Communication
www.comm.vt.edu/
Rachel L. Holloway, Head
W. Thomas Rice Professor: R.E. Denton, Jr.
Professors: S.R. Prince; S.G. Riley; J.B. Weaver
Associate Professors: R.L. Holloway; W.W. Hopkins; M.P. McAllister; E.H. Sewell, Jr.; B.M. Waggenspack; J.C. Tedesco
Assistant Professors: M. Preston; S.L. Sargent; L. Sung; A.Q. Stokes; A.P. Williams
Instructors: K. Garland; D. Jenkins; C. Hickerson; R. Lazenby; L. McMahon; E. Stallings; J. Warner
Adjunct Faculty: J. Carlin; A. Kavanaugh; J. Ryan; G.N. Scheeler
Academic and Career Advisor: K. Garnand (231-7942)
|
 |
Overview
- The major in communication, leading to a B.A., introduces students to oral, visual, and written forms of communication. The course of study, rooted in a strong liberal arts curriculum, prepares students to enter careers in mass media, business, public service, government, or professional specializations such as law or religious ministry.
- Students are required to complete 42 hours of course work in communication. They also must complete a program of supporting studies (minor or approved cognate) in courses outside communication. Internships are recommended for students who meet grade requirements. Students also are encouraged to work for student media organizations.
Major Requirements
- Complete a set of departmental core courses, as follows:
Entering freshmen: COMM 1014, 1015-1016, 1024, 2024, 4024
All others: COMM 1014, 1024, 2004, 2024, and 4024
- Complete 21 hours in an option: Public Communication or Mass
Communication.
Public Communication Option:
COMM 2044, 2064 and 4064 and 12 hours
selected from Public Relations courses COMM 3144, 3244, 4054, 4074 and
4364
or Communication Theory courses COMM 1004,
3124, 3134, 3204, 4074 and 4384.
Mass Communication Option:
COMM 2034, 2084 and 4014 and 12 hours
selected from Electronic and Print Journalism courses COMM 3154, 3164,
3174, 3184, 4094, 4114, 4124, 4134, 4144 and 4154
or Film and Media Theory courses COMM 2054,
3024, 3034, 3054, 3194, 3544, 4034, 4044, 4084, 4354 and 4374.
- Complete 6 to 14 hours of communication electives selected from any
course in the department. The first 6 hours must be taken for an A/F
grade.
Minor Requirements
- The communication minor introduces students to the broad principles of the discipline and provides an understanding of how communication impacts on society. Because limited departmental resources must be allocated equitably among communication majors, some communication courses may be restricted to majors only, which limits accommodating the desires of all minors.
Communication studies minors complete 18 hours including:
Required courses:
COMM 1014: Intro. to Communication Studies
COMM 2064: The Rhetorical Tradition
COMM 2074: Intro. to Mass Communication
Elective courses: (students must complete three of the following)
COMM 2044: Principles of Public Relations
COMM 2054: Introduction to Film
COMM 3124: Interpersonal Communication
COMM 3244: Political communication
COMM 4064: Persuasion
Satisfactory Progress Toward the Degree
- University policy requires that students who are making satisfactory progress toward a degree meet minimum criteria toward the University and College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Core and toward the degree in communication.
- Upon completion of 72 semester credits (including transfer, advanced placement, advanced standing, credit by examination, freshman rule), students must be certified by the department as making satisfactory progress toward the degree. A student will be certified as making satisfactory progress if he/she has
- completed 15 hours in communication courses including COMM 1014
and 1024 plus 6 hours from COMM 2004, 2024, and 2034; and
- has both an overall and in-major GPA of 2.0 or above.
Internal Transfers into Communication
- Students enrolled in other Virginia Tech majors who wish to transfer into Communication must submit an application form, which is available in 154 Shanks Hall. Effective with applications received after May 18, 1997, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for transfer:
- An overall GPA of 2.0; and
- A minimum GPA of 2.3 in COMM 1014 (Introduction to Communication). COMM 1014 is a prerequisite for most upper level courses in the department. It is open to all students and will fulfill one of the required courses in Area 3 of the university core. If potential transfer students have completed other COMM courses at Virginia Tech in addition to COMM 1014, the combined GPA for all COMM courses attempted must be a minimum 2.3.
- Admission is competitive given these minimum standards. See departmental website for transfer meeting schedule.
