This course is an introduction to multimedia design with an emphasis on website creation. Students gain an understanding of the terminology, development tools, and fundamental skills related to designing a successful website. Current software applications are learned as appropriate to the process.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Understand the fundamentals of graphic design and desktop publishing.
2. Understand HTML creation, editing, and best practices.
3. Analyze and deconstruct the elements used in websites.
4. Design and layout an effective website for a specific audience.
5. Apply computer techniques to import/draw graphics and write copy.
6. Create and work with effective text/graphics combinations and color.
7. Explore the ethical use of information regarding copyright, intellectual property, etc. in web development.

COMM 505 focuses on how to create visual narratives through digital media. Course projects and use of visual media production software provide an opportunity to carefully execute each step of the production process, to include: conceptualizing, outlining, writing script for voiceover, creating the storyboard, recording, editing, and sharing. Attention to copyright, attribution, and other ethical considerations are also addressed. RECOMMENDED: COMM 543 Visual Communication.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Define and employ each stage of the fundamental production process for creating digital media, including: writing the project proposal, creating the storyboard and script, and production of the proposed deliverable.
2. Use visual media to represent information as a visual narrative while working within the limits of cognitive overload.
3. Explain and apply concepts of project media organization, project archiving, and client relations.
4. Produce a video-based media object according to a production plan and revise it according to feedback.
5. Integrate visual elements in addition to a basic video layer to convey key information according to the production plan, such as on-screen titles, images/graphics, callouts, clear audio, and captions.

This course introduces students to the major theories of communication that are foundational to the discipline. Students will conceptualize how theory can be used to describe, analyze, and explain communication issues and events. Attention is also given to the ethical implications of theory in various contexts.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Trace the development of theoretical inquiry in the field of communication.
2. Identify and compare theoretical concepts.
3. Critique theories with peers through discussion.
4. Explain how theories can be used to analyze and understand interactions, messages, ideas, arguments, and points of view, particularly in real-world contexts.
5. Apply communication theory in the development of an original research project.

(Formerly INST 511) This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the profession of a Speech-Language Assistant. Topics include professional ethics, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and gaining familiarity with the association's guidelines for becoming a registered Speech Language Assistant. Also discussed are roles and responsibilities such as observing, documenting, defining, and understanding goals and objectives in educational and medical settings; implementing both immediate and long-term accommodations; working as part of a team; practicing appropriate health and safety precautions; and working effectively with cultural differences in diverse populations.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Define the roles and responsibilities of the Speech-Language Pathology Assistant in various settings.
2. Discuss what ASHA is and its guidelines for the SLPA.
3. Define and explain the ethical responsibilities.
4. Understand the importance of observation and documentation and describe various documentation methods.
5. Describe Universal Precautions.
6. Identify preparation steps and procedures for intervention activities
7. Analyze goals and objectives, and identify appropriate therapy techniques, distinguish best practices for implementing intervention strategies, and generalize techniques for application in a variety of settings.
8. Articulate and practice ways to work with diverse populations including clients in inclusive settings who may have significant cognitive impairments.

(Formerly INST 512) This course provides students with knowledge of the basic components and development of speech and language. Historical aspects of Speech-Language and Audiology are addressed. Various disorders including language, articulation, voice, fluency, and hearing are explored.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Recognize and describe the various types of difficulties that are present in children with speech-language-hearing problems.
2. Identify the basic components of speech, language, and hearing.
3. Explain basic principles and concepts of speech-language development in association with models of speech and language.
4. Describe and discuss causes and symptoms of various speech, language, and hearing disorders.
5. Analyze and discuss emotional aspects of communication and communication difficulties.
6. Identify, describe, debate, and classify the roles of Speech-Language Personnel and trends in service delivery, historically and currently.
7. Summarize general principles of assessment and intervention appropriate for children with communication disorders.

