COMM – Communication Studies

This course focuses on the theory and the practice of human communication with an emphasis on one-on-one (dyadic) communication in diverse relationships and various contexts.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Distinguish between interpersonal communication and other types of human communication.
Describe the individual, cultural, and social factors that affect interpersonal communication.
Explain the interconnectedness of communication and culture within interpersonal relationships.
Explain the role of verbal and nonverbal expression in interpersonal relationships.
Explain the role of technology in interpersonal communication.
Describe the role of interpersonal communication in developing, negotiating, maintaining, and terminating relationships.
Identify listening styles and barriers to active listening.
Identify the consequences of different conflict management behaviors.
Describe the ethical responsibilities of a communicator.

College Academic Learning Goal Designation: Oral Communication (OC)

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

COMM 102 Communication Across Cultures

This course focuses on communication among and between people of different cultures. It is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts, theories, and research pertaining to intercultural communication. Students can also expect to engage in in-class exercises, activities, and discussions regarding everyday encounters with people from different socio-economic (class) backgrounds, racial, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender, physical abilities and religious belief systems.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain the interconnectedness of communication and culture.
Demonstrate a self-awareness and an understanding of others’ cultural values, beliefs, and communication styles.
Describe the influence of culture on one’s identity formation and identity management.
Explain the role of language in perception and culture.
Describe the characteristics of intercultural conflict and culturally-based conflict styles.
Explain the cultural value orientation patterns held by different cultures.
Analyze the way the history (eg, political, intellectual, social, family, national, and cultural-group) informs an intercultural communication encounter.
Describe cultural shock and the various academic approaches to understanding it.

Prerequisite: COMM 100.

COMM 104 Introduction to Mass Communication

This course introduces students to the industrialized production, distribution, regulation, consumption and analysis of print, electronic and new media industries. Students will review the history of mass communication in the media industries and explore career options in this field. They will also study the interrelated nature of media and society.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain the origins of the media industries.
Analyze the impact of print, electronic and new media upon society.
Explain the changing nature of the media industries in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Explain the convergence of media forms.
Assess the various mass communication career opportunities in the media industries.

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

COMM 106 New Media and Culture

This course introduces students to theories, industrial trends and consumer practices related to digital media. Topics will include media convergence, media literacy, and cultural criticism in the digital age as well as audience/fan studies. Upon completion of this course, students will gain a foundational knowledge of recent scholarly work related to the field of media studies.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain contemporary digital media industries.
Describe mediated consumer practices.
Apply media theories to the study of digital and new media technologiesExplain the role media literacy and critical consumption plays in a democratic society.
Explain the influence digital media platforms and computer-mediated communication has on culture.

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

COMM 111 Public Speaking

This course enables students to deliver a variety of presentations. Students are introduced to various methods of delivery, organizational patterns, and types of presentational aids. Emphasis is placed on preparing presentations for multiple audiences and occasions.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Recognize appropriate techniques for managing communication apprehension.
Construct and deliver a variety of presentations.
Construct and use appropriately designed visual aids.
Locate and effectively incorporate supporting material drawn from a variety of sources.
Organize content in a logical manner according to presentation type.
Deliver a presentation employing effective stylistic techniques.
Demonstrate effective listening skills as both a speaker and a listener of presentations.
Demonstrate ethical responsibilities of a speaker.
Adapt presentation message to audience and occasion

College Academic Learning Goal Designation: Oral Communication (OC)

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

COMM 115 Introduction to Public Relations

Public relations is the process of managing reputations by tracking an organization’s actions and stakeholders’ opinions about those actions; reporting on those actions and opinions; and reacting to that information with clear communication directed to affected publics. Students explore the processes, strategies, theories, principles, and techniques of contemporary public relations as practiced by business, governmental, nonprofit, political, advocacy, cultural, educational and civic groups. In this course, students will explore how to open and maintain two-way communication with internal and external stakeholders that influence and are influenced by an organization.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Examine the process of reputation creation and maintenance.
Analyze public relations campaigns that impacted the public’s view of an organization, movement or institution.
Analyze the impact of globalization on Public Relations activities.
Evaluate critical views of public relations efforts.
Evaluate the use of communicative art forms such as music, poetry, art, dance, film or storytelling, in any public relations campaigns.
Utilize, where appropriate, contemporary technology such as desktop publishing software.
Synthesize a range of PR tools in a comprehensive public relations campaign.
Produce effective news feeds.
Apply the ethical code established by the Public Relations Society of America.
Identify career opportunities/possibilities within the student’s field of study, interests or aptitude area in public relations.

