Communication Studies

SPRING 2011 TOPIC COURSES

COM310.0001 Dynamics of Communication Marketing. W 4:00-6:45pm, BALL112; Gail Alofsin: Examines integrating marketing and advertising initiatives with public relations campaigns and projects. Emphasis will be placed on defining key channels of communication, examining the separate and united strengths of marketing, advertising and public relations, and developing the skills necessary to create communication (internally and externally). Pre: junior standing in a degree granting college or permission of instructor

COM310.0003 & 4 Cultural Studies of Popular Music MWF 10-10:50am, SWAN304 or MWF 11-11:50am, SWAN304; Dr. Ian Reyes: Students will learn to critique popular music as a form of mediated, cultural communication. This entails examining critical theory and case studies addressing historical and political issues surrounding music audiences, artists, industries, and technologies. No formal knowledge of music is required. Pre: junior standing in a degree granting college or permission of instructor.

COM310.0006 Content & Effects of Media Advertising. MWF 1-1:50pm, SWAN204; Dr. Yinjiao Ye: Exploration of how television advertising depicts people and society, and the effects it may have on individuals and society. Introduction to basic methods for scientifically analyzing television advertising and its possible effects.

COM310.007 The Rhetoric of Music: Songs of Social Justice. TH 2-4:45pm, SWAN304, Dr. Stephen Wood: An in-depth exploration of the ways music, particularly non-mainstream music, functions as a rhetorical agent. Specifically, the ways in which political and collective social experience are shaped, influenced, inspired, driven, reinforced or mobilized through music will be studied and illustrated through a series of lectures and screenings about key musical rhetorical agents. The class will feature readings on rhetorical theory as applied to music and audio/video recordings selected to challenge the student’s understanding and knowledge. Pre: Junior standing in a degree granting college or permission of instructor.

COM310.0008 & 9 Rhetoric, Media and the Way of the Lawyer. MW 3-4:15pm, SWAN201 or MW4:30-5:45pm, SWAN201; Rick Smith: From the Duke case, to OJ, to Bush vs. Gore, to President Clinton’s mastery of legal parsing, is there any doubt we live in a land of laws, lawyers, and legalese? Legal communication concepts such as cross examination, framing the issues and relevancy, are now part of the public rhetoric. Can we even understand our leaders without a law degree? Students will examine and practice the oral communication skills and tactics of lawyers, especially trial lawyers. Using famous public trials, we will study the function and role of legal communication in our media culture. Students will examine legal communication skills, issues, and tactics in the media circus and in popular trials. Students will learn legal communication concepts such as cross examination, immateriality, summation, persuasion and participate in mock trials. Pre: junior standing in a degree granting college or permission of instructor.

COM310.0010 Children as Family Communicators. T 3:30-6:15pm, RODM109; Julie Yingling: Although family communication has become a popular course, most books on the topic cover very little about the effects of all this family communication on children, nor the effects of children on family communication. In this class, students will focus on children as communicators; how they learn to communicate from parents and siblings, how they develop family relationships, learn family rules and roles, engage in family decision making, and handle family conflict and problems.

COM310.0011 & 12 Audiences & Racial Ethnic Identities. MWF 10-10:50am, GILB118 or MWF 12-12:50pm, CRAW221; Dr. David Oh: The course examines the role of racial/ethnic identities in the reception and use of both domestic and transnational media. Readings will examine the ways identities are constructed in and through media, the ways identities structure reception of media messages, and the ways that media are used to erect social boundaries.

COM310.0200 The Rhetoric of Westerns. ONLINE; Lisa McClure: A rhetorical criticism course that examines the theories and methods of rhetorical criticism specifically as they inform the unique genre of American Westerns. We will study a variety of films from different eras throughout American Cinematic history.

COM310.0201 The Rhetoric of Social Networking Sites. ONLINE; Lisa McClure: A rhetorical criticism course that examines the theories and methods of rhetorical criticism specifically as they inform the unique content of social networking sites. We will study a variety of online dating and social friendship sites.

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