Communication

Study of the fundamental principles and practices of oral communication and rhetorical strategies through the development of public speaking, interpersonal engagement, and message design skills. Designed to give students an understanding of their own speaking and listening abilities and an opportunity to develop these abilities to make them more effective in various communication situations.

In this course, students examine and critically evaluate the nature of communication, information dissemination, and media content on the internet. Questions pertaining to truth, ethics, and cultural value are explored in relation to the emergent technological, rhetorical, economic, and social dimensions of the digital media environment.

Freshman-level special topics course.

This course examines the relationship between communication media and the classical tradition of the liberal arts. The different ways in which oral and written communication, auditory and visual forms of media, shape the epistemic organization of human culture and values are studied in their mutually constitutive relation to the philosophical, aesthetic, and theological foundations of liberal arts instruction in western society.

Introductory study of all the aesthetic and technical components of film-making.

This introductory production course builds on students’ everyday experience with digital media to teach the art and craft of storytelling. Students explore narrative structure and audience engagement while creating short-form content using readily accessible tools such as smartphones, apps, software, and social platforms. Through developing and producing projects in video, podcast, and interactive formats, students transform personal insights and cultural observations into compelling digital stories.

History, economics, public control, programming, social effects and future of telecommunications, primarily radio and television broadcasting and broadband cable communication systems. Citizens’ responsibilities in the development of telecommunication systems and services.

Introduction to audio production. Students learn to create digital audio media for commercial, artistic, and news purposes. The course includes laboratory experiences in programming, writing and performance.

This course investigates the interdependent relationship between digital media, social structures, and technological innovation. Drawing on media ecology, students analyze how platforms influence identity, relationships, and cultural production. Through theoretical study, examples from media culture, and digital projects, students develop a critical understanding of technology’s societal impact and ethical implications.

This course equips students to communicate with intellectual courage and moral clarity in contested public spaces, including the modern digital media landscape. Grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, students study acts of communication that utilize media to defend human dignity and foster communion. Through historical analysis, virtue development, and real-world engagement, learners develop skills in civil discourse, multimedia persuasion, and dialogue to promote unity.

Functions, responsibilities and techniques of news editing, evaluation and processing of news. Headline writing, picture editing and page makeup. Prerequisite: COMM 2341.

Nature of public relations practices in business, education and government. Emphasis on public relations strategies, identifying target public, press relations, cost management and planning public relations programs. Prerequisite: at least sophomore standing and COMM 2341 (concurrent registration acceptable).

Practical application of public relations theories and strategies; students develop hypothetical persuasive campaigns of “professional” quality. Prerequisite: COMM 3345.

This course examines the theory and practice of human connection, both face-to-face and digitally mediated. Grounded in a Catholic understanding of the person as inherently relational and endowed with dignity, students explore the phenomenology and the use of signs and symbols in interaction, the ethics of dialogue and friendship, and the role of communication in building trust, resolving conflict, and fostering communion.

This course looks at how films of the 20th and 21st centuries have been a mirror to society. By viewing a selection of films from various decades, students will accumulate a portfolio of social/cultural issues set against the backdrop of modern and contemporary society. Students will study each film for its aesthetic values and they will analyze the film for its social themes.

Theoretical background and practical applications of digital media production for commercial, artistic and news related content, taught in a studio setting.

Advanced Digital Media enhances student understanding of all the elements of digital media production (in the studio and in the field), such as camera placement and operations, camera color balancing, camera optics, light levels and the use of special filters, lighting techniques, including existing light and three-point lighting. Also included are elements of effective visual composition, an understanding postproduction, along with the ability to critique the strengths and weaknesses of digital media production. Prerequisites: COMM 3363

???????Introduces students to the high-stakes world of sports media while exploring sport as one of today’s most powerful cultural forces. Through hands-on projects covering real teams and current events, students develop professional skills in sports-media production and strategic communication. Topics include human stories of triumph and struggle, embodiment and identity, athletes as moral voices, fandom’s search for belonging, and sport’s power to unite communities.

Applied theory and technique in editing digital video. Students learn the process of non-linear digital video editing using appropriate professional software. The class covers the technical and aesthetic elements of editing for news, commercial and artistic purposes.

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the communication field. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Student research on a selected problem in the field pursued under the guidance of an assigned member of the faculty. Substantial research paper or audio/video production required. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Prerequisites: junior– or senior–level status; permission of faculty member

Upper–division treatment of selected topics of mutual interest to the faculty member and students.

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the communication field. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Student research on a selected problem in the field pursued under the guidance of an assigned member of the faculty. Substantial research paper or audio/video production required. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Prerequisites: junior– or senior–level status; permission of faculty member

Upper–division treatment of selected topics of mutual interest to the faculty member and students.

