Major Requirements

Course Requirements

At least 5 major field courses must be at the 300 level

Internship Credit

Students in the major may take CMN 394 (when placement relates to the major) and CMN 395.  In order to take CMN 394 and CMN 395, students must have completed the three communication core courses (CMN 101, CMN 102, CMN 103), have fulfilled both the presentation and the media requirements for this major, and have fulfilled internship program eligibility requirements.

ORGC 201

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION (Formerly CMNS 201)

Employers demand strong communication and presentation skills. In order to compete effectively in the job market, students need to acquire and practice the written and oral communication skills needed to interview successfully. Furthermore, as a professional you will not only be expected to be a confident speaker, but also to organize and prepare clear, concise and interesting presentations. You will also need to communicate effectively while working as the member of a team or in other group contexts. In developing the knowledge, competencies and skills needed to communicate effectively in these and other contexts, this course will embrace opportunities for both critical thinking and applied problem solving. (Formerly CMNS 201)

INTC 220

PUBLIC SPEAKING (Formerly CMNS 220)

Introduction to the skills required in a variety of public speaking settings. Includes units on delivery, language, defining speech purposes and content, finding supporting material, organization, and audience analysis. Students will be required to present speeches. Background in basic writing and library skills is necessary. (Formerly CMNS 220)

INTC 230

PERFORMANCE OF LITERATURE (Formerly CMNS 230)

Introduction to the communication of literature through oral interpretation. Involves critical analyses of selected literary works and preparation for and delivery of short performances. (Formerly CMNS 230)

CMNS 306

TOPICS IN PRESENTATION

Courses offer advanced analysis of presentational forms. Students will enact presentational theories in relational, small group, or public communication contexts.

INTC 322

ADVANCED PUBLIC SPEAKING (Formerly CMNS 322)

Analyzes theories and develops skills required in persuasive speaking situations. This course is an extension of the public speaking class (INTC 220) and explores in greater detail than the first course the analysis of audiences, sources of resistance to persuasion, and appropriate logical and psychological strategies for persuasive speeches. (Formerly CMNS 322)
Prerequisites:
CMNS 220 is a prerequisite for this class.

INTC 330

TOPICS IN PERFORMANCE (Formerly CMNS 330)

Advanced study in performance focusing on a specific genre each quarter such as: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, Drama or Chamber Theater. Other possibilities include: performing autobiography; life performances; ritual, ceremony, and storytelling; and radio and television performances. (Formerly CMNS 330)

MCS 231

INTRODUCTION TO DOCUMENTARY STUDIES

This course examines the rise and growth of documentary forms, including audio, film, television, photography, literary journalism and ethnography. Students will study representative works from each documentary approach and learn to analyze the techniques of observation and representation at use in these pieces. Students will become familiar with major theoretical constructions of documentary and be able to use these analytical tools to critique documentary forms. Lab for film viewing required.

MCS 271

MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES (FORMERLY INTRODUCTION TO RADIO, TELEVISION, AND FILM)

This course provides students with a theoretical and methodological background in the interdisciplinary field of cultural studies, which considers media and culture as sites for the construction and contestation of race, class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and nation. The course provides a foundation in critical cultural studies, ideology critique, critical race and gender studies, transnational media studies and active audience studies.

MCS 273

STORYTELLING & STYLE IN CINEMA (FORMERLY FILM/VIDEO ANALYSIS)

Course covers basic concepts and terminology of film and video as forms of art and mass culture. This course covers the aesthetic elements that constitute film and video texts: plot structures, sets, costumes and makeup, acting, lighting, cinematography, editing, and sound. By performing extensive textual analyses, students learn how the interaction of these elements produces meaning. Students also gain basics of how these concepts are practiced in film production. After mastering the aesthetic concepts, students also examine their use in three different modes of film: fiction, documentary, and the avant-garde. There is a required lab for film viewing. (Formerly Film/Video Analysis)

DC 200

MEDIA LITERACIES

This course is designed to help students develop an informed, critical and practical understanding of new communication media, including ways to read, write and produce in a digital environment. We will explore implications of these technologies and their uses in schools, communities, and workplaces. The course also focuses on practices involving current and future technologies that hold promise for the creation and distribution of all media. This course has an additional fee. Prerequisities: None

DC 201

INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING

This course is an introduction to and overview of the elements of theme, plot, character, and dialogue in dramatic writing for cinema. Emphasis is placed on telling a story in terms of action and the reality of characters. The difference between the literary and visual medium is explored through individual writing projects and group analysis. Development of synopsis and treatment for a short theatrical screen play: theme, plot, character, mise-en-scene and utilization of cinematic elements. PREREQUISITE(S): None.

DC 210

DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION I

This course is a beginning workshop in narrative film production. The course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of cinema, including camera and lens technology, composition, lighting, directing and sound recording. Utilizing digital technology, students will produce several films with an emphasis on visual storytelling and personal expression. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITE(S): DC 220

DC 215

INTRODUCTION TO SOUND DESIGN

This course is an introduction to sound editing and sound design. The course examines the place of sound in cinema, both artistic and technological. The course will cover the basics of sound, microphones, and analogue-to-digital conversion. Lectures, readings, and film clips will be used to illustrate the language of film sound, as practiced by film directors, sound designers, and editors. Students will learn to edit sound assignments with Pro Tools and current technologies. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITE(S): None

DC 220

EDITING I

Students analyze and assemble dramatic scenes under a variety of conditions and narrative strategies. Editing theories, techniques and procedures, issues of continuity, effects, movement and sound are examined as they relate to the fundamentals of cinematic montage and visual storytelling. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITE(S): NONE.

