PDF reflects print version School of Communication
Courses of Instruction
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
Communication (COMM)
COMM 140x Nature and Impact of Communications (4) Nature of communications and their impact upon people; examination of empirical evidence showing impact of media and the organization of media institutions. Not available for major credit.
COMM 141 Applied Debate (4) Fundamentals of debate and critical thinking; participate in classroom and public on-campus audience debates; engage in experiential learning in community settings.
COMM 200 Communication and Social Science (4) Social scientific inquiry into human communication; core theories of message production and reception in interpersonal, group and organizational contexts.
COMM 201 Rhetoric and the Public Sphere (4) Humanistic approaches to inquiry in communication; qualitative research techniques; core theories of message production and reception in social, political, cultural and mediated contexts.
COMM 202 Communication and Technology (4) Survey of cultural, social, political, and economic impacts of new communication technologies, including written language, the printing press, the telephone, television, and cyberspace.
COMM 203 Communication and Mass Media (4) Survey of mass communication research; history, content, effects, theories and policy implications of various media.
COMM 204 Public Speaking (4) Principles and practices of effective oral communication; analysis of the speaking-listening process; selection and organization of speech materials; use of new presentation technologies.
COMM 205 Communication Practicum (2, max 4) Students address communication issues in a field setting. They will evaluate communication practices using interview methodology. Projects are jointly evaluated by internship supervisor and professor. Open to communication majors only. Graded CR/NR. Prerequisite: COMM 200; recommended preparation: sophomore standing.
COMM 206 Communication and Culture (4) Examines cultural institutions, ideologies, artifacts, and productions; role of culture in everyday life; cultural studies as methodology; culture and power.
COMM 300 Foundations for the Study of Entertainment, Communication and Society (4) Theoretical foundation for understanding the construction, consumption, and consequences of entertainment from classical to contemporary times; situates entertainment within the ecology of information and communication. Recommended preparation: COMM 200, COMM 201.
COMM 301L Empirical Research in Communication (4) Experimental and survey methods for communication study; basic statistical concepts, procedures, and tests. Prerequisite: COMM 200.
COMM 302 Persuasion (4) Theories and research in social influence; strategies and tactics of persuasive communications in such settings as politics, public relations, advertising, business.
COMM 303 Learning from Case Studies in Communication (4) Case study approaches to communication research; reliability, validity, generalizability, and ethics in qualitative social research; cases in communication policy and practices.
COMM 304 Interpersonal Communication (4) Analysis of face-to-face interaction; role of communication in the development, maintenance and destruction of relationships; communication processes in managing interpersonal conflict.
COMM 306 The Communication Revolution, Entertainment and the Arts (4) Explorations of the effect of digital technology on the entertainment business. Relationships among technology, economy, popular culture, entertainment and art.
COMM 307 Sound Clash: Popular Music and American Culture (4) Music as intercultural communication and method for exploring race and ethnicity in the constitution of American culture and American self; role of music industry.
COMM 308 Communication and Conflict (4) Nature and functions of communication in human conflict; development of communication skills for managing conflict productively in interpersonal, organizational and intercultural contexts.
COMM 310 Media and Society (4) Interplay between media and society, including family and children's socialization, inter-group relations and community, pornography and violence, gender and race, media ethics, conduct of politics.
COMM 315 Health Communication (4) Behavioral approaches to health communication; communication competencies in health care settings, theories of risky behaviors, and behavioral change programs; special emphasis on AIDS-related issues. Recommended preparation: COMM 301L.
COMM 320 Small Group and Team Communication (4) Group process theories relevant to communicative behavior in small group/team settings, including information exchange, decision making, leadership, and meetings; student team projects testing theoretic propositions.
COMM 321 Communication in the Virtual Group (4) Communication processes in global computer networks; formation, maintenance, and decline of virtual groups; privacy and access; introduction to computer networks for communication students and researchers.
COMM 322 Argumentation and Advocacy (4) Basic argumentation theory including analysis, research and evidence, case construction, refutation; discursive and visual argument; diverse fields of advocacy including law, politics, organizations, interpersonal relations.
COMM 324m Intercultural Communication (4) Cultural variables and social psychological processes that influence intercultural interaction; relationship between communication and culture in diverse settings including business, medicine, and education.
COMM 325 Intercultural Britain: Media, History and Identity (4) Examines urgent social and political issues as they are shaped, represented and expressed by the institutions of media, culture and communication within the United Kingdom.
COMM 330 Rhetoric in Classical Culture (4) Theories of communication and persuasion in ancient Greece and Rome; cultural and social contexts of classical rhetorical theory; major historical figures and concepts. Recommended preparation: COMM 201.
COMM 335 Rhetoric in Contemporary Culture (4) Theories of communication and persuasion in contemporary society; cultural and social contexts of contemporary rhetori- cal theory; major theorists, concepts and controversies. Recommended preparation: COMM 201.
COMM 339 Communication Technology and Culture (4) Examination of philosophies and popular representations of technology from the origins of western culture to the present and identifies the complex attitudes toward technology.
COMM 340 The Cultures of New Media (4) Cultural implications of computer-mediated communication and related media. Ideological responses to media innovation; debates over artificial intelligence, virtual communities, and virtual reality. Recommended preparation: COMM 339.
