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Sp 412/512 Empirical Theories of Mass Communication (4) Surveys social scientific theories of mass communication. Prerequisite: Sp 212. Stat 243, Sp 314, or Psy 342 recommended.
Sp 415/515 Problems of Intercultural Communication (4) Builds upon the theories and issues discussed in the introductory course by including contemporary and classical literature on multicultural and intercultural communication. Identifies and analyzes politically constructed categories of race, age, class, gender in society against the backdrop of debates on multiculturalism in the United States. Examines these categorizations of race, class, etc., in their historical, social, and cultural context, and how those have influenced mass mediated and interpersonal communication. Uses mass media (television, radio, daily print media, music) texts to provide examples of how we understand "difference" and "otherness" in our daily lives. Sp 215 recommended.
Sp 416/516 Theories of Communication (4) Examines the major lines of theoretical development in the study of human communication, as well as examining their diverse and alternative assumptive bases for theory construction and critical analysis. Particular attention given to questions of causal or practical necessity, and reductionistic or holistic analysis of communication processes and phenomena. Required participation of students in a group project to investigate and report to class on a specific theory. Prerequisites: 6 credits upper-division speech communication and Sp 311. Course offered at least one term every year.
*Sp 417/517 Communication and Conflict (4) Examines assumptions underlying the selection of communicative behaviors in conflict situations, and the assessment of choices for expected or desired consequences. Interpersonal, group, organizational, intercultural and international settings are examined. Examination of traditional and nontraditional approaches to conflict management. Required development of case study applying concepts of the course, and class presentation. Sp 218, 313, 314, or 324 recommended.
Sp 418/518 Advanced Interpersonal Communication (4) Examines assumptions underlying the selection of communicative behaviors in conflict situations, and the assessment of choices for expected or desired consequences. Interpersonal, group, organizational, intercultural and international settings are examined. Examination of traditional and nontraditional approaches to conflict management. Required development of case study applying concepts of the course, and class presentation. Sp 218, 313, 314, or 324 recommended.
Sp 422/522 Critical Theories in Mass Communication (4) Surveys critical institutional theories of mass communication. Primary focus is analysis of the relationship between media and communication institutions and the state and other social institutions.
Sp 423/523 Organizational Communication (4) Application of communication theory to the study of human interaction in the organizational context. Examination of the relationships between structural variables in the organization and informal communication channels, including analysis of leadership style, decision-making, conflict management, and computer-mediated communication. Course requirements include completion and report of a personal research project. Prerequisite: upper-division standing. Sp 218 and Sp 313 recommended.
*Sp 427/527 Issues in International Communication (4) A study of historical and contemporary theories and practices in the conduct of trans-border communication. Topics may include international communication issues of law, diplomacy, conflict, the Cold War, international organizations, mass media, information, advertising and news flows, and social-economic development, as well as discussion of specific cases of cultural and institutional communication, spoken, written and produced, in various industrial and developing societies. Prerequisite: upper division standing or graduate standing.
*Sp 436/536 Communication and Cognition (4) Exploration of cognitive science as it applies to theories of human communication, with particular attention to the interaction between communication and consciousness. Prerequisite: graduate standing or Sp 416 (or equivalent) and consent of instructor.
*Sp 437/537 Urban Communication (4) Course utilizes a cultural, contextual approach to the study of urban communication structures, processes and practices. Macro and micro features are examined with the goal of understanding the role of communication in structuring social life in urban environments. Relevant theoretical perspectives on urban life are examined and multiple dimensions of verbal and nonverbal communication codes analyzed for their meaning features and particular configurations in urban contexts. Theoretical and empirical approaches taken recognize urban centers as multicultural environments. Research project required. Prerequisites: upper division standing or graduate standing.
*Sp 447/547 Communication and Aging (4) Focuses on the intersecting of communication and gerontology. Ages of communicators as variables affecting the process and outcome of interaction. Students examine communication and aging through interaction (intrapersonal, interpersonal, family, medical.) Student projects include interviews with elderly subjects and case studies.
Sp 452/552 Gender and Race in the Media (4) Primarily examines the representations of gender and race, including age, class and sexual orientation in various media (mainstream and alternative), and will examine approaches which may be used to interpret these representations. In addition, considers the potential impact that media institutions have on people's lives, political decisions and social relations. The overall aim is for students to understand how their own cultural identities affect their media consumption and social positioning. This course is the same as WS 452; course may only be taken once for credit.
Sp 503 Thesis (Credit to be arranged.)
Sp 511 Introduction to Graduate Studies (4) Introduction to the development and scope of the speech communication discipline, including a critical examination of the lines of inquiry and methods of investigation that shape the discipline. Emphasis is placed on those elements of scholarly inquiry that enable students to become competent consumers of current research and contribute to their ability to conduct original research in speech communication.
*Sp 513 Seminar: Communication in Institutional Contexts (4) Various configurations and features of institutional life are examined. The impact of culture, politics, media on organizational communicative structures and processes, communication consultation, institutional-community interface are among the topics covered. Current research is examined. Students conduct an organizational research project. Prerequisite: graduate standing or instructor permission. Repeatable for credit.
*Sp 514 Seminar: Communication, Culture, and Community (4) Examination and analysis of human symbolic activity as the management of meaning, with the capacity to shape and influence thought, action, and the world view. Particular attention given to assumptions regarding intent, effects, meaning, understanding, and interpretation, and their implications for studying persuasion from modernist and post-modernist perspectives.
*Sp 521 Quantitative Methods in Communication Research (4) An examination of the methods of empirical research in communication. Emphasis is upon selected research designs, data collection and analysis, data input for computer analysis with statistical packages, results interpretation, and writing reports of completed research. Prerequisite: at least one course in statistics.
*Sp 525 Seminar: International Communication and Culture (4) Study and analysis of the international dimensions of communication. Focus is on understanding the cultural and power contexts and differences among and between peoples and institutions that establish the boundaries in the exchange of meanings, values, and ideas. Emphasis is given to questions of cultural, economic and political sovereignty in the pursuit of national, regional, and personal identity and development.
*Sp 528 Seminar: Communication in Relational Contexts (4) Advanced work in interpersonal communication theories, and concepts such as family, aging, and conflict. Critique of current research in light of such considerations as cultural constraints, shifts in relational definitions and configurations. Research project. Prerequisite: Sp 518, graduate standing or permission of instructor.
*Sp 531 Qualitative Methods in Communication Research (4) An examination of naturalistic methods of communication research and their assumptive bases. Particular attention given to descriptive, interpretive, and critical approaches for analysis, and to specific techniques of participant observation, interviewing, and textual analysis. Critical examination of selected research as models for original student research. Prerequisite: Sp 511.
*Sp 533 Seminar: Organizational Communication (4) Examines the implications of evolving perspectives in organizational theory, as well as cultural factors which may influence communication processes in the organizational context. Different approaches to assessing organizational communication processes are considered with relevance to enhancing organizational effectiveness and facilitating organizational transition and change. Course requirements include completion and report of a research project.
*Sp 556 Seminar: Language, Meaning, and Interpretation (4) Exploration of cognitive, linguistic, and interpretive approaches of emerging interest in the study of human communication. Specific topics vary with instructor. Prerequisites: Sp 511 and Sp 516 (or equivalent courses from other departments), graduate standing or consent of instructor.
*Courses marked with an asterisk are not offered every year.
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