DC 271

INTRODUCTION TO TELEVISION PRODUCTION

An introduction to the basic principles, procedures, and techniques of television production. The course heavily utilizes Digital Cinema's TV studio. Students are organized in teams and create various TV broadcasts. Students learn how to operate TV switchers, TV cameras, sound, and graphic equipment. The course covers the fundamentals of producing, scripting, directing, and editing for television. This course has an additional fee.

DC 272

INTRODUCTION TO TELEVISION WRITING

The primary objective of this course is to learn how to write for television, for both network and cable, focusing on fiction and non-fiction TV programs including news, talk, documentaries, dramas and comedies. The course will assist students in improving their writing skills as well as help them understand the basic approaches and techniques in writing for television. Prerequisites: DC 201

DC 275

CINEMATOGRAPHY

This course is an intensive exploration of the craft, technologies and aesthetic principles of cinematography and lighting techniques. Lectures and in-class demonstrations will cover film and video formats, film stocks, film and digital cameras, exposure, lenses and optics, lighting units, lighting placement, lighting control, camera support, and camera movement. Class sessions will consist of lectures, demonstrations, hands on with cameras and lighting units, exercises, and screenings of selected film clips which demonstrate specific cinematography and lighting techniques. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITES: DC 210, DC 220

DC 301

ADVANCED SCREENWRITING I

In this course, students study, analyze and produced motion picture scripts. This course emphasizes the use of traditional storytelling, classic mythology and how these devices apply to contemporary screenplays. Students will move from concept/treatment to a completed first act of a feature length screenplay of their own. This script will be completed, revised, and polished in DC 302 and DC 303. PREREQUISITE(S):NONE

A&S 491

ADMINISTRATIVE THEORY AND BEHAVIOR

This course concerns theoretical concepts and empirical research relating to administrative behavior in organizations with special reference to educational organizations. Concepts are examined within the typical decisional framework of supervisors, chief school business officers, principles, and superintendents, and similar positions in the helping professions. Assignments are individualized.
Prerequisites:
Status as an Advanced Masters Education student is a prerequisite for this class.

DC 310

DIGITAL CINEMA PRODUCTION II

This course expands on topics covered in DC 210 Production I. Students will refine their skills in the areas of line-producing, pre-production, cinematography, lighting, sound recording, post production work flow. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITES: DC 210, DC 220, DC 275

DC 371

DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION

This course covers all phases of documentary filmmaking including interview techniques, storytelling with interviews and B roll, and documentary cinematography. For the final project each student will produce a completed documentary film. This course has an additional fee. PREREQUISITE(S): DC 210, DC 220

DC 372

TOPICS IN TV PRODUCTION

This course is a hands-on experience in television production of news and public affairs programs. Students learn through theory and practice the role TV Producers and their teams play in creating various TV programs. This course has an additional fee.

CMN 394

ADVANCED COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP

This course is for communication majors and minors who meet eligibility requirements. Students will learn career planning skills, explore the organizations in which they work, gain an understanding of how they contributed to their organizations, and discuss societal and world issues, as they affect their workplaces. Students are required to work 10 hours per week while enrolled in the course. Students must cmplete the Communication Internship orientation workshop. Students registering for a hybrid section must also attend five 2-hour class meetings.

CMN 395

COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP SPECIAL TOPICS

This course is for students who wish to receive academic credit for a second or third internship. Must be a Communication major or minor who has completed CMN 394 or ISP250 and meets eligibility requirements. Must be taken concurrently with an internship. Topics include building and managing a communication career, effective networking, and leadership development.

CMN 101

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION

This course provides an introduction to the field of relational, group and organizational communication. Students become acquainted with the basic terms, concepts and theoretical perspectives used to examine communication in dyadic, group and organizational contexts.

ART 179

INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION (CROSS-LISTED AS CMN 102, FORMERLY ART 379)

This course offers students a broad overview of the mass media (print, film, video, recorded music, radio, television and the internet) with a particular focus on how these media impact our everyday lives. Students will develop critical frameworks for understanding how power operates across the media spheres of production, circulation, representation and reception. Attention is placed on how the social categories of race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age and nationality inform each of these media spheres. The course also considers how recent developments in digital technologies, media convergence and globalization have transformed our media culture. Cross-listed with CMN 102. Formerly ART 379.

CMN 102

INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION (CROSS-LISTED WITH ART 179)

This course offers students a broad overview of the mass media (print, film, video, recorded music, radio, television and the internet) with a particular focus on how these media impact our everyday lives. Students will develop critical frameworks for understanding how power operates across the media spheres of production, circulation, representation and reception. Attention is placed on how the social categories of race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, age and nationality inform each of these media spheres. The course also considers how recent developments in digital technologies, media convergence and globalization have transformed our media culture.

CMN 103

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Examines the role culture plays in interethnic and international communication. Explores differences and similarities in cultural values and communication behaviors between and among diverse cultures and develops intercultural competence. Critiques stereotypes and increases cultural sensitivity.

​​​​​Open Electives

Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.