COMM 345 Social and Economic Implications of Communication Technologies (4) Social and economic impacts of information and communication technologies; social factors that shape technological change; issues include access, privacy, freedom of expression, productivity, democratic control.
COMM 350 Video Games: Content, Industry, and Policy (4) Introduction to the medium; history of video games; video games as aesthetic products, cultural products, economic outputs; policy issues, effects, and sites of community.
COMM 360 The Rhetoric of Los Angeles (4) Representations of Los Angeles communicated in diverse media; the city as a rhetorical text; analysis of cultural identities, art, architecture, and representations in popular culture.
COMM 363 Media Consumption (4) Theoretical approaches to the study of media consumption and audiences; examines international media and consumption practices; explores new media's impact on consumption.
COMM 364 Comparative Media: United States and the United Kingdom (4) Cross-national approaches to the study of U.S. and U.K. media; focuses on news and entertainment media products; examines content, industries, technologies and audiences.
COMM 365 The Rhetoric of London (4) Examines the modern city as a communicative text with London as the case study; taught as a part of the Spring Semester in London program.
COMM 366 Designing Media and Communication Projects for Social Change (4) Students explore the theoretical and practical issues involved in designing effective media and communication projects for social change in international contexts.
COMM 370 The Rhetoric of Ideas: Ideology and Propaganda (4) Techniques of propaganda in public discourse; communication strategies through which ideas become ideologies; case studies in wartime and corporate propaganda, imperialism, and cultural colonialism.
COMM 371 Censorship and the Law: From the Press to Cyberspace (4) The study of current and historical battles over the limits of free expression from press and public parks to television, movies, music and cyberspace. (Duplicates credit in former JOUR 371.)
COMM 372 The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture (4) (Enroll in JOUR 375)
COMM 375 Business and Professional Communication (4) Oral and written communication skills demanded in the workplace including informative and persuasive speeches; interviewing; team communica- tion; and training material preparation. Recommended preparation: COMM 204.
COMM 380 Forensics Laboratory (1-4, max 8) Directed individual research studies of contemporary problems. Supervised laboratory experience. Open only to members of the University debate squad.
COMM 382 Sports, Business and Media in Today's Society (4) (Enroll in JOUR 380)
COMM 383m Sports, Communication and Culture (4) Rhetorical and critical approaches to sports and public discourse; application to sports organizations, the news and popular media; representations of gender and race in sports.
COMM 384 Interpreting Popular Culture (4) Popular culture as an indicator of cultural values, a producer and reflection of cultural meaning, and a means of communication; theory and case studies.
COMM 385 Survey of Organizational Communication (4) The role of information, persuasion, and meanings in organizations. Topics include organizational culture, leadership, decision-making, networks, power, diversity and the global workplace.
COMM 388 Ethics in Human Communication (4) Value perspectives on communication in varied settings: interpersonal, organizational, and public. Issues of truth and responsibility in family and social interactions, advertising, and governmental communication.
COMM 390 Special Problems (1-4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
COMM 395m Gender, Media and Communication (4) Issues of gender in communication, including: media representations of femininity and masculinity; and gender's role in communication at the interpersonal, public, and cultural levels.
COMM 396 Fashion, Media and Culture (4) Fashion as a form of communication and culture; fashion's role in identity, body politics, art, nationhood, celebrity and Hollywood culture, youth cultures and subversive practices. Recommended preparation: COMM 384, COMM 395.
COMM 400 Seminar in Communication (4, max 12) Advanced readings in communication theory and research (broadly defined); specialized interest areas of individual faculty on the frontiers of knowledge; seminar topics change each semester.
COMM 401 Audience Analysis (4) Examines audience analysis methodologies including focus groups, shadow juries, surveys, test marketing and content analysis; application of statistical sampling procedures, data analysis, interpretation and presentation. Prerequisite: COMM 301L.
COMM 402 Public Communication Campaigns (4) Theory and research in public health communication campaigns; design, implementation, and evaluation; extensive discussion of historical case studies and reasons for success or failure.
COMM 411 Communication Criticism (4) Methods and functions of criticism in forms of public communication; historical-contextual, textual, and interpretive procedures; diverse theoretical approaches including formalism, dramatism, genre, and ideology. Prerequisite: COMM 201.
COMM 412 Communication and Social Movements (4) Social and political movements as rhetorical phenomena; ideology, organization, and influence of such movements as civil rights, "New Left," feminism, "New Right," environmentalism.
COMM 413 Propaganda, Ideology and Public Controversy (4) Seminar examining the relationship between propaganda, ideology, critical thinking and rhetoric; application to contemporary controversies, both domestic and global; role of public argument. Duplicates credit in COMM 370.
COMM 421 Legal Communication (4) Analytical and communicative aspects of judicial argument; philosophy and techniques of jury trials, cross examination, and appellate advocacy; research, preparation, and presentation of case briefs. Prerequisite: COMM 322.
COMM 422 Legal Issues and New Media (4) Examines laws and regulatory policies shaping new media, especially the Internet; impact of regulation on development and use of communication technology.
COMM 424 Millennium in the Media (4) The new millennium in history, religion and mass media. Utopian and apocalyptic conceptions of the future from oral culture to printing, film, broadcasting, and Internet. Recommended preparation: COMM 200, COMM 201.
