COMM

1001 - Parliamentary Procedure - 1 credit hour
This seminar is designed to inform students of the basic communication skills utilized in parliamentary procedure relative to conducting effective club, organization, and church business meetings. Students will be expected to learn
the importance of planning business meetings, evaluating the importance of utilizing committees, and conducting meetings in an orderly and respectable manner. Students will employ basic principles of parliamentary procedure; recognize the unique purpose of various motions and types of votes; and learn to maintain an acceptable attitude and/or conduct during meetings. This class is a general elective, but it may be used in the Communication major under the area of "Program Electives."

1003 - Introduction to Communication - 3 credit hours
The foundation course in the Communication major is designed to introduce students to core concepts in the discipline of Communication and to demonstrate applications in professional and relational contexts.

1303 - Introduction to Theater - 3 credit hours
Survey of theater from the time of ancient Greece to the present. Analysis of the components of the theater results in an increased appreciation of theater.  Provides understanding by practicing varied techniques.

1503 - Mass Media & Society - 3 credit hours
Open to all students, this lecture and discussion course is designed to introduce students to the study of the media of mass communication. Newspapers, books, magazines, film, broadcast and cable television, radio, advertising and the Internet are studied in relation to their historical development and their interrelationship with society. Also listed as JRNL 1503. Course Rotation: Fall.

2103 - Public Speaking - 3 credit hours
A study of public speaking, focused primarily on the construction of speeches. Includes introductions to audience analysis, persuasion, and delivery techniques. An additional focus is on developing appropriate listening behaviors. Strong emphasis on attendance. Recommended: ENGL 1013.

2201 - Communication Presentations - 1 credit hour
Meshes the world of PowerPoint and public speaking. Strategies for creating basic PowerPoint presentations will be introduced. Students will convey ideas using technologically enhanced communication. This class is a general elective, but it may be used in the Communication major under the area of General Electives.

2503 - Interpersonal Communication - 3 credit hours
An analysis of interpersonal effectiveness, verbal and nonverbal techniques, encoding and decoding communication messages, and interaction within relationships. Recommended: COMM 1003.

2703 - Listening - 3 credit hours
A practical application of basic listening theories and techniques, with emphasis on comprehension, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of messages transmitted through oral communication. The primary focus is on listening in face-to-face, interactive, and public communication situations. Recommended: COMM 1003.

2901 - Communication Skills for Employment Interviewing - 1 credit hour
This seminar is designed to prepare students for the transition from "student to employee" through: self-assessment measures; completion of job applications; resume and cover-letter writing; and practicing employment skills and how to present and market those skills to prospective employers in a professional manner. Students experience learning through: lecture; evaluation of films; development of a personal resume and cover letter; and participation in mock employment interviews. This class is a general elective, but it may be used in the Communication major under the area of Program Electives.

3103 - Advanced Public Speaking - 3 credit hours
An intensive application of the basic skills of public speaking. Delivery is stressed as a critical component of speech-making. Emphasis is given to critical thinking skills, analysis of research findings, the impact of language on messages, and critiquing and examining the delivery and speaking skills of current political and entertainment figures. Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C in COMM 2103, Recommended:  COMM 1003.

3203 - Nonverbal Communication - 3 credit hours
An integral study relating to body language, facial expressions, vocal variations, proxemics, personal appearance, and artifacts. Recommended: COMM 1003.

3303 - Group Communication and Decision Making - 3 credit hours
This course studies time interaction and communication in small-group and team situations. Emphasis is placed on role identity, listening, conflict, problem-solving and decision-making. Recommended: COMM 1003.

3403 - Family Communication - 3 credit hours
An introduction to communication phenomena in the family setting. Designed to help students understand how, through communication, family relationships are developed, maintained, enhanced, or disturbed. Students will learn verbal and nonverbal skills that help promote healthy family communication.

3503 - Organizational Communication - 3 credit hours
A management approach to communication within business environments. Includes team approaches, problem-solving, and development of professionalism. Recommended:  COMM 1003.

3603 - Intercultural Communication - 3 credit hours
This course serves as an overview of the study of communication and culture, with an emphasis on the theory and practice of cross-cultural and intercultural communication. Includes comparative studies of communication practices in different cultures and subcultures (cross-cultural), and descriptive normative studies of communication between different cultures and subcultures (intercultural). Recommended: COMM 1003.

3701 - Great Speeches - 1 credit hour
A study of historically significant speeches. Speech selections and organizing themes vary from semester to semester. The course consists of three one-credit hour modules that can be taken singly (1 credit) or in any combination (2 or 3 credits). Individual modules cannot be repeated for additional credit. No more than 3 credits can be used to fulfill requirements in the Communication major. This class is a general elective, but it may be used in the Communication major under the area of Program Electives.

3703 - Communication and Aging - 3 credit hours
A study of communication as it pertains to human social development, with an emphasis on the effects of aging, generational differences and social stereotypes on interpersonal communication effectiveness. Recommended: COMM 1003.

3713 - Gender and Communication - 3 credit hours
An assessment of communication interaction as influenced by gender differences and similarities. Intensive study of gender in social and professional situations.  Recommended: COMM 1003.

4103 - Conflict Resolution - 3 credit hours
An intensive study of the nature of conflict, its causes and consequences, and communication strategies for managing and resolving conflict. Recommended: COMM 1003.

4203 - Crisis Communication - 3 credit hours
Students will learn communication strategies for dealing with crisis situations through prevention, readiness, and resolution of crisis situations. Recommended:  COMM 1003.

4403 - Communications Law - 3 credit hours
This course will lead students through a thorough study of the constitutional and legislative foundations of communications and media law. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and relevant rulings by SCOTUS are examined in depth. The Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments are addressed as they impact the First Amendment. Also listed as JRNL 4403. Course Rotation: Spring.

4503 - Interviewing - 3 credit hours
A comprehensive study of interviewing techniques as applied in diverse settings, including employment, performance appraisal, health care, and human services. Students will demonstrate understanding of relevant principles and techniques through observation of and participation in a series of interviews in and out of class. Recommended: COMM 1003.

4603 - Homiletics - 3 credit hours
A consideration of the essential qualifications of a preacher; the need for preaching; proper preparation of sermon material, including discovery and arrangement of ideas, and the effective presentation and reception of the message. Also listed as RELI 4603. Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C in COMM 2103.

4613 - Creative Ministries - 3 credit hours
Exploration of the contemporary and traditional Christian message through reading, interpreting, and performing sacred texts and spiritual literature. Areas addressed include puppetry, religious drama, mime, production, and presentation. Also listed as RELI 4613.

4713 - Leadership - 3 credit hours
Study of communication relative to values, leadership, and power in organizational contexts such as business, professional, social, educational, and political groups. Recommended:  COMM 1003.

4723 - Persuasion - 3 credit hours
An advanced study of theories of human influence and motivation, and their applications, with emphasis on commercial and political advertising in mass communication and computer-mediated communication.

4733 - Political Communication and Public Affairs - 3 credit hours
This course consists of a study of communication issues related to interest group politics, including how interest groups use mass media to advance their public policy agendas. Citizen disengagement, and the theory and practice of deliberative democracy are also emphasized.

4903 - Professional Internship in Communication - 3 credit hours
A student may elect to participate in a professional internship in a communication or communication-related field. The internship must involve a minimum of 120 clock hours per semester, for which at least 80 percent of the time at work involves activities that meaningfully contribute to the student's professional development for a targeted career. The internship must be pre-approved and supervised by a Communication Program faculty member, and comply with the program's guidelines for professional internships.