School of Communication
Other Programs
Debate Squad
USC's Debate Squad provides an opportunity for outstanding students (3.0 GPA), both majors and nonmajors, to compete in an intensive intercollegiate laboratory setting. Whatever the student's intended career, the skills he or she develops in research, critical thinking and oral advocacy will be invaluable. The team has an excellent record in both team policy debate and individual speaking events and has traveled widely both nationally and abroad.
Honors Program
The school offers an honors program for exceptional students, including honors sections of regular classes, special seminars reserved only for honors students (COMM 495), an internship (COMM 496x) and an honors thesis (COMM 497x). To qualify, students must maintain a 3.5 GPA both overall and in the COMM major after completing the core courses (COMM 200, COMM 201 and any four of: COMM 202, COMM 203, COMM 204, COMM 301L and COMM 322). To graduate with Annenberg Honors, a student must maintain a 3.5 overall and COMM major GPA. Contact an undergraduate advisor for further information and application forms.
Honor Society
Lambda Pi Eta is a national communication/journalism honor society that is open to declared majors who have completed at least 32 units (minimum 3.0 GPA), 12 of which are in the major (minimum 3.25 GPA).
Honors in Multimedia Scholarship
This program offers qualified undergraduate students an opportunity to approach their discipline(s) of study through the critical application of multimedia expression and scholarship. The student experience will be characterized by smaller classes taught by leading faculty members and enriched by a program of lecture series, visiting scholars, symposia and conferences. For complete program requirements, see
Interdisciplinary Programs.
Annenberg International Programs
Semester in Amsterdam
Through the Council on International Education Exchange, students study at the University of Amsterdam. The first week students spend in orientation sessions which include an overview of the academic program, an introduction to Amsterdam and to Dutch society and culture, as well as excursions in and around the city. Students enroll in the offerings taught in English at the University of Amsterdam. Such courses include communication, art, history, economics, environmental sciences, computer science, history, philosophy, literature, social science and theology.
Semester in London
The semester program offers students the opportunity to study communication in London, the most important center of media in Europe. Many of the communication courses offered include British media guest lecturers and site visits. The program includes one four-day trip to Paris as well as two one-day visits to such places as Stonehenge, Stratford, Oxford, Cambridge and Windsor. Planned activities within London include theatre and museum visits and a reception with USC alumni residing in the London area.
Semester in Hong Kong
The semester program offers students the opportunity to study Chinese culture and interact with Chinese people in a multicultural context at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, a bilingual institution. The program also gives students the experience of living in Hong Kong at a historic moment where they can witness the "one country, two systems" experiment. Courses in English are offered in fine arts, literature, history, Japanese studies, intercultural studies, music, philosophy, computer science, anthropology, economics, international relations, as well as journalism and communication. For students interested in Chinese language, courses are offered in Putongluua (Mandarin) or Cantonese. Extracurricular activities include the opportunity to teach English in rural China one weekend, monthly dinner talks with Asian Studies specialists, and excursions to local areas of interest.
Semester in Singapore
The program offers students the opportunity to study at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The Republic of Singapore is a modern city-state boasting the world's busiest ports. Singapore has emerged as an important regional center for trade, communications, tourism, and banking. Despite rapid growth and soaring skyscrapers, Singapore remains one of the cleanest, greenest and safest cities in the world, blending Western-style development with Eastern-style culture. A wide array of communication and journalism courses are offered.
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