COMM 425 Communicating Religion (4) Genres of religious communication, including sermon, prayer, ritual, polemic, and revival. Impact of technological and cultural change on religious advocacy, beliefs, and practices.
COMM 426 Religion, Media and Hollywood: Faith in TV (4) How religion, ethics and spirituality are embedded, embodied and emplotted in television drama; how secular texts represent "lived religion" to increasingly diverse audiences.
COMM 430 Global Entertainment (4) Survey of economic, political, and cultural dimensions of the global entertainment marketplace; focuses on the international production and distribution of media products and services. Prerequisite: COMM 300.
COMM 431 Global Strategy for the Communications Industry (4) Addresses the practical and theoretical aspects of the international economy that are most relevant to management strategy in the communications industry.
COMM 432 American Media and Entertainment Industries (4) Examines the history, technology, regulations and business practices of American broadcast and entertainment industries.
COMM 440 Music as Communication (4) Examines music's unique characteristics as a communicative form and the cultural, economic, political and social influences in music interpretation and production.
COMM 443 Health Communication Strategies and Evaluation (4) Examination of how communication affects health behavior; role of doctor-patient contacts, social groups, community health campaigns, images in media, and advanced communication technologies. (Duplicates credit in former HP 443.)
COMM 450 Visual Culture and Communication (4) Examines issues of visual images in communication related to history, modernity, cityscapes, news media, advertising, evidence, science, digital technology, and globalization. Recommended preparation: AHIS 100, COMM 201, FA 150.
COMM 451 Visual Communication and Social Change (4) Analysis of photography’s evolution; new strategies for the photographic image, photo documentary work and global social issues; analysis of images on blogs and web sites.
COMM 454 Media, Money, and Society (4) Money as communication; social scientific analysis of money and financial markets; money and popular culture; the business press; representations of Wall Street in Hollywood cinema.
COMM 455 Advertising and Society (4) Examination of the role of advertising in contemporary society as an economic force and a cultural form of representation. Recommended preparation: COMM 200, COMM 201.
COMM 456 Entertainment, Marketing and Culture (4) Explores blurring of entertainment, marketing and culture in advanced information economies; intersections of culture and media and their social ramifications. Prerequisite: COMM 300; recommended preparation: COMM 200, COMM 201.
COMM 457 Children and Media (4) Explores construction of "childhood" in media and popular culture, including television, movies, video games, toys, magazines, and music. Examines children as a unique audience. Prerequisite: COMM 300; recommended preparation: COMM 200, COMM 201.
COMM 458m Race and Ethnicity in Entertainment and the Arts (4) Examines how race and ethnicity as social categories are shaped by communication media; focuses on how race and ethnicity sustain entertainment and media industries. Prerequisite: COMM 300; recommended preparation: COMM 200, COMM 201.
COMM 459 Fact and Fiction: From Journalism to the Docudrama (4) (Enroll in JOUR 459)
COMM 460 Collaboration and Group Decision Making (4) Advanced seminar examining the theoretical, empirical and practical aspects of human and technological communication in group processes; experiential and/or field experiences in group observation.
COMM 465m Gender in Media Industries and Products (4) Examination of the effect of gender stratification in media industries upon the cultural products they create, especially gender and gender/race role portrayals.
COMM 466m People of Color and the News Media (4) (Enroll in JOUR 466m)
COMM 467 Gender and the News Media (4) (Enroll in JOUR 467)
COMM 470 Information and Communication Technologies Strategic Analysis (4) Frameworks for strategically analyzing information and communication technologies; issues of regulation, control and social impacts of evolving ICTs; original research project of ICT strategy. Duplicates credit in COMM 345.
COMM 473 Advanced Issues in Communication and Technology (4) Advanced level readings into human-computer interfaces; social interaction with artifacts; concept of presence, and emerging social and psychological issues of new communication and computer technologies. Prerequisite: 301L.
COMM 475 Environmental Communication (4) Communication about environmental controversies in the public sphere: history of environmentalism; forms of citizen participation; media coverage; advocacy campaigns and movements; scientific and industrial discourses.
COMM 480 Nonverbal Communication (4) Theory and research; examination of the influence of environmental factors, physical behavior, and vocal cues on human communication.
COMM 482 Comparative Media in Europe (4) (Enroll in JOUR 482)
COMM 486 Human and Technological Systems in Organizations (4) How communication and information technologies are linked to organizational control, design, cultures; technology and competitive advantage; ethics and policy issues; technology-mediated work. Recommended preparation: COMM 385.
COMM 487 Communication and Global Organizations (4) The role of communication in global organizations; information, networks, and communication technologies for global organizing; computer-based collaborative work and virtual organizations. Recommended preparation: COMM 385.
COMM 488 Communication Research in Organizations (4) Seminar in application of communication research tools; diagnosis and analysis of communication problems; current topics in organizational communication scholarship; students complete original research projects. Recommended preparation: COMM 385.
COMM 489 Campaign Communication (4) Problems in political communication: creating an informed electorate, use of mass media, factors in voter persuasion. Guest experts in political analysis, opinion polling, communication evaluation.
COMM 490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.
COMM 494x Research Practicum (2-4, max 4) Students gain research experience in the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of communication research. Students serve as research assistants to faculty members. Not available for graduate credit.