(Formerly INST 513) This course is designed to provide students in the speech-language concentration with knowledge of the basic anatomy and physiology of the speech production and perception systems to support understanding of directions from a Speech-Language Pathologist. The focus is on those aspects of anatomy and physiology that are critical for clinical implementation. Measurement tools and instrumentation used in the field are discussed.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Identify and explain the basic components of the speech, language, and hearing mechanisms, including anatomical terminology, and identify normal and abnormal functioning.
2. Construct models and describe basic theories of how we produce and perceive speech.
3. Describe and discuss basic anatomical and physiological components of respiration, phonation, and articulation.
4. Describe and discuss basic anatomical and physiological components of the auditory system.
5. Describe and discuss basic anatomical and physiological components of the neurological system, particularly those responsible for communication.
6. Analyze specific types of difficulties encountered in their employment settings and associate the appropriate mechanisms and processes with them.

(Formerly INST 514) This course introduces phonetic principles, categorization of sounds, and various applications of these concepts. Students become familiar with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), learn to read a Speech-Language Pathologist's transcription, and develop their own transcription skills. Articulation and phonological disorders are presented and distinctions and direct connections discussed, with the primary emphasis on intervention and remediation strategies. Additional topics include children and adults for whom English is a second language, and individuals with dialectic and/or cultural differences.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Explain how sounds are distributed and classified.
2. Recognize the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), read transcriptions done by a Speech-Language Pathologist, and perform rudimentary speech sample transcriptions.
3. Refine specific characteristics that distinguish articulation disorders from phonological disorders.
4. Describe various articulation and phonological processing therapy techniques.
5. Perform specific articulation therapy strategies that the SLP has identified as techniques required for rehabilitation.

(Formerly INST 515) This course is designed to equip Speech-Language Assistant concentration students with knowledge of the hearing process, symptoms of hearing impairment, basic methods by which an audiologist diagnoses hearing difficulties, and elements of rehabilitative approaches for persons with hearing impairment. An overview of various causes of hearing impairment is explored.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Explain the function and structure of auditory mechanisms and processes.
2. Describe various types and degrees of hearing loss and their relationship to academic, speech/language, and psychosocial listening difficulties.
3. Recognize and explain general methods of how hearing is assessed.
4. Identify and employ general approaches and materials used as part of the aural assessment, intervention, and rehabilitation process.
5. Interpret basic audiological evaluation reports and explain what audiograms represent in terms of a hearing-impaired person's function.
6. Analyze and discuss emotional aspects of hearing difficulties, identify children who are showing behaviors suggestive of hearing impairment, and discuss possible follow-up measures.

(Formerly INST 516) This course provides students in the Speech-Language Assistant concentration with a series of introductory fieldwork experiences during which they will observe Speech-Language Pathologists as they provide speech and language therapy to clients. Students gain practical experience in observing techniques and theories as applied in a therapeutic setting. Twenty-five hours of observation are required for each two-credit practicum, in settings approved by the clinical faculty.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Observe and discuss procedures and best practices involved in planning, preparing materials, and choosing forms of documentation for therapy sessions.
2. Identify and evaluate appropriate therapy techniques for use in varying clinical settings and situations.
3. Choose, plan, and implement specific therapy techniques for individual clients with differing speech and language impairments.
4. Utilize the Observation Check List Form and the Clinical Therapy Check List Form to document observation sessions, to better understand specific disorders, and to analyze what therapy techniques work best to improve outcomes.
5. Complete a portfolio that documents their observations and experiences and includes appropriate supporting materials such as all observation and clinical therapy forms and checklists.

(Formerly INST 516A) This course provides students in the Speech-Language Assistant concentration with a series of introductory fieldwork experiences during which they will observe Speech-Language Pathologists as they provide speech and language therapy to clients. Students gain practical experience in observing techniques and theories as applied in a therapeutic setting. Twenty-five hours of observation are required for each two-credit practicum, in settings approved by the clinical faculty.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Observe and discuss procedures and best practices involved in planning, preparing materials, and choosing forms of documentation for therapy sessions.
2. Identify and evaluate appropriate therapy techniques for use in varying clinical settings and situations.
3. Choose, plan, and implement specific therapy techniques for individual clients with differing speech and language impairments.
4. Utilize the Observation Check List Form and the Clinical Therapy Check List Form to document observation sessions, to better understand specific disorders, and to analyze what therapy techniques work best to improve outcomes.
5. Complete a portfolio that documents their observations and experiences and includes appropriate supporting materials such as all observation and clinical therapy forms and checklists.

