| Communication |
CMN 455 - Introduction to Mass Communication
Credits:
4.00
Nature, development, and the effects of mass media.
Overview of mass communication history and theory.
CMN 455H - Honors/Introduction to Mass Communication
Credits:
4.00
See description for CMN 455.
CMN 456 - Propaganda and Persuasion
Credits:
4.00
Introduction to theories of propaganda and persuasion.
Examination of symbolic strategies designed to secure or
resist social and institutional change. Attention given to
case studies of social, political, economic, and religious
reformation. Special consideration of the ethical
ramifications of such efforts.
CMN 456H - Honors/Propaganda and Persuasion
Credits:
4.00
See description for CMN 456.
CMN 457 - Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the study of the conversational basis
of social reality. Presents an overview of interpersonal
communication processes and the ways in which they
influence the formation of identity, personal
relationships, gender, interactional patterns, conflict,
culture, and power. Readings and class material from a
variety of authors in the communication discipline as well
as related fields in the humanities and the social sciences.
CMN 500 - Public Speaking
Credits:
4.00
Performance course buttressed by practical theories of
public discourse. Focus on analysis of speaking situations
and audiences, message construction, presentation, and
critical evaluation. Does not count towards the CMN major.
CMN 503 - Introduction to Group Communication Processes
Credits:
4.00
Introduction to the theoretical and empirical foundations
of group communication processes in a variety of settings.
Comparison of approaches to defining and understanding the
pervasiveness, complexity, and diversity of group
communication and multi-party interaction in the many
spheres of social life. Students undertake hands-on
observation, recording, transcription, and analysis of
naturally occurring group communication in and out of
class. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457 with C or better, or
by permission.
CMN 504 - Introduction to Argumentation
Credits:
4.00
Persuasive discourse as inquiry and advocacy grounded in
practical inductive and deductive reasoning. Discovery,
analysis, and testing of practical arguments. The nature
and function of proof. Some emphasis on applied
presentation. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457, or by permissio
CMN #505 - Analysis of Popular Culture
Credits:
4.00
Locates the development of popular cultural artifacts and
practices within the 20th-century social history of the
U.S. Examines the political-economic forces that
underpinned the commercialization of art, leisure, sports,
and other elements of culture in industrial and
postindustrial America. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457, or
by permission.
CMN 507 - Introduction to Rhetorical Theory and Analysis
Credits:
4.00
Major precepts of rhetorical theory. Application of those
precepts in analysis and understanding of a wide range of
human communication. Consideration of how precepts and
issues of rhetorical theory apply to contemporary issues
and problems. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457, or by permissio
CMN 515 - Analysis of News
Credits:
4.00
Explores the psychological, social, economic, political,
and cultural factors that influence the definition and
reporting of news. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457, or by
permission.
CMN 519 - Advertising as Social Communication
Credits:
4.00
Social role of advertising, public policy debates
concerning advertising, influence of advertising on
culture, and methods of analyzing advertising messages.
Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457, or by permission.
CMN 530 - Family Communication
Credits:
4.00
Exploration of the patterned communication in families and
the ways in which our understanding of these patterns can
be utilized to understand and transform unwanted family
interactions. Varying cultural discourses of family
communication are used to explore the dialogic construction
of family and self. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457 with C or
better, or by permission.
CMN 550 - Cinema and Society
Credits:
4.00
The art, history, technology, economics, and theory of
moving images from the silent period to the present. Focus
on film as a social practice. Examination of both classic
Hollywood film and alternative cinema. Students cannot
receive credit for both CMN 550 and ENGL 533. Prereq: CMN
455, 456, and 457, or by permission. Special fee.
CMN 557 - Great Speakers and Speeches
Credits:
4.00
Historical survey of masterpieces of oratory from the
period of Demosthenes and Cicero through the golden age of
American oratory with Lincoln and Webster, to the time of
Martin Luther King, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.
Critical attention to the circumstances, talents, and
rhetorical attributes that combine to make eloquent,
persuasive discourse and effective public communication.
Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457, or by permission.
CMN 567 - Images of Gender in the Media
Credits:
4.00
The symbolic construction of sexuality and gender in
specific social, historical, and cultural settings.