COMM 495 Honors Seminar (4, max 8) Advanced study of issues in communication; recent developments in communication and rhetorical theories. Open only to stu- dents in COMM Honors Program. Recommended for seniors. Recommended preparation: COMM 301L.
COMM 496x Honors Internship (2-4, max 4) Field experience in applying communication principles to settings in organizations, campaigns, law, or other contexts; analysis and assessment of issues and problems experienced. Not available for graduate credit. Open only to COMM honors students or COMM seniors with 3.0 GPA overall. Corequisite: COMM 301L.
COMM 497x Honors Thesis (4, FaSp) Writing of the honors thesis. Not available for graduate credit. Open only to COMM honors students; seniors only.
COMM 498 Ethical Issues in Entertainment and Communication (4) Examines social and political controversies over conflicting ethical standards for communication in a variety of media: mass-media, communication technology, and entertainment. Prerequisite: COMM 300; recommended preparation: COMM 200, COMM 201.
COMM 499 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Selected topics in communication.
COMM 504x Interpersonal Communication (4) Theories of communication behavior in relatively unstructured, face-to-face situations; examination of decoder-encoder, message, channel, and situational variables. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 508x Power, Politics and Conflict in Communication (4) Human communicative behavior involving the creation and resolution of conflict in interpersonal, small group, and formal organizational settings. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 509x Classical Rhetorical Theory (4) Theories of rhetoric from the fifth century B.C. through the fifth century A.D.; emphasis on the Sophists, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, and St.. Augustine. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 511x Contemporary Rhetorical Theory (4) Theories of rhetoric from the 18th century to the present; emphasis on Perelman, Burke, Habermas, Grassi, and Booth. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 512x Rhetorical Criticism (4) Theories and methods of assessing popular persuasive art forms such as contemporary drama, music, poetry, and journalism as well as traditional forms of public address. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 513x Neoclassical Rhetorical Theory (4) Theories of rhetoric from the fifth century A.D. through the 18th century; emphasis on dictamin, praedicandi, poetriae, Alquin, Ramus, Port-Royalists, Bacon, Campbell, Blair, and Whately. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 514x Social Movements as Rhetorical Form (4) Study of the rhetoric of social change; methodologies for analysis and appraisal; investigation of specific collective protest and reform movements. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 515x Postmodern Rhetorical Theory (4) Implications of postmodernity for rhetorical theory and criticism; issues of textuality, agency, and subjectivity in communication; study of selected postmodern figures. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 516x Feminist Theory and Communication (4) Implications of feminist theory for communication; topics include episte- mology, critique of science/technology, women and language, feminist approaches to media and film, women and the workplace. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 517x Rhetorical Theory and Culture (4) Issues of culture in recent rhetorical theory; in-depth examination of representative idealist, pragmatist, structuralist, critical, and post-modern accounts of the symbolic construction of cultural forms. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 518x American Public Address (4) History and criticism of major American speakers and speeches with reference to the social, political, and intellectual background of their times. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 519x Cultural Studies in Communication (4) Theoretical foundations, history, and development of cultural studies in communication; implications of issues of nationalism, colonialism, technologies, popular culture, and politics of bodies for communication. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 521x Argumentation (4) Foundation of critical deliberation; the nature of informal reasoning; logical and ethical problems; analysis and appraisal of naturalistic argument. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 522x Kenneth Burke's Dramatistic Theory (4) Studies the contributions of Kenneth Burke, among the most significant figures in the development of contemporary rhetorical theory and criticism. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 524x Small Group Process (4) Contemporary theoretical models; problems in determination and measurement of variables in small group communication environments; assessment of recent research. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 525x Humanistic and Social Scientific Approaches to Human Communication I (4) Overview of the humanistic and social scientific approaches to the study of communication; emphasis on rhetorical/critical and macro social scientific perspectives. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 526x Humanistic and Social Scientific Approaches to Human Communication II (4) Overview of the humanistic and social scientific approaches to the study of communication; emphasis on macro and micro social scientific, symbolic and structural perspectives. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 534 The Culture of New Technologies (4) In-depth approach to cultural impact of the Internet, multimedia, digital imaging, CD-ROM and virtual reality in context with photographic realism, artificial intelligence and virtual communities.
COMM 544 The Arts and New Media (4) Organization, economics, and policy of arts as affected by new technologies. Architecture, design, advertising, and fashion as context. Implications for arts promotion, management, and funding.
COMM 546 Diffusion Theory and Research (4) Diffusion of new ideas over time among the members of a system. Emphasis upon the spread and adoption of new communication technologies.
COMM 550 Quantitative Research Methods in Communication (4) Epistemological assumptions, design, and beginning methods of quantitative analysis in communication research. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 552 Qualitative Research Methods in Communication (4) Developing expertise in qualitative methods, including participant-observation, ethnography, discourse analysis and historiography in communication research. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 553 Political Economy of Global Telecommunications and Information (4) The political, economic, regulatory, and technological changes that are together creating a new world information economy. The politics of international telecommunications is emphasized.
