COM 100 Spoken Word (3) C
Spoken Word develops students' understanding of interpersonal, small group, and public communication principles, processes, and practices, and focuses on enhancing students' overall communication competency. Emphasis is placed on developing effective and ethical listening and speaking strategies needed in personal, academic, civic, and professional life.
COM 100S Serv Lrng:Spoken Word (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 100
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 151 Peak Productions (1)
New Course
Peak Productions is a hands-on video production experience. Members of the class will participate in video production services both on and off campus. Peak Productions provides students the opportunity to practice and improve upon their video production skills and work together on video production projects throughout the term. Enrollment in the group is open to all MSJ students by instructor approval.
COM 201 New Media, Culture & Society (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100, ENG 101
New Media, Culture & Society develops students' knowledge, understanding, and critical analysis of mass and new media (including books, newspapers, magazines, film, radio, television, and the Internet) and their relationship to contemporary culture. The course deals with the history of mass media, including economic, technological and cultural aspects; the political, psychological, and sociological impacts of mass media; and related ethical implications. The course extends beyond mass media into the new media environment which includes converged media, participatory media and social media.
COM 201S Serv Lrng:New Media, Culture & Society (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 201
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 203 Interpersonal Communication (3) LAS
New Course
Prerequisite(s): COM 100 and ENG 101
Interpersonal communication refers to the climate of communication between two or more individuals. Students will gain an understanding of concepts and theories as they relate to verbal and nonverbal communication, perceptions, listening and relationships. Students will explore their own communication habits and relationships to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improved communication effectiveness.
COM 220 Visual Communication (3)
Prerequisite(s): COM 100, ENG 101
This course develops students' visual literacy and understanding of visual communication theories and their application. Students learn how to engage in critical analysis of the visual world around them.
COM 250 Digital Video Production (3)
Digital Video Production: a practical hands-on beginning level production course that introduces students to the fundamental principles of shooting video for narrative and non narrative projects, both in the studio and in the field. Students will learn video, audio, lighting, and camera operation.
COM 250S Serv Lrng:Digital Video Production (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 250
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 251 Digital Video Post-Production (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100 and ENG 101
Non Linear Editing: a beginning level production course that engages students in digital editing theory and practice. Students, using Adobe Premiere, apply their consideration of editing styles and theories to the creation of edited projects.
COM 295 Writing for New Media Environments (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): ENG 101
Concentrates on the theory and practice of interactive writing for new media channels. The course examines the fundamental principles of writing interactively for specific audiences. It will also help students cultivate skills in content development using the right technologies for the different media and editing for a world-wide digital audience.
COM 295S Serv Lerng: Writing for New Media Environments (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 295
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 300 Advanced Composition (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM/ENG 101/or Equiv
Crosslisted ENG 300. A course on writing nonfiction. While most of the work is practical, some theoretical considerations are made regarding style and methods of adapting discourse to meet the needs of a variety of audiences. Writing assignments involve descriptive, expository and persuasive writing.
COM 303 Communication & Media Theory (3)
Prerequisite(s): ENG 101 & COM 100
This course serves as a critical study of major communication and media theories and research findings. Emphasis is placed on application of theories to contexts as a way of illuminating possibilities for improving human communication practice. This course also critically examines key theoretical approaches to understanding and analyzing the role of media in contemporary society and culture. The theories and concepts provide ways to make meaning out of everyday interactions with media and in personal relationships and diverse cultures.
COM 311 New Media Law and Ethics (3)
Prerequisite(s): COM 100 and ENG 101
his course is designed as a series of case studies used to critically reflect on the legal and ethical issues in new media, the Internet, information systems, computers, and digital culture. Concepts such as privacy, intellectual property, free speech and Internet governance have evolved. This course will provide a unique opportunity to examine these areas of inquiry, while engaging with the new and emerging issues and debates from different legal and ethical approaches.
