Courses

Section 01: Communication Processes

Section 02: Library and Information Science

Section 03: Media Studies

As a general rule, students only take independent study credits when no course offerings matching their needs are available. Students should not have more than one independent study as an elective counting toward their minimal doctoral degree requirements (unless director, area coordinator, and student's adviser approve such a request). Students may take additional independent studies, as long as they are not used to fulfill minimal program credit requirements. In other words, only one Independent study will count toward your degree credits, unless approved as above.

As a general rule, students only take independent study credits when no course offerings matching their needs are available. Students should not have more than one independent study as an elective counting toward their minimal doctoral degree requirements (unless director, area coordinator, and student's adviser approve such a request). Students may take additional independent studies, as long as they are not used to fulfill minimal program credit requirements. In other words, only one Independent study will count toward your degree credits, unless approved as above.

Taken after completion of all coursework credits and the Transfer of Approved Master's Degree Course Credits.  The number of research credits taken during a particular semester will vary and should reflect the degree of involvement in dissertation research of the student and his/her advisor during that semester. Once a student has passed his or her qualifying examination, the minimum registration required 1 research credit per semester.

Taken after completion of all coursework credits and the Transfer of Approved Master's Degree Course Credits.  The number of research credits taken during a particular semester will vary and should reflect the degree of involvement in dissertation research of the student and his/her advisor during that semester. Once a student has passed his or her qualifying examination, the minimum registration required 1 research credit per semester.

Students who must interrupt their studies may, with the approval of a program director, register for Matriculation Continued (leave of absence). There is no tuition for this registration, although a student fee is charged. Students who do not register for Matriculation Continued will be charged a reactivation fee upon their return to the program. (Students on temporary visas who interrupt their studies must in most cases leave the United States during such periods.) Matriculation Continued is available only to students not enrolled in any coursework and not using faculty time and university facilities, except to complete previous coursework from classes with incomplete or temporary grades. Students may enroll in Matriculation Continued for a maximum of two consecutive semesters.

For students appointed to fellowships.

Research internships are not generally offered by the SC&I doctoral program, but may occasionally become available.

For students appointed to Graduate Assistantships.  Credits for a Graduate Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

For students appointed as part-time Graduate Assistants.  Part-time GA appointments (half-time for a semester or year) are not generally offered by the SC&I doctoral program, but may occasionally become available.May be offered under the 867 or 878 course numbers.  Credits for a Graduate Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

For students appointed as Teaching Assistants.  Credits for a Teaching Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

For students appointed as part-time Teaching Assistants. Part-time TA appointments (half-time for a semester or year) are not generally offered by the SC&I doctoral program, but may occasionally become available.  Credits for a Teaching Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

(Below are some sample topics courses that have been offered in the past few years)

Corporate Social Responsibility 
Focuses on communication in the business-society relationship and the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The seminar examines the communication, information, and media issues emerging along with global transformations in the relationship among business, society, and government.

Conflict and Collaboration
This course examines the role of communication in conflict and collaboration. The course focuses on theories and methods for describing, assessing, and diagnosing complex situations to understand the nature of conflict and the possibilities for collaboration among groups, organizations, and communities.

Communication and Civil Society Organizations
This course provides a critical examination of the particular communication problems encountered by the nonprofit organization. Among the topics that are explored: Superior subordinate relationships in volunteer-based organizations, interactions with special stakeholders (e.g., volunteer boards, funding agencies, community groups, under-served client populations), inter-organizational coordination efforts within communities of nonprofits, image and representation of nonprofit organizations, formal and informal structure within non-profits, and planned change implementation in the context of multiple stakeholder relationships.

Communication and Organizational Change
This course will serve as a broad introduction to theories, perspectives, and empirical evidence related to organizational change and how communicative processes are involved in this phenomenon. We will examine traditional topics of organizational development, implementation, and stakeholders' responses to change programs. Embedded in those discussions will be exploration of issues of vision, leadership, channels used for communication, interaction among stakeholders, strategic messages for implementation, emotional aspects of change, and trust and fairness among others.

Organizational Communication Networks
This course is an introduction to the theory, concepts, procedures, methods, and analysis of social networks with an emphasis on theory and its applications in organizational communication. The goal of the course is to provide you foundational knowledge about communication networks and their implications for organizations. Students will develop a working knowledge of relevant social networks theories, concepts, and methods used to describe and understand relationships in and among organizations. The objective of this course is to help students understand and articulate network theory, its applications, and implications for audiences including researchers and practicing professionals.

Dynamics of Global Organizations
This course aims to provide deeper insight into the contested phenomenon of globalization and its implications for organizations and processes of organizing. Topics covered include globalization theory and theoretical perspectives, global management, culture and cross-cultural issues, the role of technology, global and virtual teams, outsourcing, network organizations, knowledge management, identification, and social justice. Students taking this course will gain awareness of the complexities of organizing across national boundaries and the role of communication in this process, as well as assessing the implications of globalization for today's organizations, including both corporations and non-profits, governmental and private.