COMM 554 Regression and Multivariate Communication Research (4) Advanced analysis of variance, regression models, path analysis, MANOVA, and discriminant analysis. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 556 Advanced Methods in Communication Research (4) Structural Equation Modeling, LISREL, log linear and other advanced statistical methods used in contemporary communication research. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 559 Globalization, Communication and Society (4) Comparative analysis of social, cultural and political impacts of communication technology and media; emphasis given to communication's influence in the social dimensions of globalization. (Duplicates credit in former CMGT 559).
COMM 561 Leading and Communicating Change in Global Organizations (4) Communication perspectives on the process and outcomes of globalization; role of large media organizations in the global flow of information; and leadership and multiculturalism.
COMM 562x Cognitive Approaches to Communication (4) Cognitive theory and research and its application to communication phenomena and processes. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 570 Economics of the Communication Industries (4) The economic forces that determine the structure and outputs of communication and media industries, including newspapers, broadcasting, cable, and telecommunications.
COMM 575 Advocacy and Social Change in Entertainment and the Media (4) Examines how diverse groups (i.e., governmental agencies, advertisers, health organizations, advocacy groups, actors, social scientists) attempt to influence audiences through entertainment and traditional media channels.
COMM 578 New Media Literacies (4) Examines intersection of education and participatory culture, literacy and media change, the participation gap, informal learning and knowledge communities, emerging social skills and cultural competencies.
COMM 579 Entrepreneurship in the New Media (4) Examination of how the digital revolution is creating news media entrepreneurs, and changing the way news is disseminated by journalists and heard by consumers.
COMM 580 Media and Politics (4) Mass media in American political life, including political reporting, election campaigns, non-electoral politics, and the media as a political issue.
COMM 582 International Communication: National Development (4) Roles of media institutions and communications behavior in national development, including political, economic, and social spheres; Western and non-Western conceptions of development processes.
COMM 584 Interpreting Popular Culture (4) The use of semiotic, literary, psychoanalytic, and other approaches for describing and interpreting popular cultural phenomena, including television, advertising, film, music, and fashion.
COMM 585x Organizational Communication (4) Theory and research; field experience in analyzing and solving communication problems in organizations. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 590 Directed Research (1-12) Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the school. Graded CR/NC. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 590).
COMM 594abz Master's Thesis (2-2-0) Credit on acceptance of thesis. Graded IP/CR/NC.
COMM 598 Practicum in Global Communication Research (4) Development and assessment of research into global communication; selection of appropriate research methodologies; and production of scholarly research. Open to M.A. in Global Communication students only.
COMM 599 Special Topics (2-4, max 8)
COMM 602 Seminar in Persuasion (4) Classical and contemporary theories of persuasion, attitude formation and change; impact of cognition, affect and emotions; cultural and group influences; message strategies and framing. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 605 Advanced Macro Theories of Communication I (4) Advanced macro theories of communication and culture creation/change; emphasis on structural-functionalism, neo-Marxism, critical theory, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology, post-structuralism, deconstruction.
COMM 610 Studies in Rhetorical Theory (4, max 12) Problems in rhetorical theory and criticism; advanced, specialized interest areas of individual faculty on the frontiers of knowledge.
COMM 615 Health Communication (4) Evaluation of research about communication in patient care, health campaigns for diverse publics, tools for disease management, and outreach to producers in mass media.
COMM 616 Health Communication for Prevention (4) Examination of health communication efforts for the prevention of diseases or other adverse physical or mental health outcomes by the promotion of behavior change.
COMM 618 Mass Media Effects (4) Theoretical and research questions about mass communication effects; criticism and interpretation of current research and theory, and formulation of new theory.
COMM 620 Studies in Communication Theory (4, max 12) Current problems in communication theory and research: advanced, specialized interest areas of individual faculty on the frontiers of knowledge.
COMM 625 Theory Construction in Communication (4) The nature of theories; conceptual and methodological problems in theory construction; application to contemporary issues in communication research.
COMM 629 Global Culture (4) Examines the relationship of culture to globalization, ranging from nationalism and colonialism to global cultural products, multinational cultural production, diasporic cultures, global media, and cosmopolitanism.
COMM 630 Communication Technology and Social Change (4) Impact of technological advances on human communication practices and theories; trends, forecasts, implications.
COMM 631x Minds and Media (4) Sociopsychological consequences of human interaction with media and computers; evolution of minds; effects of media forms and contents on cognition and affection; concept of presence. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 635 Economics of Information (4) Applications of macro and microeconomic principles: economic role of the information sector; production, distribution, and pricing of information products; information in the functioning of markets.
COMM 636 Interpretive and Cultural Approaches in Organizational Communication (4) Interpretive, critical and cultural research in organizational communication; emphasis on narrative approaches to ethnographic studies, critical essays, and quantitative intercultural research in organizational communication.
COMM 637 Current Readings in Organizational Communication (4) Recent developments in organizational communication theory and research; emerging issues and methodologies; future directions.
COMM 638 Global, International and Intercultural Communication in Organizations (4) Communication processes in global organizational transformation; influences of information technology, intercultural variables, and globalization on decision-making, operations and practices of international and transnational organizations.
COMM 640 Communication and Organizational Change (4) Analysis of communication and information networks in organizations and their relationships with communication technologies, organizational behavior, and management.
COMM 641 Organizations and Communication Technologies (4) Communication technology impacts on organizations; organizational influence on technology development and deployment; methods for organizational communication technology studies; critiques and implications for theory and research.
