400

COM 401 Intercultural Communication

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics that affect the communication process. Students focus on their own cultural world view as they are exposed to the cultural dynamics and characteristics of other societies. Emphasis is placed upon the nonverbal and oral/visual aspects of communication content, structure and context. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major.

Credit Hours: 4

COM 420 Sustainable Design

A studio/performance-orientated course designed to explore sustainability issues as they relate to graphic design. Special emphasis is placed on specific aesthetics relative to graphic design, as well as the many forms of sustainable inks, materials and paper.

Credit Hours: 4
(A)

Prerequisites

ART/COM 305 and ART/COM 309.

Cross Listed Courses

ART 420

COM 425 Information Technology and Human Values

Raises fundamental questions about the relationship between science and the humanities. Analyzes the role of technology in modern life with special emphasis on the impact of new information technologies. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the humanities if not used for the major.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

COM 224, junior or senior standing, or consent of instructor.

COM 426 Public Opinion, the Media and Power

Examines public opinion from a variety of perspectives, providing students with the ability to be intelligent consumers of public opinion research and effective users of public opinion research tools. Explores the interaction between the media and public opinion, as well as public opinion's effects on contemporary society and politics.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

Junior or senior standing, or consent of instructor.

Cross Listed Courses

GWA 426

COM 430 Physical Computing

A studio/performance oriented course. Physical Computing is an approach to learning how humans communicate through computers that starts by considering how we express ourselves physically. This course explores the nature of transduction, the usage of microcontrollers and their communication with other computers, studying advances in human-computer interfaces and digital art. It requires a hands on approach to writing code, soldering, building circuits and controls to figure out how best to make all of these components relate to a person's expression.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

ART/COM 210, ART/COM 310, ART/COM 311.

Cross Listed Courses

ART 430

COM 431 Traditions of Digital Media

This course teaches theories of digital media from an aesthetic perspective. Students explore how scholars and practitioners have attempted to define digital media, describe their primary characteristics, and distinguish them from other forms of media. Surveying an array of digital media, from web-based and algorithmic art to videogames and synthetic worlds, the class examines how digital media both depart from and continue earlier media traditions.

Credit Hours: 4
(A)

Prerequisites

COM 232 and at least one 300-level course from either the Visual Aesthetics or Culture and Society quadrant, or COM 211, or permission of the instructor.

COM 435 Women Directors: Theory and Criticism

Examines women directors worldwide. The course will focus on the theoretical, critical, historical, cultural and aesthetic basis of films made by international, mainstream, documentary and the avant-garde women film directors of New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the African and Asian diasporas, and North and South America. Students will submit a series of written critical responses and complete a major project related to course material. May be counted in the humanities if not counted in the major.

Credit Hours: 4
(IG) (NW) (A)

Prerequisites

FYW 101 and 102; or one of COM 232, 260 or 261; or one course in women's studies; or consent of instructor.

COM 436 Critical Studies in Public Communication

This course studies critical contexts of public communications to bring students an understanding of forces that shape media and representation, and relationships between mass communication and the public.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

COM 224.

COM 440 Screenwriting II

Advanced explorations of feature film scriptwriting and analysis. May not be used to satisfy general distribution requirements.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

COM/WRI 340 or consent of instructor.

COM 443 Communication and Cultural Studies

Students explore the role of communication in the social construction of culture. Emphasis is on acquiring knowledge of culture as an evolving process of codifications, and examining dominant and marginal cultural meaning systems in science, history and the arts. May be used to fulfill general distribution requirements for the social sciences if not used for the major.

Credit Hours: 4
(W)

Prerequisites

COM 224, junior or senior standing or consent of instructor.

COM 444 Wordimagebookscreen

Drawing on various disciplines, this course focuses on methods for "reading" culture and contemporary consciousness, concentrating on word and image in the formation of attitudes, ideologies and myths. Introduces cultural analysis and a metalanguage through which students can understand the competing sign systems and discourses of culture.

Credit Hours: 4
(W) (A)

Prerequisites

FYW 101 and 102, at least one survey course (ENG 201, 202, 206, 207, 208 or 209) or permission of instructor.

COM 445 The Image and the Reality

Explores the relationship between myth and cinema. Also looks at the politics of representation as it relates to race, gender and ethnicity. May be used to satisfy general distribution requirements in the humanities if not used for the major.

Credit Hours: 4
(A)

Prerequisites

Junior or senior standing and one of the following courses: COM 260, 261, 300, 308, 335, 360, 370 or 465, or consent of instructor.

Cross Listed Courses

WST 435

COM 446 Advanced Topics in Communication

Credit Hours: 4

COM 450 Experimental Cinema: History and Theory

This course examines experimental, avant-garde cinema worldwide. It focuses on the theoretical, critical, historical, cultural and aesthetic basis of experimental and avant-garde films made by national and international directors. Students submit a series of written critical responses and complete a major project related to course material. May be counted in the humanities if not counted in the major.

Credit Hours: 4
(A)

Prerequisites

COM 232, 260 or 261, or consent of instructor.

COM 452 Advanced Producing and the International Film Market

A 7-week course with a 15-day study abroad component offered annually in mid-May at the leading film industry international festival of new narrative feature films and documentaries - Cannes Festival du Film and Marche. The core of the course is the Cannes intensive component, which is intended to provide a working understanding of the contemporary film market with an emphasis on how the film producer or business executive functions in the marketplace. Participants attend red carpet competition screenings and daily workshops, and participate in internships, networking meet-ups, business and film market symposiums and critique sessions. Film and media arts majors may have their short films juried into Short Film Corner screenings for distributors, producers and festival programmers.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

COM 342 and permission of instructor.

COM 460 Senior Seminar in Film and Digital Production

Film and media arts majors only. Seminar for seniors completing a film or digital production project as the requirement for graduation in film and media arts. Pre-production and production of the senior thesis project will be completed by the end of the semester. Students pursue production projects of sufficient breadth and depth as to crystallize their experiences at the University.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

Senior standing and any one of the following: COM/ART 312, 313 or 314, or consent of instructor.

COM 465 Senior Seminar in Cinema Studies

Seminar for seniors completing a thesis paper in cinema studies as the requirement for graduation in film and media arts. Each student pursues a cinema studies thesis project, in written form, of sufficient breadth and depth as to crystallize their experiences at the University. Topic varies from semester to semester.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

Senior standing, and any of the following: COM 260, 261, 300, 308, 335, 360, 370 or 445, or consent of instructor.

COM 470 Communication Research Methods

This course introduces students of communication to the core concepts and common practices of both quantitative and qualitative communication research. Students will be exposed to a variety of theoretical perspectives on the nature, practice, use and meaning of research in the field of communication. Particular emphasis will be placed on research concepts and methods appropriate to the practice of advertising and public relations.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

COM 224, junior or senior standing, or permission of instructor.

COM 499 Senior Project

Students must apply for acceptance the semester before their anticipated enrollment. Each year, a select number of students are able to choose a senior project option in order to fulfill the 400-level requirement of the communication major. In this independent course, a student or group of students pursue a research or production objective of sufficient breadth and depth as to crystallize their experiences as communication majors at the University.

Credit Hours: 4

Prerequisites

Senior standing.