Master of Arts in Communication

This course discusses key concepts, principles, and best practices of crisis communication. Intersections with other areas of the communication field will also be addressed, including public relations and organizational and risk communication. Students will understand the role strategic communication, power, stakeholders, and organizational culture play during a crisis. This course analyzes case studies of previous crises and will ask students to provide their own plans and critical assessments of recent crises. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3324. Previously CO 0497J.

This course will highlight how organizations market, promote, and advertise their brands. The importance of advertising for organizations, consumers, and the U.S. economy will also be a central focus of this class. Furthermore, the critical roles of research, audience analysis, persuasion, and effective communication in altering consumers’ perceptions will be explored from both theoretical and applied perspectives. The value of deconstructing ads from a consumer, brand manager, and advertiser’s viewpoint will be stressed and explored. In addition, the historical and contemporary ethical implications of advertising, especially in health care and for children, will be closely examined. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3325. Previously CO 0497F.

This is an interdisciplinary, intercultural course that applies a bifocal (communication and healthcare) lens to the study of palliative care. The course is intended to explore this relatively new area of health care delivery (quality of life vs. cure) and the critical role communication plays in accomplishing the interdependent goals of providers, patients, and families in the United States and Italy. Since palliative care should be for all chronically- and/or terminally-ill patients across the life cycle, students will critically examine, from both health care and communication perspectives, the differences in palliative care delivery in the United States and Italy. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 4328. Previously CO 0497S, COMM 5326.

This course critically examines the causes for, and the consequences of, the proliferation of false and misleading information in online spaces. While the ubiquity of false information online is often talked about as if it is random or inevitable, this class will detail the specific mechanisms by which false information is produced, spread, and consumed. More importantly, it will contextualize the practice within larger social, culture, and geopolitical environments and connect it to the larger history of misinformation and media technologies. Finally, the course will prepare students to combat false and misleading information encountered in their own media diets. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 4330. Previously CO 0497Q.

This course provides a comparative overview of the economic and regulatory structure of media industries worldwide. By exploring the ways in which different institutional frameworks, structural factors, and audiences’ agency affect mass communication within and across regional borders, this course offers a comprehensive picture of common and interdependent processes underlying the individual development of media industries in each region. Students learn about emerging market and research trends concerning international media. Issues related to free flow of messages, social responsibility, universal access, intellectual commons, participatory communication, developmental communication, and cultural diversity in the global exchange of media messages through discussion of current, real-life cases, as well as through design and execution of an original research project. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3334. Previously CO 0497E.

Globalization, a complex and transformative process that influences our lives at every level, has produced the increased flow of goods, capital, people, knowledge, images, crime, pollutants, drugs, fashion, viruses, and beliefs across territorial and ideological boundaries of all kinds. This course focuses on the role of communication media (radio, television, film, computers) in the processes of globalization and examines the impact of globalization on cultural representations, cultural identity, and international relations. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3335. Previously CO 0497G.

At the turn of the millennium, social media was still an unknown term; today, it is inescapably altering the landscape of our world and our lives in complex ways. This course examines social media by historicizing what is timeless about it and charting its new frontiers for humankind. Through a mix of scholarly, journalistic, and professional industry readings on social media, we will explore how culture, community, and identity are being reshaped alongside politics, business, and (what was once called) the mass communication industry. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 4336. Previously CO 0497L.

This course provides a broad introduction to the structure, conventions, and effects of visual communication with a theoretical emphasis on media ecology. The first half is devoted to understanding formal properties including examining the basics of vision, techniques for visual persuasion, and the language of cinematography and editing. The second half surveys more controversial issues like digital manipulation and violence and sex in media. Course material and assignments will be drawn from media domains including advertising, photo/video journalism, and video games. Students will read both theoretical contributions to and empirical investigations of the field. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3337. Previously CO 0497H.

Conflict is a natural part of human life that has a variety of potential consequences. Although conflict can be disruptive and destructive, it can also be constructive and lead to improved adjustment and better decisions. The course is designed to offer you opportunities to enhance and improve your techniques and skills in managing conflict and moving them in a productive direction. The course examines the dynamics of human conflict across a variety of settings from personal relationships to the workplace, with special attention to the communication processes that escalate, manage, and mediate conflict. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3340. Previously CO 0497O.

This course focuses on the only reality for every human being: death. However, in spite of its certainty, American culture tends to minimize or ignore discussions of death and provides little insight into effective communication strategies for healthcare providers, family members, friends, and lovers. The complexities of this unique communication will be assessed vis-à-vis an applied approach that includes a service-learning opportunity at a 51-bed hospice. In addition, the course will include self-reflection, autoethnography, an exploration of scholarly research in palliative communication, and scholarly interaction between students in the classroom and the hospice setting. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 4341. Previously CO 0497D.