Organizational Culture
This seminar is designed to expose students to the vast arena of literature on organizational culture and cultural approaches to studying organizations. Course readings and discussions cover dominant theoretical frameworks for studying culture in organizations and various approaches taken (interpretive, ethnographic, narrative, and social scientific), as well as current issues facing the field. The goal is for students to be conversant with the breadth of the literature as well as to be able to conduct original cultural or interpretive research in organizational settings.

This course gives students hands-on instruction in how to use digital media tools to produce interactive and media rich online stories. Students will learn key concepts and design principles in Web technologies & programming (e.g., XHTML, CSS, JavaScript), Video editing and Animation. Students will develop a website that presents a multi-part investigative story, using slideshows, videos and animations. Students will learn how to capture engaging photo & video footage to create an effective multimedia experience in post-production.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Plan and develop investigative multimedia story that is well researched.
• Capture photo & video footage that is visually engaging.
• Create storyboard of video story to be produced.
• Create and upload XHTML Web pages that are standards compliant and contain relative and absolute links, tables, images and embedded video.
• Design external Cascading Style Sheets that control the layout and visual appearance of a set of Web pages.
• Understand the Basics of JavaScript to create interactive slideshow with concise captions.
• Edit video footage to produce well structured video in post-production.
• Create animation that presents information in a well timed and interactive way. 

Students develop a professional e-portfolio that showcases: a resume; academic work, professional development courses, certifications and/or military service; social media and other digital assets; relevant audio/video material; professional, community, and school activities; and writing samples.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe what an e-portfolio is and how it may be used by prospective employers or relevant organizations/institutions.
• Identify the opportunities/dangers of online self-presentation/branding and networking in a digital world.
• Compile an inventory of skills, accomplishments, prior learning experiences, and salient examples that will help in the discovery of career potential and the development of a career strategy, which will guide e-portfolio design and content.
• Strategize to determine personal short- and long-term communication career goals.
• Create and/or update materials (e.g., a resume, LinkedIn profile, writing and/or video samples, elevator speech, etc.) relevant to career positioning and for possible inclusion in the e-portfolio.
• Successfully plan, draft, revise, and create a quality e-portfolio on an appropriately selected platform that effectively and dynamically showcases pertinent experiences, skills, education, and talent as a communications professional.

Students use emerging digital technology to develop and test innovations in journalism and media.  Emerging technologies are applied to journalism and media to create and test new storytelling formats, production techniques, media management strategies, and social media approaches.  Students consider how these innovations can engage citizens across time and space, provide much-needed context and customization to content, interactive entertainment, and new business models to support and sustain journalism and the media in a fragmented, and mobile, digital future.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Reinvent storytelling in journalism and media content emphasizing the best traditional values of journalism, including fairness, impartiality, accuracy, multiple known sources, attribution, fact checking, attention to detail, news judgment and ethics, while cultivating the possibilities of media and their processes, including interactivity, multi-modal media expression and presentation, use control, navigation and customization, and contextualization of facts.
• Develop innovative journalism and media applications and projects in prototype format.
• Critically assess these innovations in terms of their potential consequences (benefits and liabilities) should they be widely adopted or utilized.

This course examines the role of communication in society. Taught with a special topics focus in each semester, the course will examine the important impacts that communication processes, relationships, and messages have in society. Topics of focus include corporate social responsibility; community networks; community health campaigns; political communication; communication in civil society organizations among others.  (Offered every fall semester)

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

• Understand the basic concepts and vocabulary related to CSR.
• Comprehensively understand ethical and social issues/decisions in CSR (beyond marketing).
• Enhanced ability to integrate CSR perspective into organizational communication.
• Enhanced ability to evaluate an organization’s CSR initiatives.
• Have a better understanding of career opportunities related to CSR and social innovation.

This course will serve as a broad introduction to theories, perspectives, and empirical evidence related to organizational communication in a wide range of organizations (e.g., non-profit, for-profit, governmental, communal) and in a variety of contexts (e.g., industry, educational, social services, advocacy). Students will learn about historical, current and future issues; changes and challenges facing organizations; and the communication-relevant aspects of these issues. They will gain practice in applying theoretical perspectives and concepts to actual organizational situations and settings.  

Communication plays a central role in organizations. It can enable organizational members to persuade, motivate, lead, mislead, collaborate, or resist, and it may enhance or undermine relationships. Communication is also central to processes of organizing, such as teamwork, decision-making, knowledge sharing, organizational culture, socialization of employees, the implementation of new technology, member loyalty and turnover, as well as to external stakeholders and interorganizational relationships. The purpose of this course is to augment your understanding of the relationship between communication and organizations (e.g., corporations, non-profit agencies, sports teams, political parties, universities, or volunteer groups). (Offered every spring semester)

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand fundamental organizational perspectives, theories, and concepts.
• Use organizational communication theories and concepts to analyze behavior in organizations, through both case studies and real examples.
• Translate theory into practice and apply organizational theories and concepts to your social and professional life.
• Analyze and synthesize information and ideas form multiple sources to generate new insights.

