Fall Semester 2000 through Summer Semester 2002
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Professors: Robert J. Abelman, David Atkin, Leo W. Jeffres, Sidney Kraus, Jae-won Lee, Carolyn Lin, Kimberly A. Neuendorf, Richard Perloff; Associate Professors: Austin Allen, Eileen Berlin Ray, Susan E. Kogler Hill (Chairperson), Michael H. Rand, George B. Ray, Jill E. Rudd; Assistant Professors: Renee Botta, Larry A. Erbert, Kory Floyd, Jenifer Kopfman; Term/Adjunct Faculty: John Ban, Holly Bognar, Betty Clapp, Jack Powers, Jana Stone.

COM 100/200/300 Communication Lab (2 to 6 credits). Practical workshop and labs to develop communication skills. Students apply material from accompanying lecture courses (with which the lab is coordinated) to specific communication problems. May be repeated as topic varies. Return to top

COM 101 Principles of Communication (4-0-4). Reviews principles of communication and introduces theories applied in various contexts, including interpersonal, organizational, and mass communication. Lab experiences help students develop specific communication skills and apply theories in their everyday lives. Social Science. Return to top

COM 131 Media Mystery Tour: Insiders' Perspective (3-0-3). Through a combination of videotaped interviews, lectures, discussions and electronic field trips, students are introduced to the processes that form video/audio communication. Professionals in broadcast, video and audio production, corporate and organizational video, and cable television explain how they work their crafts. The course explores electronic options such as direct broadcast television (satellite), specialty market videos, the Internet, digital imaging and emerging technologies. Return to top

COM 204 Single Source Video/Audio Production and Editing (4-4-4). Prerequisite: COM 101. Students are introduced to visual storytelling and writing for the ear. Concept of single-camera production, including composition and movement, moving image sequencing (such as cut-ins and cut-aways), shooting for the edit, and three-point lighting are stressed. Students learn operation of camcorders, portable audio recorders, and cuts-only video editors. Single microphone techniques, cueing, editing, and dubbing of various audio media are also introduced. Return to top

COM 211 Communicating in Personal Relationships (4-0-4). Examines the fundamental role of communication in establishing and maintaining personal relationships. By surveying the leading research and theories in interpersonal communication, this course will engage students in the detailed analysis of how individuals enter into, maintain, and terminate relationships. Conceptual perspectives examined will include communicative competence, relational development, interaction process, codes, and context. Social Science. Return to top

COM 221 Introduction to Film (4-0-4). Explores the range of film styles, movements, and genres; the relationship between theory and technique in the "language" of sounds and images; and the economic and social importance of film. Includes the screening and analysis of classical and contemporary films, both U.S. and international. Arts and Humanities. Return to top

COM 225 Media Writing (4-0-4). Development of basic writing skills for journalists and other media professionals, including judging news values, following the inverted pyramid style of writing, and using the AP style and copy-editing techniques. Development of major news-gathering tools such as interviewing and covering traditional sources of news - meetings, speeches, and press conferences. Application of journalistic forms and tools for print and electronic media and public relations. Writing. Return to top

COM 226 Mass Media and Society (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 101 or permission of instructor. Examines basic theoretical concepts and models underpinning the study of mass communication, including processes of message construction in media organizations, content patterns, audience message processing, media effects, media systems, and relationships with other systems. Social Science. Return to top

COM 231 Evolution of Mass Media (4-0-4). Survey course tracing the origin and growth of mass media in the United States. Presents an overview and analysis of the influence of media upon American society. Social Science. Return to top

COM 242 Public and Professional Speaking (2-1-3). Organizing and presenting informative and persuasive speeches, with stress on evidence and reasoning to support ideas, and adapting to the audience and speaking situation. Return to top

COM 303 Communication Inquiry (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 101 or permission of instructor. Understanding methods of inquiry in communication, including social science orientation, quantitative and qualitative methods for gathering and analyzing data, and critiquing and interpreting research. Theory, design, and basic statistics involved in survey and experimental research. Students are actively involved in data collection and research projects. Return to top

COM 320 History of the Moving Image (4-0-4). Prerequisites: COM 221, COM 226, or permission of instructor. Historical study of silent and sound film styles in their social, economic, and technological contexts. Film influence in early television production is also considered. Both U.S. and international films are considered. Western Culture and Civilization. Return to top