COMM 645 Communication Networks (4) Conceptual and analytic issues in network perspectives; emphasis on communication patterns, processes, content, influences and impacts.
COMM 646 Negotiating Boundaries in Environmental Research (2) Examines how environmental disciplines are discursively constructed; explores problems of utilizing scientific/technical results in policy-making arenas; and introduces strategic communication skills.
COMM 647x Network Society (4) Advanced research seminar examining the interaction between communication technology, society, economy, politics and culture from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives. Not available for Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 648 Online Communities and Networks (3) Examination of academic research on the social, cultural, political, and economic effects of online communities; policy implications of this research; mobile technology's role in community building. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 650 Survey Construction and Validation (4) Principles of survey construction and validation; format selection, sampling, question wording, adaptation for international audiences, response option formats, order, and avoiding acquiescence bias and breakoffs.
COMM 652 Field Research in Communication (4) Examines quantitative and qualitative field methods in communication research; survey development and scaling, content analysis, ethnographic study; quasi-experimental design; time series analysis.
COMM 653 Research, Practice and Social Change (4) Examination of theoretical models and best practices of academic research and advocacy relationships; students conduct a community-based research project using a model of community-based participatory research.
COMM 654 Art, Artists and Society (4) Cultural and temporal differences in defining arts, artists and audiences; transmitting cultural beliefs through art; understanding aesthetic responses; experiences of alienation and incomprehension with art.
COMM 660 Entertainment and Games (4) Contemporary meaning of "entertainment," historical and cultural developments of entertainment; entertainment as psychological process of responding to/interacting with various media. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 662 Video Games Research (4) History and content, motivation and selection, reception and reaction processes, and effects of video games; students conduct original research into video game usage and effects. Not open to Master of Communication Management students.
COMM 675 Independent Study (1-4) A supervised course tailored to specific student interests. The professor and student develop a syllabus that permits exploration of advanced or specialized topics. Graded CR/NC.
COMM 694 Preliminary Research Paper (2) Independent research designed to demonstrate the student's ability to conceptualize, conduct, and present scholarly research. Parallel to COMM 794. Graded CR/NC.
COMM 790 Research (1-12) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the school. Graded CR/NC.
COMM 794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.
Communication management (CMGT)
CMGT 500 Managing Communication (4) Production and distribution of information within large organizations; information networks, organization structure, control and decision-making functions. Resources necessary for effective organizational communication systems. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 500).
CMGT 501 Communication Management Pro-Seminar (4) Central issues of theory and practice in the management of communication; broad introduction to all areas of the program. Open to Master of Communication Management students only. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 501).
CMGT 502 Strategic Corporate Communication (4) Roles, responsibilities and requirements of communication functions within corporations; design and implementation of communication plans; strategic message production for internal and external audiences. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 502).
CMGT 503 Strategic Communication Consulting (4) Communication consulting skills including facilitation, training, presentation coaching, benefits writing, speech writing, and communicating organizational change; consulting basics, proposals, cost estimating, and final reports. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 503).
CMGT 504 Writing for Strategic Communication (4) Writing skills necessary for an organizational communicator; review of strategic writing fundamentals; development of portfolio of diverse media applications based on strategic corporate communication requirements.
CMGT 505 Communication in Work Settings (4) How work settings determine communication: basic structures of communication, influence of technology, social contexts, and physical space. Applications to management. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 505).
CMGT 506 Images and Image Management (4) Examines images and image manipulation in communication, management and social control. Synthesizes work ranging from cognition and interpersonal behavior to mass media and popular culture. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 506).
CMGT 507 Information Management (4) Develops conceptual frameworks for understanding information, uncertainty, ambiguity, and knowledge. Principles for decision-making, awareness of biases, mathematics of risk-taking, and practices for sense-making. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 507.)
CMGT 508 Communication Strategy and Change (4) Examination of role of communication in developing and implementing business strategy; critical assessment and practice with models, tools, and techniques for communicating change.
CMGT 509 Influential Communication in the Marketplace (4) Promotional messages as both creative expressions and agents for behavioral change; application of social science theories of persuasion and compliance in interpersonal and mass-media venues.
CMGT 510 Communication, Values, Attitudes and Behavior (4) Theory and research on value and attitude formation and change; consequences for communication and behavior. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 510).
CMGT 511 Health Communication (4) Connections between health providers' communication and patients' well-being; consultation language, nonverbal behavior, physical settings, design of media messages, information technologies in patient education and care.
CMGT 520 Social Roles of Communication Media (4) How mass media shape public images of groups, channel political power, promote consumption of goods. Social and political theories as tools in evaluating media impact. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 520).
CMGT 528 Web Designs for Organizations (4) Students learn to assess organizations' online needs, to examine the use of the Internet in terms of electronic commerce and global pressures, and design web page strategies. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 528).
CMGT 530 Social Dynamics of Communication Technologies (4) Impact of television, satellites, computers, and other new technologies; competing theories about the role of technology in society; historical effects of introducing new technologies. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 530).
CMGT 531 Communication and the International Economy (4) Examines the impact of global economic changes on communications industries, the political and economic forces shaping these industries and the roles of its managers. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 531).
