GRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Click here for a list of the courses currently being offered across the university

610. Social Science Methods in Communication Research. (3 Credits)
Quantitative research methods in communication, including design, measurement and analysis for descriptive and experimental research; practice in evaluating and conducting research projects.

615. Interpretive Methods in Communication Research. (3 Credits)
Introduction to interpretive and qualitative methods in communication research. Underlying epistemologies, design issues, and explanation of knowledge claims. Methods including participant observation and interviewing. 

620. Communication Theory. (3 Credits)
The nature and role of communication theory, systems of ontology and epistemology in theory development; critical review of current theories concerning communication codes, function and processes in various contexts.

630. Interpersonal Communication. (3 Credits)
Major theories in interpersonal communication; critical examination of current research programs on communication in interpersonal influence, relational development and conflict management.

631. Group Communication. (3 Credits)
Major concepts and theories of communicative processes in task-oriented groups from a social scientific perspective; the role of group communication in (1) group decision processes (2) decision development, (3) decision-making agendas and (4) conflict and performance quality.

632. Communication and Conflict. (3 Credits)
Elements and central features of conflict theories and different approaches to communication in conflict management. Analysis of communication research in interpersonal, family/marital, group, organizational, and public conflicts and the role of the media in social and international disputes .

634. Communication and Gender. (3 Credits)
Gender considered as a complex phenomenon constituted through communication. Topics include femininities, masculinities, language, power, nonverbal behavior, gender in media, organizations, interpersonal relationships and social movements.

636. Survey of Organizational Communication. (3 Credits)
Theoretical and empirical literature on human communication and complex organizations; the study of messages, interaction, and meaning in the process of organizing; topics include superior-subordinate communication, communication networks and technologies, language, message flow, symbols and organizational culture, negotiation and conflict, and power and politics. 

637. Organizational Communication Seminar. (3 Credits)
Investigation of a subject important to the understanding of organizational communication, such as communication and organizational decision-making, group communication within organizations, communication and organizational culture, and organizational rhetoric and issue management. May be repeated for credit with a different content up to a total of three times.

640. Rhetorical Theory. (3 Credits)
Close reading of classical and contemporary systems of rhetoric; survey of principal applications to communication theory and research .

645. Rhetorical and Textual Methods in Communication Research. (3 Credits)
Comparative study of traditional and contemporary perspectives on the description, interpretation, and evaluation of public discourse, including textual analysis, neo-classical analysis, Burkean criticism, quantitative and qualitative approaches to content analysis, fantasy theme analysis, and semiotic analysis.

649. American Public Discourse to 1865. (3 Credits)
Public discourse and political rhetoric in America in colonial and pre-Civil War years. Historical, conceptual, and practical examination of political campaign rhetoric, legislative rhetoric, judicial rhetoric, and advocacy group rhetoric.

650. American Public Discourse since 1865. (3 Credits)
Public discourse and political rhetoric in America in post-Civil War years. Historical, conceptual and practical examination of political campaign rhetoric, legislative rhetoric, judicial rhetoric and advocacy group rhetoric.

651. Presidential Rhetoric. (3 Credits)
Rhetorical discourse of American presidents, including principal genres of presidential communication, speechwriting and media strategies; case studies of presidential communication ranging from campaign oratory, to crisis rhetoric, and ceremonial address.

654. History and Theory of Rhetoric to 1800. (3 Credits)
Emphasis on interactions between rhetorical theory and practices; includes Sophists, Stoic logic and rhetoric, poetics and stylistics from Plato through Cicero, semiotics and hermeneutics in medieval rhetoric, Enlightenment rhetoric and moral philosophy, literary.

655. History and Theory of Rhetoric since 1800. (3 Credits)
Major figures and movements in rhetorical theory; revisionist effect of psychology, linguistics, and romanticism upon classical rhetorics; associationist psychology; belles lettres movement, twentieth-century linguist turn; current-traditional rhetoric and its successors; rhetorical critical theory.

658. Seminar in Communication and Culture. (3 Credits)
Investigation of the ways that culture, religion, identity, gender, popular culture, community, history, and related ideas are shaped through communication in order to understand the development of social norms, political values, and the human experience.

659. Communication and Citizenship in the Public Sphere. (3 Credits)
Theoretical examination of communication within democratic, republican, and liberal conceptions of citizenship; consideration of the ideal of the public sphere, and communication in global civil society. Specific attention to the practices of American citizenship within the global civil society.

662. Survey of Telecommunication Media Studies. (3 Credits)
Survey of research and theory in media studies and telecommunication; review of literature on mass communication, media, culture, and society, media audiences, texts, industries and technologies; provides students an overview of the literature and theoretical orientation.

663. Seminar in Telecommunication Media Studies. (3 Credits)
Intensive work on selected topics of research in telecommunication media studies; may address work in the areas of audience studies, media effects, industries, policy, international issues, media and culture, media history or theory; may be repeated for credit with different content up to a total of three times.

665. Communication and Technology. (3 Credits)
Examines the relationships between human communication and technology, investigating the social effects of communication technology, the quality of messages, communicative practices, and rhetorical norms that typify effective communication in technological society .

669. Survey of Health Communication. (3 Credits)
Theories and research in health communication considering functions and outcomes of communication processes in various health contexts, ranging from interpersonal settings to public campaigns. Emphasis on providing framework for synthesizing and critically evaluating health communication research.

670. Health Communication Seminar. (3 Credits)
Investigation of a subject important to the understanding of health communication, such as persuasion and public health campaigns, physician-patient communication, or communication in health care organizations. May be repeated for credit with different content up to a total of three times.

681. Professional Seminar. (1 Credit)
Provides socialization to the procession of communication, focusing on graduate students’ roles as scholars and teachers; provides instruction on teaching, communication, conducting and writing publishable research, and fulfilling responsibilities to one’s organization and profession. May be repeated up to three times.

685. Directed Studies . (1 to 6 Credits each semester)
Directed studies in specific problem areas in communication. Student may take up to two sections of directed studies in communication in the same semester, with a maximum of 6 credits.

689. Special Topics in.... (1 to 4 Credits each semester)
Selected topics in an identified area of communication. May be repeated for credit .

691. Research. (1 or more Credits each semester)
Research for thesis.

Click here for a list of the courses currently being offered across the university

Click here for a list of the undergraduate courses offered by the department