COM 320 Public Speaking and Advocacy (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100 or equivalent; COM 200 recommended
An applied speech communication course that focuses on developing students' public speaking skills, particularly in professional, organizational, civic, and other structured contexts. Students study and apply principles of effective and ethical public speaking, and have opportunities to develop, deliver, and critique different types of oral presentations. They develop their skills in gathering and conveying information, persuading others, and preparing and delivering group presentations.
COM 320S Serv Learn:Oral Communication (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 320
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 321 Public Relations in the Digital Age (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100, COM/ENG 101
Public Engagement in a Digital Age introduces students to the virtual public square networking sites. It examines the principles of framing, deliberation, and speechmaking, and public relations in a digital age as critical artifacts in the social media environment. It emphasizes the importance of social media tools in promoting persuasive speechmaking and public relations presentations through the art of framing in the virtual public for organizations especially non-profits. Topics covered include the definitions of public engagement, public relations and the significance of persuasion, message framing, media relations, planning special events, building community relations through social media, and the process of gaining top management support for public engagement programs.
COM 321S Serv Lrng:Public Relations in the Digital Age (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 321
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 330 Rhetorical Foundations of Human Communication (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100, COM/ENG101 or equivalents; COM 200 + 320 recommended
This course is an introduction to major theories and perspectives in the rhetorical tradition, from the classical era to the contemporary period, with emphasis on recurring philosophical and ethical controversies surrounding the nature and role of rhetoric. A central theme is the tension between the promise of rhetoric for constructing a rich, just, and meaningful civic life and the dangers of its use as a tool for manipulation, oppression, and demagoguery.
COM 330S Serv Lrng:Rhetorical Found of Human Communication (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 330
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 340 Intercultural & World Comm (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100 + COM/ENG101 or equivalents; COM 200 + 320 recommended
This course explores and examines communication within various cultures; the ways in which communication constructs cultures; and the role of communication in creating and/or reducing cultural biases. The course further helps students explore the relationship between communication and cultural identity, experience, and meaning within and across a variety of cultures, including national cultures, ethnic groups, racial groups, economic classes, genders, and others.
COM 350 Special Topics in Communication (3) LAS
Courses are offered under this number depending upon the need and interest. Independent study program, guided readings and individual projects may also be included under Specialized Topics.
COM 350S Serv Lrng:Special Topics in Communication (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 350
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 353 Health Communication (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100, COM/ENG 101
This course explores, from a humanistic, narrative perspective, the impact of communication on health and conceptions of health in various contexts. Emphasis is on exploring the relationship between narratives/stories/representations of health and personal and cultural conceptions and experiences of health. Topics include doctor-patient communication, differing cultural conceptions of health and illness, family communication surrounding health, issues related to managed care (e.g., HMOs), public health campaigns, the impact of media messages on health, ethical issues, patient empowerment, and communication surrounding pregnancy and birth, infertility, chronic illness, disability, sex education, risk-taking behaviors, mental illness, aging, and death and dying.
COM 353S Serv Lrng:Health Communication (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 353
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 356 Social Media Marketing and Advocacy (3)
New Course
Prerequisite(s): COM 100, ENG 101
This course examines the methods, approaches, and strategies of marketing and advocacy through the use of social media; and explores the opportunities and limitations of social media for interactive marketing and advocacy. Students will utilize multiple forms of social media, including multi-channel (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.) and multimodal forms of communication (video, graphics, audio, and text). The course prepares students to research, plan, create, implement, analyze, and evaluate social media communication strategies applied in multinational marketing, marketing research, consumer behavior, and retail sales promotion; and to support advocacy, activism, and democratic participation.
COM 359 American Film Authors (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM 100 and COM/ENG 101/or Equiv
Crosslisted ENG 359. An in-depth study of major American feature film directors. The styles and major traits of directors will be stressed through close examination of representative films. The course also addresses filmmaking as a collaborative art, examining the role of stars, writers, producers, and studios. Films and filmmakers will be placed within historical, sociological, and cultural contexts.