(Formerly INST 516B) This course provides students in the Speech-Language Assistant concentration with a series of introductory fieldwork experiences during which they will observe Speech-Language Pathologists as they provide speech and language therapy to clients. Students gain practical experience in observing techniques and theories as applied in a therapeutic setting. Twenty-five hours of observation are required for each two-credit practicum, in settings approved by the clinical faculty.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Observe and discuss procedures and best practices involved in planning, preparing materials, and choosing forms of documentation for therapy sessions.
2. Identify and evaluate appropriate therapy techniques for use in varying clinical settings and situations.
3. Choose, plan, and implement specific therapy techniques for individual clients with differing speech and language impairments.
4. Utilize the Observation Check List Form and the Clinical Therapy Check List Form to document observation sessions, to better understand specific disorders, and to analyze what therapy techniques work best to improve outcomes.
5. Complete a portfolio that documents their observations and experiences and includes appropriate supporting materials such as all observation and clinical therapy forms and checklists.

(Formerly INST 516C) This course provides students in the Speech-Language Assistant concentration with a series of introductory fieldwork experiences during which they will observe Speech-Language Pathologists as they provide speech and language therapy to clients. Students gain practical experience in observing techniques and theories as applied in a therapeutic setting. Twenty-five hours of observation are required for each two-credit practicum, in settings approved by the clinical faculty.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Observe and discuss procedures and best practices involved in planning, preparing materials, and choosing forms of documentation for therapy sessions.
2. Identify and evaluate appropriate therapy techniques for use in varying clinical settings and situations.
3. Choose, plan, and implement specific therapy techniques for individual clients with differing speech and language impairments.
4. Utilize the Observation Check List Form and the Clinical Therapy Check List Form to document observation sessions, to better understand specific disorders, and to analyze what therapy techniques work best to improve outcomes.
5. Complete a portfolio that documents their observations and experiences and includes appropriate supporting materials such as all observation and clinical therapy forms and checklists.

This course provides an in-depth understanding of persuasive principles with the purpose of identifying and critiquing communication strategies encountered on a daily basis. Students are introduced to the theory and practice of persuasive communication with an understanding of how classical modes of rhetoric offer an excellent framework for improving information-age communication skills. Speaking, listening, leading, motivating, negotiating, creating and delivering a message, and engaging with an audience are emphasized as key elements of persuasive communication. Students will be able to recognize the persuasive strategies used in interpersonal and mass communication settings, critique the effectiveness of the strategies used, and develop persuasive strategies for themselves.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Identify and describe the components of the communication process: speaking, listening, nonverbal communication, and perception.
2. Articulate the fundamentals of effective persuasive communication.
3. Demonstrate critical thinking skills as a listener through the ability to critique various communication strategies.
4. Explain the nature of pluralistic audiences.
5. Understand the components of how to lead, negotiate, and create consensus among audiences across cultures.
6. Prepare and deliver a presentation utilizing the principles of effective communication and use of appropriate technology.

Designed to provide both a theoretical and practical introduction to interpersonal communication and group dynamics, this course provides an awareness of the unique process, purposes, problems and possibilities of communication. Emphasis is placed on participation and awareness of communication behaviors, both in interpersonal settings and in small groups, as portrayed in the generic roles of member, leader, and process observer. The course helps students to understand the complex nature of relationships through analysis of the concepts of collaboration, cohesiveness, group decision-making, conflict resolution, the function of teams, and the role of facilitation. COMM 542 students are guided in developing basic interpersonal, intercultural, and group communication skills that they can apply to personal and professional encounters in everyday life.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Differentiate between theoretical approaches to interpersonal communication and evaluate their usefulness.
2. Appraise the nature of conflict for oneself and others and articulate strategies for dealing with interpersonal conflict.
3. Demonstrate perceptual and listening effectiveness and apply principles of effective nonverbal and verbal communication in both interpersonal and group contexts.
4. Assess the influence of culture and technology on interpersonal and group communication.
5. Demonstrate knowledge and application of small group communication theory and research by providing active, involved communication and meaningful feedback to other participants.
6. Reflect on their own communication behavior and the behavior of others utilizing experiential and reflective processing.
7. Identify and understand basic small group leadership roles, skills, functions, and techniques and articulate their practical relationship to their personal and professional lives.

