Graduate Courses
Department of Communication

Course Rotations
Course Rotations (PDF)

Current Courses (Fall 2007)
Current Courses (PDF)

 

Corporate and Professional Communication Course Descriptions

COMM 506, Communication Skills Tutoring. (3)
Three hours lecture/participation.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

Principles and methods of training clients in the improvement of communication skills in such areas as public speaking, group discussion and listening. Applied component of the course provides supervised consultation and tutoring experience.

COMM 508, Public Relations Case Studies. (3)
Three hours lecture/discussion.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

Case studies and typical public relations problems in industry, labor, education, government, social welfare, and trade associations. Planning and preparation of communication materials for various media; applications of public relations techniques.

COMM 513, Political Communication. (3)
Three hours lecture/discussion.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

Contemporary theories and practices of political communication. Examines the structure and function of political messages, the strategic dissemination of political messages, and the effects of those messages on corporate, social, professional, and cultural institutions.

COMM 539, Leadership and Group Communication. (3)

Three hours lecture/discussion.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

Analysis of major theory and research in leadership and group communication techniques with primary emphasis on developing communication skills in small group interaction. Through discussions and participation in group activities, students explore identification and evaluation of leadership techniques, communication networks, leadership training, research needs, and methodologies of group observation.

COMM 540, Listening and Nonverbal Communication. (3)

Three hours lecture/discussion.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

Emphasis on theoretical and practical considerations of human awareness and attention, perception and reception of auditory, visual, and nonverbal codifications; processing, reception and representation of the spoken word (psycholinguistics), image formation, and visualization, as well as other semiotic processes such as kinesics, proxemics, paralinguistics, haptics, chronemics, etc. Explores audience reception in personal as well as mediated contexts in terms of recent developments in brain/main research and theory.

COMM 548, Intercultural and International Communication. (3)

Three hours lecture/discussion.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

Advanced study of the processes, problems and theory of intercultural and international communication in interpersonal, group, organizational, and mediated contexts.

COMM 558, Gendered Communication. (3)

Three hours lecture/discussion.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

This course concerns the development of knowledge and skills about gender and communication. It includes such topical areas as biographical, perceptual, psychological, social, and mass-mediated communication.

COMM 559, Communication in Conflict Management. (3)

Three hours lecture/discussion/field experience.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

This course addresses the nature of conflict between people as it is manifested in communicative interaction in varied contexts, within individuals, between individuals, between groups and between organizational and social entities. It deals with both competitive and, especially, cooperative communication genres as well as strategies of conflict intervention and mediation.

COMM 561, Communication Techniques for Countering Job Burnout. (3)

Three hours lecture/discussion.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

Study of individual, group, and organizational methods of ameliorating or preventing job burnout through effective communication.

COMM 565, Communication and Health Care. (3)

Three hours lecture/discussion.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and Instructor’s permission.

A survey of research findings and theoretic models relevant to communication practices and health care at the interpersonal, group, organizational, and social levels.

COMM 600, Communication Theory. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

An overview of the history and theory of the discipline of communication, including epistemological, ontological, and axiological positions driving theoretic models. This course provides background and foundation for the study of corporate and professional communication.

COMM 605, Applied Communication Research. (3)

Three hours seminar/research.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Research methods and reporting procedures in communication research. Understanding reporting procedures and a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

COMM 610, Seminar in Organizational Communication. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Detailed study of theoretical and applied literature in organizational communication focusing on modern organizations. Topics for discussion include: the nature of communication in conceptualizing modern organizations, micro perspectives (interpersonal, group, public, and technological contexts), macro perspectives (classical theory, human relations theory, feminist theory, cultural theory, systems theory, TQM models, quality circles, etc.), communication networks, communication auditing, organizational change, and the role of the professional communicator.

COMM 611, Communication Law and Ethics. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Survey of the legal and ethical constraints placed upon the content, form, and transmission of messages in a variety of contexts related to personal, political, business, and corporate life.

COMM 615, Seminar in Public Relations. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Examination of the public relations profession and application of theoretical and research literature in public relations. Topics for discussion include: the public relations industry, role of public relations in organizations and society, public relations ethics, public relations roles, public relations strategies, and contemporary theories of public relations.

COMM 620, Training and Development. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and COMM 605 or Instructor’s permission.

This course provides an overview of the communication skills important in contemporary organizations, and of the theoretic and practical concerns inherent in the assessment of communication needs within organizations, the provision of communication training and development, and the assessment of outcomes. These processes are viewed from the perspective of internal organizational function, as well as from that of external consultants.

COMM 625, Issues Management. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

The study of distinctive advocacy roles, relationships, and strategies to maintain mutual lines of communication between various types of organizations and their publics including research and analysis of problems and issues, preparation and planning of appropriate action, development and implementation of effective communication, and systematic evaluation.

COMM 630, Communication, Change, and Innovation. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

The study of organizational change and innovation as a fundamental and recurrent series of events rooted in and dependent upon complex communication processes.

COMM 635, Contemporary Issues in Corporate and Professional Communication. (3)

Three hours seminar.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

Study of current issues in corporate and professional communication. Topics to be announced. May be repeated under different topics.

COMM 640, Internship in Corporate and Professional Communication. (3)

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of the supervising Instructor and permission of the Graduate Coordinator.

An opportunity for practical application of communication theory to practical contexts. Requires a written proposal.

COMM 698, Directed Study. (3)

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of the Instructor and the Graduate Coordinator.

Provides the opportunity for individual work with a faculty member in areas of mutual interest. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours of credit to count toward the degree.

COMM 699, Research and Thesis. (6)

Prerequisites: Approval of student’s thesis proposal by the student’s thesis committee and by the dean of the College of Graduate and Extended Education.

Research project completed and reported by a thesis student in his or her area of interest