This course provides an intensive, hands-on experience in documentary media production, including logistics, research, planning, project-management, and delivery/exhibition. Working in teams, students conceptualize, develop, and implement a documentary film, video, or digital media project over the course of the semester. All students will receive training in core aspects of the documentary production process, but the course will culminate in a team project with students filling specific crew roles based on prior coursework and individual experience – research, producing, directing, cinematography, production sound, and editing.

In an advanced lab setting, seniors will build their portfolios by creating a number of projects ranging from fully developed scripts to short films, documentaries and TV episodes. Prerequisites: COMM 2351, 2352, 3363, 3364, 3375

Students will build their digital media portfolios, in a lab setting, by creating a number of projects ranging from news stories and features to documentaries and short films.

This course provides students the opportunity to apply a Catholic liberal arts perspective to contemporary media and communication through the collaborative creation of digital projects in formats which may include one or more of the following: podcast, video, blog/newsletter, website, social media account, graphic design, and gaming.

The class gives students a deep understanding of what propaganda is, how it differs from persuasion and what role it has in societies, both past and present. Students gain insights of the historical and social contexts in which various types of propaganda have occurred from a mass communication and media filtered perspective. Students also analyze and research various topic-specific case studies in propaganda, both past and current. Emphasis is also placed on the role of film and documentary making in various propaganda campaigns.

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the communication field. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Student research on a selected problem in the field pursued under the guidance of an assigned member of the faculty. Substantial research paper or audio/video production required. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Prerequisites: junior– or senior–level status; permission of faculty member

Upper–division treatment of selected topics of mutual interest to the faculty member and students.

In this culminating course, seniors synthesize program learning through one of three faculty-mentored tracks: (1) a scholarly thesis, (2) a professional communication project, or (3) a capstone-level internship. All tracks require a public presentation, reflective portfolio, and integration of ethical, cultural, and vocational themes. Students select their track in consultation with a capstone advisor. Prerequisite: Senior Communication Major, Approval of Advisor.

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the communication field. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Student research on a selected problem in the field pursued under the guidance of an assigned member of the faculty. Substantial research paper or audio/video production required. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Prerequisites: junior– or senior–level status; permission of faculty member

Upper–division treatment of selected topics of mutual interest to the faculty member and students.

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the communication field. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

Practicum or on–the–job experience under guidance of practicing specialists in the communication field. To be supervised individually by a department faculty member with the approval of the chair. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

This course explores the reciprocal relationship between digital media, society, and technology. Drawing from Marshall McLuhan's theories and the concept of media ecology, students examine how digital media shapes and is shaped by active audience engagement. Through theoretical readings, case studies, and discussions, topics such as identity formation, social relationships, and cultural production are explored. Students gain insights into the holistic nature of media ecosystems and develop a nuanced understanding of the dynamic interplay between digital media and society. The course focuses heavily on the socio-cultural, ethical, moral, and humanistic questions that arise with the advent of new technologies. Practical assignments allow for hands-on exploration of digital media phenomena, equipping students with critical thinking skills for navigating the everevolving digital landscape.

This course provides an intensive, hands-on experience in documentary media production, including logistics, research, planning, project-management, and delivery/exhibition. Working in teams, students conceptualize, develop, and implement a documentary film, video, or digital media project over the course of the semester. All students will receive training in core aspects of the documentary production process, but the course will culminate in a team project with students filling specific crew roles based on prior coursework and individual experience – research, producing, directing, cinematography, production sound, and editing.

This course in visual anthropology takes a media ecology approach, examining how visual media shape culture. Drawing inspiration from Marshall McLuhan and other media theorists, the course explores the dynamic relationship between visual media and society. Additionally, the course highlights the contributions of a notable anthropologists and media theorists grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition, including such scholars as Rene Girard (mimesis and the triangulation of desire through media), James Carey (media ethics, community, and ritual view of communication), Walter Ong (sensory inscription and the relationship between orality, literacy, and technology). Course readings provide a theoretical and historical context, while contemporary case studies, guest speakers, and class exercises offer insights into the intersection of visual culture, anthropology, communication, and Catholic philosophy.

Filmmaker Werner Herzog famously claims, "Facts create norms, but truth creates illumination." In this course, we explore the important functional distinction between facts, actuality, and truth in representation and human experience by examining documentary film, Reality TV, documentary-realism in fiction media, and other intersections of what Herzog refers to as “stylization, fabrication, and imagination.” We also survey the art and rhetoric of filmmaking by examining some of the most profound documentary films of the past and present, in order to analyze the strategic use of “reality” and “factuality” in media.