Communication in the twenty-first century relies largely on images to deliver and enhance messages. In academic, workplace, and civic settings, visual media are used to illustrate concepts, present data, explain processes, forward critiques and commentary, and provide supporting evidence for arguments. Images are also integral to effective persuasive presentations. In this course, students explore how images function in the aforementioned ways, and they practice curating images and using visual media to deliver a focused presentation to a clearly-defined audience.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Recognize the different rhetorical purposes of digital, visual, and presentational communication.
2. Identify the ways images can be used to communicate data and information.
3. Identify the ways images can be used to communicate concepts, narratives, and arguments.
4. Select appropriate sources and retrieval systems for finding and accessing needed images and visual media.
5. Produce images and visual media aligned with the overall purpose of a project with a defined audience.
6. Develop and deliver a focused and organized oral presentation that uses supporting materials to reinforce the central message and establish the speaker’s credibility.
7. Compare and contrast delivering oral presentations in person and delivering oral presentations digitally.
8. Develop awareness of concepts and issues of intellectual property, copyright, and fair use as they apply to image content.

This course introduces Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Course assignments focus on creating and preparing raster and vector-based images for print and web. Students will have the opportunity to attain basic proficiency with both software programs while applying knowledge and skill to a variety of projects. Concepts such as photo manipulation, use of digital illustration in layout, basic animation, storage and file management, and copyright and ethical issues are addressed.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Develop basic proficiency using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
2. Recognize and implement illustration as a mode of visual communication.
3. Employ Illustrator and Photoshop for problem-solving in design.
4. Plan and create original illustrations and compositions for print and web.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of copyright and issues of ethics as they pertain to visual media.

By emphasizing the interplay between text and image in the production of meaning, this course introduces students to the unique attributes of writing for visual media. In a workshop format, students will refine skills in areas such as blogging, copy writing, landing pages, social media, and public relations. The course surveys various stages in the writing process, to include concept, drafting, integrating stakeholder feedback, and revision, in order to produce a final product.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Explain the difference between delivering information and involving the viewer or listener on an emotional level.
2. Describe the interrelationship between text and image in conveying a message.
3. Develop and refine drafts appropriate to the type of media being created.
4. Participate in, and be evaluated through, stakeholder feedback.

Effective intercultural communication skills are important in a multicultural society, particularly for those individuals working in positions that require effective interactions with people from diverse cultures. This course is a study of cross-cultural contacts and will include analysis of verbal and nonverbal communication and related factors within and between various cultures, predictions of patterns and effects, and communication barriers. The course provides opportunities for students to develop both an appreciation for cultural differences and effective intercultural communication skills. NOTE: COMM 560 Intercultural Communication and COMM 562 Gender and Communication are recommended elective choices for Professional Communication majors.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Define major terms and concepts related to cross-cultural communication.
2. Identify factors that can influence the cross-cultural communication process.
3. Discuss major theories of intercultural and cross-cultural communication.
4. Discuss verbal and non-verbal patterns of communications within selected international and domestic cultures.
5. Identify causes of unsuccessful cross-cultural communication.
6. Evaluate cross-cultural communications skills through direct observation.
7. Develop an understanding of intercultural competence.

In this course, students examine multiple influences that have shaped definitions of masculinity and femininity over time. Students explore the impact of these definitions on "appropriate" prescriptions for verbal and nonverbal communication, and on interactions in personal and professional contexts. Through the analysis and critique of the effects of gender on communication in diverse relationships (family, friendships, romantic, professional) and in diverse contexts (personal and professional spheres), as well as how gender is depicted in the media, students recognize the profound impact that gender has upon our lives. NOTE: COMM562 Gender and Communication and COMM560 Intercultural Communication are recommended elective choices for Professional Communication majors.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Explain gender as a socially constructed category of identity.
2. Recognize how gender influences communication, and how it interacts with social and psychological factors to influence communication.
3. Identify barriers to effective communication across gender and develop strategies for dealing with these barriers.
4. Examine the influence of verbal and nonverbal communication in gender interactions.
5. Articulate how contemporary social movements such as the #MeToo Movement have shaped, and continue to shape gender communication and relations in contemporary American culture.
6. Identify misunderstandings in various gender relationships, business, health care, and educational contexts.
7. Develop cognitive, affective and behavioral skills that would create and/or improve gender awareness, sensitivity, appreciation, tolerance and communication competence in various situations.