COM 321 Documentary Form in Film and Television (4-0-4). Prerequisites: COM 221 or permission of instructor. The history, theory, and contemporary practice of nonfiction film and film-for-television. Involves intensive analysis of selected films and tapes. Return to top

COM 326 Advanced Reporting and Specialized Writing for the Media (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 225. Development of advanced information-gathering skills for the media, with an emphasis on use of public records, observational techniques, electronic data bases, and interviewing techniques. Covers various public and urban affairs contexts for the media, and some specialized writing forms, including writing features and writing for the Internet. Writing. Return to top

COM 327 Media Criticism (4-0-4). Introduces criteria for determining social responsibilities and judging the performance of print, broadcast, and film media. Addresses history, analysis, and evaluation of technique, content, and aesthetic effect of media messages. Writing. Return to top

COM 329 Contemporary Film (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 221 or permission of instructor. Explores and examines structures of narrative filmmaking for cinema and television from World War II to the present. Examines cinematic practices outside and inside of the domestic U.S. market influence, the development of television, the economic expansion of the Hollywood apparatus, and ultimately the development of cinema in opposition to dominant culture. Return to top

COM 330 Nonverbal Communication (4-0-4). Study of nonlinguistic and paralinguistic aspects of communication, including personal space, body language, eye contact, touching, and paralanguage; survey of research in the field along with class experiences in nonverbal communication. Return to top

COM 331 Gender and Communication (4-0-4). Explores the relationship of gender to the communication process. Examines issues of power, conflict, sex role stereotypes, and cultural patterns of interaction on interpersonal relationships. Human Diversity. Return to top

COM 332 Interracial Communication (4-0-4). Applies communication theory to interracial situations, problem-solving in interracial groups, blockages to successful relations between the races, stereotyping, prejudice, and roles. African-American Experience, Human Diversity. Return to top

COM 341 Group Process and Leadership (4-0-4). Examines the structure and dynamics of groups, the nature and function of leadership, problem-solving and decision-making, communication networks, role differentiation, and group growth. Return to top

COM 346 Communication in Organizations (4-0-4). Explores approaches and processes of communication in organizational settings. Specific focus is on structure and function of messages and information dissemination, as well as application of theory. Return to top

COM 347 Political Communication (4-0-4). Introduces students to contemporary and historical scholarship of politics, mass media, and public opinion. Examines such issues as the impact of television on elections, the press and the presidency, political advertising, presidential debates, and opinion polling. Explores theories and research on mass media and elections. Return to top

COM 348 Intercultural Communication (4-0-4). Analyzes the cultural dimensions of communication with emphasis on interpersonal and social encounters. Examines the cultural foundations of communication behavior, including ethnicity, cultural sensitivity, personal relationships, group processes, verbal and nonverbal communication, and cultural adaptation. Strategies for effective intercultural communication are also discussed. Return to top

COM 350 Persuasive Communication and Attitude Change (4-0-4). Introduces students to the field of persuasion. Examines theories of persuasion, research on persuasive communication, and the formation of social and political attitudes. Topics include the dynamics of attitude change, interpersonal persuasion, brainwashing, subliminal persuasion, and media information campaigns. Return to top

COM 351 Audio Production for Radio (4-2-4). Prerequisites: COM 204, COM 231, or permission of instructor. Focuses on microphone techniques, commercial and news production techniques, radio writing, and operational tasks of broadcast radio and recording studios. Radio formats and program types are studied. Digital audio editing is introduced. Includes lab component. Return to top

COM 352 Multi-Source Video Production (4-2-4). Prerequisites: COM 204, COM 231, or permission of instructor. Focuses on operation of video switcher, teleprompter, lighting board and studio cameras. Students learn television program direction and floor managing. Students study multicamera production, studio and remote multicamera lighting, and put knowledge in practice in the lab component. Nonlinear video editing is introduced. Program types studied include persuasive, news/informational, and entertainment. Return to top

COM 353 Media Electronics (4-0-4). Prerequisites: COM 204, COM 352, or permission of instructor. Covers history, practical application, and basic electronic theory as applied to design, operation, and maintenance of video/audio origination, recording, playback, and distribution equipment. Designed for majors and non-majors with technical/engineering interests or background. Students may work as engineering crew for Video/Audio Communication Center productions. Return to top

COM 357 Principles of Public Relations (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 225 or permission of instructor. Examines the role and context of professional public relations practitioners and development of techniques for ongoing public relations programs, managing crises, and conducting projects and campaigns. Development of particular public relations writing forms, including speeches, press releases, reports, and fact sheets. Return to top