Undergraduate Courses (COMM)2104 (AINS 2104) (HUM 2104): ORAL TRADITIONS AND CULTURE
Examination of the world's great oral traditions, both ancient and contemporary. Emphasis on performance contexts, relationships among multicultural traditions, including American Indian oral traditions, and the relationships among orality, literacy, technology, media, and culture. (3H,3C) I.
1014: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION STUDIES
Survey of the field of communication studies from the
interpersonal to the mass communication levels; emphasis on
development of theories and concepts, social contexts, and
message analysis.
(3H,3C)
I,II,III.
1015-1016: COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Introduction to oral and written communication.
1015: Focus on oral and written communication in
interpersonal, small group, and public contexts. Special
emphasis on the writing process, listening, interviewing,
conflict resolution, critical analysis, and communication
through electronic media. 1016: Continued Study in
written and oral communication skills for small group
and public contexts. Focus on practical applications in
research and information gathering, audience analysis
and adaptation, message development, and oral and written
presentations. May not receive credit for both 1015-1016
and 2004.
(3H,3C)
1024: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
Procedures for doing basic research in communication
studies; strategies for selecting research topics;
information sources in communication; guidelines for writing
research papers; introduction to historical, humanistic,
experimental, and descriptive research methods in
communication studies.
Pre: 1014.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
2004: PUBLIC SPEAKING
Basic skills of public speaking; speech organization and
delivery; emphasis on in-class delivery of speeches. Credit
may not be earned for both Comm 2004 and Comm 2014.
Sophomore standing required.
(3H,3C)
I,II,III,IV.
2014: SPEECH COMMUNICATION
Study of speech communication emphasizing the organization
and delivery of messages based on audience analysis;
examination of messages in the public, small group, and
organizational contexts; emphasis is on theory applied
to the delivery of speeches. Credit may not be earned for
both Comm 2004 and 2014. Sophomore standing required.
Pre: 1014, 1024.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
2024: MEDIA WRITING
Writing and information gathering skills including news,
features, press releases, and advertising copy for
broadcast, print and public relations media. This is a
writing intensive (WI) course.
Pre: 1014, 1024.
(3H,3C)
I,II,III,IV.
2034: VISUAL MEDIA
An introduction to the visual image and visual thinking
applied to photography, video, and film. Sophomore standing
required.
Pre: 1014, 1024.
(3H,3C)
I,II,III.
2044: PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Principles of public relations practice; public relations
in organizations; responsibilities of the public relations
practitioner; legal and ethical considerations; role of
public relations in society. Sophomore standing required.
Pre: 1014.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
2054: INTRODUCTION TO FILM
Introduction to film as a medium for artistic communication.
Sophomore standing required.
X-grade allowed.
(2H,3L,3C)
I,II.
2064: THE RHETORICAL TRADITION
Great theories of rhetoric developed throughout the world
during the past 2,500 years will be analyzed to
demonstrate the dynamic, critical nature of persuasive
thought.
(3H,3C)
I,II,III.
2074: INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION
Introduction to the history of and operation of the mass
media in society, including the structure of mass media
institutions, the process and effects of mass communication
and the law and regulations that apply to mass
communication. Does not count for Communication Studies
major. Pre: Sophomore standing.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
2084: MEDIA INSTITUTIONS
Historical development, current industrial structure, and
recent trends of different media institutions including
print, film and electronic media. Emphasis on how economic
incentives influence media content and the interconnections
between media institutions.
(3H,3C)
II.
2094: COMM INTERNET & SOCIETY
This course examines the Internet as an emerging mass
communication medium and its potential impact on society.
Topics to be discussed include computer-mediated
communication, emergence of on-line community, privacy
in the information age, copyright, freedom of speech,
antitrust, and electronic commerce. Students will also
learn basic technical concepts of the Internet and
software skills to create a web site.
Pre: 1014.
(3H,3C)
2104 (AINS 2104) (HUM 2104): ORAL TRADITIONS AND CULTURE
Examination of the world's great oral traditions, both
ancient and contemporary. Emphasis on performance
contexts, relationships among multicultural traditions,
including American Indian oral traditions, and the
relationships among orality, literacy, technology, media,
and culture.