In contrast to Organizational Communication, the study of Strategic Communication focuses on how organizations communicate with their external publics, to include vendors, clients, and shareholders, among others. This course surveys public relations, insofar as it explores how an organization crafts, maintains, and redefines its image, in times of success as well as crisis. Students practice producing reliable strategic writing in the form of press releases, newsletters, and brochures, with particular emphasis upon skills in instant response, clarifying and simplifying complex information, as well as considerations of privacy, ethics, and legality.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Explain key strategies for effective written, oral, and digital communication to external publics.
2. Identify and clearly define external, public audiences, to include attributes, expectations, and potential areas of conflict, in order to effectively manage dialogue with them.
3. Conduct analytic audience research, and design specific messages in the form of press releases, newsletters, and brochures, with the aim of fostering relationships and driving behavior.
4. Develop strategies for instant response that uphold privacy, and demonstrate calculated consideration of ethics and legality.
5. Compose and deliver a persuasive presentation that utilizes technology, targets a clearly defined external audience, and clarifies and simplifies complex information.

This course explores emerging trends in digital media, providing an opportunity for students to understand, deploy, and reflect upon the tools available for communication, business, nonprofit, educational, civic/political, and personal use. The course surveys past, current, and predicted future trends as well as selected theories and research on the impact of these communication technologies. Critical reflection upon the norms, risks, and opportunities of digital and social media is a core component of the course.

This course explores the use of media in strategic communication toward the attainment of organizational objectives. Students will explore the impact of public relations, media outreach, marketing, branding, and leadership communication on both internal and external audiences in a variety of settings and sectors. The role and purpose of the organizational spokesperson, the function of the leader as the chief communicator, the strategic alignment of message and messenger, and effective use of technology in business communications will be discussed. This course provides knowledge of opportunities and pitfalls of the media environment, particularly in the digital, 24-hour news cycle age.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Identify the multitude of stakeholders in the realm of public and private sector communications.
2. Understand the importance of messaging from the purpose, content, timing, and delivery perspectives and evaluate how each contributes to the effectiveness of establishing clarity, confidence, and transparency.
3. Compare various platforms within the sphere of digital media, and understand the opportunities and challenges each can create for strategic communication.
4. Formulate strategies for communication within and by organizations to include such areas as leadership communication, crisis communication, board and executive communications, and specific communication initiatives such as branding campaigns.
5. Differentiate examples of success and failure in strategic and organizational communication within different sectors.

Building on skills learned in Web Development I, students continue to gain an understanding of the terminology, development tools, and fundamental skills related to designing a successful website. Current software applications are learned as appropriate to the process.

This course prepares students to navigate the complexity of professional communication in the 21st-century workplace, with a particular emphasis upon refining the writing skills that are essential to clear, concise, and professional communication. The types of professional writing addressed may include: proposals, emails, newsletters, presentations, and agendas, among others. Emphasis is also placed upon how to discern which channel—written, verbal, or digital—is most appropriate relative to content, purpose, and audience. PREREQUISITES: ENG 500 The Writing Process, COMM 542 Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics or Associate's/Bachelor's Degree in transfer.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Identify and select appropriate communication methods used in workplace settings, with respect to purpose and audience for the message, with a consideration of the implications of employing the chosen mode(s) of communication.
2. Develop accurate, coherent, and clear communications within professional contexts using oral, digital, and written methods, aligned with conventions and standards for the field.
3. Facilitate dialogue among individuals or groups with various opinions or knowledge, using a range of communication methods.
4. Develop a positive digital identity in support of professional communication in the online environment.
5. Differentiate between organizational and personal perspectives as they impact professional communication.
6. Develop awareness of concepts of intellectual property, copyright, and fair use of copyrighted material to professional communication, and evaluate the benefits and risks of using openly-licensed information resources.