Examination of the power to define media images and the
media's function as one element in the preservation of
gender inequality. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457, or by
permission.
CMN 572 - Language and Social Interaction
Credits:
4.00
In this mid-level course, students develop the
observational and analytic skills necessary for the
in-depth study of interaction in a variety of everyday and
institutional social settings. Settings may include
dialogue, multi-party interaction, non-verbal communication
and embodiment, identity talk, and communication in
organizations. Special attention to developing the reading
and research skills used in upper level interpersonal
communication courses. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457 with C
or better, or by permission.
CMN 575 - Research Practicum
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Student engagment through direct participation in faculty
research projects. Elective credits which do not count
towards the major. Instructor permission required. May be
repeated for a maximum of 8 credits. Prereq: CMN 455, 456,
457, and permission. Cr/F.
CMN 583 - Gender and Communication
Credits:
4.00
Consideration of the construction of gender through
various linguistic and non-linguistic interpersonal
communication practices. Topics include linguistic marking
of gender, socialization and communicative management of
gender identity, cultural change and variation in the
communicative construction of gender, the contestation of
gender stereotypes through communication, and a critical
examination of theoretical and empirical approaches to
gender and communication. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457
with C or better, or by permission.
CMN 596 - Special Topics in Media Studies
Credits:
4.00
Selected topics not covered by existing courses in media
studies. Topics vary; course descriptions are available in
department office during preregistration. May be repeated
for credit if topics differ. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457,
or by permission.
CMN 597 - Special Topics in Rhetorical Studies
Credits:
4.00
Selected topics not covered by existing courses in
rhetorical studies. Topics vary; course descriptions are
available in department office during registration. May be
repeated for credit if topics differ. Prereq: CMN 455, 456,
and 457, or by permission.
CMN 598 - Special Topics in Interpersonal Studies
Credits:
4.00
Selected topics not covered by existing courses in
interpersonal communication. Topics vary; course
descriptions are available in department office during
registration. May be repeated for credit if topics differ.
Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457, or by permission.
CMN 599 - Internship
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Internships are designed to integrate classroom study and
supervised practical experience in a work setting. Each
student is required to write a series of reports focusing
on aspects of the work experience that are related to
coursework in the Communications Department. These
assignments are designed to enhance a student's ability to
reflect critically on the internship experience and to
merge theory and practice. Assignments are available,
depending on the number of credits granted (1-4). Students
are expected to hold the common exam time (TR, 1240-2) open
for occasional meetings. Before starting the internship,
students must submit a written proposal to both the work
supervisor and the faculty sponsor. The proposal should
include detailed information on the duties and
responsibilities to be undertaken at the internship site
and on the goals and learning objectives as relevant to the
Communication Department curriculum. May be repeated for a
maximum of 8 credits. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457, or
permission. Cr/F.
CMN 600 - Public Speaking as a Civic Art
Credits:
4.00
Performance course butressed by the traditional civic art
of rhetoric. Focuses on analysis of speaking situations
and audiences, message of construction, presentation, and
critical evaluation using major precepts of rhetorical
theory. Theoretical and critical issues in the context of
rhetorical practices. Prereq for CMN majors: CMN 455, 456,
457, and 500-level rhetoric course; prereq for non-majors:
junior or senior standing. Writing intensive.
CMN 602 - Theories of Interpersonal Communication
Credits:
4.00
Analysis and criticism of contemporary perspectives on
interpersonal communication. Theories and concepts,
issues, and research models are examined as they contribute
to our understanding of social interaction. Prereq: CMN
455, 456, 457 and any CMN 500-level interpersonal studies
course or permission. Writing intensive.
CMN #605 - Argumentation and Public Advocacy
Credits:
4.00
Ideas and methods of adversarial and consensual public
advocacy. Applied emphasis on public policy argumentation
and decision making. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and any
500-level rhetorical studies course; CMN 500 or 504
recommended.
CMN 607 - Persuasion in American Politics
Credits:
4.00
Study of the forms and strategies of persuasive discourse
employed by contemporary American political leaders.