COM 358 Media Law, Economics and Ethics (4-0-4). Examines media law, including first amendment and administrative law. Focuses on social, political, and economic influences. Examines legal constraints for students planning to become professional communicators. Return to top

COM 359 International Communication (4-0-4). Surveys the global, regional, and national media systems and practices. Examines the role of the mass media in public diplomacy, national development, national policies, cultural interactions, and perceptions and images people develop about other countries, peoples, and the world. Also examines the future of the New World Information and Communication Order. Return to top

COM 360 Principles of Advertising (4-0-4). Presents an overview of the field. Surveys the operational principles and fundamental practices of advertising that include advertising theories, ethics, regulation, research methods, media planning, message strategy and campaign planning strategy. Students also are involved in an advertising campaign project as part of the hands-on exercise in class. Return to top

COM 362 Health Communication (4-0-4). Focuses on interactions of people involved in the health-care process and the dissemination and interpretation of health-related messages. Provides overview of provider-recipient communication, communication in health-care organizations, and public health concerns as they relate to physical, mental, and social health issues. Return to top

COM 366 Communication and Conflict (4-0-4). Approaches to the management of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and societal conflict, game theory, frustration and aggression, the etiology of conflict; role playing and case study methods to be supplemented by lecture-discussions and readings. Return to top

COM 368 Introduction to Language (4-0-4). Introduces the role of language in communication. Topics include an introduction to linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, information processing, and animal language systems from a communication perspective. Return to top

COM 370 Communication Technology and Social Change (4-0-4). Studies the role of communication in societal change and the diffusion of innovations. Particular emphasis is placed on new communication technologies and the attributes of their adopters; the ongoing convergence of such technologies as telephone, broadcasting, film and the Internet. Return to top

COM 379 Communication and Negotiation (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 366 or permission of instructor. Examines basic dimensions and theories of negotiation, and develops an understanding of the significance that communication theory has on the study of negotiation. Covers conflict resolution in a wide variety of contexts including interpersonal, organizational, community, international, and public policy. Return to top

COM 380 Family Communication (4-0-4). Investigates communication in the family group, with emphasis on functional and dysfunctional ways in which family members relate to one another. Return to top

COM 388 The Rhetoric of Black America (4-0-4). Studies the use of rhetoric by Black Americans as an instrument for modifying social, economic, and political conditions. Materials include speeches and documents by Black American spokespersons. African-American Experience, Human Diversity. Return to top

COM 400 Studio and Media Production Department Management (4-2-4). Prerequisites: COM 204, COM 352, or permission of instructor. Analyzes and provides practical techniques and procedures of studio and media production department management. Students learn production systems design, production planning and process, facility booking and budgeting. The lab component requires participation in Video/Audio Communication Center productions. Return to top

COM 401 Advanced Video/Audio Production (4-4-4). Prerequisites: COM 204, COM 226, COM 351 or COM 225, COM 352, COM 404, or permission of instructor. COM 403 suggested as companion course. Students produce commercial-grade information, educational, training or marketing programs, or broadcast or cable programs for on- or off-campus clients. There is a lab component. Students also study basic operation of broadcast newsrooms and corporate/organizational video departments. (May rotate instructors from other areas to allow for differing emphasis). Return to top

COM 403 Advanced Video/Audio Editing (4-4-4). Prerequisites: COM 204, COM 352, COM 353 and permission of instructor. Students learn operation of linear A/B roll editing system, nonlinear video editing, and digital audio workstation. Students study and practice the concepts of sequencing (including cut-ins and cut-aways), montage, time manipulation, rhythm, and transitions. Students spend considerable lab time outside the classroom. Return to top

COM 404 Performance for the Screen: Broadcast and Film (4-2-4). Prerequisites: COM 204 + Theater prerequisites and permission of instructor. Students learn broadcast talent skills for both on- and off-camera work. Delivery styles, dressing for video success, and performance self-criticism techniques are all studied. The role of talent as communicator is emphasized. There is a lab component. Return to top

COM 405 Electronic Journalism (4-4-4). Prerequisites: COM 204, COM 225, COM 226, COM 351 or COM 352 and permission of instructor. Students learn to produce news programs and program components through further development of newswriting, news talent, and news production skills. Students also learn of the dilemmas faced every day by working broadcast journalists. Ethics and technologies are studied. Also includes elements of Computer Assisted Reporting and reporting for the Internet. There is a substantial lab component. Writing. Return to top