Drawing on existing theory and research, this course examines issues of usage, adoption, and performance of new and established communication technologies in the workplace and other contexts. The course also considers opportunities and challenges that mediated communication presents for both users of these tools and society more generally. The course will expose students to a range of new technologies used by people to coordinate, collaborate, and communication with one another.  (Offered every spring semester)

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Identify new communication technologies (and key features/dimensions) relevant to the workplace and other contexts.
• Name and summarize major theories relevant to the study of new communication technologies.
• Recognize and discuss key scholars and research findings regarding the topics and technologies discussed in class.
• Apply theory and research from the communication technology literature in writing assignments, class discussion, as well as in your own work experience.
• Train others about an issue related to new media based on existing theory and research from class.

The MCM Graduate Experience course is a non-credit course that helps new MCM students get acclimated to the MCM Program and Graduate education. It will offer insights in what is expected in the program, writing at the graduate level, introduction to APA and an overview of research. It also helps in understanding what is expected of MCM students in the classroom, both on-campus and online.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand what is expected of MCM students in terms of critical thinking, critical writing and synthesis.
• Understand of what is expected of MCM students in terms of classroom demeanor and participation.
• Understand the basic expectations around academic integrity, the use of APA and how to access related resources.
• Understand the MCM Program structure, organization, opportunities and related resources.

This course is will introduce students to a set of social science research methods that are used in the communication discipline and in workplace and organizational contexts. At the end of this course, students should have a basic understanding of several general research methods used by communication scholars and have gained an appreciation for the ethical considerations in conducting human subjects research. Students will gain knowledge and practice of collection methods such as questionnaires, experiments, structured interviews, focus groups, structured observations, and content analysis.  (Offered every fall semester)

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

• Understand and use a basic vocabulary of concepts relating to social science methodology.
• Be able to identify the basic considerations in designing and conducting questionnaire studies, experiments, structured interviews, content coding.
• Be familiar with the requirements for treatment of human subjects in social science research and be apply to apply principles for ethical research to specific study designs.
• Be able to identify quality and problematic research exemplars.
• Be able to describe a research study that uses social science methods of questionnaires, experiments, interviews, and /or content coding.

Since public relations became a paid profession in the United States in the early 1900s, the industry has undergone an incredible transformation, especially in the past 15 years with the arrival of social media channels. Public Relations History and the Modern World covers the transformation of the public relations discipline from earned media to the PESO (Paid Media, Earned Media, Shared Media and Owned Media) model and will feature a detailed history review, real-time and real-world applications of the PESO Model, and the opportunity to immerse students in experiential learning by meeting and engaging with leading public relations practitioners and applying what they learn to a real-life client situation.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the history and evolution of public relations
• Understand and apply the PESO Model to contemporary client situations.
• Bridge the foundational work of public relations pioneers to today’s integrated PESO Model approach.
• Identify public relations issues in today’s marketplace that are the priority for practitioners in an agency or corporate setting.
• Develop writing and presentation skills relevant to public relations roles through group and individual assignments and class discussions.
• Deliver appropriate and impactful public relations programming that addresses current market challenges.

SERVICE, ADVOCACY, AND IMPACT helps students build practical skills in using communication for the greater good. In this course, we will explore the ways that communicators can use their abilities in the context of nonprofit organizations, direct community service provision, or corporate social good. This course will combine instruction, group work and reflection, and a hands-on project with a community organization in order to pair learning with practice. By the end of this course, students will have first-hand, working knowledge of the opportunities and challenges in using communication for public service.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Observe and practice ways that communications can be leveraged for positive social impact.
• Develop intimate understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing communicators who intend to focus on CSR, nonprofit, or community-based service in their careers.
• Synthesize concepts of project management through the development and execution of a successful project plan.
• Apply digital communication/social media to purpose-driven work.
• Implement key principles for creating and delivering powerful presentations.
• Commit to making a positive impact in the world.

This course examines the nature and impact of the media of mass communication in society. Particular attention is paid to emerging media technology, including the Internet and other digital technologies. Students learn four primary ways new technology influences media and society, including 1) how media professionals and members of the public increasingly create content using new media technologies, 2) the nature of mediated content, 3) the relationships between and among media and relevant publics, and 4) the structure, culture and management of media organizations and systems. Students learn five areas of media technology, including 1) acquisition tools, 2) storage technologies, 3) processing devices, 4) distribution technologies and 5) display, access or presentation tools.

This course examines how media theory can be used to explain the communicative power of citizens, journalists and politicians in the era of mainstream media, and today as American politics has been “rebooted” with the digital revolution.  

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Contrast and compare how major theories in the field of media studies are being recast for the digital age.
• Analyze how journalists, politicians, and media consultants are changing their practice in light of today’s multiple media platforms.
• Evaluate the style and social value of online political media in light of these changes.