CMGT 532 Development of American Media Industry (4) Origins of American radio and television broadcasting industry and analysis of its development into the contemporary media industry; covers history, technology, regulation, and business practices. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 532).
CMGT 533 Emerging Communication Technologies (4) Basics of multimedia; new forms of audio and video interactive technologies; computer communication networks; social, political, cultural, interpersonal, organizational issues related to emerging communication technologies. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 533).
CMGT 534 Introduction to Online Communities (4) History, technologies and theories of online communities; their uses for organizations; social networking; identity and privacy; participation; collaboration; advocacy and collective action: games and entertainment.
CMGT 535 Online Communities for Organizations (4) How Web-based technologies affect organizational communication, including issues related to collaboration, innovation and knowledge management, forecasting, and networking. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 535.)
CMGT 536 Team Communication and Leadership (4) Theories of effective team communication and leadership; case studies of effective and ineffective teams and leaders; teamwork and communication development; and distributed work teams.
CMGT 537 The Industry, Science and Culture of Video Games (4) History, social dynamics, and cultural impact of video games; developments in technology and design; issues confronting the video game industry and organizations.
CMGT 538 Technologies for Online Communities (4) Survey of contemporary technologies, platforms, languages, collaborative methodologies, and how they are used in combination to produce “social networking” websites and other related media.
CMGT 540 Uses of Communication Research (4) Applications of both data and interpretation in communications management. Topics include: audience ratings, surveys, experimental tests of programs and campaigns, formative evaluation, secondary data sources. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 540).
CMGT 541 Integrated Communication Strategies (4) Communication strategies for product marketing and advertising; communication's role in developing domestic and international marketplaces; practical applications of persuasion theory. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 541).
CMGT 542 Business Strategies of Communication and Entertainment Firms (4) Competitive analysis and strategic formulation of entertainment and communications firm; cases examine product differentiation, marketing, emerging networks and technological strategies for traditional and new media. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 542).
CMGT 543 Managing Communication in the Entertainment Industry (4) Examination, application and critique of traditional and contemporary organizational communication theory as it applies to the entertainment industry's unique internal and external environments. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 543).
CMGT 544 Creating Organizational Identity: Meaning Through Messages (4) Use of rhetorical theories and communication models to create organizational identification with internal and external audiences; the role of values and ethics in creating identities.
CMGT 545 Communication and Global Competition (4) How communication technologies are used to secure competitive advantage; how firms use communication systems to sustain effective positioning in an industry; convergence of communication industries.
CMGT 546 Sports Media and Society (4) History and evolution of sports media industry; traditional, new and alternative sports media; globalization of sports; sports promotions and personalities.
CMGT 547 Distribution of Recordings: Media, Retail and Online Channels (4) Cultural and critical analyses of radio and recording industry development and business strategy; influence of legal and regulatory institutions, impact of new forms of distribution. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 547).
CMGT 548 Issues in Children's Media (4) Historical review of children's programming; programming genres; ethical and business issues of marketing to children; children's uses of various media. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 548).
CMGT 549 Case Studies in Digital Entertainment (4) Explores foundation of U.S. media policy in the digital age; students prepare White Papers on an urgent issue of contemporary digital media and entertainment policy. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 549).
CMGT 557 Communication Policy in the Global Marketplace (4) Comparative analysis of various countries' communication and information technology policies; examines developments in telecommunications, broadcasting, and entertainment industries and policy questions for global media marketplace. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 557).
CMGT 558 The International Entertainment Marketplace (4) Global influences on entertainment industries (broadcasting, film, telecommunications, Internet, video games, and music); case analyses of specific organizations and geographic regions; impact on local cultures. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 558).
CMGT 560 Communications Policy (4) Evolving regulation of telephone, radio, television, cable, print, and other media. Major policy-makers and decision points in policy-making at local, state, national, and international levels. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 560).
CMGT 565 Communication Law and Broadcasting (4) History and present status of broadcast regulations; emphases on First Amendment, character of regulatory agencies, impact of court decisions, influence of technological advances. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 565).
CMGT 566 Communication Law and New Technologies (4) Development of law in newer technologies. Cases include cable television, low power television, direct broadcast satellites, teletext, video cassettes, telephone, data networks, computer regulation. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 566).
CMGT 567 Internet Policy, Practice and Regulation (4) Examines how legal decisions impact commercial and personal uses of the Internet; regulatory responses to court decisions. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 567).
CMGT 571 Communications Technologies (4) Basic technological concepts necessary to understand the workings of modern communications products and services, to include frequency, bandwidth, electricity, modulation, and digital conversion. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 571).
CMGT 572 Telephone, Data, and Video Telecommunication Systems (4) Technological principles and workings of telephone, data, and video telecommunication systems. Issues for management and policy from a technological perspective. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 572.) Prerequisite: CMGT 571.
CMGT 573 Evaluating Communication Needs (4) Participation as consultants in field projects. Use of organizational, interpretive, and statistical methods to design organizational communication systems is emphasized. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 573).
CMGT 574 Tele-Media: A Strategic and Critical Analysis (4) Strategic and critical analyses of emerging and new communication technologies from historical, business, financial, consumer, and policy perspectives. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 574).
CMGT 576 Communication Strategies for Conflict Management (4) Communication strategies for effective negotiation, mediation and facilitation of disputes; structures for public interventions; emergence of online dispute resolution systems. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 576).