COM 425 Editing and Graphics (4-0-4). Understanding basic principles for print media graphics and developing editing skills. Learning how to design and lay out newspapers, newsletters, magazines and Web pages using such computer software as PageMaker. Return to top

COM 426 Laboratory Newspaper I (1-10-4). Prerequisites: COM 225 or 360 and permission of instructor. Introduces students to all aspects of newspaper work and publishing a publication - from advertising sales to distribution on news stands. Students will increase skills in reporting, interviewing, and photography; learn basics of editing, newspaper design and layout; develop fundamental skills in PageMaker and PhotoShop software; understand rudiments of the business side of the publication; and participate in its distribution. Return to top

COM 427 Laboratory Newspaper II (Advanced) (1-10-4). Prerequisites: COM 426 and permission of instructor. Continuation of Com 426: Laboratory Newspaper I. Students hold staff positions on the paper, mentor students in COM 426, and develop and maintain publication Web site. Students will continue to work on all aspects of creating a publication - from advertising sales to distribution on news stands, and will become increasingly involved in the decision-making process for news selection and placement, coordination of reporting assignments and story development, and the application of ethics and other related concerns. Return to top

COM 428 Imaging Africa (4-0-4). Designed to enable students to explore and examine the processes, images, stereotypes, and myths associated with the historical development of film. Taught through lectures and intensive examination of films and television programming within a seminar setting. Nonwestern Culture and Civilization. Return to top

COM 444 Mediation and Collaborative Problem Solving (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 366, or COM 379, or permission of instructor. Examines how mediation works, factors that determine whether mediation can be used to resolve disputes, and the conditions under which mediation is most effective. Return to top

COM 447 Public Relations Writing (4-2-4). Prerequisites: COM 225, COM 226 and COM 357, or permission of instructor. A workshop course in advanced public relations-writing skills. Emphasizes message design and dissemination techniques that range across print and electronic media for communication with both internal and external organizational publics, including newsletters and annual reports. Return to top

COM 448 Managing Organizational Teams (4-0-4). Focuses on the structure, functions, and processes of organizational teams and work groups. Special attention is given to promoting effective teamwork in today's organizations through methods of teambuilding and examining leadership issues confronting teams. Return to top

COM 449 Advanced Issues in Health Communication (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 362 or permission of instructor. Provides in-depth examination of key theoretic and applied approaches to health communication. Topics include health communication models, doctor-patient communication, gender issues and health, health information campaigns, mass media influences on health, the role of culture on health and disease, the health-care organization, group influences on well-being, communication and mental health, communication and social health, and the politics of health communication. Return to top

COM 450 Media Programming and Research (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 226, COM 231 or permission of instructor. Analysis of the social, economic, political and cultural setting of the media; exploration of the determinants of programming strategies based on media research at the local and national levels. Return to top

COM 455 Communication Campaigns (4-0-4). Prerequisites: COM 226; COM 357 or COM 360 or permission of instructor. Introduces students to the fundamentals of communication campaigns, including public information and political campaigns. Course content encompasses the role of campaigns in shaping social, cultural, and political agendas; theoretical foundations of communication campaigns; and campaign management techniques. Students participate in an actual campaign exercise to gain experience as campaign strategists. Return to top

COM 460 Advertising Copywriting and Layout Design (4-0-4). Prerequisite: COM 360, or permission of instructor. Students learn practical skills in writing copy for advertising and in laying out designs; focuses on creative writing exercises, computer graphic designs, portfolio development and the discussion of audience/consumer psychology as well as media use patterns as the basis for copywriting. Return to top

COM 490 Internship in Communication (2 to 8 credits). Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, permission of internship director. Field work with community agencies concerned with promotional communication, communication in organizations, political campaigns, and the media. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credit hours (only four credit hours can count toward the major). Return to top

COM 493 Special Topics in Communication (2 to 8 credits). Prerequisite: COM 226, or permission of instructor. Topics in interpersonal and organizational communication, broadcasting, film, journalism, and mass communication that change each semester and deal with a variety of important subjects and issues. May be repeated with departmental permission. Return to top

COM 495 Seminar in Communication (4-0-4). Prerequisites: Senior standing, permission of instructor. Seminar topics vary across specific areas of emphases. May be repeated once. Return to top

COM 496 Independent Study (2 to 8 credits). Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing, approval of a department faculty member. May be repeated for a maximum of eight credit hours (only four credit hours can count toward the major). Return to top