The following curriculum is required for students who declared a major in Communication Studies during or after Fall 2011 semester. Students who declared their major prior to the Fall 2011 semester must follow the previous curriculum.
Note on the CommStudies Checklist: Students should take Foundations I and II as soon as possible, followed by the four Core classes (select one from each of the four areas.) These classes are pre-reqs for the Communications Seminar. Once students complete the Seminar course, they may select their academic track.
Note on CourseList-Tracks: Once a student takes Communications Seminar, they can then decide on a track. The classes that are part of the tracks are listed below. Major of Distinction students will have to meet with the director to plan their course of study, research and thesis courses, and to ensure that their language requirements have been met pending the acceptance of their application into the program.
Communication Studies:
Experiencing the World through
Practice, Scholarship, and Thought
CMST 1111 – Communication and Public Life (3 credits)
Introduction to the interrelationships between communication and public life, including the engagements that take place in social institutions, politics, the professions and the arts. Students will look at the basic literature on the concept of civil society and explore the issues discussed in the four tracks that make up Communication Studies: Policy, Regulation and Advocacy; Contemporary Media Environments; Global Civil Society; and Arts in the Public Sphere.
BTMM 1021 - Mass Media & Society (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to raise awareness of the range of contemporary media and their personal, political, economic, sociological, artistic and technological implications (including photographs, magazines, newspapers, books, film, television, CDs, DVDs, videogames, the internet, simulations and interactive technologies). Students will discuss how the digital revolution is leading to today’s convergence of computational, telecommunications and audiovisual media.
Core Course Descriptions
CMST 2111 –Communication Seminar (3 credits)
Introduction to a case study analysis of a contemporary public issue in communication. Students will examine the selected issue from the range of disciplinary approaches and methodologies introduced in the two Communication Studies foundation courses (“Communication and Public Life” and “Mass Media & Society”). Students will discuss how disciplinary approaches and methodologies can condition conclusions and consider the options available in interdisciplinary study. In the process, students will also focus on professional and academic preparation skills that will equip them to approach their futures. Pre-req: Completion of all CMST foundation and Core classes; required as entry into the CMST tracks.
Communication Theory (3 credits)
ADV 1101 Media & Society
ADV 1102 Introduction to Advertising
BTMM 1011 Mass Communication Theory
Journ 1111 Journalism and Society
Research Methods (3 credits)
ADV 1141 Intro to Advertising Research
BTMM 2141 Media Communication Research (Prerequisite: BTMM 1041)
Journ 2101 Journalism Research
Analysis (3 credits)
ADV 2151 Intro to Visual Communication
BTMM 2421 Media Popular Culture (Prerequisite: BTMM 1041)
Theater 1002 The Collaborative Art
Theater 1096 Introduction to Theater Process
Cross-Cultural Perspectives (3 credits)
FMA 1171 Media & Culture
STRC 3801 Intercultural Communication
Communication Studies Tracks
Policy, Regulation and Advocacy Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track focuses on citizen advocacy in the field of communication as related to and shaped by communication policy and regulation. Students are introduced to historical and recent examples of citizen advocacy in communication policy through the examination of social movements, civic journalism, art, performance and special interest groups tied to the issues of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and the environment.
Contemporary Media Environments Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track provides a historical overview of communication technologies – from papyrus to moveable type, from the rotary press to broadcasting and the Internet – and the ways that they shape public life. It introduces the theories on the relationship between technology and society, focusing on the intersection between communication technologies and the pubic sphere.
Global Civil Society Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track will survey evidence on the emergence of global civil society including social movements, historical development, and the growing international public sphere. Courses will address such topics as public diplomacy, global mediascapes, international views and public opinion.
Arts in the Public Sphere Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track will examine the history and theory of the performance and media-based arts, with a focus on the interplay between aesthetic expression, cultural context, and social change. Study will include courses on both artistic works that address explicit social issues and those that use innovative formal elements to suggest change.
Track Alternative
Communication Studies Major of Distinction:
5 SCT Courses (15 credits)
3 Foreign Language Courses (9 credits)
A two-semester thesis (6 credits)
The major of distinction is an academically rigorous program for students who wish to construct an interdisciplinary curriculum that meets their individual interests across the SCT departments. In the major of distinction, each student works individually with an advisor from a relevant SCT department to build a curriculum that goes beyond that offered by the tracks above. A student in the major of distinction must maintain at least a 3.5 average in Communication Studies foundation and core courses, earn at least a 3.25 average across the University, complete a five-course curriculum (in addition to the foundation and core courses), study 3 semesters of a foreign language, and construct a two-semester thesis.
