Courses
COMM 172 Introduction to Visual Culture - 3hrs
This course introduces issues and debates about how we shape, and are shaped by, different forms of visual culture such as film and video, television, painting, photography, performance art, the built environment, and information technology. Issues such as the role of visual cultures in (re)producing ideas about race, identity, sexuality and gender will also be explored. Every spring. (Same as ENGL 172 & ART 172).
COMM 178 Introduction to Film Art - 3hrs
This course provides an introduction to the study and analysis of film. Students will learn the fundamentals of film form, style, and history. Topics include narrative structure, cinematography, editing, sound, and genre. This course also prepares students for more advanced study in film seminars as well as film and video production. This course meets six hours per week, three of which are devoted to screenings. Every Fall. (Same as ENGL 178 & ART 178).
COMM 180 Public Communication in the Digital Age- 3hrs
This course explores the rhetorical challenges posed by new digital communication technologies. Students will investigate how these technologies have altered audience expectations for public presentations and learn when and how to use these technologies to enhance their public communication efforts. The course will require students to deliver a substantial number of oral presentations and use digital tools and communication forums to enhance these presentations when appropriate. Every semester.
COMM 181 Introduction to Communication Studies - 3hrs
This course provides a survey of human communication and an introduction to the assumptions and methods of analysis central to communication studies. Topics include the communication theories and models, the social roles that communication plays in interpersonal, group, and organizational settings, methods for analyzing the mass media, and current controversies and debates within the field. Every spring.
COMM 212 Advanced Rhetoric, Grammar, and Composition - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. An advanced writing class in which students develop their writing through intensive composition combined with close readings of essays and literature. The course also examines the impact of current transformations in the rhetorical world due to the rapid proliferation of computer technologies. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 212).
COMM 217 Communication for Business and the Professions - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. Instruction and practice in the various forms of practical communication, such as correspondence and reports, with an emphasis on communicating through electronic technology. Offered on demand. (Same as ENGL 217 & BUSN 217).
COMM 218 Introduction to Photography - 3hrs
This course introduces students to the basic principles of photography including a brief examination of the history of photography from a technical viewpoint and training in the functions and controls of a professional digital SLR camera. Students learn the effects of aperture and shutter speed on depth of field and motion, as well as proper light metering techniques. Composition basics, lighting, and digital darkroom techniques will also be explored. Every semester except those when COMM 318 is offered. (Same as ART 218).
COMM 219 Creative Writing - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. An advanced course in writing for students interested in producing original pieces of prose fiction and verse. May be elected for up to six hours credit as topic changes. Every fall. (Same as ENGL 219).
COMM 221 Introduction to Video and Film Production - 3hrs
Students will learn the basic terminology, methods, and principles of film and video production through classroom lecture and laboratory production work. Every fall. (Same as ART 221)
COMM 251 Design Communication - 3hrs
This course investigates the role design plays in human Communication. Students will gain familiarity with the basic concepts and assumptions underlying design practice and learn to see applied arts such as graphic design, industrial design, architecture, and multimedia design function as communicative activities. Special attention will be given to the rhetorical methods associated with identifying design problems and implementing design solutions. Every fall. (Same as ART 251).
COMM 262 Shakespeare and Film - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. This course is the meeting ground of the single most influential English author, Shakespeare, and the most distinctive and pervasive modern artistic form, the film. From its beginnings, film recognized Shakespeare as one of its most reliable and popular sources of material, and Shakespeare remains a potent presence in contemporary film. The course investigates this peculiar dedication to Shakespeare by considering both film versions of Shakespeare's plays ("Shakespeare on Film") and the frequent presence of Shakespearean material in films that have only the most tenuous connection to the actual playwright ("Shakespeare in Film"). Fall of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 262).
COMM 282 Multimedia Writing and Literature - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. A survey of multimedia literature in English, fro the medieval illuminated manuscript through contemporary hypertext. This course also introduces students to practical electronic media writing and hypertext design. Every fall. (Same as ENGL 282).
COMM 312 Literary Journalism - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. A seminar and workshop for writing literary journalism. Students will survey the genre from a historical perspective, analyze contemporary examples that may serve as models, and produce substantial work of their own. Students will gain experience in interviewing and research as well as employing literary techniques such narrative, description, and dialogue. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 312).
COMM 314W Advertising and Public Relations - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. This course surveys the related fields of advertising and public relations and examines their role in contemporary society. Topics include history, law, ethics, social dynamics, and economic implications as well as creative and technical elements of the advertising and public relations campaign. The process of advertising and public relations is studied from the perspectives of art, business, and communication. Every fall. (Same as ENGL 314W).
COMM 315 The Essay - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. A workshop course for belletristic or personal essay. Includes an overview of the essay genre as well as readings from representative essay literature. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 315).
