Communications and Composition Contact Person: Dr. Sara Sliter-Hays

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1 Communications and Composition Contact Person: Dr. Sara Sliter-Hays Drawing on both the rich humanistic and Jesuit traditions of Rhetoric, the Communications and Composition Department prepares students for life, leadership, and service through instruction in Eloquentia Perfecta, the good person speaking and writing well for the public good. The Communications Major is designed to meet the needs of students who hope to pursue careers in which writing, speaking, and knowledge management are essential. It is appropriate for students who want to work in advertising, advocacy, public relations, marketing, journalism, law, education, the media, government at all levels, and many other careers. The Communications major stresses both analysis and production of different forms of communications. Upon completion of the major, students will demonstrate the ability to: 1. Identify, analyze, and critique communications strategies across a range of media and texts; 2. Assess the validity and ethics of arguments and rhetorical strategies; 3. Employ a variety of modes of persuasion; 4. Produce rhetorically effective texts and presentations. Concentrations available in the Communications major are: Professional Communication Communication Studies Integrated Marketing Communication Core-fulfilling Courses: ENG 105/110 AP Placement Equivalencies The department grants equivalency credit for AP scores of 4 or higher on the following courses: Language and Composition: ENG 105 or 110 Requirements for Professional Communication Major Bachelor of Arts Degree These courses are taken by all Communication majors...with a slightly modified list, detailed below, for the Integrated Marketing Communication major: COM 103 Principles of Communication I COM 104 Principles of Communication 2 (formerly Persuasion) COM 109 Media and Culture 112

2 COM 208 Signs and Symbols (formerly Intercultural Communication) COM 211 Fundamentals of Reporting COM 251 Ethnography (formerly Public Opinion and Surveys) COM 304 Media Law SSC 327 Research Methods ENG 220 Advanced Composition ENG 224 Public Speaking Electives are offered in four concentrations which apply foundational principles to specific areas, media, and professional practices: Concentration One: Professional Communication (Visual Rhetoric I; Visual Rhetoric II; Organizational Communication; Mock Trial; Drawing 1 or Digital Photography) Concentration Two: Media Studies (Visual Rhetoric I; Race and Gender in Media; Social Media and Society; Demagoguery; Introduction to Story) Concentration Three: Media Writing [choose 4 of 6] (Public Relations; Advertising; Integrated Marketing Campaigns; Creative Fiction; Creative Nonfiction; Screenwriting; Introduction to Story) Concentration Four: Integrated Marketing Communication: ACC 123 Principles of Accounting I ACC 124 Principles of Accounting II MKT 211 Principles of Marketing BUS 221 Quantitative Business Analysis MKT 316 Consumer Behavior MKT 310 Marketing Research MKT 420 Marketing Strategies COM 103 Principles of Communication I COM 104 Principles of Communication 2 (formerly Persuasion) COM 258 Public Relations Writing COM 259 Advertising COM 351 Integrated Marketing Communication COM 401 Senior Seminar FAS 142/147 Digital Photography OR Drawing 1 In addition, students must participate in a minimum of at least 4 semesters in at least two of the approved campus media project (Cardinal Connection, Cardinal Cast, etc.) Course Description: (Includes descriptions of Communication core classes. Descriptions of Communication concentration classes are forthcoming.) COM 103 Principles of Communication I F Survey of essential concepts and skills for effective communication in media, business and personal life with emphasis on learning the traditional modes of persuasion, including argument, form, and style. This course focuses on learning and building analytical skill in decoding and understanding persuasive strategies across a broad range of media, including written and oral arguments, television, movies, advertising, and images. 113

3 COM 104 Principles of Communication II (Formerly Persuasion) S Survey of mass communication strategies and modern communication, and theories of communication failure. This class builds on the practical persuasive skills learned in COM 103 but teaches students to analyze and understand persuasive discourse, broadly considered. Students will examine propaganda, twentieth-century marketing strategies, and demagoguery. Prerequisite: COM 103 COM 109 Media and Culture F Using techniques from cultural studies and rhetorical studies, students will learn to critically analyze culture and its textual artifacts to understand how texts and culture shape and inform one another. The course will consider new media, print, television, movies, radio, and the Internet. COM 142/FAS 142 Digital Photography F This course introduces students to the history, aesthetics, and principles of photography with an emphasis on the rhetoric of digital photography. Students will explore the history and development of photography and learn the principles of composition, lighting, exposure, and special effects. This course has no prerequisites but requires the use of a digital camera with manual settings. (Communication majors are required to take this course as their Fine Arts Core.) COM 208 Signs and Symbols (formerly Intercultural Communication) S The class will look at the nuts and bolts of any kind of communication--how symbolic systems, including language, work together to create meaning for an audience, and how different audiences can derive different understandings from the same communication. The course will explore the theoretical issues grounding intercultural communications and present organizations, societies, and cultures as communicative performances. Prerequisite: COM 103 COM 211 Fundamentals of Reporting F Examination of and practice in the skills of gathering information and writing news and feature stories with precision, balance and insight. Emphasis on planning and writing strategies, conducting effective interviews and developing the power of observation and research necessary for accurate and vivid description and reporting. Students will produce several stories for their portfolios. Writing intensive. COM 212 Copy Editing and Layout Fundamentals and techniques of editing and designing newspaper and magazine pages and online publications for clarity, accuracy and impact. Emphasis on an audience-centered approach to editing and page design that ensures that readers and viewers see and care. Students will produce several page design projects for their portfolios. (Will be offered for the final time Spring 2014.) COM 231 Introduction to Visual Design and Desktop Publishing Fundamentals and techniques of visual design, typography and page layout. Students will complete several portfolio projects useful for job applications in communications, graphics, marketing, management and training. Familiarity with computer, , word processing and the Internet is required. (Will be offered for the final time Fall 2014.) COM 233 Illustration Fundamentals and techniques of digital illustration using software such as Adobe Illustrator. Emphasis on learning to see and analyze visual subjects and make appropriate use of graphic elements and techniques such as geometric primitives, line, shape, texture, value, color, positive and negative space, foreshortening, and perspective. Students will complete several portfolio projects useful for job applications in communications, graphics, marketing, management and training. Familiarity with computer, and the Internet required. (Will be offered for the final time Spring 2015.) 114

