Students Graduating in or before 2015

** Please note that students have the option of completing the new major requirements. Students who elect to follow the new major requirements will also be required to follow the new major’s application requirements and general policies. Information about the new major may be found here.

Major Requirements

Graduation with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication requires a total of 34 course units, including a minimum of 14 courses in the major. Three of the major courses are taken in cognate fields and 11 in communication. Among the communication courses are two required introductory courses designed to expose students to major topics in the field, one course in research methods, four intermediate-level courses, and four advanced courses.

General Policies

Courses comprising of the major must have been taken for a letter grade (that is, not pass/fail) and have resulted in a grade of “D+” or higher. Students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences may complete one, but not both, of their required introductory courses in the summer sections offered through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies.

Only three major courses may be transferred in from another college or university. For more information about the policy refer to the section titled Study Abroad and Transfer Credit.

Course Requirements

A. Introductory Courses
B. Research and Methods
C. Intermediate Courses
D. Advanced Courses
E. Cognate Courses

A. Introductory Courses

Students must complete two of the three courses ranging broadly over important parts of the field. If a student completes all three introductory level courses the third course may count towards the intermediate requirement.

• COMM 123: Communication and Popular Culture
• COMM 125: Introduction to Communication Behavior
• COMM 130: Introduction to Mass Media and Society

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B. Research Methods

One Course providing a basic introduction to the principles and techniques of social research. Open to all students. Recommended for Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors, but preferably taken in their Sophomore or Junior year. The requirement can be met in one of three ways:

• COMM 210 (formerly COMM 340): : Quantitative Communication Research Methods in Communication
• COMM 220 (formerly COMM 345): Qualitative Communication Research Methods
• An equivalent methods course completed through another department. A non-exhaustive list of prior approved courses (some which may carry prerequisites) include the following:
  • ANTH 454 Quantitative Analysis of Anthropological Data
  • CRIM 150 Evidence Based Crime and Justice Policy
  • ECON 103 Statistics for Economists
  • ECON 104 Introduction to Econometics
  • MKTG 212 Marketing Research
  • PHIL 225 Introduction to Philosophy of Science
  • PHIL 425 Philosophy of Science
  • PSYC 020 Probability and Statistics
  • PSYC 3xx Various Research Seminars
  • SOCI 100/HSOC 100 Introduction to Sociological Research
  • SOCI 120 Social Statistics
  • SOCI 128 Introduction to Demographic Methods
  • SOCI 221 Sample Survey Methods
  • SOCI 222 Field Methods of Sociological Research
  • STAT 101 Introductory Business Statistics
  • STAT 102 Introductory Business Statistics
  • STAT 111 Introductory Statistics
  • STAT 112 Introductory Statistics
  • URBS 200 Introduction to Urban Research Methods
  • URBS 330 GIS Applications in Social Science

Courses not included on this list will need prior departmental approval. A course syllabus must be submitted to the Director of Student Services and Registrar for review. The School has the right to deny the request.

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C. Intermediate Courses

Four intermediate level lecture courses and seminars that apply communication perspectives to particular domains of concern, issues or industries, intended for beginner students in communication. Open to all students. Communication majors must take 4 courses from 100-200 level courses.)

(Advanced courses— see below—can substitute for intermediate-level courses.) All communication courses that are numbered between 100 and 200 can count toward the intermediate requirement.

• COMM 105 Spiritual Communication
• COMM 108 The Speaking Body and the Marks of the Mind in Modern Western Culture
• COMM 112 Media Activism Studies
• COMM 141 Public Policy, Museums, and the Ethics of Cultural Heritage
• COMM 203 China Today
• COMM 204 Hollywood Fil Industry
• COMM 225 Children and Media
• COMM 226 Introduction to Political Communication
• COMM 242 Feature Length Motion Picture and Lab
• COMM 230 (formerly COMM 330) Advertising and Society
• COMM 237 Health Communication
• COMM 240 (formerly COMM 140): Film Forms and Contexts
• COMM 262 Visual Communication
• COMM 270 Global Digital Activism
• COMM 275 Communication and Persuasion
• COMM 281 Race Films: Spike Lee and his Interlocutors
• COMM 290 Special Topics
• COMM 298^# Study Abroad

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D. Advanced Courses

Four courses that deal with particular research topics, intended for advanced students in communication. One of these must be a seminar. Advanced courses are classified as those numbered between 300 and 400. Courses numbered 500–599 may also be taken by seniors, but only with instructor and School permission.

• COMM 300 Public Space, Public Life
• COMM 301 Introduction to the Political Economy of Media
• COMM 309 Washington Politics and the Media
• COMM 320 Urban Ethnography: Documenting City Life
• COMM 322 History and Theory of Freedom of Expression
• COMM 323^*+ Contemporary Politics, Policy and Journalism
• COMM 339 Critical Perspectives in Journalism
• COMM 341 Children’s Media Policy
• COMM 350 Non-Verbal Communication
• COMM 362 Visual Communication Lab
• COMM 374 Communication and Congress
• COMM 375 Communication and Emergency Response
• COMM 377 Philosophical Problems of Journalism
• COMM 378 Journalism & Public Service
• COMM 379 Comparative Journalisms
• COMM 385 Media Action and Social Change
• COMM 390 Special Topics
• COMM 395^*+ Communication and the Presidency
• COMM 399 Independent Study
• COMM 402 The Arab Uprisings: Local and Global Representations
• COMM 403 Comparative Political Communication
• COMM 404 Media and Politics
• COMM 405 Facing Race: Race and Caricature in the Historical Imagination
• COMM 406 The Psychology of Attitudes and Persuasion
• COMM 412 Spiritual Communication
• COMM 413 The Role of Public Opinion in Leadership Decisions
• COMM 417 The politics of Digital Media Policy
• COMM 418 History of ‘Old Media’
• COMM 422 Televised Redemption
• COMM 426 Communication and the Bible
• COMM 428 Conventions, Debates and Campaigns
• COMM 433 Communication and Democratization
• COMM 439 Media Criticism
• COMM 462 Digital Media Lab (formerly Visual Communication and Social Advocacy)
• COMM 464 International Communications
• COMM 470 Freaks and Geeks
• COMM 485 Globalization and the Music Video
• COMM 490 Special Topics
• COMM 491^*+ (formerly 299) Communication Internship
• COMM 493 Independent Study
• COMM 499 Senior Honors Thesis

+ Departmental approval is required.
# A course syllabus must be submitted to the Director of Student Services and Registrar for review.

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E. Cognate Courses

Three courses from other schools and departments that support a student’s research interests in communication. In fulfilling the cognate requirement, students may select courses from three different departments, but no more than a single introductory class is permitted. Cognates must come from one of the following three clusters:

Communication and Culture
Anthropology, Art History, Comparative Literature, Education, English, Cinema Studies, Fine Arts, Music, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Theater Arts

Communication and Behavior
Anthropology, Education, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology

Communication and Commerce**
Business and Public Policy, Economics, International Relations, Legal Studies, Management, and Marketing

**At least one course in this cluster must be taken either in Economics or in Business and Public Policy.

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