COMM ST 315 Rhetoric of Social Movements (1) Traditional theories of opposition derived from sociological and rhetorical analyses of mass movements. Engages new social movements as groups contest a variety of issues such as abortion, animal rights, feminism, and other local and national issues.
COMM ST 320 Advanced Argumentation (1) Diverse methods and perspectives brought to the study of expressing disagreement and seeking consensus in intellectual, professional, aesthetic, social, and public fora. Addresses theoretical and practical perspectives on relationships among communication, reasoning, and arguing.
COMM ST 321 Public Argumentation (1) Contemporary controversies over domestic and foreign policy. Focuses on the practices of political debate and traditional analyses of liberal and conservative positions. Examines aspects of public culture as issues of identity, representation, and channels of communication are contested and influence how public argument is constituted.
COMM ST 324-1 Rhetoric of U. S. Women's Rights (1) Rhetorical analysis of public advocacy by U. S. women: Colonial period to achievement of suffrage in 1920.
COMM ST 324-2 Rhetoric of Women’s Rights, 1920 to the Present (1) Students investigate the discourse of twentieth- and twenty-first-century U.S. feminisms through the analysis of primary texts and the examination of critical essays.
COMM ST 325-1,2,3 Rhetorical History of the United States (1)(1)(1) Communication phenomena of rhetorical significance as products of cultural change and as influences in major intellectual and social movements. First Quarter: Colonial period to the outbreak of the Civil War. Second Quarter: Civil War to the coming of the New Deal. Third Quarter: New Deal to the present.
COMM ST 327 Contemporary Rhetorical Practice (1) Contemporary history from a rhetorical perspective. Analysis of public communications and the rhetorical study of nonoratorical events, emphasizing social movements and political controversy in the United States since 1960.
COMM ST 328 The Rhetoric of War (1) The genre of war rhetoric; American experience in the 20th century, using speeches, diaries, newspaper reports, government documents, films, and poetry.
COMM ST 329 Rhetoric, Science, and Technology (1) Contemporary debates concerning the standing and production of scientific argument. Current controversies over the social constitution and consequences of science and technology.
COMM ST 330-1,2 Contemporary Problems in Freedom of Speech (1)(1) Personal freedom and public communication under the U.S. Constitution. First Quarter: Principles, forms of reasoning, and court decisions governing conflicts between freedom of speech and public order; personal security, morality, property rights, and racial and gender equality in traditional, mass, and new electronic media. Second Quarter: Analysis of selected issues introduced in CSD 330-1.
COMM ST 341 Communication and Aging (1) The relationship between adult developmental processes and changes in communication behavior.
COMM ST 344 Interpersonal Conflict (1) Conflict behavior within interpersonal relationships, especially friendships and families. Causes of conflict and methods of conflict resolution.
COMM ST 350 Computer-Mediated Communication and Information Systems (1) Examination and analysis of tools and issues in computer-mediated communication and networked information systems; effects of new communication technologies at the interpersonal, group, social, and organizational levels.
COMM ST 355 Audience Analysis (1) Methods used to analyze electronic media audiences, with emphasis on quantitative research techniques. Special attention is paid to the analysis of ratings data in programming, marketing, and economic policy research.
COMM ST 360 Current Perspectives in Organizational Communication Research (1) Selected micro-and macro-level theories of communication behavior in organizational settings.
COMM ST 361 Intergroup Communication and Urban Change (1) The small group as an agent of social change in urban society; the internal and external communication processes in such change.
COMM ST 362 Professional-Client Communication (1) Communication between professionals and clients in medicine, law, education, psychotherapy, and social services. Alternatives to the professional-client model of problem solving.
COMM ST 363 Bargaining and Negotiation (1) Communication in bargaining and negotiation in organizational settings. Relevant cognitive and motivational theories emphasizing bargaining and negotiation strategies.
COMM ST 364 Collective Decision Making and Communication in Organizations (1) Research on how organizations make, communicate, and implement decisions. Covers group decision making, leadership in organizations, organizational design, and assessing decision effectiveness.
COMM ST 365 Solving Problems in Applied Organizational Communication (1) Advanced concepts and techniques for defining and analyzing organizational problems. A unique, multiple-perspective model of organizational communication is developed through lectures and assignments. Designed to prepare students to recognize and work with problems they may encounter when taking on responsibilities in business organizations.
COMM ST 370 Current Perspectives in Mass Communication Research (1) Theories currently applied to the study of mass communication, including uses and gratifications theory, the knowledge-gap hypothesis, and parasocial interaction.