4 COM 241 Web Authoring Introduction to the principles and process of designing, writing and coding Web sites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Flash. Emphasis on an audience-centered approach to planning, non-linear writing, and web design that reflects the effective integration of writing and graphics. Course will include the documented development and design of several web sites. Writing intensive. (Will be offered for the final time Spring 2014) COM 242 Web Animation Emphasis on designing, authoring, and managing more sophisticated Web sites focusing on site architecture, navigation schemes, and appropriate interactivity. Students will make extensive use of vector graphic design and authoring 102 technologies such as Flash and Action Script. Course will include the documented development and design of several multimedia web animation products. Writing and graphic design intensive. (Will be offered for the final time Spring 2015). COM 251 Ethnography (Formerly Public Opinion and Surveys) S An introduction to qualitative communication and cultural research. Students will learn how to interview, observe, analyze data, journal their research, and construct narratives, including personal narratives. This course explores the complexity of issues and concerns to individuals or groups which influence our daily lives and how information sources, styles, and channels help to formulate public opinion on these issues. COM 259 Advertising FO Study and practice in advertising as a critical element of an organization s total marketing plan. Emphasis on developing consumer profiles, positioning strategies and creative work plans for advertisers as well as conducting proper research and creating effective visual designs and ad copy. Students document and produce ads for print, broadcast, outdoor and other media and also complete an advertising campaign for their portfolio. Writing intensive. COM 273 Internship (2 crs) COM 304 Media Law F Discussion of First Amendment and free expression in a democratic society; analysis of major court cases, statutes and administrative regulations affecting freedom of information, publishing, advertising, and telecommunication. Exploration of problems and issues concerning libel and slander, rights in news and advertising, contempt, copyright, and invasion of privacy. Excellent course for prelaw students. Theories of ethics will be introduced and critically applied. COM 306 Organizational Communication FO Although we commonly think of organizations as things, in reality, organizations are communicative performances where the members of the organization collectively reenact the organization from day to day through their symbolic behavior and interactions. This course explores the complexities of organizational life as communicative performance and looks at how communication as a leadership tool serves a political, informative, symbolic, and influential function in public, private, and non-profit organizations. Organizational theory and research are core components of this course. Specifically, this course equips students to critique and develop the fundamental communication elements that enact organizational life: vision and mission statements, strategic plans, white papers, annual reports, policy statements, daily communication, crisis communication, and marketing and promotional communication. (Will be offered for the final time Fall 2013.) COM 322 Sports casting The ability to create a professional, finished, documented sporting event requires a rounded knowledge of multiple aspects of multimedia production for web casting and future broadcasting. This course is for the emerging video, multimedia, and sports-minded student that wants to explore and acquire a working knowledge in sports casting, both web and broadcast, radio and visual media forms. On-camera talent development as well as behind the scene talent skills are the focus. Students will learn behind and in front of the camera skills to take a sporting event from preproduction, live production, to post production. Students will build graphics, produce interviews, announcing, produce features for these broadcasts, and produce live sporting events. The class covers scripting, location 115

5 production, crewing, production setup, web casting technology and methodology in both radio and video web casting. There will be lectures, demonstrations, hands on experiences, afternoon and some evening class events are required. No prerequisite although students are encouraged to have taken COM 221. (Will be offered for the final time Fall 2014.) COM 361 Special Topics in Communication An experimental course offered according to the special interests of the faculty or students. May be repeated when topics change. COM 373 Junior Internship COM Senior Vocational Preparation Seminars F,S Guided experience in an actual work environment related to the student s career goals. Minimum of 50 hours per internship. Student keeps log and submits for evaluation. Prerequisite: 2.0 or higher in coursework which prepares the student for the type of communication that the internship will involve. Prerequisite: senior standing in Professional Communication major. COM 473 Senior Internship (1 cr) Course Descriptions: English ENG 101 College Writing F Review of basic writing skills, stressing the elements of clear and effective writing. By placement; does not satisfy core curriculum requirement. REA 101 College Reading S Development of greater efficiency, comprehension, vocabulary and recall in reading college-level material. Enrollment by placement; does not satisfy core curriculum requirement. ENG 105 Process of Composition F,S Elements of expository and persuasive essay writing; research techniques; revising prose for accuracy, precision and effective style. Core fulfilling. By placement. ENG 110 Composition Seminar F Advanced essay writing; exposition and persuasion; research techniques; editing and revising prose for accuracy, precision and effective style for first-level writers. Core fulfilling. By placement. ENG 220 Advanced Composition S A hand-on, practical course on expository writing, including issues of writing for publication. Prerequisites: ENG 105/110. ENG 224 Professional Speaking S Practice in preparing and presenting instructional, informative, persuasive and public relations speeches of a professional nature. Includes use of multi-media tools. Prerequisites: ENG 105/