COMM 316 Writing for the Mass Media - 3hrs
Students study basic techniques and formats used in print and broadcast journalism, along with similarities and differences in style among them. Grammar, syntax accuracy, logical construction, and other elements of good writing are emphasized, along with learning to write, under deadline pressure, basic, error-free copy. Additional emphasis on keeping up with current events and trends in the world through improved research skills. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 316).
COMM 318 Advanced Photography - 3hrs
Prerequisite: COMM/ART 218 or permission of the instructor. This course explores, through lectures and shooting assignments, the major movements and directions in photography and their impact on the world around us. These include photojournalism and commercial, documentary, and fine art photography. Advanced digital darkroom and camera techniques, creative conceptualization, and problem solving will also be covered. Spring of alternate years.(Same as ART 318).
COMM 319S Screenwriting - 3hrs
This course is primarily a writing workshop in which students produce several different kinds of scripts for broadcast media - specifically film and video, television, and radio. Student peers as well as the instructor will act as both audience and critics in helping participants become more imaginative and disciplined writers. Goals of the course include polishing the ART of good storytelling and learning how stories work within the system of the media as business. Fall of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 319S).
COMM 321 Advanced Video and Film Production - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ART 221 or instructor's approval. Students will enhance their understanding of film and video through advanced lectures and laboratory production work. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ART 321).
COMM 351 Web Design - 3hrs
Prerequisite: COMM/ART 251. This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts, issues, and concerns associated with web site design. Course readings and exercises encourage students to explore the aesthetic and historical/cultural dimensions of design and then use this knowledge as they plan, propose, implement, and rationalize their own web site designs. Every spring. (Same as ART 351).
COMM 368 History of Film to 1939 - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. A chronological survey of the cinema from its beginnings in the 1890s to the development of classical Hollywood cinema to 1939. Special attention is paid to major directors (Griffith, Eisenstein, Renoir), influential national cinemas (American, Russian, French, and German), and to dominant styles and genres (silent comedy, expressionism, Hollywood gangster, and Western films). This course meets six hours per week, three of which are devoted to screenings. Fall of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 368).
COMM 369 History of Film from 1939 to the Present - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. A chronological history of film from 1939 to the present. Special attention is paid to the breakdown of the classical Hollywood model, the reaction of film makers to the challenge of television, and the rise of independent filmmaking.. This course meets six hours per week, three of which are devoted to screenings. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 369).
COMM 373S Theory and Criticism of Film - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. This course is concerned primarily with the aesthetics of film and the ways in which these theories are applied to practical criticism. Among those approaches to be studied will be feminist, semiotic, and historical methods of analysis. This course meets six hours per week, three of which are devoted to screenings. Fall of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 373S).
COMM 382 Radio Broadcasting - 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. This course is a workshop in radio history, production, and station management. The class works in close association with the student-operated KSCL radio station, creating projects for possible broadcast. Students will read media texts, interact with local radio professionals, write scripts, and design programming. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 382).
COMM 383 Digital Cultures - 3hrs
Prerequisites: ENGL 101. This course explores the intersections of contemporary critical theory, new digital technologies, and literature. By examining computer-mediated cultures and major topics through these lenses, students develop sophisticated, scholarly and critical analyses of this rapidly-developing world. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ENGL 383).
COMM 399 Seminar in Film and Television Studies- 3hrs
Prerequisite: ENGL 101. An analysis of cinema or television as an aesthetic form and a social document, usually with an emphasis on American and European film or television. Recent topics have included: "Masculinity and Femininity in Film," "Film and Literature" and "Television Studies." May be elected for up to six hours credit as topic changes. Spring of alternate years. This course meets six hours per week, three of which are devoted to screenings. (Same as ENGL 399 and ART 399).
COMM 400 Internship in Communication - 1 to 6hrs
Prerequisite: Permission of the Biedenharn Chair in Communication. Supervised internship with an approved company or organization in any of the professional areas covered by the Communication major, such as video/film/television production, advertising, public relations, news or feature writing, new media design, graphic design, or marketing. Students will be required to submit a term report or project at the end of the internship to the Biedenharn Chair in Communication. May be elected for up to six hours credit. Offered each semester.
COMM 451 Topics in Multimedia Design - 3hrs
Prerequisite: COMM/ART 251 This course will address a particular multimedia design issue or problem, guiding students in the planning and implementation of appropriate design solutions; topics will vary. May be elected for up to six hours credit as topic changes. Spring of alternate years. (Same as ART 451).
COMM 473 Senior Seminar - 3hrs
Requires concurrent enrollment in COMM 441. The course guides students in the design and preparation of a portfolio promoting their professional identities and activities. Every fall.
COMM 491-6 Independent Study - 1 to 6hrs
Prerequisite: Permission of the Biedenharn Chair in Communication and the student's communication advisor. Guided study in a particular area of communication directed toward the completion of substantial project appropriate for the student's track. The course is restricted to students seeking honors in communication. This course can be repeated for up to six hours of credit. On demand.