The ability to write, design, speak, and record media for the purpose of training instruction draws upon specialized communication skills and knowledge of a systematic creative process. This course prepares students to contribute meaningfully to teams and organizations by introducing them to the foundational principles of instructional design as a form of communication, and then facilitates practice in the technical skills to produce media for the purpose of addressing a training or performance improvement need.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Identify and apply the five stages of the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) for instructional design in a selected training or performance improvement context.
2. Produce a plan to communicate with stakeholders for gathering information about the training / performance improvement needs.
3. Produce a plain language project description that identifies the training needs, the means by which the knowledge/skills instruction will be communicated, the basis for assessing learned skills/knowledge, and the basis of evaluating program success.
4. Produce basic examples of instructional media that address the stated needs.

Managerial roles increasingly emphasize negotiation, coaching, collaboration, and consensus building. Situational analysis and planning are key attributes of effective managerial communication. As such, COMM 610 develops and sharpens students' decision-making, team-building, and analytical problem-solving abilities. The course also embraces peer and instructor feedback as tools to refine students' impromptu and formal presentation skills in managerial contexts.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of basic negotiation, problem-solving, and team-building strategies through role-play scenarios.
2. Write clearly and effectively about historical and contemporary management issues in various forms, including memoranda, formal letters, e-mail, short reports, and executive summaries.
3. Identify and customize the aforementioned communication to multiple audiences: superiors, peers, and subordinates.
4. Design and deliver engaging and effective presentations using technology that is consistent with current industry standards.
5. Compose thoughtful, constructive critiques of peer writing and presentations, and incorporate feedback received to improve their own managerial writing and presentation skills.
6. Reflect on their individual managerial acumen; identify opportunities to improve and strategies for doing so.

This course builds upon the foundation in analyzing and curating visual media established in COMM 543 by focusing on how to compose, design, and deliver presentations using industry standard software (such as Microsoft PowerPoint) and web-based tools (such as Zoom, Screencast-o-matic and Prezi), among others. Equal time is devoted to each of the three stages of producing effective presentations- writing, technological design, and delivery-all of which contribute to achieving the intended purpose.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of the academic writing process, to include outlining,researching, and drafting, within the context of a presentation.
2. Compose an engaging, visually sophisticated presentation with the aim of informing or persuading a clearly defined audience.
3. Design an engaging presentation using software, as well as web-based tools, including media and/or graphics, text, and animation.
4. Deliver the presentation in a way that captivates and engages the audience, while utilizing technology as a helpful and relevant accompaniment to the speaker.
5. Document all secondary source material, including text-based research, as well as visual media, according to conventions appropriate to the field.
6. Record the presentation in at least one of the aforementioned formats and share electronically.

Organizations are a fundamental component of human life: from schools, to workplaces, as well as volunteer and recreational groups, we all function within in organizations. This course examines the multi-level communication that occurs within organizations—among leaders, members, committees, teams, and departments—as vital to its success and longevity. Students analyze how organizations rely upon effective communication to anticipate and mitigate conflict. Students also devise strategies to utilize various forms of communication to contribute uniquely and meaningfully to organizations.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Understand organizations as complex systems with situated, multi-layered cultures.
2. Analyze the nature and consequences of organizational messages, including their formal and informal, strategic, relational, and ideological dimensions.
3. Explore key concepts of communication strategy and implementation within organizational settings.
4. Explain the impact that technology has upon the content and method of organizational communication at various levels within an organization.
5. Discuss and practice decision-making and conflict-management processes utilized in organizations.
6. Identify and address predictable, harmful patterns that reoccur in organizations.
7. Compose an original research project utilizing a case study as its basis to explore how internal communication influences the workings of organizations over time.

