The following courses are currently available from the Communication Studies department.  Please consult the College Catalog for requirements and the Registrar's Office for scheduling and availability.

COMM 102 - INTRODUCTION TO MASS MEDIA
The study of the mass media as it developed in the United States and as it functions around the world. Students learn to think critically about the mass media by studying several alternative perspectives on the media and by conducting in-depth analyses of newspapers, magazines, television programs, and documentary videos. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 111 - INTRO COMMUNICATION & CULTURAL STUDIES
This course examines the way in which people construct and communicate meaning through visual and material culture. Students examine such cultural artifacts as film, television, music, clothing, advertisements, architecture, rituals, and public discourse. The course introduces students to various methods of analyzing forms of communication including textual analysis, audience research, and the study of institutions. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 159 - PUBLIC SPEAKING
Experience in public speaking. Emphasis on research, preparation, and delivery of the persuasive-informative public speech. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 175 - PRACTICAL REASONING
Identical with Philosophy 175. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 181 - INTRO TO PHOTOGRAPHY
Identical with Art 181. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 204 - COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES & CULTURE
A study of the relationship between communication technologies and culture. The course includes an examination of communication in societies which made no use of writing, the development of writing in ancient civilizations, the invention and use of printing in Europe and China, and contemporary computer-mediated communication. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 211 - NEWS REPORTING
Practice with leads, the inverted pyramid, quotes and attribution, documentary sources, layout, and editing; exploration of journalistic ethics, community responsibility, and the question of "What is news?" Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor.

COMM 212 - FEATURE WRITING
Students will learn to write feature articles for newspapers and magazines. Features, often called the "soft side" of news, can be about anything, from the science behind global warming, to a story about a university's champion debating team, to a celebrity profile. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: ENGL 103R (or exemption) or the equivalent.

COMM 213 - COLLEGE NEWSPAPER PRODUCTION LAB
This course offers practical experience in all aspect of college newspaper production including interviewing, AP style, copy editing, and use of digital publishing software. Students in this class are primarily responsible for the regular production of the college newspaper, the Sundial. Hours credit: 1 , 2, or 3. Prerequisites or corequisites: COMM 211 or 212 or permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit up to a maximum of six credits. Offered on a pass/fail basis only.

COMM 241 - AMERICAN BROADCASTING
The study of radio and television in the United States from 1899 to the present. Topics include the network system, the influence of sponsors and ratings, non-commercial alternatives, advocacy groups, and regulation. Hours credit: 3. Offered as needed.

COMM 277 - AMERICAN MOVIES
An overview of the history and aesthetics of American films made both in Hollywood and independently. It examines the stylistic and narrative techniques utilized by filmmakers, the political economy of the film industry, and cinema's role in the global market. Students will explore various types of writing about film and develop their critical analysis and writing skills. Identical with Art 277. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 279 - DIGITAL FILMMAKING
This course is a basic introduction to filmmaking in the digital format; no previous filmmaking experience is necessary. It will familiarize students with the components of the digital video camera, the process of creating a moving image from single digital images, and the basics of non-linear digital editing. Identical with Art 279. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: ART/COMM 181 or 277 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 280 - SOCIAL INTERACTION
Identical with Sociology 280. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 284 - TOPICS IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Identical with Art 284. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: Art 103R; Art/Comm 181; or permission of the instructor.

COMM 301 - RHETORICAL THEORY & CRITICISM
A study of persuasive strategies based in classical rhetoric and their use in contemporary society. Students will also explore several approaches to the criticism of persuasive messages including neo-Aristotelian, narrative, genre, semiotic, feminist, and ideological. Possible objects of study include speeches and public discourse, opinion editorials, television shows, art, music videos, and advertising. Hours credit: 3. Offered second semester.

COMM 330 - NEWS MEDIA IN THE INFORMATION AGE
Students explore the relationships between global systems of news production and distribution and ways of reporting global issues such as gender representations, the environment, poverty, epidemics, human rights abuses, and ethnic conflicts. Hours credit: 3. Offered alternate years.

COMM 375 - PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
Identical with Philosophy 375. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of the instructor.

COMM 380 - WORLD CINEMA
This course explores the major movements in World Cinema. It also examines such related issues as the impact of globalization on national cinemas, the role of the state in legislating film policy, and the integration of cinema with movements for political and economic change. Identical with Art 380. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: ART/COMM 277 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 382 - STUDIES IN FILM
The topic of this course will vary from year to year. Students may examine specific genres, directors, national cinemas, or film theories. Identical with Art 382. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: ART/ COMM 277 or permission of the instructor. Alternate years. May be repeated for credit when topic differs.

COMM 384 - DOCUMENTARY HISTORY & THEORY
This course is an introduction to the history, theory, and aesthetics of documentary film. It traces several major historical movements in the development of documentary from Russia and Great Britain to Canada and the United States. Students will explore questions of ethics in documentary production, the development of various formal techniques, and a number of theoretical approaches to analyzing documentaries. Identical with Art 384. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: ART/COMM 277 or permission of the instructor. Alternate years.

COMM 388 - SPORTS & THE MEDIA
This course will examine the social, economic, and cultural aspects of professional and amateur sports. Along with the globalization of American sport, students will also explore the impact of sport in other countries. Other topics studied include the impact of new technologies, gender, race, and spectatorship. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisites: COMM 111 or 102. One time only.

COMM 390 - INDEPENDENT STUDY

COMM 425 - EXPLORING MEDIA THEORIES
Participants in the seminar examine the ideas that have informed critical media theories and the application of those theories to studies of contemporary media institutions, policies, and practices. Hours credit: 3.

COMM 432 - ISSUES IN GLOBAL COMMUNICATION
Participants in the seminar explore contemporary issues regarding global communication. Among those issues are developments in transnational media enterprises and telecommunications industries, the dynamics of cultural borrowing and adaptation, and local efforts to resist external cultural imperialism. Hours credit: 3. Offered alternate years.

COMM 489 - INDEPENDENT STUDY

COMM 493 - SENIOR SEMINAR
A critical study of significant works in the field of communication and a review of research methods and theoretical perspectives. In the second semester, each student works independently with advice from the faculty to prepare a research or critical paper on a topic of her choice. An oral summary of the paper is presented to the department at the end of the semester. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: COMM 301 and permission of the Department.

COMM 494 - SENIOR PAPER
A critical study of significant works in the field of communication and a review of research methods and theoretical perspectives. In the second semester, each student works independently with advice from the faculty to prepare a research or critical paper on a topic of her choice. An oral summary of the paper is presented to the department at the end of the semester. Hours credit: 3. Prerequisite: COMM 301 and permission of the Department.

COMM 497H - DEPARTMENTAL HONORS

COMM 498H - DEPARTMENTAL HONORS