Communication Studies

COM 601. Theories of Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

Comparison of theories dealing with the processes and effects of communication is discussed.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

COM 602. Foundations of Quantitative Communication Research Methods. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to quantitative communication research methods and foundational descriptive and inferential statistics. Students will learn to describe data, basic visualization, and inferential assessment of hypotheses and research questions using common statistical packages. Knowledge of basic algebra is assumed.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

COM 603. Qualitative Research Methodologies. 3 Credit Hours.

Research methods and theories for participant-observation, phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology, content analysis, and historical-critical interpretation.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

COM 604. Advanced Quantitative Communication Research Methods. 3 Credit Hours.

This course builds upon the foundations of quantitative communication research (as taught in COM 602) to cover more advanced statistical techniques and methods. Major topics include the proposition, modeling, and statistical assessment of complex relationships, such as mediated or indirect relationships, three-way interactions (moderated or conditioned relationships), and mediated moderations/moderated mediations. Knowledge of descriptive and inferential statistics and SPSS is assumed.
Prerequisites: COM 601, COM 602.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

COM 605. Theories and Methods for Mass Communication Research. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will introduce you to the theoretical concepts and research methodologies that apply to work in, and study of, journalism and mass communication. The curriculum stresses critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate the credibility of research findings offered by various organizations, including government, business and academia.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 606. Visual and Narrative Theories. 3 Credit Hours.

This course surveys theories of film, visual communication, design, game and interactive theory, critical analysis, cultural studies.
Prerequisite: COM 601 and Requisite: Doctoral Standing.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 607. Survey of Media Production. 3 Credit Hours.

This course gives students an overview on how to produce compelling media stories. Students will learn key concepts and design principles used in modern media production. Students will develop a website and a short film using learned key concepts in creating and effective multimedia experience.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 608. Designing and Producing Messages. 3 Credit Hours.

Drawing on message design theories from areas such as persuasion and discourse studies and using creative and secondary research skills, students design and implement a production such as a public service announcement, short documentary, microsite, game prototype, or data visualization project.
Prerequisite: COM 601 and 602 and 607.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 609. Special Topics in Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course subject matter varies according to announced special topic. See class schedule for details.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COM 610. Doctoral Colloquium. 1-3 Credit Hours.

This course will introduce students to the nature and scope of doctoral study. The topics of this course include different aspects of engaging productively with the doctoral program, such as developing a research program, publication, grant writing, and job search dynamics.
Components: SEM.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 612. Pedagogy. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on the traditions as well as the recent advances in pedagogy, including its historical, theoretical and practical applications with the aim of preparing students to teach at the University level.
Requisite: Graduate Standing.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 615. Social Effects of Mass Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

Roles, functions, and consequences of mass communication in American society.
Prerequisite: COM 601.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 620. Structured Research and Practice in SoC Consultancy. 1-3 Credit Hours.

Students engage in programmatic research and applied practice through structured participation at the SoC Consultancy.
Requisite: Graduate and Min Cumulative 3.0 GPA.
Components: PRA.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall & Spring.

COM 621. Research Design and Proposal Writing. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides graduate students with a broad knowledge of methodological approaches in order to gain skills in critiquing and proposing research. Students consider we basic issues questions when doing research; research design; conceptualization and operationalization; sampling; and observations of texts, people, processes, and contexts. The course builds to a research proposal.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

COM 622. Communication and Social Change. 3 Credit Hours.

This course explores and critique development communication as a practice and as an approach. Students consider how strategic application of communication technologies and processes resolve social problems in global contexts
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

COM 623. Global Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course surveys theories, concepts and research related to global communication, or how people (dis)connect, share and mobilize across boundaries. It looks across topics through theories including modernization, world systems, flows and networks, cultural imperialism and proximity, transnationalism, translocalism and glocalization.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

COM 624. Global Health Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

Using a global framework, this course considers health communication as a multidisciplinary field of inquiry and critique, and a space for professional practice. It examines communicating for global health from both critical and instrumental perspectives, while also foregrounding ethical considerations.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

COM 672. Seminar in Persuasive Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the role of communication in the persuasion process. This will be achieved by exploring historical and contemporary theories of persuasion as well as examining research that has focused on persuasion.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COM 695. Directed Readings. 1-3 Credit Hours.

Students work independently with a professor, researching a topic in a selected area. Repeatable up to 6 credits.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COM 698. Independent Research. 3 Credit Hours.

An in-depth, hands-on course in which students conduct a research project using the specified research method. May include experimental design, advanced qualitative methods, content analysis, or survey methods. Repeatable up to 6 credits.
Prerequisites: COM 602, COM 603.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COM 810. Master's Thesis. 1-6 Credit Hours.

