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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
COMMUNICATION
(COM)

1001 Freshman Topics in Communication
(1-1) 1 hour credit.
Required for entering freshmen in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts with less than 15 hours of coursework and who are interested in majoring in Communication. Critical study of topics in Communication. Innovative classroom and learning techniques are used to introduce students to these topics and to help strengthen critical thinking, problem solving, and writing skills. Enrichment activities may include film, television programs, Web resources, field trips, and guest lectures by other faculty. Content varies with each instructor. A maximum of 3 semester credit hours of freshman topics courses may apply to a bachelor’s degree, although this specific topic may be taken only once.

1043 Introduction to Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: WRC 1013.
Introduction to the fundamental processes of human communication, with emphasis on interpersonal, group, and mass communication. Emphasis is given to those skills that promote oral proficiency. [TCCN: SPCH 1311.]

1053 Business and Professional Speech
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: WRC 1013.
Examination of the basic communication process through oral channels with practical applications for business. Emphasis is on techniques of business and professional presentation, including components of message strategies, nonverbal communication, multimedia support, and persuasive speaking. Oral presentations with written components required. [TCCN SPCH 1321.]

2113 Public Speaking
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 1043 or COM 1053 or consent of instructor.
Theory and practice of speaking in formal settings. Emphasis on preparation, adaptation, and delivery of oral presentations. [TCCN: SPCH 1315.]

2123 Oral Interpretation
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of Core Curriculum rhetoric requirement.
Study of verbal and nonverbal communication, especially for aesthetic purposes, and of the dramaturgical skills that relate to the performing arts. Emphasis is given to those skills that promote oral proficiency. [TCCN: SPCH 2341.]

2343 Introduction to Mass Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of Core Curriculum rhetoric requirement.
Critical examination of how the mass media interact with individuals and social groups. Exploration of media industries, products, and processes from various disciplinary perspectives. [TCCN: COMM 1307.]

2433 Editing
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ENG 2413.
Principles and applications of production editing and technical editing, including evaluation and revision of style, tone, and organization of documents. Practice in use of editing symbols and copy marking. (Same as ENG 2433. Credit cannot be earned for both COM 2433 and ENG 2433.)

2733 Introduction to Communication Technologies
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of the Core Curriculum rhetoric requirement.
Overview of media and networks used for entertainment and information distribution, storage, and retrieval. Emphasis on the interrelationships among technology, economics, policy, society, and culture.

2801 Forensic Activities
(1-0) 1 hour credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Opportunity to study the preparation and presentation of oral argument or speaking in competitive situations. May be repeated for credit. [TCCN: SPCH 2144.]

3023 Foundations of Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of Core Curriculum rhetoric requirement.
Fundamental concepts in Speech Communication, Technical Communication, Electronic Media, and Public Relations. Addresses basic strategies and technologies used for information access, retrieval, and processing. Required of and restricted to students majoring or minoring in Communication. (Formerly COM 2213. Credit cannot be earned for both COM 3023 and COM 2213.)

3073 Conduct of Communication Inquiry
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in COM 3023.
Introduction to basic research methods as they apply to communication inquiry. Issues include applications of quantitative and qualitative research designs, descriptive and inferential statistics, and interpretation and critical evaluation of findings.

3083 Language and Communication Theory
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in COM 3023.
Overview of theories of language and communication. Focuses on understanding how language and communication affect individual and social action.

3113 Argumentation and Debate
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 1043, COM 1053, or COM 3023.
Offers the opportunity to train in the preparation, construction, and critical analysis of argumentation. Exercises in oral communication in adversarial situations.

3243 Persuasion
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 3073 and COM 3083.
Theory and practice of influencing attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and actions. Emphasis on critical evaluation of persuasive messages and design of persuasive campaigns.

3253 Rhetorical Communication Analysis
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 2113 or consent of instructor.
Study of classical and contemporary rhetorical theory. Critical evaluation of communication messages and techniques of delivery.

3343 Theories of Mass Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 2343.
Overview of theories of mass communication. Includes exploration of the processes and effects of the media in public entertainment and information programming.

3383 Interpersonal Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 1043, COM 1053, or COM 3023.
Theory and research of communication in personal and professional settings. The course stresses the social context of communication and emphasizes skills, knowledge, and motivation of verbal and nonverbal interaction. (Same as MGT 3253. Credit cannot be earned for both COM 3383 and MGT 3253.)

3413 Writing for New Media
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ENG 2413.
Introduction to issues and practices in the design of online information. Emphasis on writing and design practices in the context of various online information genres, including writing for the World Wide Web. Other topics may include hypertext theory and interactive design.

3513 Writing for Public Relations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 3523 and ENG 2413.
Exposure to techniques and skills associated with writing for public relations to create internal and external documents, such as news releases, reports, newsletters, feature stories, and brochures. Designed to enable students to become competent and versatile writers for a variety of publics.