COMM ST 371 Public Opinion (1) Nature of public opinion and the history of techniques for expressing and assessing public opinion. Theories about the relationships among media, public opinion, and policy.
COMM ST 372 Mass Media and Campaign Strategies (1) Planning, implementing, and evaluating mass media campaigns by applying mass communication theories.
COMM ST 374 Information and Communication Technology in American Society (1) Historical, sociological, and philosophical analysis of how developments in information and communication technologies have altered our understandings of ourselves and our world.
COMM ST 376 The Rhetoric of Popular Criticism (1) Rhetorical strategies used by popular critics in all forms of public communication.
COMM ST 377 Marketing Popular Culture (1) Producing and marketing of popular culture. Topics vary: film, comedy, popular music, news, docudrama, and the novel.
COMM ST 380 Political Communication (1) Nature and functions of communication within established political institutions; decision-making strategies, deliberative discourse, and electoral campaigns; field study of advocates and interest groups.
COMM ST 381 Classroom Communication Behavior (1) The classroom as a communication system; verbal and nonverbal patterns of interaction. Systematic analysis of teacher-student behavior according to interpersonal and group processes.
COMM ST 382 Family Communication Behavior (1) The family as a communication system. Application of a communication perspective to family interaction issues. Family interaction research. Methods of improving family communication.
COMM ST 384 Global Media and International Affairs (1) Analysis of public diplomacy and comparative media systems across nations, exploring the relationships between sovereign states and private media systems.
COMM ST 386 Science, Technology, and Society (1) Examination of developments in information and communication technology in the larger context of American science and technology since 1900.
COMM ST 388 The Practice of Scholarship (1) The social,cultural, political, and economic implications of information technologies.
COMM ST 389 Practicum in Mass Communication Research (1) Research design, conduct, and analysis of data gathered in mass communication contexts. Research on public opinion and mass communication processes.
COMM ST 390 Children's Culture (1) Students examine children's culture (and the myths adults construct for and about children) from psychological, sociological, anthropological, historical, critical, pedagogical and technological perspectives.
COMM ST 391 Ethical Issues in Communication (1) Ethical problems in public, group, and interpersonal communication; criteria for their resolution.
COMM ST 395 Topics in Communication Studies (1) Reading, research, and discussion in areas of significance. Topics vary.
COMM ST 401-1,2 Approaches to Theory Development in Communication Inquiry (1)(1) First Quarter: Constructing scientific theories of human communication. Rule-governed approaches to the explanation of social behavior and implications for research methodology. Theory-development activities. Second Quarter: Causal analysis and principles of research design in history and criticism; historical and critical evidence; relationships among science, history, and criticism.
COMM ST 403 Introduction to the Methods of Mass Communication Research (1) Introduction to the quantitative and qualitative research methods employed in the study of mass communication, including surveys, experiments, quantitative content analysis, and naturalistic methods.
COMM ST 404-1,2 Rhetorical Theory and Criticism (1)(1) First Quarter: Approaches to the study and practice of rhetorical theory and criticism. Second Quarter: Graduate seminar analyzing contemporary critical methods and their implications for the study of rhetorical theory.
Topics covered in COMM ST 405, COMM ST 408, COMM ST 413,COMM ST 414,and COMM ST 418 -COMM ST 475 vary. Barring replication of subject matter, these courses may be repeated for credit.
COMM ST 405 Seminar in Persuasion (1) Current developments and issues in persuasion; study of a particular issue or development. Prerequisite: COMM ST 401-1.
COMM ST 406 Techniques and Problems in the Study of Social Interaction (1) Techniques employed in face-to-face interaction in dyad and small groups: the reporting, coding, and analysis of verbal and nonverbal facets of interactions.
COMM ST 407 Techniques and Problems in Survey Research Measurement (1) Measurement theory, major sources of error in self-report, and techniques employed in survey research to reduce measurement error. Measurement problems associated with different modes of data collection, such as face-to-face or telephone interviews and self-administered questionnaires.
COMM ST 408 Seminar in Communication Theory (1) Contemporary developments and issues in communication theory.
COMM ST 410 Greek Rhetorical Theory (1) Ideas and movements in the theory of rhetoric from the Sophists through Plato, Aristotle, and the Second Sophistic.
COMM ST 411 Latin Rhetorical Theory (1) Latin theories from Cicero through the 16th century.
COMM ST 412 Modern Rhetorical Theory (1) Studies in the major rhetorics of the modern era.