CMGT 581 Media in Social Services: Design and Evaluation of Campaigns (4) Theory and research issues in the use of media for changing behavior in health, public safety, welfare, and other areas of social services. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 581).
CMGT 582 Communication for International Development (4) Comparison of traditional communication programs and newer information and communication technologies for analyzing needs of international communities; design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of development-related projects.
CMGT 583 Social Marketing and Entertainment Education (4) Theoretical foundations of social marketing and entertainment education; uses of dramatic serials, telenovelas and animation to promote human rights; program design, evaluation. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 583).
CMGT 584 Communication and the Multicultural Marketplace (4) Popular culture and marketing communication; race, gender, sexual orientation and consumer culture; consumption patterns and identity, loyalty and self-actualization; cultural marketing campaigns and sociopolitical conflict.
CMGT 585 Communication Leadership in the Entertainment Industry (4) Examination of the communicative elements of leadership in entertainment products and processes; the role of communication experts in supporting, coaching and facilitating entertainment leadership.
CMGT 586 Entertainment Media: Content, Theory, and Industry Practices (4) Examination of social scientific theory and research on patterns of media content; effects of mass media exposure on individuals and society; and industry practices. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 586).
CMGT 587 Audience Analysis (4) Fundamental principles of audience research; critique of existing methodologies; implications for global audiences and mass media markets. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 587).
CMGT 590 Directed Research (1-12) Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the school. Graded CR/NC. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 590).
CMGT 591 Communication Internship (1-2, max 2) Field experience in applying communication principles to settings in organizations, campaigns, or other contexts; analysis and assessment of issues and problems. Open to Communication Management and M.A., Global Communication students only. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 591).
CMGT 592 Theory and Practice of Professional Presentations (2) Application of communication and persuasion theories in the creation of oral presentations; critical assessment of the role of new technologies for professional presentations. Not available for students in the M.A. and Ph.D. programs in communication. Graded CR/NC.
CMGT 597 Communication Research Practicum (4) Students design and produce an original project appropriate for their emphasis area within the Master of Communication degree; oral defense of project. Open to Master of Communication Management students only. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 597.) Prerequisite: CMGT 540.
CMGT 599 Special Topics (2-4, max 8)
Public Diplomacy (PUBD)
PUBD 500 Introduction to the Advanced Study of Public Diplomacy (4) Introduction to the advanced academic study of public diplomacy from multidisciplinary perspectives: including media and communication, international relations and history.
PUBD 502 Historical and Comparative Approaches to Public Diplomacy (4) Examines historical and comparative approaches to public diplomacy. Explores public diplomacy operations in public and private settings, by individuals and institutions. Reviews traditional, critical, war, and peace perspectives.
PUBD 504 Global Issues and Public Diplomacy (4) Focuses on critical global issues/challenges that require some form of intervention from the international community. Taught with active leading strategies: case studies and "problem-based learning."
PUBD 508 The Rhetoric of War and Peace (4) Special exercise in "Think Tank" procedure that explores rhetorics of war and peace from a 21st century perspective.
PUBD 509 Advocacy in Public Diplomacy: Argumentation and Debate (4) Skills and theory based approach to the criticism and development of public diplomacy campaigns. Emphasizes the instruction of advocacy skills to assess the utility of specific campaigns.
PUBD 510 Technologies and Public Diplomacy (4) Explores relationship between diplomacy and technological change. Emphasis on question of how new media may force us to rethink traditional frameworks of public diplomacy.
PUBD 512 Cultural Diplomacy (4) Provides overview of formal cultural diplomacy and concentrates on ways in which non-governmental entities communicate across international boundaries and the effects of those interchanges.
PUBD 514 Corporate Diplomacy (4) Provides basic public diplomacy and public relations tools for global organizations and their foreign publics.
PUBD 515 Transnational Diplomacy and Global Security (4) Examination of the historical and theoretical basis of diplomatic relationships between states, international organizations, and transnational non-state actors in developing global peace and security policies.
PUBD 516 International Broadcasting (4) History, context and practice of global international broadcasting strategies; technological and financial parameters that shape future international broadcasting strategies; use of radio, television, and Internet.
PUBD 518 International Exchanges and Public Diplomacy (4) Examination of educational and cultural exchanges; variety and experience of participants, flagship exchange programs, economic and social implications of the programs, and measurement of outcomes.
PUBD 519 News Media and the Foreign Policy Process (4) Analysis of news media's role in contemporary diplomacy; historical context; consideration of the professional practices of journalists and those who devise and implement foreign policy.
PUBD 520 Regional Studies in Public Diplomacy (4, max 16) In-depth examination of historical, political, economic, cultural factors that influence public diplomacy efforts within specific geographic regions.
PUBD 522 Hard Power, Soft Power and Smart Power (4) Institutional and cultural perspectives on instruments of state power: military, intelligence, trade, and traditional diplomacy; strategic analyses for determining proper use; desirability of combining resources.
PUBD 590 Directed Research (1-12) Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the school. Graded CR/NC.
PUBD 596 Practicum in Public Diplomacy Research (4) Development and production of original research-based project in the area of public diplomacy. Graded CR/NC.
PUBD 599 Special Topics (2-4, max 8) Special topics in the area of public diplomacy.