Minor (15 hours) (all majors will have recommended minors)
Major (51-52 hours)
All COM majors (15 hours)
-COM 377 Communication Law & Ethics (3)
-COM 425 Editing (3)
-COM 371 Persuasion (3)
-STS electives (6, specified for journalism specializations)
-Portfolio (0)
Specialization: PTC (36 hours)
-COM 421 Intro to Technical Communication (3)
-COM 424 Document Design (3)
-COM 428 Verbal & Visual Communication (3)
-WebCOM sequence (9) (ARCH, INTM and EG remain alternatives)
-Linguistics elective (3)
-AAH elective (3)
-PTC elective (9)
-PTC/STS elective (3)
-Recommended minors: Business, Entrepreneurship, Psychology, Sociology
Both Journalism Specializations (9 hours)
-COM 372 Mass Media & Society (3)
-COM 435 Intercultural Communication (3)
-COM 440 Introduction to Journalism (3)
Specialization: Journalism of Science (27-28 hours)
-COM 323 Communicating Science (3)
-Required science elective -BIOL 114 or 115, CHEM 125 or 126, or PHYS 212 or 221 (3-4)
-Additional math and science electives (21)
-STS electives chosen from: PHIL 341 Philosophy of Science, PHIL 350 Science & Method,
PHIL 351 Science & Values.
-Recommended minors: Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Specialization: Journalism of Technology & Business (27 hours)
-COM 421 Technical Communication (3)
-ECON 211 (3)
-BUS 210 (3)
-BUS 301 or BUS 371 (3)
-ITM 301 (3)
-ITM 311 (3)
-ITMD 421 (3)
-ITMD 440 (3)
-ITMD 461 (3)
-STS electives chosen from: HIST 375 History of Computing, HIST 382 Technology in
History 1500-1850, HIST 383 Technology in History 1850-Present.
-Recommended minors: Business, Entrepreneurship, Computer
Structures/Architecture/Networking, Internet Application
Development, Information Technology & Management,
Technology & Human Affairs
Communication Major
PTC Specialization Sample Curriculum
Semester 1
Introduction to Profession
MATH 130 Thinking Math.
BIOL 105/109 Intro Biol.
Humanities 10x
Social Science Elective
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
4
3
3
16
Semester 2
Credits
CS 105 or 110
2
BIOL 114/117 Intro Human Biol 4
Linguistics Elective
3
Humanities Elect. (300+)
3
Free Elective
3
Total Hours
15
Semester 3
Credits
COM 421 Technical Comm.
3
PHYS 211 or CHEM 122
3
AAH Elective
3
COM 377 Comm. Law & Ethics 3
Social Science Elective
3
COM 424 Document Design
3
Total Hours
18
Semester 4
Minor Elective
COM 371 Persuasion
Humanities Elect. (300+)
STS Elective
Free Elective
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
15
Semester 5
WebCom course 1
IPRO 397
H/SS Elective
Minor Elective
Social Science Elective
Free Elective
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
3
15
Semester 6
Credits
COM 425 Editing
3
Minor Elective
3
MATH 425 Statistical Methods 3
WebCom course 2
3
PTC Elective
3
Total Hours
15
Semester 7
WebCom course 3
PTC Elective
Minor Elective
PTC Elective
IPRO 497
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
15
Semester 8
COM 428 Verbal&Visual
Minor Elective
PTC Elective
Free Elective
PTC/STS Elective
Total Hours
Total Credit Hours:
127
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
15
Communication Major
Science Journalism Specialization Sample Curriculum
Semester 1
Credits
Introduction to Profession
3
MATH 151 Calculus 1
5
BIOL 107/109 Intro Biology
4
Humanities 10x
3
Social Science Elective
3
Total Hours
18
Semester 2
Credits
CS 105 or 110
2
CHEM 124 Principles of Chem. 4
COM 372 Mass Media
3
Humanities Elect. (300+)
3
Free Elective
3
Total Hours
15
Semester 3
Credits
COM 323, PHIL 350, or HIST 385 3
PHYS 123 General Physics I
4
Science Elective
3
COM 377 Comm. Law & Ethics 3
Social Science Elective
3
Total Hours
16
Semester 4
Minor Elective
COM 371 Persuasion
Humanities Elect. (300+)
STS Elective
Req. Science Elective
Total Hours
Semester 5
Science Elective
IPRO 397
Minor Elective
Social Science Elective
COM 435 Int’cultural Com
Free Elective
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
3
18
Semester 6
Credits
COM 440 Intro to Journalism
3
Minor Elective
3
H/SS Elective
3
Science Elective
3
Semester 7
Science Elective
Science Elective
Minor Elective
STS Elective
IPRO 497
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
15
Semester 8
COM 425 Editing
Minor Elective
Science Elective
Free Elective
Science Elective
Total Hours
Total Credit Hours:
127
Free Elective
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
15
3
15
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
15
Communication Major
Technology & Business Journalism Specialization Sample Curriculum
Semester 1
Credits
Introduction to Profession
3
MATH 130 Thinking Math.
3
BIOL 105 & 109 Intro Biol/lab 4
Humanities 10x
3
Social Science Elective
3
Total Hours
16
Semester 2
Credits
CS 105 or 115 Prog. Intro.
2
BIOL 114 & 117 Int. Human B/lb 4
COM 372 Mass Media
3
Humanities Elect. (300+)
3
Free Elective
3
Total Hours
15
Semester 3
Credits
COM 421 or HIST 375/382/383 3
PHYS 211 or CHEM 122
3
ITM 301 Intro OS & Hdwr I
3
COM 377 Comm. Law & Ethics 3
Social Science Elective
3
COM 435 Int’cultural Com
3
Total Hours
18
Semester 4
Credits
Minor Elective
3
COM 371 Persuasion
3
Humanities Elect. (300+)
3
STS Elective
3
ECON 211 Principles of Econ.
3
Total Hours
15
Semester 5
BUS 210 Fin & Mgrl Acct
IPRO 397
Minor Elective
Social Science Elective
H/SS Elective
Free Elective
Total Hours
Credits
3
3
3
3
3
3
18
Semester 6
Credits
COM 440 Intro to Journalism
3
Minor Elective
3
MATH 425 Statistical Methods 3
ITM 311 Software Develop.
3
Free Elective
3
Total Hours
15
Semester 7
Credits
BUS 301 or 371
3
ITMD 421 Data Modeling & Apps 3
Minor Elective
3
STS Elective
3
IPRO 497
3
Total Hours
15
Semester 8
Credits
COM 425 Editing
3
Minor Elective
3
ITMD 440 Intr Data Netwks
3
Free Elective
3
ITMD 461 Internet Tech/Web D. 3
Total Hours
15
Total Credit Hours:
127