COMMUNICATION STUDIES (COMM)
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English
Major in Communication Studies
This is a distinct major from Strategic Communication, a description of which can be found here
Required courses
- COMM 100: Public Speaking (4 credits)
- COMM 220: Interpersonal Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 328: Communication of Race, Class Gender (4 credits)
- COMM 366: Persuasion and Social Influence (4 credits)
- COMM 480: Capstone: Communication Ethics (4 credits)
Elective Communication Studies Courses 16 required credits (4 and 2 credit courses):
- COMM 105: Workplace Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 212: Communication Criticism (4 credits)
- COMM 242: Health Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 244: Sport Communication 2-credit (2 credits)
- COMM 246: Building Communication Skills Though Improvisation (2-credit)
- COMM 248: Building Communication Skills Through Improvisation II (2 credits)
- COMM 264: Media Communication Skills (4 credits)
- COMM 274: Small Group Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 320: Organizational Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 324: Communication and Leadership (4 credits)
- COMM 326: Communication and Popular Culture (4 credits)
- COMM 338: Political Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 370: Intercultural Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 372: Communication and the Environment (4 credits)
- COMM 373 Approaches to Crisis Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 374: Family and Couple Communication (4 credits)
- COMM 378 Communication and Underrepresented Families (4 credits)
- Internships/Study Abroad/Experiential Learning
- ENGL 256: Intro to Professional Writing (4 credits)
or ENGL 315: Business Writing (4 credits) - DIMA 240: Digital Imagery and Sound (4 credits)
Minor in Communication Studies
- COMM 100: Public Speaking 4 credits
plus:
- 12 additional credits in COMM
Majors must complete a minimum of eighteen credits in Communication Studies at St. Thomas.
| Course Number | Title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| COMM 100 | Public Speaking | 4 | |
| Description of course Public Speaking : | Preparation, presentation, and evaluation of original speeches by each student throughout the semester; special emphasis given to selecting and researching topics, organizing evidence, analyzing audiences, sharpening style and tone, communicating ethically and listening critically. | ||
| COMM 105 | Communication in Workplace | 4 | |
| Description of course Communication in Workplace : | Introduction to basic communication theories and skills as they pertain to the business setting. Text, lecture, class discussion and exercises, and individual and group presentations will better prepare students to become more effective communicators at work. The course will focus on presentational skills, dyadic communication and interviewing, and group communication. | ||
| COMM 212 | Communication Criticism | 4 | |
| Description of course Communication Criticism : | This course teaches students to become more critical consumers and producers of public messages. Students will examine a mix of historical and contemporary examples of persuasive communication in order to develop an awareness of the rhetorical power of messages in everyday life. Critical tools will be covered to help the student learn how to approach a communicative act systematically, identifying crucial interactions and suggesting ways of understanding how those interactions function. The emphasis on critical consumption also enables students to become more effective creators of public messages. | ||
| COMM 220 | Interpersonal Communication | 4 | |
| Description of course Interpersonal Communication : | Theory and practice of interpersonal communication, including how self-concept, language, nonverbal communication, and relationships effect and are affected by communication. Common problems in interpersonal communication, options for managing these problems, and ethical issues in interpersonal communication are examined. Students apply theory and concepts through class exercises, simulations and individual projects. | ||
| COMM 242 | Health Communication | 4 | |
| Description of course Health Communication : | This course includes major current areas of interest in the field of health communication, including: interpersonal health communication issues, challenges, and complexities; communication aspects of health behaviors and conditions; organizational issues in health communication; global health communication challenges; and technology, media, and eHealth. Special attention will be given to culture and health communication and the creation of health communication campaigns. | ||
| COMM 244 | Sport Communication | 2 | |
| Description of course Sport Communication : | This course examines how we communicate about sport, how sport is communicated to us, what is communicated by sports, and what sport communication careers are available. This course provides a survey of the many communication approaches to sport, focusing on interpersonal, mediated, organizational, and public communication to assist us in understanding historic and contemporary sport communication. Guest presenters will provide insights into sport communication careers. | ||
| COMM 246 | Communication and Improv | 2 | |
| Description of course Communication and Improv : | This course focuses on building a range of communication skills through improvisation activities. Students explore theatrical techniques that teach listening, collaboration, spontaneity, team building, emotional intelligence, storytelling, and confident public speaking with connections to academic, professional, and personal situations. In addition to participating in improvisation activities, students will read the works of expert theorists and practitioners of applied improvisation in corporate and professional settings. No previous improvisation experience necessary. | ||
| COMM 248 | Communication and Improv II | 2 | |
| Description of course Communication and Improv II : | Building Communication Skills through Improvisation II is the second of the two-course sequence that introduces you to the world of applied improvisation. It is a cutting-edge course designed to help you continue building on the communication skills acquired and developed in COMM 246: Building Communication Skills through Improvisation. Unlike its predecessor, COMM 248:Building Communication Skills through Improvisation II is tailored more specifically for the professional world, training students to use improvisation as a tool for human communication, business, and organizational development. It uses different readings, higher-level assignments, and more complex improvisational techniques while maintaining its core focus on teamwork, creative problem-solving, oral communication, nonverbal communication, audience analysis, clarity, and adaptability. Prerequisite: COMM 246 | ||