COMM ST 413 Seminar in Philosophy of Communication (1) Influence of phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical theory, and deconstruction on problems and constructs in communication and rhetorical theory.
COMM ST 414 Issues in Rhetorical Theory (1) Recurring problems in the grounding, status, and application of constructs in rhetorical theory. Primary readings in history of rhetoric treated as controversial positions.
COMM ST 415 Seminar in Rhetorical Criticism (1) Elements of critical theory, alternative methods of rhetorical criticism, and analysis and preparation of examples of rhetorical criticism.
COMM ST 417 Rhetoric and Social Theory (1) Major assumptions in European social theory and their implications for rhetoric; emphasis on the Frankfurt School of Social Research.
COMM ST 418 Seminar in Philosophy and Rhetoric (1) Emerging functions of rhetorical theory and traditional issues in epistemology, valuation, and the philosophy of action.
COMM ST 420 Seminar in Argumentation (1) Topics related to the processes by which people justify their acts, beliefs, attitudes, and values and influence the thought and action of others.
COMM ST 425 Seminar in Rhetorical History (1) Topics related to rhetorically significant communication phenomena in history.
COMM ST 430 Seminar in Freedom of Speech (1) Selected historical and contemporary topics related to the theory and practice of freedom of expression.
COMM ST 440 Seminar in Interpersonal Communication (1) Topics related to communication in informal, unstructured settings. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COMM ST 445 Seminar in Nonverbal Communication (1) Topics related to the nonverbal symbol system employed in communication. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COMM ST 450 Seminar in Small-Group Processes (1) Topics related to communication in small groups. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COMM ST 455 Current Issues in Audience Studies (1) Focuses on current research and theory about media audiences. Special attention is paid to television audience behavior, theories of exposure, models of program choice, the use of audiences as commodities, and how audiences experience the media.
COMM ST 465 The Research Literature of Organizational Communication (1) Major viewpoints and theoretical contributions to the research literature on communication behavior in organizational, institutional, and social system contexts.
COMM ST 470 Contemporary Issues in the Effects of Mass Communication (1) Survey of current research in the field of mass communication with special attention to hegemonic theory, ethnographic audience analysis, theories about media and public opinion, and ritual theories of media use.
COMM ST 472 Mass Media and the Constitution of the Social World (1) Seminar examines the processes by which the mass media generate and disseminate the symbol systems constitutive of social reality. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COMM ST 473 Mass Media and the Forces of Social Change (1) Teaches students how to study political history using media sources as research tools. Explores how media texts (newspapers, books, magazines, films, television programs, etc.) can help scholars understand a variety of political and social trends. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COMM ST 474 Mass Media and Democratic Theory (1) Considers the impact of the mass media, especially television, on political power and consciousness in the United States. Particular emphasis on the domain of US government policy making. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COMM ST 475 Seminar in the Rhetoric of Contemporary Culture (1) Strategies of influence in contemporary culture; field studies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
COMM ST 476 Teaching Speech at the College Level (1) Instructional issues related to teaching speech at the college level. The classroom as a communication system, teaching-learning processes, speech-oriented basic course formats, evaluation/critiquing, and instructional material.
COMM ST 484 Mind and Society in the Information Age (1) Examines the historical origins as well as the psychological, social, and cultural consequences of the technologies and industries that are powering the "information revolution." Prerequisite: permission of instructor required.
COMM ST 485 Mass Media: Economics and Policy (1) Economic analysis of regulations and policies affecting the mass media. Compares policy objectives with the actual effects of policies, emphasizing the economic principles of policy design and the reasons why violation of those principles frequently results in policy failures. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COMM ST 486 Social Implications of Information and Communication Technologies (1) Analysis of the social, political, cultural and economic contexts in which information and communication technologies are embedded.
COMM ST 487 Legal and Political Dimensions of Telecommunications (1) A study of legal and regulatory processes affecting mass media and common carrier (voice and data transmission) communications industries. Examines specific laws and regulations and the policy-making process.
COMM ST 488 Topics in the History of Information and Communication Technology (1) Examination of developments in information and communication technology in the larger context of American science and technology since 1900.
COMM ST 499 Independent Study (1, 2, or 3) Permission of instructor and department required. May be repeated for credit.
COMM ST 525 Seminar: Problems in Communication Studies (1) Content varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.
COMM ST 590 Research (1, 2, or 3) Independent investigation of selected problems pertaining to thesis or dissertation. May be repeated for credit.