New (Fall 2011)
Related Links
For Prospective Students
For Current Students
The following curriculum is required for students who declared a major in Communication Studies during or after Fall 2011 semester. Students who declared their major prior to the Fall 2011 semester must follow the previous curriculum.
CommStudies2011
Note on the CommStudies Checklist: Students should take Foundations I and II as soon as possible, followed by the four Core classes (select one from each of the four areas.) These classes are pre-reqs for the Communications Seminar. Once students complete the Seminar course, they may select their academic track.
CourseList-Tracks
Note on CourseList-Tracks: Once a student takes Communications Seminar, they can then decide on a track. The classes that are part of the tracks are listed below. Major of Distinction students will have to meet with the director to plan their course of study, research and thesis courses, and to ensure that their language requirements have been met pending the acceptance of their application into the program.
Communication Studies:
Experiencing the World through
Practice, Scholarship, and Thought
Program Requirements
The Communication Studies Program requires:
Foundation Course Descriptions
CMST 1111 – Communication and Public Life (3 credits)
Introduction to the interrelationships between communication and public life, including the engagements that take place in social institutions, politics, the professions and the arts. Students will look at the basic literature on the concept of civil society and explore the issues discussed in the four tracks that make up Communication Studies: Policy, Regulation and Advocacy; Contemporary Media Environments; Global Civil Society; and Arts in the Public Sphere.
BTMM 1021 - Mass Media & Society (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to raise awareness of the range of contemporary media and their personal, political, economic, sociological, artistic and technological implications (including photographs, magazines, newspapers, books, film, television, CDs, DVDs, videogames, the internet, simulations and interactive technologies). Students will discuss how the digital revolution is leading to today’s convergence of computational, telecommunications and audiovisual media.
Core Course Descriptions
CMST 2111 –Communication Seminar (3 credits)
Introduction to a case study analysis of a contemporary public issue in communication. Students will examine the selected issue from the range of disciplinary approaches and methodologies introduced in the two Communication Studies foundation courses (“Communication and Public Life” and “Mass Media & Society”). Students will discuss how disciplinary approaches and methodologies can condition conclusions and consider the options available in interdisciplinary study. In the process, students will also focus on professional and academic preparation skills that will equip them to approach their futures. Pre-req: Completion of all CMST foundation and Core classes; required as entry into the CMST tracks.
Communication Theory (3 credits)
Research Methods (3 credits)
Analysis (3 credits)
Cross-Cultural Perspectives (3 credits)
Communication Studies Tracks
Policy, Regulation and Advocacy Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track focuses on citizen advocacy in the field of communication as related to and shaped by communication policy and regulation. Students are introduced to historical and recent examples of citizen advocacy in communication policy through the examination of social movements, civic journalism, art, performance and special interest groups tied to the issues of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and the environment.
Contemporary Media Environments Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track provides a historical overview of communication technologies – from papyrus to moveable type, from the rotary press to broadcasting and the Internet – and the ways that they shape public life. It introduces the theories on the relationship between technology and society, focusing on the intersection between communication technologies and the pubic sphere.
Global Civil Society Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track will survey evidence on the emergence of global civil society including social movements, historical development, and the growing international public sphere. Courses will address such topics as public diplomacy, global mediascapes, international views and public opinion.
Arts in the Public Sphere Track – 7 Courses (21 credits)
This track will examine the history and theory of the performance and media-based arts, with a focus on the interplay between aesthetic expression, cultural context, and social change. Study will include courses on both artistic works that address explicit social issues and those that use innovative formal elements to suggest change.
Track Alternative
Communication Studies Major of Distinction:
The major of distinction is an academically rigorous program for students who wish to construct an interdisciplinary curriculum that meets their individual interests across the SCT departments. In the major of distinction, each student works individually with an advisor from a relevant SCT department to build a curriculum that goes beyond that offered by the tracks above. A student in the major of distinction must maintain at least a 3.5 average in Communication Studies foundation and core courses, earn at least a 3.25 average across the University, complete a five-course curriculum (in addition to the foundation and core courses), study 3 semesters of a foreign language, and construct a two-semester thesis.