| COMM 252 | High-Impact Storytelling | 2 | |
| Description of course High-Impact Storytelling : | This is a course for anyone wishing to thrive in public and professional life. Business, science, engineering, and health professionals have always used stories to improve their communication with a variety of audiences such as employees, patients, investors, clients, consumers, and other key stakeholders. However, in recent years, the role of storytelling in professional settings has become even more critical. Today it is one of the most important tools at the disposal of people working in business, science, engineering, and health professions. This course invites students to explore, illustrate, and apply narrative theory to inform practice. Students will learn how stories can enhance clarity and optimize persuasion, how they can foster synergy and motivation, and how they may build healthy organizational cultures. Students also will explore, illustrate, and apply how stories can design brand identity, attract investors, allay concerns, and help resolve crises. Equipped with the practical power of storytelling, students will develop skills that will help their careers and enable them to effectively advance the common good. | ||
| COMM 264 | Media Communication Skills | 4 | |
| Description of course Media Communication Skills : | The components and requirements of effective media performance are addressed. Development of critical assessment skills is emphasized via the evaluation of news, commercial and informational broadcasts in both the audio and video media. Particular attention is given to students’ development of performance techniques, emphasizing the use of voice, interviewing, ad-libbing and TelePrompTer use. Application and evaluation of performance choices are achieved through the production of video and audio projects. | ||
| COMM 274 | Small Group Communication | 4 | |
| Description of course Small Group Communication : | This course covers the theory and principles of communication in task-oriented small groups, including role emergence and functions, leadership development, stages of decision-making, and development and effects of group culture. Students apply theory through participation in small group class projects. | ||
| COMM 295 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| COMM 296 | Topics | 2 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| COMM 297 | Topics | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| COMM 298 | Topics | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||
| COMM 320 | Organizational Communication | 4 | |
| Description of course Organizational Communication : | This course will examine organizational structures and the dynamics of the communication process. Major components of this class include the analysis of organizational communication including culture, socialization, roles, leadership, formal and informal communication structures, and issues of cultural diversity. Students will be involved in activities such as applying theories, examining case studies, and analyzing communication in real-life organizations. | ||
| COMM 324 | Communication and Leadership | 4 | |
| Description of course Communication and Leadership : | In Communication and Leadership students learn how to communicate clearly and persuasively, in a way that inspires action within the organization that they lead. They learn how to tailor their communication to a diversity of audiences, apply the principles of effective and ethical communication in structuring their communication, and, to connect authentically with their audience through their unique leadership style. Students will create compelling, high-impact presentations and communications, in face-to-face and mediated communication settings. | ||
| COMM 326 | Communication in Pop Culture | 4 | |
| Description of course Communication in Pop Culture : | This course focuses on the creation and use of rhetoric in public persuasion settings, including social movements and political campaigns. The diversity of rhetorical acts examined may include campaign ads, speeches, films, advertisements, music, memorials, architecture and other nonverbal strategies. Topics of study may include: The rhetoric of domination and resistance, national identity formation, and the rhetoric of public memory. | ||
| COMM 328 | Comm of Race, Class & Gender | 4 | |
| Description of course Comm of Race, Class & Gender : | This course focuses on theories and research of the historical and contemporary correlation between gender, race, class, and communicative practices, including rhetorical practice and mass communication content. It includes the influence of gender and racial stereotypes on public speech and debate, political campaigns and communication, organizational leadership, news coverage and advertising. Topics include: gendered perceptions of credibility; who is allowed to communicate and who is silenced due to class and racial privilege; and the impact of gender, race and class stereotypes about human nature, expertise, and abilities on individuals and groups that want to participate in public culture and communication. Students analyze and evaluate their own communicative styles in light of course readings and activities. | ||
| COMM 332 | Documentary - American Culture | 4 | |
| Description of course Documentary - American Culture : | This course provides an overview of documentary television and film as part of American culture. Class sessions will focus on how to analyze and interpret claims particular documentaries make, while providing a foundation for understanding aesthetic, rhetorical, and political economic conventions that help shape the meaning of each documentary. To this end, this course will center on current theoretical dilemmas and debates in documentary filmmaking, including questions of how to define documentary, what constitutes the ethical treatment of documentary subjects and subject matter, and how documentaries construct and position audiences. We will explore the concepts of reality, truth and authority, through a variety of readings and viewings. | ||
| COMM 338 | Political Communication | 4 | |
| Description of course Political Communication : | Political Communication is a survey of how politicians use various communication strategies, particularly during campaigns, in local, state and national elections to influence public and legislative audiences. Examination of oral presentations, electronic media, written materials, and web-based appeals will be central to the course. Students will apply theory to specific political situations and candidates, will conduct interviews, and will write papers and make presentations on their findings. | ||