(3H,3C)
2114: VERBAL ART AS PERFORMANCE
Introduction to aesthetic communication; basic concepts
about the nature of verbal art as performance; skills in
using the aesthetic resources of language, voice, and
movement in the interpretation of verbal art; study of
performance styles appropriate to fiction and non-fiction
literary forms. Sophomore standing required.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
2964: FIELD STUDY
Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.
2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
3024: MASS MEDIA HISTORY
History of the development of mass media from early writing
systems through new technologies; emphasis on print and
broadcast media in the United States.
Pre: 1014.
(3H,3C)
I.
3034 (HUM 3034): THEORIES OF POPULAR CULTURE
Relationship of popular culture to communication; ways to
classify, analyze, and evaluate popular culture; history
of main themes with emphasis on the United States; cultural
evolution of the electronic revolution. Junior standing
required.
(3H,3C)
I.
3054: AMERICAN FILM GENRES
Close visual and cultural study of classic film genres.
Emphasis is on the cinematic codes and narrative
conventions which unify the genre and which are found in
representative films. Exploration of genre films as
symbols of American culture and society. Genres studied
include the Western, the musical and the detective film.
Pre: 2054.
(3H,3C)
I.
3124: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
Basic theories and processes of person-to-person
communication; interpersonal perception; verbal and
nonverbal communication; establishment of relationships in
the family and work situation. Junior standing required.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
3134: ARGUMENTATION AND DECISION-MAKING
Nature and function of human communication emphasizing the
processes of argumentation and group decision-making;
topics include reasoning, advocacy, discussion methods, and
strategies. Junior standing required.
Pre: 2004 or 1016.
(3H,3C)
II.
3144: WRITING AND EDITING FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Advanced writing and editing skills related to the preparation of press releases, feature articles, brochures, newsletters, fund-raising letters, annual reports, and web pages. Pre: Junior standing. Pre: 2024. (3H,3C) I,II.
3154: REPORTING
News gathering, news writing, and news judgment; development
of news sources; establishing a news beat on campus.
Junior standing required.
Pre: 2024.
(3H,3C)
I.
3174: BROADCAST WRITING
Writing for radio and television; techniques of broadcast
interviewing; writing commercials, news, features, and
documentary. Junior standing required.
Pre: .
(2H,3L,3C)
I,II.
3184: TELEVISION PRODUCTION
Production of television programs, features and commercials;
terminology of basic audio and video operations; the
television production process; camera operation;
videotape editing; techniques for sound control, switching,
lighting, and visual effects. Junior standing required.
Pre: 2034.
(2H,3L,3C)
I,II.
3194: FILM PRODUCTION
Filmmaking theory and practice. Basic techniques and
technology of filmmaking, Super-8 mm. Junior standing
required.
Pre: 2054.
(2H,3L,3C)
I,II.
3204 (HUM 3204): MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Exploration of communication in various cultural groups through the medium of performance. Emphasis on understanding cultural differences and similarities in styles of communication, aesthetics, world views, and values. (3H,3C) II.
3244 (PSCI 3244): POLITICAL COMMUNICATION
Distribution of political information; elite-mass
communication; alternative models of political
communication; communication and telecommunications policy.
Pre: PSCI 1014 or PSCI 1024.
(3H,3C)
II.
3544 (ENGL 3544): LITERATURE AND FILM
Works of literature and the films into which they have
been transformed; emphasis on differences between media.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
4014: MEDIA EFFECTS
Impact of mass media on individuals and on society;
methods for documentation of media effects; research
about effects on various demographic groups such as
children, elderly, and minorities; effects of advertising;
effects of interactive and time shift technologies. Senior
standing required.
(3H,3C)
I.
4024: COMMUNICATIONS LAW AND ETHICS
Freedom of speech and press; how this freedom is limited
in such areas as libel, privacy, copyright, contempt, free
press/fair trial, judicial gag orders, reporters' shield
laws; related ethical areas. Senior standing required.
(3H,3C)
II.
4034 (HUM 4034): FUNCTIONS OF POPULAR CULTURE
Popular culture as a humanistic discipline; emphasis on
archetypes, formulas, and genres; the function of ideas,
images, and icons on the popular imagination. Senior
standing required.
(3H,3C)
II.
4044 (IS 4044): INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Comparative perspectives on global communication systems;
problems with the flow of information; roles of
international organizations; mass communication and national
development; implications for conflict resolution; selected
case studies. Senior standing required.
(3H,3C)
II.
4054: PUBLIC RELATIONS CASE STUDIES
Case studies applying public relations principles. Senior
standing required.