3523 Public Relations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in COM 3023.
Introduction to principles and practices of public relations, with emphasis on strategies and execution of campaigns.
Some attention to public relations within multicultural communities.

3543 Multicultural Public Communication Practices
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 3023 and COM 3553 or COM 3563.
Strategic planning and execution of public information campaigns targeting ethnic markets; emphasis on techniques of audience analysis, construction of messages, and use of specific communication channels.

3553 Intercultural Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 3083.
Examination of differences in communication that arise from cultural and/or ethnic diversity. Emphasis on the verbal and nonverbal communicative patterns, conflict management, and decision-making processes of diverse cultures.

3563 International Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 3083.
Examination of issues, conditions, and processes relating to world media systems. Consideration of theoretical and practical perspectives in key domains of interaction such as political economy, social development, and technology.

3623 Commercial Publications
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: ENG 2413.
Theory and practice of commercial writing and desktop publishing. Includes discussion of document design, principles of layout, and typography.

3633 Professional Presentation
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 1043, or COM 1053, or COM 3023.
Fundamentals of professional presentations including information exchange, problem solving, and persuasive proposals. Emphasis on the integration of oral presentation with written, graphic, and other media materials.

3663 Urban Reporting/Writing
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
News coverage of politics, law, education, social services, and government institutions as they relate to specific urban economics and social problems.

3673 Multicultural Reporting/Writing
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Critical examination of diversity and the media. Exposure to journalistic tools for the coverage of diverse ethnic, gender, ability, and ideological groups inside and outside the United States. Discussion of the critical role of diverse voices in a democracy.

3733 Fundamentals of Communications Media
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 2733, COM 3023, and completion of or concurrent enrollment in COM 3073.
Examination of basic technical concepts and their application to telecommunications technologies, including principles of analog and digital transmission, and integrated networks. Introduction to organizational processes of telecommunications development.

3883 Small Group Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 3073 and completion of or concurrent enrollment in COM 3383.
Theory and research in the communication processes of small groups. Emphasis on analysis of transactions in social and task-oriented groups.

3893 Organizational Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 1043, or COM 1053, or COM 3023.
Theory and research in organizational communication. Examination of the barriers to effective organizational communication; group communication and decision making; information flows through the formal and informal networks of organizations, and the means of evaluating organizational communication effectiveness. (Same as MGT 3123. Credit cannot be earned for both COM 3893 and MGT 3123.)

4383 Relational Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 3073 and COM 3383.
Examination of the transactional processes involved in the creation, maintenance, and termination of personal relationships. Analysis of current research and theories concerning the role and effects of communicating in friendship, marriage, and family relationships.

4413 Topics in Speech Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 3083 or consent of instructor.
Intensive study of one or more specific issues in Speech Communication (including contexts, theoretical perspectives, and research methods). May be repeated once for credit when topics vary.

4423 Topics in Technical Communication
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 3083 or consent of instructor.
Intensive study of one or more specific issues in Technical Communication (including contexts, theoretical perspectives, research methods, and production processes). May be repeated once for credit when topics vary.

4433 Topics in Electronic Media
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 3083 or consent of instructor.
Intensive study of one or more specific issues in Electronic Media (including contexts, theoretical perspectives, and individual technologies). May be repeated once for credit when topics vary.

4443 Topics in Public Relations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 3083 or consent of instructor.
Intensive study of one or more specific issues in Public Relations (including media relations, special events planning, and use of technologies). May be repeated once for credit when topics vary.

4523 Case Studies in Public Relations
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 3513, COM 3523, and completion of or concurrent enrollment in COM 3073.
Advanced study of public relations functions, principles, and practices using local, regional, and national organizations as examples.

4533 Public Relations Planning and Campaigns
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 4523.
Application of public relations principles to the planning and production of messages and campaigns. Students will be expected to produce and carry out a public relations campaign within the community.

4733 Communications Design and Innovation
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: COM 3733.
Application and design of communications systems for professional organizations. Focus is on formal and informal communication involved in effective implementation and use of technology. Procedures for needs assessment, budgetary analysis, design, implementation, evaluation, and modification of communication technology.

4911-3 Independent Study in Communication
1 to 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the College in which the course is offered.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree.

4933 Internship in Communication
3 hours credit. Prerequisites: COM 3023, junior standing, and consent of instructor.
Supervised field experience in Communication. May be repeated once for credit, but only 3 semester credit hours may be counted toward major requirements.

4973 Seminar for Communication Majors
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: 12 upper-division semester credit hours in Communication and consent of instructor.
This undergraduate seminar, limited to Communication majors in their final year, offers the opportunity to study practical application of principles and practices of communication. Students are required to engage in critical thinking, strategic planning, and problem solving activities in implementing a creative program in a social or organizational setting. Content varies with each instructor. May be repeated once for credit when topics vary.

4993 Honors Thesis
3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Enrollment limited to candidates for graduation with University Honors.
Supervised research and preparation of an honors thesis. May be repeated once with advisor approval.

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