May 18, 2024  
2015-16 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2015-16 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Classification of Courses

Numbering System

The college course-numbering system is as follows:
100–200 freshman- and sophomore-level courses
300–400 junior- and senior-level courses

Courses offered at the 100 level and 200 level are deemed to be introductory in nature, requiring little or no prerequisite disciplinary preparation in terms of skill or knowledge for student entry into and subsequent success in the course. Courses at the 300 level and 400 level are deemed to be more advanced, frequently requiring prerequisite disciplinary or skill preparation for student entry into and subsequent success in the course. Responsibility for recommending appropriate course levels lies with the department offering the course; if initially endorsed by the appropriate school, the recommendations are forwarded through the schools to the Academic Council for approval for inclusion in the College Catalog

Prefixes

Three-letter prefixes designate the areas or disciplines in which courses reside. Those prefixes are used within the schools’ detailing of

ACC Accounting GER German
ANS Animal Science GOV International Studies and Political Science
ANT Anthropology HIS History
ART Art HON Honors
AST Astronomy IDS Interdisciplinary Studies
BCC Berry College Courses KIN Kinesiology
BIO Biology LCS Latin American and Caribbean Studies
BUS Business MAT Mathematics
CHM Chemistry MGT Management
COM Communication MKT Marketing
CSC Computer Science MUS Music
DAN Dance NUR Nursing
ECO Economics PHI Philosophy
EDU Teacher Education PHY Physics
ENG English PSY Psychology
ENV Environmental Studies REL Religion
EVS Environmental Sciences RHW Rhetoric and Writing
FAM Family Studies SOC Sociology
FIN Finance SPA Spanish
FLM Film STA Study Abroad
FRE French THE Theatre
GEO Geology WNS Women’s and Gender Studies

Requirements in the majors and within the general-education listing earlier in the catalog.

Other Abbreviations Used

CI Consent of Instructor JS Junior Standing PR Prerequisite
CR Co-requisite SS Senior Standing I Writing Intensive

Hours and Credits

The three numbers following the title of each course (ex. 3-2-4) indicate, in sequence, hours of lecture, hours of laboratory and hours of credit. In the example, the class will meet three hours for lecture and two hours for laboratory. Students will receive four semester hours of credit.
 

Communication
  

  • COM 200 - Participation

    1-2-1 or 1-2-0

    Communication practicum allowing students to gain experience in news, entertainment programming, or speech activities, up to a maximum of three hours within the major.
  

  • COM 200A - Participation

    0-2-0

    Communication practicum allowing students to gain experience in news, entertainment programming, or speech activities, while receiving no academic credit.

  

  • COM 203 - Rhetoric and Public Address GE

    3-0-3

    Critical understanding and application of historical and theoretical foundations of contemporary public address, with practice in public speaking. Speech preparation emphasizes research, audience analysis, and strategic development of ideas, organization and delivery.
  

  • COM 204 - Rhetoric and Public Address (for COM majors) GE

    3-0-3

    Critical understanding and application of historical and theoretical foundations of contemporary public address, with practice in public speaking. Special focus on persuasion in professional and mediated contexts. Speech preparation emphasizes research, audience analysis, strategic development of ideas, organization and delivery. (For COM majors only)
  

  • COM 205 - Sports Communication

    3-0-3

    An introduction to and overview of the sports communication field, including media organizations, marketing and advertising firms, and teams and leagues. Topics covered include sports journalism; digital media, including social media; broadcast and publishing; team and league media relations; college sports information; and marketing, promotions and advertising.
  

  • COM 206 - Voice and Diction Improvement

    3-0-3

    Foundation course in the area of speech effectiveness; the speech mechanism with emphasis on vocal flexibility and articulation. Speech laboratory work included.

  

  • COM 220 - Foundations of Mass Communication

    3-0-3

    Survey of the history and functions of contemporary media and their roles in a democratic society.

  

  • COM 228 - Special Topics in Communication

    1 to 3 hours

    Special topics in communication designed to accommodate material that is not otherwise available in the curriculum. May be repeated for a maximum of 3 credit hours.
  

  • COM 250 - Reporting and Writing

    2-2-3

    Basic reporting and writing for media platforms. Includes an introduction to journalism ethics. Laboratory included.

  

  • COM 253 - Photography

    3-0-3

    Introduction to photography. Emphasis on films, lighting, exposures, composition, basic digital-image handling, and camera types and uses. Laboratory course. Materials fee.

  

  • COM 270 - Visual Rhetoric

    3-0-3

    Study of visual theory, visual literacy and how visual images are used to persuade. Students study and interpret audience specific visual culture and communication, and the rhetoric of visual materials.

  

  • COM 302 - Visual Media Criticism

    3-0-3

    Application of critical theory through the development of skills for evaluating television, film, photographic and digital media texts, with emphasis on visual media’s social, cultural and representational roles in society.

    PR: COM 270 
  

  • COM 303 - Editing

    3-0-3

    Selection, editing and preparation of written and visual materials for online publications, newspapers, magazines and related media. Also studied are the ethics of journalism. Laboratory included.

    PR: A grade of C- or better in COM 250 .
  

  • COM 305 - Multimedia Production

    2-2-3

    Development and demonstration of analytical and critical thinking skills related to the interaction of digital media in visual communication designed for specific audiences. Laboratory included. Materials fee.

    PR: COM 270  and a grade of C- or better in COM 303 .
  

  • COM 307 - Commercial Photography and Production

    3-0-3

    Professional digital photography with an emphasis on creating solutions for portrait, industrial, advertising, and commercial illustration using advanced digital image techniques. Survey of business practices in professional photography, including ethical, legal, and copyright issues. Students must have their own 35mm manually adjustable SLR or digital SLR camera. Laboratory course. Materials fee.