Pre: 2044.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
4064: PERSUASION
Theoretical foundations of persuasion; techniques of
persuasion; persuasive media strategies; contemporary
persuasive practice and campaigns. Senior standing
required.
(3H,3C)
I.
4074: ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Role of communication in complex organizations;
communication networks, communication and management,
message systems, decision-making; relationships between
organizational theory and communication. Senior standing
required.
(3H,3C)
I,II.
4084: FILM HISTORY
Aesthetic, economic, social, and technological history of
world cinema; film theory as it relates to the history of
cinema. Junior standing required.
Pre: 2054.
(2H,3L,3C)
4094: BROADCAST MANAGEMENT
Broadcast management procedures; programming; sales and
advertising. Senior standing required.
Pre: 3184.
(3H,3C)
4114: PHOTOJOURNALISM
Interpretive and creative photography applied to
journalism; cameras, films, photography techniques; history
of photography as communication; advanced darkroom
techniques. Junior standing required.
Pre: 2034.
(3H,3C)
I.
4124: ADVANCED REPORTING
Gathering and writing complex news and interpretative
stories; emphasis on covering courts, governmental agencies,
economic issues, consumer issues, and environmental issues;
use of sources including human and data-base.
Pre: 3154.
(3H,3C)
II.
4134: EDITORIAL WRITING
Development and function of the editorial page; writing of
editorials, reviews, and personal columns; examination of
role of letters and syndicated columns and cartoons;
problems editorial writers face in their jobs and
communities. Junior standing required.
Pre: 2024.
(3H,3C)
4144: MAGAZINE WRITING
The writing of feature material (as opposed to the reporting
of hard news), plus detailed examination of several article
types from a wide variety of contemporary magazines and
newspapers. Junior standing required.
Pre: 2024.
(3H,3C)
II.
4154: ELECTRONIC NEWS GATHERING
Production of television news programs. Elements of
reporting, writing, performance, production, direction,
editing, news management, videography, and executive
producing. May be repeated for credit up to a maximum of
6 credit hours with different content.
Pre: 3174, 3184.
(1H,6L,3C)
I,II.
4204: COMMUNICATION INTERNSHIP
Placement in a communication industry for practical
internship under supervision by a departmental advisor
and a professional in the field. May be repeated for credit
up to a maximum of 6 hours credit. Junior standing and
consent required.
Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.
I,II,III,IV.
4214: TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
Selected topics in communication research. Offered on
demand. Senior standing or consent required.
(3H,3C)
4224: TOPICS IN MEDIA CRITICISM
Selected topics in media criticism. Offered on demand.
Senior standing and consent required.
(3H,3C)
4234: TOPICS IN COMMUNICATION PERFORMANCE
Selected topics in communication performance. Offered on
demand. Senior standing and consent required.
(3H,3C)
4244: TOPICS IN PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
Selected topics in public communication. Offered on demand.
Senior standing and consent required.
(3H,3C)
4254: TOPICS IN MEDIA WRITING
Selected topics in media writing; emphasis on critical
analysis and writing. Senior standing required.
(3H,3C)
4354: THE FILM DIRECTOR
Close thematic and visual analysis of the films of a
single director. Directorial style assessed in terms of
recurring visual and thematic patterns. Development and
evolution of the director's style, and comparison with
filmmakers whose work lacks a unifying "signature."
Directors studied include Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie
Chaplin, and Orson Wells. Taught alternate years.
Pre: 2054.
(3H,3C)
II.
4364: ISSUE MANAGEMENT IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
Principles of issue management: creation, development,
and resolution; role of rhetoric in public policy
processes; legal constraints; strategies; social
responsibility.
Pre: 2044.
(3H,3C)
II.
4374: NEW COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
Identify recent trends in the innovation of new
communications technologies; storage, transmission, and
display systems of mediated communication: optical disc,
common carriers, telecommunication-computer linkages,
high-definition TV, and virtual reality; information
industries and society; markets for new and existing
telecommunication services. Junior or senior standing
required.
Pre: .
(3H,3C)
4384: CRITICISM OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
Study of rhetorical research method as systematic approach
to the analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of public
communication texts including speeches, film, and
advertisements.
Pre: 2064.
(3H,3C)
4964: FIELD STUDY
Pass/Fail only. Variable credit course.
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.
TOP
|