Our graduate program in communication is designed for students who want to add value and worth to their rising professional career or are seeking to change careers. By developing an appreciation of current technological innovations and their profound influence on communication and society, we prepare professionals for leading roles in media relations or political communication.
Our students accomplish a number of important tasks while in our program:
Increase their value by developing their critical thinking, comparing and analyzing complex perspectives, and analyzing critical communication and other messaging.
Sharpen their competitive edge by building a strong foundation in theory and real-world applications of informing, critiquing and changing society.
Tailor the program to their talents in order to enhance their unique career aspirations.
COM 501 Rhetorical CriticismRhetorical Criticism is an advanced seminar in the history, theory, methods, and practice of rhetorical criticism. The seminar introduces students to the art of critically analyzing public discourse. The development of various critical strategies and specific methods of rhetorical criticism, such as cultural criticism and feminist criticism, are covered.
3 creditsCOM 515 Management CommunicationIntroduces contemporary theories, approaches, and functions of communication in managing, including management of people, processes, technologies and structures, with emphasis in relationship maintenance, small group teams and oral presentation skills. The development of practical and critical thinking skills for decision making, organization design, motivation, leadership and cultural diversity in organizations. Particular attention is paid to how information technologies are changing the context and process of management. This course meets concurrently with Communication 315--graduate students will be expected to complete additional research and projects to receive graduate credit.
3 creditsCOM 525 Intercultural CommunicationApplies basic principles of intercultural communication to the analysis of specific situations involving cultural differences. Emphasis is on the influence of culture on the communication process, including differences in values, assumptions and communication. Models of intercultural communication analysis are developed and applied to issues dealing with relations between a dominant society and subcultures, social change, and international relations.
3 creditsCOM 550 Women in OrganizationsThe course focuses on the dynamic relationship among gender, power, race, sexuality and class in women's organizational lives. Provides an in-depth exploration of critical feminist theory and research in organizational communication. Emphasis is on the perspectives of diverse women in multiple contexts. Topics include Women in leadership, Sexual harassment, Feminist organizational theory. Course is taught concurrently with COM 450--graduate students will be required to complete additional research projects to receive graduate credit.
3 creditsCOM 570 Publicity and Media RelationsExamines the role of a publicist in various organizations and their relationship with the media. Also looks at the basics of media relations, testing and evaluating publicity and using publicity as a tool. Students are expected to produce publicity campaigns.
3 creditsCOM 588 Gender and CommunicationProvides an in depth exploration of theory and methods for examining communication and gender roles. Topics include gendered communication; gender and media; family communication; gendered violence; gender; and education, gender, and institutions.
3 credits
Our graduate program in communication is designed for students who want to add value and worth to their rising professional career or are seeking to change careers. By developing an appreciation of current technological innovations and their profound influence on communication and society, we prepare professionals for leading roles in media relations or political communication.