Analysis of important political addresses of the 20th
century, with attention to theoretical and critical issues
in political communication and public address. Discussion
of the status of rhetoric in modern politics, and the
impact of persuasive discourse on campaigns, policy
decisions, crisis management, political scandal, and the
national identity. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and any
500-level rhetorical studies course or permission. Writing
intensive.
CMN 615 - Public Opinion and Mass Communication
Credits:
4.00
Examines the historical development of the 18th century
public sphere and its relationship to the press. Traces
the transformation of the press from an ideological
grounding to a commercial base. Analyzes the consequences
of contemporary mass consumer-oriented media on the public
sphere and democratic life. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and
any 500-level media studies course. Writing intensive.
CMN 630 - Psychology of Communication
Credits:
4.00
Recasts human psychology as a communicative
accomplishment, offering a critique of the individualist
tradition. Emphasis on the ways in which identity,
knowledge, values, and beliefs are constructed in daily
social engagements and the pragmatic, political, and moral
implications of this view. Implications for our major
cultural institutions such as education, health, and
politics. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457 with C or better
and any required 500-level interpersonal studies course
with a C- or better, or by permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 632 - Communication Theory
Credits:
4.00
Terminology, concepts, theoretical models, functions,
levels, modes, and media in human communication. Prereq:
CMN 455, 456, and 457 with C or better and any required
500-level CMN course with a C- or better (three required
500-level courses recommended) or by permission. Writing
intensive.
CMN 640 - Media, Culture, and Society
Credits:
4.00
Focuses on the construction of meaning in the interplay
between social structure and cultural expression. Theory
and analysis emphasize the ideological role of the media in
the social struggle for meaning. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457
and any 500-level media studies course or permission.
Writing intensive.
CMN #642 - European Media and Culture
Credits:
4.00
Examination of the mass media in Europe as central sites
for the production of culture and the formation of
identity. Topics include the structural configurations of
the media and their particular political and economic
contexts, and policy debates over the issues including
transborder broadcasting, language preservation, the status
of minorities, and the globalization of culture. Prereq:
CMN 455, 456, 457 and any 500-level media studies course or
permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 645 - Rhetorical Criticism of Film
Credits:
4.00
Examine the rhetoric of narrative film, with an emphasis
on an audience-centered criticism of American feature
films, such as historical dramas, sci-fi films, road
movies, and documentaries. Also examines how audiences
experience films as both products and producers of social
disorder. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and one 500-level
Rhetoric course or permission.
CMN 650 - Critical Perspectives on Film
Credits:
4.00
Advanced, focused study of film theory as cultural
practice. Topics vary from year to year and with
instructor. May be repeated for different topics. Focus may
range from general considerations of film theory,
criticism, and history, to specific analyses of selected
genres, directors, national cinemas, and periods. Course
descriptions available in department office during
preregistration. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457, 550, ENGL 533,
or permission. Special fee. Writing intensive. May be
repeated for credit.
CMN 656 - Principles of Rhetorical Criticism
Credits:
4.00
Application of critical principles to message evaluation.
Consideration of the varying roles, methods, and standards
of rhetorical critics. Special attention to major
perspectives on rhetorical criticism including
Neo-Aristotelian, historical, dramatistic, generic,
literary, and psychological. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457, and
any 500-level rhetorical studies course (CMN 507
recommended). Writing intensive.
CMN 657 - Public Address and the American Experience
Credits:
4.00
Study of persuasive texts set firmly in their historical
and social contexts. Discussion of the impact of popular
discourse on historically significant political and social
events. Analysis of how leading persuasive speakers and
writers responded to the fundamental questions confronting
their age and articulated ideas in a manner that provoked
or motivated their community, state, or nation. Historical
period studied will vary. May be repeated for credit when
topic varies. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and any 500-level
rhetorical studies course or permission. Special fee.
Writing intensive.