    PR: COM 270 .
  

  • COM 311 - Sports Journalism

    2-2-3

    Reporting, researching, writing and producing sports coverage, including game or event coverage, feature stories, opinion pieces and multimedia packages. Laboratory included.

    PR: COM 250 . 
  

  • COM 312 - Contemporary Persuasion

    3-0-3

    Examination and analysis of contemporary persuasion in various rhetorical contexts. Experience in creation, development and presentation of persuasive messages.

    PR: COM 203 .
  

  • COM 314 - Oral Interpretation

    3-0-3

    Theory and practice of oral interpretation of literature. Reading recital by class members.

  

  • COM 320 - Programming and Distribution

    3-0-3

    Overview of the television, film, photography and digital industries, focusing on content development, programming strategies, audience analysis, management structure and distribution of content.

    PR: COM 220 .
  

  • COM 323 - Multimedia Reporting

    3-0-3

    Instruction and practice in a specialized area or field of journalism, with an emphasis on interviewing and primary research. Specialized fields include, but are not limited to feature writing, public affairs reporting, sports journalism, investigative reporting, health and science journalism, and literary journalism.

    PR: COM 250 .
  

  • COM 326 - Scriptwriting and Copywriting

    3-0-3

    Basic principles of dramatic scriptwriting for film, television and digital media and writing for photographic and visual copy.
  

  • COM 329 - Digital Storytelling

    3-0-3

    Introduction to new media and strategies for effective communication through them. Students will analyze the technical and rhetorical possibilities of online environments, including interactivity, hyper-linking, spatial orientation and non-linear storytelling. Laboratory course.

    PR: COM 250 .
  

  • COM 332 - Entrepreneurial Journalism

    3-0-3

    This course focuses on the role of entrepreneurship in the journalism and information industries. Attention is also paid to the implications of digital technologies on the production, distribution and consumption of content.

    PR: COM 250  
  

  • COM 353 - Visual Journalism

    2-2-3

    Use of photography to report and tell stories in the media. Topics include covering news with a camera, writing cutlines, doing photo essays, editing photography, manipulating digital images, and applying law and ethical codes. Students must have their own 35mm manually adjustable SLR or digital SLR camera. Laboratory course. Materials fee.

    PR: COM 270 .
  

  • COM 375 - Principles of Public Relations

    3-0-3

    Development and current status of public relations in business, government and other organizations, with emphasis on principles and techniques and their effectiveness.

    PR: COM 250  or MKT 301  or CI.
    COM 375 may be used as an elective in the Marketing major.
  

  • COM 380 - Public Relations Writing

    3-0-3

    Strategies and techniques of public-relations writing, with emphasis given to preparation and dissemination of a variety of formats and media.

    PR: COM 250 .
  

  • COM 385 - Public Relations Cases and Campaigns

    3-0-3

    Research and preparation of an integrated public-relations campaign, along with a study of the operation and objectives of effective public relations using a case-study approach.

    PR: COM 375 .
  

  • COM 390 - Public Relations Administration

    3-0-3

    Operation and objectives of public-relations programs; emphasis on relating the management functions of decision making, policy formation and evaluation to the communication process.

    PR: COM 375 .
  

  • COM 405 - Applied Graphic Design

    2-2-3

    Study and application of the principles and elements of graphic design in the production of increasingly complex communication projects. Emphasis on conceptual problem solving for visual communication environments and media production. Laboratory included.

    PR: COM 305  or CI.
  

  • COM 415 I - Theories of Communication

    3-0-3

    Nature of the communication process with emphasis on mass media; coverage of a broad range of theories that attempt to explain contemporary communication phenomena.

    PR: JS or SS.
  

  • COM 416 I - Media Law

    3-0-3

    Constitutional and legislative foundations of freedom of speech and press, with special emphasis on the law of libel, privacy, censorship, access and broadcast regulation.

    PR or CR: COM 220  or CI.
  

  • COM 417 - Methods of Audience Analysis

    3-0-3

    Techniques for conducting and interpreting audience analysis, with focus on demographic and psychographic methods used by communicators in a wide range of disciplines including broadcasting, journalism, advertising and public relations.

  

  • COM 418 - Gender and Media

    3-0-3

    Portrayals of males and females in U.S. media, including television, print, advertising and film, with discussion of the impact of such representations on audiences, the social inequities historically found in media content, professions and institutions and the contributions of alternative and feminist media to the field of mass communication.

  

  • COM 425 - Narrative Video Production

    2-2-3

    A comprehensive introduction to the aesthetics, techniques and process of digital cinematography, nonlinear editing and visual compositing applied to narrative production. Laboratory course. Materials fee.

  

  • COM 428 - Topics in Communication

    1 to 3 hours

    Concentrated advanced study in a special topic in communication. May be repeated for a maximum of three hours of credit.

  

  • COM 429 - Seminar in Communication

    3-0-3

    Special topics in communication.

    PR: CI.
  

  • COM 450 - Senior Seminar in Ethics

    3-0-3

    Synthesis of communication research and theory with a special focus on media ethics using the tools of ethical reasoning and critical analysis. Issues of ethics and social responsibility confronting contemporary media will be addressed through readings, research and case studies. Students must successfully complete designated reading and writing assignments, major field examinations, a major research or creative project, and a portfolio for departmental review.

    PR: SS.
  

  • COM 496 - Academic Internship

    3 to 12 hours

    Problem-oriented experiences on specific academic projects relating to the individual student’s program of study, planned in consultation with the student’s advisor. Only three hours may be applied toward the major.

    PR: See general provisions for academic internships in this catalog.
  

  • COM 498 - Directed Study

    1 to 3 hours

    Research planned according to the needs of the individual student.

    PR: JS or SS and approval of school dean.