This course explores phenomena, trends, and theories related to emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as relationships among those technologies, socioeconomic structures, “old” media institutions, media users, and culture. Through a combination of theoretical and practical explorations that emphasize historical, ethical, and critical thinking, the course introduces students to academic and non-academic perspectives on new media. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3342. Previously CO 0497C.

This course will explore the dialectical tensions between the need for safe and effective products/services and the expectations for corporations to generate profits and dividends for their stakeholders. This course will use an applied ethics lens to examine the organizational, marketing, advertising, and corporate communication to clients, consumers, vendors, and investors.The content and ethical implications of marketing communication (from a variety of organizational perspectives: healthcare, economics, cultural, etc.) on expected and unintended outcomes will also be discussed and analyzed. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 4343. Previously CO 0497K.

This course explores current trends in literature on the topics of race relations, communication styles and patterns, communication theory, and the social construction of race along with its influence on how individuals from different races communicate. Throughout the course, up-to-date issues that surface locally and nationally in the media that illustrate the relevance of improved interracial communication will be addressed through class discussion and linked to course assignments. Using case studies to explore interracial exchanges in close relationships, at the workplace, and reflected in social media, students will link theory with practical applications in an effort to better understand interracial communication. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3344. Previously CO 0497P.

This course explores the organizational communication of modern U.S. healthcare organizations, including: managed care, insurers, healthcare systems, and Medicare/Medicaid. The primary purposes of this course are to provide an understanding of how communication within, and from healthcare corporations impacts the organization, its employees, the health of its customers and U.S. healthcare delivery. This course will evaluate and explore the multidimensional processes involved in healthcare organizations and how communication is critical to their success or failure and to the health and well-being of their customers. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3347. Previously CO 0497W.

This course examines the communication theories and research that underlie the study of risky behaviors and the development of effective responses to perceived risks. This course provides an understanding of how communication impacts our assessment of risk, critical thinking and policy making about risk prevention and response, and the creation of preventive programs and campaigns. Students will evaluate and explore the multidimensional processes involved in researching and responding to sustained risks or emergency situations, utilize communication theory to develop appropriate campaigns, and assess their success or failure. Topics may focus on health and environmental risks, security, or disaster response. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 3348. Previously CO 0497R.

This class critically examines processes by which publics use and are used by media in the quest for social change around the globe. Social movements have frequently objected to their representation by mainstream media industries and sought to either affect coverage or produce their own media platforms and narratives. The possibilities for mediated activism have increased in an era of user-generated content, while also introducing increasing competition for the time, attention and enthusiasm of publics. Through theories of social movements, communication technologies and publics this course will address processes of assembling publics in an increasingly mediated society. Undergraduate equivalent: COMM 4352. Previously CO 0497T.

This class is designed to provide an introduction for the graduate student to the diverse and voluminous research in the area of human communication. As such, it covers an extremely wide range of intellectual, scientific, and historical material. It is a survey course, but we will deal with selected areas in depth. This course will not only introduce the areas of human communication theory and research, but it will also introduce the process of theorizing and thinking about communication. Therefore, the nature of theory, research, and intellectual inquiry is an important part of this course. Previously CO 0400.

Coursework includes a comprehensive overview of the development of ethics from ancient to contemporary thought and practices. Emphasis is placed on the ethical agenda, problems, and responsibilities of contemporary organizations in diverse cultures. Case studies and student research focus on contemporary issues in the ethical communicative performance. The relationship between Jesuit philosophy and applied communication work in organizations is also explored. Previously CO 0440.

This course is intended to highlight organizations and how they are created, maintained and changed through social interaction. Communicating by organizational members is essentially organizing. The course examines organizational communication from both functional and constructivist perspectives. Previously CO 0410.

Explores how written communication by its very nature is drastically different from verbal and other nonverbal forms of communication. Considers the effect a printable form of communication has on the message, the sender and receiver, and the potential legal issues associated with written communication. This course focuses on the impact of written messages for intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, organizational, intercultural, and mass media communication. Examines the historical transformation in content, style, and perception from letters, memos, and notes to the evolving electronic formats for written communication including: e-mails, blogs, chat rooms, e-networking/e-cultures, wikis, etc. Previously CO 0430.