| COMM 340 | Television Criticism | 4 | |
| Description of course Television Criticism : | This course will provide students with the opportunity to understand television as a text situation in a cultural context. It will examine television from a critical perspective, review a wide variety of program genres and incorporate several theoretical orientations to the qualitative analysis of TV. Students, along with reading about and discussion of critical perspectives, watch programs such as comedies, dramas, news, advertisements, miniseries, etc., and write several critical analyses of the programs. | ||
| COMM 366 | Persuasion & Social Influence | 4 | |
| Description of course Persuasion & Social Influence : | Study of the various strategies used to influence choice in modern society, including sources, content (such as evidence and argumentation) and audience factors (such as beliefs, attitudes, and values) that influence the persuasive process. Ethical consideration of persuasive tactics will be discussed. Students apply theory through analysis of, and practice in, written, mediated and oral forms of persuasion. A final project in applied persuasion is developed in the course. | ||
| COMM 370 | Intercultural Communication | 4 | |
| Description of course Intercultural Communication : | This course examines the influence of culture on our own and others’ communication. Students will be introduced to different aspects and levels of culture, including basic principles and theories that explain cultural differences on the group level, and challenges in intercultural communication, such as stereotypes, ethnocentrism, conflicting ethical standards, and racial disparities. Through lectures, discussions and first-hand practice, students are expected to form global perspectives and become more competent in intercultural communication. Students are advised to take the course either during or after the sophomore year. | ||
| COMM 372 | Communication & Environment | 4 | |
| Description of course Communication & Environment : | The focus on environmental communication in this course is consistent with the definition provided by the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA): “In the simplest terms, environmental communication is communication about environmental affairs. This includes all of the diverse forms of interpersonal, group, public, organizational, and mediated communication that make up the social debate about environmental issues and problems, and our relationship to the rest of nature.” Communication about the environment is occurring all around us and the ways we learn and talk about the environment are changing. Our understanding of the environment and our ability to work together to respond to environmental challenges can’t be separated from the need to communicate with others, thus readings, activities, assignments, and guest presentations will provide a broad-based approach to diverse communication contexts. We will draw upon other academic disciplines, including psychology and environmentalism and science and environmental communication. Guest presenters will provide insights into environmental communication careers and sustainability campaigns. | ||
| COMM 373 | Approaches to Crisis Comm | 4 | |
| Description of course Approaches to Crisis Comm : | The course explores the issues that develop in pre, during and post-crisis phases, competencies for communicating with various stakeholders, the stories individuals tell, and the dynamics of managing a crisis with an integrated crisis communication plan. Integrating communication theories and methods with principles of crisis communication, this course provides students with a step-by-step method for analyzing and critiquing examples of crises in organizations, advertising, and public relations, entertainment, sports, and politics. | ||
| COMM 374 | Family & Couple Communication | 4 | |
| Description of course Family & Couple Communication : | Examination of communication dynamics within the family system. Patterns of interaction, message exchange, developmental stages, and satisfaction and stability will be explored in light of today's ever-changing family structure. Focus will include traditional (nuclear) and non- traditional family types. | ||
| COMM 378 | Comm & Underrep Families | 4 | |
| Description of course Comm & Underrep Families : | Given that demographic changes, immigration patterns, transnational adoption, new U.S. Supreme Court rulings impacting LGBTQ+ families, and the addition of a multiracial option on the 2010 Census have all contributed to changes in the ways that individuals and families identify, are formed, and are (re)negotiated, it is of critical importance to examine scholarship highlighting these diverse (and often underrepresented) family forms. Families in the United States today are faced with opportunities and challenges that have never been experienced by families before. The first 21 years of this century have produced large social, civil, and technological changes that impact not only the communication among family members, but has also impacted larger societal discourses about what constitutes “family.” Although family communication scholars have long called for the inclusion of more diverse samples in family research, to date this research remains very limited in the understanding of family functioning, relationships, and processes in families of color, LGBTQ families, transnational and neo-ethnic families, discourse dependent families, and other family forms. To this end, this course examines the communicative experiences of contemporary and underrepresented families. | ||
| COMM 476 | Experiential Learning | 1 TO 4 | |
| Description of course Experiential Learning : | No description is available. | ||
| COMM 480 | Capstone: Communication Ethics | 4 | |
| Description of course Capstone: Communication Ethics : | This capstone seminar for graduating seniors explores ethical issues that confront communication professionals and audiences. Students explore theoretical perspectives on communication ethics, work from case studies to understand professional ethical standards, discuss current ethical issues in communication, work in teams to perfect oral and written ethical analysis skills, and write an individual thesis paper. Prerequisite: senior standing | ||
| COMM 490 | Topics | 4 | |
| Description of course Topics : | The subject matter of these courses will vary from year to year, but will not duplicate existing courses. Descriptions of these courses are available in the Searchable Class Schedule on Murphy Online, View Searchable Class Schedule | ||