The student working on his/her master's thesis enrolls for credit, in most departments not to exceed six, as determined by his/her advisor. Credit is not awarded until the thesis has been accepted.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COM 820. Research in Residence. 1 Credit Hour.

Used to establish research in residence for the thesis for the master's degree after the student has enrolled for the permissible cumulative total in COM 710 (usually six credits). Credit not granted. May be regarded as full time residence.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COM 825. Continuous Registration--Master's Study. 1 Credit Hour.

To establish residence for non-thesis master's students who are preparing for major examinations. Credit not granted. Regarded as full time residence.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COM 830. Doctoral Dissertation. 1-12 Credit Hours.

Required of all candidates for the Ph.D. The student will enroll for credit as determined by his/her advisor, but for not less than a total of 12 hours.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COM 850. Research in Residence. 1 Credit Hour.

Used to establish research in residence for the Ph.D., after the student has been enrolled for the permissible cumulative total in appropriate doctoral research. Credit not granted. May be regarded as full-time residence as determined by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COS 616. Small Group Processes. 3 Credit Hours.

Techniques of discussion applied to goal-oriented, small group situations. Consideration is given to research methods, leadership, and conflict resolution. Theory is applied to active classroom participation.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall.

COS 618. Seminar in Nonverbal Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

Theory and application of selected areas of research in nonverbal communication is addressed. Discussion of environment, space, body movement, posture, eye contact, facial expression, vocal cues and physical appearance is included.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring & Summer.

COS 620. Gender Issues in Leadership. 3 Credit Hours.

This course utilizes case studies of innovative executives to analyze different leadership and communication styles between men and women.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 630. Conflict Management. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides an understanding of conflict dynamics and strategies for constructive conflict management.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 645. Intercultural Communication: International Perspectives. 3 Credit Hours.

Effects of cultural attitudes, beliefs, and attributions on meaning assignment. Effects of language on the structure of thought. Ethics and process of the diffusion of cultural innovations are analyzed.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Spring.

COS 646. Intercultural Communication: Domestic Perspectives. 3 Credit Hours.

Effects of cultural attitudes, beliefs, and attributions on meaning assignment. Diffusion of cultural innovations, prejudice, discrimination, and equality are discussed. Emphasis is placed on intercultural interactions within the United States.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 647. Organizational Culture. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on organizations and their unique cultures. Organizations will be reviewed from the perspective of management and leadership styles, specifically analyzing how they influence communication and organizational culture.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 651. Survey of Health Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is intended to provide a graduate-level introduction to the study of health communication. Accordingly, it covers a wide range of topic areas informed by an equally diverse range of theories, research paradigms, and applied foci.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 652. Culture and Health. 3 Credit Hours.

This class is designed to give participants an overview of the problems, issues, and processes involved with communicating with people of different cultural and subcultural backgrounds about issues of health and illness.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 653. Organizations, Communication, and Health. 3 Credit Hours.

This class focuses on the organizational, interpersonal and intercultural dimensions of communication in health care settings. It draws on material from the communication discipline as well as work from medical sociology, anthropology, medicine, humanities and discourse studies.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 654. Risk Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will offer a foundational understanding of the psychological and sociological bases of risk perceptions that are necessary for effective risk communication.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 655. Health Communication Interventions. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will focus on the planning, development, and assessment of health communication intervention messages and materials.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 660. The Executive Communicator. 3 Credit Hours.

Audience analysis, speech writing, delivery in professional presentations, theo ry, and history of great speeches are covered. Detailed critiques of student s peaking styles and performances are also included.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 674. Seminar in Interpersonal Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on theoretical approaches to interpersonal communication. Emphasis is placed on current research including fundamentals of relationships, developmental issues, interaction management, and interpersonal competence.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 680. Organizational Training and Development. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to provide an examination of internal organizational communication in order to understand appropriate strategies for training and development of supervisors and employees.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 682. Seminar in Organizational Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course explores theoretical perspectives and the impact of communication in organizations. Critical analysis includes management styles, decision-making, group interaction, conflict resolution, and diffusion of innovations.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 690. Communication Studies Practicum. 1-3 Credit Hours.

Prescribed graduate study and supervised work with practitioners in organizations.
Prerequisites: COM 601 and COM 602 and COM 603.
Components: PRA.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.

COS 691. Advanced Special Topics in Communication Studies. 3 Credit Hours.

This course subject matter varies according to announced special topic. See class schedule for details.
Components: LEC.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Offered by Announcement Only.

COS 699. Advanced Projects and Directed Research. 1-6 Credit Hours.

Individual study. Course may be repeated to a maximum of six credits.
Components: THI.
Grading: GRD.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, & Summer.