The course concentrates on the legal and economic environment of U.S. mass media. Topics include examination of major doctrines of media law, organization and operation of individual media industries, the economic structure of U.S. media markets, the role of media watchdogs and advocacy organizations, as well as media users’ forms of collective action. The course’s content is approached through an institutional analysis perspective, intended to facilitate students’ understanding of institutions as dynamic points of confluence for organizations, norms, and individual agents. As part of the course’s requirements, students conduct a research project exploring recent developments in media regulation and/or decision-making processes within one of the major media institutions covered during the semester. Previously CO 0431.

Communication training and development focuses on “the process of developing skills in order to perform a specific job or task more effectively. Stated simply, to train is to develop skills” (Beebe, Mottet, and Roach, 2013 p. 5). Therefore, this course adopts a research-based approach to understanding training and development, with the ultimate goal of equipping students with skills necessary to become successful corporate trainers. Some students might pursue careers in training, whereas others will not. Regardless of your career choice, though, there will be times in your professional lives where you work “to develop skills” in others. Previously CO 0432.

This is a one-week, predominantly face-to-face course that includes online interactions. This course examines the theories and research that underlie the study of health risk communication and behaviors. The primary purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of how communication impacts our assessment of health risk behaviors, critical thinking, the creation of preventive programs, and outcomes. This course will evaluate and explore the multidimensional processes involved in researching the communication of risky behaviors and how organizations can utilize health communication theory to develop appropriate campaigns and assess their success or failure. Previously CO 0448.

This course is a critical examination of the major theories of interpersonal communication and an exploration of interpersonal communication research in relational and organizational contexts. Student projects will use social science research methods to examine factors influencing interpersonal communication such as language, perception, nonverbal behavior, power, status, and gender roles. Previously CO 0500.

This course is a study of the communication dimensions and dynamics of small groups, teams, and networks of organizational actors. Coursework and projects focus on interpersonal processes and structures for tasking and relating effectively in organizational settings. The special characteristics of virtual team and technology-enhanced decision-making work are investigated. Previously CO 0502.

This course focuses on the communication behaviors that constitute leadership. Models explore interpersonal influence, power in organizations, leading decision-making teams and task-oriented groups, and developing situational leadership skills. Early and contemporary research perspectives on leadership are reviewed and critically analyzed. Student projects include case studies and reviews of role-model leaders. Previously CO 0522.

This course explores a selection of conflict situations with particular emphasis on organizational and community settings. Theoretical exploration focuses on the nature of conflict, and negotiation and dialogue as communication processes. The course privileges win-win and dialogic approaches and provides experiential learning in simulations in which teams of students negotiate detailed and practicable outcomes for resolving contemporary organizational and societal problems. Previously CO 0524.

This course introduces students to the study of media in the United States. It focuses on the major theoretical trajectories that have shaped the field, empirical research that has emerged as canonical, and contemporary critical approaches that inform not just how we study media as scholars, but also how we understand media as consumers. Previously CO 0530.

This course examines those situations where work and life intersect and how humans use communication to create, negotiate, and manage work/life intersections. Previously CO 0531.

This course focuses on public relations, advertising and marketing strategies for nonprofit and public service organizations. The course begins with a broad overview of media industries and the changing landscape of media technologies and then considers how nonprofit and other public service organizations can best leverage resources to effectively communicate with intended audiences. Both theoretical and practical, this course provides graduate students with historical understandings of how media industries are organized and how not for profit organizations interface with profit-driven media businesses. Special attention is paid to how social media platforms and other digital technologies impact communication strategies. Previously CO 0532.

The digital and social media that have emerged in the past decade are reshaping our world in profound ways – this course explores those developments in light of both extended history and the contemporary moment. Through a mix of scholarly and journalistic readings, we will inquire into the ways in which culture, community, and identity are undergoing change alongside marketing, politics, and the “mass” communication industries. Our focus will include a wide variety of new media platforms, practices, and issues drawn from social networking, mobile, and online content, as we cultivate a critical lens on society’s increasing digitalization (and its discontents). Previously CO 0537.

This course takes a critical look at the intersection of consumer culture, advertising, marketing and communication. This course also considers the history of advertising, marketing and public relations in the United States as a starting point for better understanding of contemporary practices in these fields. Central in this examination is a consideration of how race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality often map (and are mapped onto) specific consumption patterns. Further, this course examines how advertising and related communication practices happen within a specific political-economic environment and how technology is quickly changing how theory translates into practice in these fields. While advertising, marketing and public relations are undoubtedly a part of our consumer culture, this course is not exclusively about how to “do” these activities, but rather how these communication practices impact our culture. Finally this course will ask students to critically reflect on consumption in terms of global, environmental and labor concerns. Previously CO 0539.