COM 359S Serv Lrng:American Film Authors (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 359
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 380 Newswriting I (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM/ENG 101
This course in newswriting introduces students to literary forms common in today's news media and to basic interviewing and reporting techniques, and to ethical issues in journalism.
COM 388 Feature Writing (3) LAS
Prerequisite(s): COM/ENG 101
This course stresses the craft of newspaper and magazine feature writing, with attention to leads, structure and polished prose, and ethics.
COM 396 Cooperative Education Work Experience (1-3) EXP
Prerequisite(s): CED 220
A communication-related work experience supervised by department faculty coordinators in collaboration with the cooperative education staff. Credit is awarded upon successful completion of the work experience, documentation of predetermined Learning Agreement and evaluation of work performance. Evaluation is on pass/fail basis. The course may be repeated up to six credit hours. COM 400, Internship may be substituted for the co-op work experience.
This course can be repeated for a maximum total of nine credits.
COM 400 Internship (1-3) EXP
Internships provide the student with the opportunity to gain practical experience in an appropriate segment of the communications industry. While there is some variation, typically the student will spend approximately 135 hours in a work environment. Enrollment is limited to majors in communication studies. Registration by permission of the department only. Co-op work experience may be substituted for the internship.
COM 410 Research Methods (3)
Prerequisite(s): COM 100, ENG 101
Research Methods will introduce students to qualitative, quantitative and critical research techniques as they have been applied to media and communication practice and theory. The course will introduce you to research foundational principles as well as methods of textual analysis, qualitative research methods, quantitative research methods, and audience analysis. The course will focus on specific approaches and issues with reading, conducting, and reporting research, the use of multiple data collection methods, and basic quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
COM 410S Serv Lrng:Research Methods (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 410
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 496 Cooperative Education Work Experience: Alternating
(1-3) EXP
Prerequisite(s): CED 220
A full-time communications related work experience supervised by department faculty coordinators in collaboration with the cooperative education staff. Credit is awarded upon successful completion of the work experience, documentation of predetermined Learning Agreement and evaluation of work performance. Evaluation is on pass/fail basis. COM 400, Internship may be substituted for the co-op work experience.
This course can be repeated for a maximum total of nine credits.
COM 498 Senior Thesis:New Media Campaign and Blogfolio Design (3)
Prerequisite(s): Students must have at least 75 hours of completed course work
Digital Portfolio: In the first half of the semester, participants will take an in-depth look at the power of digital portfolios as a tool to document student learning through exploring various formats and uses of digital portfolios. Students will implement a digital portfolio as part of their Capstone Project (along with the New Media Campaign), and create individual digital portfolios using a blend of audio, video, text, and images to introduce themselves. In the second half of the semester students will research, plan, create, and present a social media campaign for social change. This campaign will involve working closely with a community partner utilizing several forms of media to launch, manage, and measure the impact of a multimedia, multimodal public service campaign. Students will present their campaigns to the Mount St. Joseph Community.
COM 498S Serv Lrng:Senior Thesis:New Media Campaign and Blogfolio Design (1) EXP
Concurrent requisite(s): COM 498
Service Learning is an opportunity to engage in service to others while making academic connections to course material. This one credit hour course requires 30 hours of meaningful community service. Students will serve a community partner accomplishing projects relevant to the academic course to which the Service Learning credit is attached. Students will also be required to engage in different forms of reflection such as journaling, group guided reflection, and a one-on-one meeting with the course instructor. Students will develop a greater understanding of social problems, a sense of responsibility to our surrounding communities, and an increased awareness of their own faith and values.
COM 499 Communication Studies Capstone (1)
Prerequisite(s): 40 hours of Core curriculum completed
Individual application of communication theory and methods to a special problem in a manner that demonstrates integration of concepts and methods of the liberal arts and sciences and those of the major. Permission of department required.