CMN 658 - Media Analysis and Criticism
Credits:
4.00
Approaches and methodologies for media criticism. Analysis
of sample studies. Students work on original media
analysis projects. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and any two
500-level CMN (three 500-level courses recommended), or
permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 666 - Conversation Analysis
Credits:
4.00
Exploration in how participants in interpersonal
communication display their orientation to the fundamental
orderliness of conversational sequences in everyday,
institutional, and mass media settings. Basic concepts
covered include the interactional co-construction of
turn-taking, repair, overlap, openings, closings, silences,
adjacency, pairs, disagreement, preference, and the role of
various linguistic, paralinguistic, and nonlinguistic
features in the conversation process. Prereq: CMN 455, 456,
457 and one 500-level interpersonal CMN course or
permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 667 - Ethnography of Communication
Credits:
4.00
Theoretical and hands-on consideration of interpersonal
communication and language use as culturally situated
practices of particular communities, through which human
beings reflect, construct, maintain, pass down, and
challenge the cultures of which they are a part. Students
will learn how to interpret culturally situated
interpersonal communication and language use by employing
various ethnographic and discourse analytic methods of
investigation. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and one 500-level
interpersonal course or permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 672 - Theories of Language and Discourse
Credits:
4.00
Selection and critique of major theoretical orientations
to the study of language and social interaction as well as
of major methodologies for analyzing conversation and
interaction in everyday and institutional settings. Prereq:
CMN 455, 456, 457 with C or better and any required
500-level interpersonal studies course (CMN 572
recommended) with C- or better, or by permission. Writing
intensive.
CMN 680 - Perspectives on Culture and Communication
Credits:
4.00
Critical interpretation of culture focused on the
communication practices and resources of diverse groups.
Examination of the reciprocal relationship between
communication practices, forms of culture, and cultural
identity. Exploration of the conditions necessary for
dialogue between differing cultural groups. Emphasis on the
role of communication in constructing race, power, cultural
domination, and globalization. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and
457 with C or better and any required 500-level
interpersonal studies course with a C- or better, or by
permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 696 - Seminar in Media Studies
Credits:
4.00
Variable topics in media research, theory, and practice.
May be repeated for different topics. Topic descriptions
available in department office during preregistration.
Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and any 500-level media studies
course or permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 697 - Seminar in Rhetorical Study
Credits:
4.00
Variable topics in rhetorical research, theory, and
practice. May be repeated for different topics. Topic
descriptions available in department office during
preregistration. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and any
500-level rhetorical studies course or permission. Writing
intensive.
CMN 697H - Honors/Seminar in Rhetorical Study
Credits:
4.00
See description for CMN 697. Writing intensive.
CMN 698 - Seminar Interpersonal Studies
Credits:
4.00
Variable topics in interpersonal research, theory, and
practice. May be repeated for different topics. Topic
descriptions available in department office during
preregistration. Prereq: CMN 455, 456, 457 and any
500-level interpersonal studies course or permission.
Writing intensive.
CMN 702 - Seminar in Interpersonal Communication Theory
Credits:
4.00
In-depth concentration on a particular theoretical
orientation in interpersonal communication. Original works
are read. Theoretical orientation varies by semester.
Prereq: CMN 455, 456, and 457 with C or better and three
required 500-level CMN courses (at least one must be in
interpersonal studies) with C- or better, or by permission.
Writing intensive.
CMN 703 - Seminar in Rhetorical Theory
Credits:
4.00
Focused study of problems in rhetorical theory
construction through examination and criticism of selected
theoretical frameworks used to explain or interpret
rhetorical phenomena. Prereq: permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 772 - Seminar in Media Theory
Credits:
4.00
Detailed analysis of major theories related to the
interaction of communication technologies and society.
Application to current examples in politics, advertising,
and entertainment. Prereq: at least one 600-level course or
permission. Writing intensive.
CMN 795 - Independent Study
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Advanced individual study in rhetoric, media, or
interpersonal communication. Project to be developed with
supervising instructor. May be repeated for credit. Prereq:
permission.
CMN 795W - Independent Study
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
See description for CMN 795. Permission required. Writing
intensive.
CMN 796 - Comm-Entary Journal
Credits:
1.00
Serve on the editorial board of student run communication
journal. Elective credit which does not count toward the
major. May be repeated for a maximum of 2 credits. Prereq:
CMN 455, 456, 457, or permission. Cr/F.
CMN 799H - Honors Thesis
Credits:
4.00
Written thesis based on substantial and original research
under the direction of a full-time member of the
communication faculty. Thesis must be in the form and
style of a publishable, scholarly work. Restricted to
seniors seeking honors in major.