This course examines the relationship between communication behavior and cultural factors such as nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, class, sexuality, and religion. We will focus on cross-cultural sense-making, relationships, problem-solving, and organizing with particular application to business, education, and health care encounters. The course reviews the social science research of variations in normative communication behavior, as well as the theoretical approaches to understanding the relationship between worldview/cultural values and preferred communication practices. Examples will be used from a variety of nations, as well as those within the diverse cultural landscape of contemporary United States. Previously CO 0540.

Rooted in a constitutive approach to communication, this course advances the notion that identities are not bound within the self, but rather, are socially negotiated through communication practices and are situated firmly in cultural and historical settings. Specifically, this course examines how racial identities emerge, reform, and are redirected through discourse. In addition to exploring how racial categorizations are socially constructed, this course attends to contemporary representations of race within media, education, and health care systems. Further, students in this course will interrogate social issues involving structural inequality, privilege, power, and hegemony. Previously CO 0545.

This course examines the processes and complexities of modern healthcare organizations (hospitals, nursing homes, insurers, associations, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, non-profits, marketing, advertising, and PR firms, provider education institutions, etc.). The primary purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of how communication within, to, and from healthcare organizations impacts the company, its employees, stakeholders, customers, federal and local governments, and U.S. healthcare delivery. This course will evaluate and explore the multidimensional processes utilized by healthcare organizations and how communication is critical to their successes or failures and to the health and well being of their customers. Previously CO 0547.

Communicating to people about health has become one of the most active areas of communication research and practice. This course focuses on the theory and practice of communication in health settings. Topics covered include doctor-patient communication, health campaigns, effects of media on health, intercultural issues in health communication, and risk communication in relation to health practices. Previously CO 0548.

The communication practicum is a semester-long internship or other type of placement carried out by graduate students in communication in local, national, or international contexts. These placements are determined in conjunction with, and carried out under the supervision of, a faculty member. Practicums allow students to gain professional experience; where possible these activities should relate directly to thesis projects and other long-term academic interests. Students must commit to a minimum of 120 hours at an approved work site (internships cannot be done at a student’s place of employment) and are also responsible for completing additional academic requirements. Previously CO 0498.

This course is taught when a particular faculty member has a compelling proposal for a topic that has been approved by the department. Preference will be given to topics related to contemporary issues or to a current faculty research project. Previously CO 0559.

This course operates as an independent study experience under the supervision of a faculty advisor and the secondary supervision of one additional faculty reader. Each proposal and project should have a total of two readers, the faculty advisor and one additional reader from the Communication Department who has taught the student. At the student’s request, a faculty member from another department who has taught the student in a graduate course could serve as a third reader. In unusual circumstances (e.g., a conflict between the faculty advisor and the second reader) a third reader would be assigned by the Graduate Program Director. The project will be presented to the faculty and should have some kind of public presentation or impact. Previously CO 0570.

This course operates as an independent study experience under the supervision of a faculty advisor and the secondary supervision of one additional faculty reader. Each proposal and project should have a total of two readers, the faculty advisor and one additional reader from the Communication Department who has taught the student. At the student’s request, a faculty member from another department who has taught the student in a graduate course could serve as a third reader. In unusual circumstances (e.g., a conflict between the faculty advisor and the second reader) a third reader would be assigned by the Graduate Program Director. The project will be presented to the faculty and should have some kind of public presentation or impact. Previously CO 0571.

This course operates as an independent study experience under the supervision of a faculty advisor and the secondary supervision of one additional faculty reader. Each proposal and thesis should have a total of two readers, the faculty advisor and one additional reader from the Communication Department who has taught the student. At the student’s request, a faculty member from another department who has taught the student in a graduate course could serve as a third reader. In unusual circumstances (e.g., a conflict between the faculty advisor and the second reader) a third reader would be assigned by the Graduate Program Director. The thesis will be orally presented to the faculty. Previously CO 0560.

This course operates as an independent study experience under the supervision of a faculty advisor and the secondary supervision of one additional faculty reader. Each proposal and thesis should have a total of two readers, the faculty advisor and one additional reader from the Communication Department who has taught the student. At the student’s request, a faculty member from another department who has taught the student in a graduate course could serve as a third reader. In unusual circumstances (e.g., a conflict between the faculty advisor and the second reader) a third reader would be assigned by the Graduate Program Director. The thesis will be orally presented to the faculty. Previously CO 0561.

This course allows students to thoroughly investigate communication concepts, theories, or issues presented in a previously completed graduate communication course. Independent study does not substitute for any other required course(s) in the graduate program and students’ investigations must be scholarly in intent. An independent study may be taken only once. Enrollment by approval of the Graduate Director only, with the sponsorship of a a communication faculty member. Previously CO 0598.