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

COMM 190 Communications Internship (1 credit)

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 60 hour internship will earn 1 college credit for this experience. NOTE: To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Explain three program-related concepts that have been applied during the work experience.
Describe the ways that technology is utilized in the work experience.
Analyze the culture of the host organization.
Analyze an operational process within the work experience.
Demonstrate how assigned tasks depend on successful communication.
Describe how time and activity are managed to meet work-imposed deadlines.
Describe an instance where problem-solving skills were needed to analyze a situation in the work experience.
Demonstrate specifically how job-related competence has improved.
Formulate a self-assessment for career growth and personal satisfaction.
Satisfy the competencies of the chosen CSEL placement (to be developed in consultation with the CSEL instructor).
Work closely with a faculty mentor in the student’s program/major to complete a project which articulates how the experience helps the student achieve program outcomes

COMM 194 Communications Internship (2 credits)

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 120 hour internship will earn 2 college credits for this experience. NOTE: To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

COMM 199 Communications Internship (3 credits)

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 180 hour internship will earn 3 college credits for this experience. To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

COMM 200 Argumentation and Debate

This course focuses on the theory and practice of argumentation and debate. Students will learn fundamental concepts of argument including identifying claims, using credible evidence, types of reasoning, and fallacies in reasoning. Through structured debate, students will demonstrate the ability to construct, defend, and refute arguments using logic and critical thinking in written and oral formats.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Identify the parts of an argument.
Evaluate the credibility and appropriateness of evidence used to support claims.
Demonstrate critical thinking skills by using sound reasoning.
Identify logical fallacies.
Construct valid arguments to support a position in written and verbal formats.
Demonstrate basic rebuttal and refutation skills necessary to defend arguments and respond to the arguments of others.
Demonstrate ethical responsibilities of a debater.

Prerequisite: COMM 111.

COMM 201 Communication Theory

This course examines the major paradigms within the study of human communication by introducing students to both historical and contemporary communication theories from various branches of the discipline. Students will evaluate and apply the theories in and across a variety of contexts.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Define theory.
Demonstrate an understanding of theory/model development.
Distinguish between the major paradigms within the communication discipline.
Identify key branches of study within the communication discipline.
Apply major communication theories.
Critique communication theories by identifying constructs and limitations.

Prerequisite: ENG 100.

This course focuses on the theory and the practice of human communication with an emphasis on one-on-one (dyadic) communication in diverse relationships and various contexts.

College Academic Learning Goal Designation: Oral Communication (OC)

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

Prerequisite: COMM 100.

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

College Academic Learning Goal Designation: Oral Communication (OC)

Prerequisite: Successful Placement Test Scores or (ENG 050 and REA 050) or ENG 099* or REA 075 or REA 100* (*may be taken concurrently).

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 120 hour internship will earn 2 college credits for this experience. NOTE: To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

College-Sponsored Experiential Learning (CSEL) is designed to integrate on-the-job learning experiences with classroom studies. These experiences are structured either to explore career options or to prepare for a specific occupation. Students participating in the Cooperative Education and Internship Program gain college credit and are graded for their learning/work experience by the appropriate faculty. Students participating in this 180 hour internship will earn 3 college credits for this experience. To be eligible for an internship, students must: Have completed a minimum of 18 or more credits within the last 5 years. Have begun course work in their major (at least 9 credits). Have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Obtain a written recommendation by a DCCC faculty within the discipline of the internship. Submit a current resume to the Office of Student Employment Services. Upon successful completion of this hands-on work experience, the student should be able to satisfy instructionally selected competencies from those below according to the number of credits to be awarded.

Prerequisite: COMM 111.

Prerequisite: ENG 100.

College Catalog