In the past 25 years, electronic media, mobile devices, and algorithmically optimized information networks have intensified how humans have engaged with mediated information. This course examines the collateral effects of this phenomenon on our habits, norms, beliefs, and cognitive processing. Students will study the historical, political, and theoretical narrative that has led to questions about the construction of social worlds, the construct of reality, and the legitimacy of information. A special focus will be made in studying the implications of synthetic “deepfake” and AI-driven text generating systems in accelerating these effects.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Evaluate how human immersion in electronic social network systems influences the formation of identity, community, beliefs, truth, and the legitimacy of information.
2. Describe how evidence-based and faith-based ways of knowing are employed by humans to determine the reliability of information.
3. Explain how the emergence of the Attention Economy influences the design of algorithmically controlled Internet content and describe its effect on human perception.
4. Assess the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic media in the formation of mental models of certainty, reliability, and validity in communication.
5. Develop a theoretical basis for explaining the perception of reality through the analysis of a selected example.

This course builds upon COMM 545 Digital Illustration by challenging students to advance their skills in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Course projects entail combining vector and raster images, advanced image manipulation, and utilizing web graphics, print images, and interactive motion graphics for web and video. Effective application of design elements and principles in concept generation will be emphasized. Through peer review, instructor feedback, and reflection, students explore each phase of the design process in depth. Strategies for assembling a digital portfolio are also explored.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Develop and apply advanced skills in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
2. Combine imagery and text to visually communicate concepts.
3. Examine and critique work throughout the design process by applying knowledge of design elements and principles.
4. Plan and create original digital work for print, web, and motion graphics.
5. Assemble completed projects into a digital portfolio.

Writing and performing voiceover audio is a specialty skill all media producers will be called upon to develop. A well-written script for voiceover will enable the audience to clearly understand messages and meaning according to the producer's goal. This course introduces students to the foundational principles of writing voiceover copy and provides opportunities to refine voiceover performances to engage the audience and establish credibility. Through a workshop format, students will create original works and performances as well as adapt and refine works written by others.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Explain how voiceover affects the meaning of information, its credibility, and its psychological effect on audiences.
2. Create and perform original voiceover works through the process of outlining, drafting, feedback, and revision.
3. Adapt existing content for use as voiceover copy according to the principles of context, purpose, and audience.
4. Configure the recording equipment environment to produce the optimal acoustic results.
5. Apply tonality, pacing, articulation, and emphasis in voiceover performance to convey information and its intended meaning.

This capstone course for the Communication Studies major builds on previous study in the field and provides an opportunity to apply learning in an in-depth project. Projects must employ applied research, demonstrate knowledge of communication theory, and integrate reflection on cultural and/or organizational dimensions of communication. Students synthesize their knowledge of theory and practice to develop and implement a project in their own area of professional interest.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Identify and use current research and resources in communication studies to develop a project that will meet personal and professional goals.
2. Articulate connections between theory and practice in planning and implementing the individual project.
3. Integrate knowledge of best practices in communication studies in a well-defined area of professional interest.
4. Evaluate the application of ethical principles and cultural/organizational context to the capstone project.

This capstone course for the Digital Communication Design major builds on previous study in the field and provides an opportunity to apply learning in an in-depth e-portfolio project. Projects must employ applied research, demonstrate knowledge of digital and social media theory, and integrate reflection on cultural and/or organizational dimensions of communication. Students synthesize their knowledge of theory and practice by developing an e-portfolio project in their area of professional interest.

This course examines fundamental principles and theories of organizational communication. Students analyze the effects of communication on organizational quality; discuss specific skill sets necessary for effective internal communication; analyze methods of managing information; discuss the value and methods used to create organizational networks; and study the influence of organizational culture on organizational communication. Crisis communication, intercultural communication, and communication assessment are introduced.

View Course Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of how communication is fundamentally related to all aspects of organizational performance, leadership, project management, and group interaction.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of key topics and concepts, including communication networks, media management, organizational culture and climate, intercultural communication, meetings management, ethical communication, assessing communication quality, and crisis communication and the impact of social technologies.
3. Enhance ability to analyze case studies, including assessing communication audiences and networks, as well as making tactical recommendations to improve the quality of communication.
4. Develop an awareness of their own communication style and adapting that style in order to work effectively in a variety of interpersonal communication settings.