CMST- Communication Studies

Courses

CMST& 101: Introduction to Communication

Credits 5
H- In this course, students will explore the theory and practice of the communication process in an introductory class in the field of Communication. As they explore, students will develop skills and learn research based strategies improving their communication competence in foundational areas of interpersonal, intercultural, small group, and public speaking. Students will improve their ability to communicate formally and informally at home, work, and school, by evaluating and practicing their communication abilities in various contexts. Emphasis is placed on developing and maintaining competencies in verbal and nonverbal communication, perception of self and others, listening, conflict management, small group communication dynamics, and presentational speaking. Students will also learn to deliver effective formal team presentations.

CMST& 102: Introduction to Mass Media

Credits 5
EDP, H- In this course, students become better consumers of information through an understanding of the media's history and cultural, economic, and social impacts. Students will learn how the internet, television, radio, film, and print media affect private and public life. They will be able to analyze the news and information flowing around them critically. Students will explore the legal, ethical, economic, and commercial dimensions of mass communications including how local and global systems of power, privilege, and inequality are created and maintained. (formerly 203)

CMST& 210: Interpersonal Communication

Credits 5
H- In this course, students explore, analyze and apply practical theory-based communication techniques and skills to enable students to develop and maintain healthy family, friend, romantic, and professional relationships. Students will examine and apply interpersonal communication theory to develop new more competent communication skills. Emphasis will be on personal identity and choosing intentional communication behaviors for relationship development, managing conflict and reducing communication anxiety in multiple contexts.

CMST& 220: Public Speaking

Credits 5

GS, H, SU- In this course, students learn to analyze audience and purpose in order to choose topics, and organize, develop, and deliver various styles of public and presentational speeches on local and global issues. Students will prepare and practice speeches that are recorded for evaluation and improvement throughout the course. Students will also gain critical listening skills and persuasive abilities, while decreasing communication apprehension.

CMST& 230: Small Group Communication- Leadership Dynamics

Credits 5
EDP, H- Students will improve their ability to apply theoretical frameworks of group communication and leadership dynamics in diverse group settings at home, work, and in the classroom. Moreover, by utilizing current communication theories and research, students will critically analyze their own and others¿ communication effectiveness, and apply problem-solving and conflict resolution techniques. Students will engage in and conduct research for team and service learning projects, in order to learn actively and evaluate their leadership and group communication skills. Additionally, students learn how individuals, communities, and societies/cultures are impacted by these systems and explore strategies for equitable change.

CMST 103: Interviewing Skills

Credits 3
EDP, H- In this course, students will focus on the principles of interviewing. The interview process is a highly specialized form of Interpersonal Communication. Students will engage in practicing and applying specific skills including, but not limited to listening, the use of both verbal and nonverbal communication, and the creation of resumes, cover letters, and personal statements. Moreover, students in the course will conduct and engage in mock interviews and develop interviewing skills and strategies based on a variety of settings including; work, job placement, internships, community activities, and college enrollment. Additionally, students learn how individuals, communities, and societies/cultures are impacted by these systems and explore strategies for equitable change.

CMST 105: Professional Communication

Credits 5
H- Students will explore and apply the practical elements of inclusive communication skills for both individual and group communication in business, industry, and nonprofit contexts. In addition, students will learn expectations for communicating professionally at work as they apply and practice strategies for effective communication in presentational speaking, collaborative problem solving, and decision-making in teams. Emphasis is on developing and maintaining powerful soft skills, such as listening, conflict resolution, critical thinking, and professional networking. Students will also work in collaboration with organizations on and/or off campus.

CMST 110: Digital Media, Culture, and Communications

Credits 5
EDP, H- In this Communications course, students become better consumers of and active participants in online social networks through an increased awareness and appreciation of specific online tools and applications. Students will be able to critically analyze their role and purpose in engaging in online global communities. Moreover, students will analyze, interpret, and apply specific communication strategies to the development of their own web presence. Throughout the course students will work in collaborative online global digital communities focusing on the role of culture on communication. Students will apply and integrate digital media literacy skills and awareness into their professional, academic and social lives.

CMST 150: Multicultural Communication

Credits 5
EDP, H, IL- The course in multicultural communication introduces students to the dynamics of identity development with communication, power, and difference within the diverse environment of the United States. Students will evaluate the influence of cultural values and resulting communication on the development of individual and group identities, while exploring the impact of systems of power, privilege, and inequality on communication behavior. Students will learn how to locate themselves within a local and national context and improve their abilities to interact within various diverse cultural settings by utilizing a variety of communication strategies and techniques designed to develop communication competence. This course will include approved integrated learning activities aligned with a community-based learning requirement. Prerequisite(s): None

CMST 201: American Cinema

Credits 5
EDP, H- Students learn about American cinema by experiencing and analyzing films. Students use knowledge of film production from historical, commercial, scientific, cultural, and artistic perspectives. Students will investigate film form and the language of film to discover the creative process of film production as it relates to cultural expression. Moreover, students will gain knowledge to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate film as it relates to how both local and global systems of power, privilege, and inequality are created and maintained.

CMST 211: World Cinema

Credits 5
EDP, GS, H- In this communication studies course, students learn about world cinema by experiencing and analyzing films. Students gain knowledge of film production from historical, commercial, scientific, cultural, and artistic perspectives influenced by cultural norms and values. In addition, students will investigate film form and the language of film as expressed by different cultural preferences to discover the creative process of film production, distribution, and viewership. Moreover, students will gain knowledge by analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating global films as it relates to global systems of power, privilege, and inequality. Assessment methods may include film analysis, review of production elements, and small group projects on critiquing film genre narratives.

CMST 233: Global Media

Credits 5
EDP,GS,H- In this course, students learn how to effectively implement media literacy strategies and techniques for consuming and analyzing specific global media messages and images. Students will be able to critically analyze global news events and information flowing through specific media technologies and services. Moreover, students will compare and contrast U.S. media systems with those media systems from other cultures/countries by examining legal, ethical, economic, and the commercial dimensions of mass communication. Additionally, students learn how individuals, communities, and societies/cultures are impacted by these systems and explore strategies for equitable change.

CMST 243: Media Law and Ethics

Credits 5
H- The internet raises difficult ethical and legal questions about privacy, freedom of speech, access to information, rights, and responsibilities of users. In this communication studies course, students will learn to examine and analyze complex legal and ethical situations on the internet and in other forms of mass media in order to be better consumers of media messages and images. To do so, students will study models for ethical decision-making and the history and process of media law.

CMST 251: Intercultural Communication

Credits 5
EDP,GS,H- Students identify the effects of culture on communication in the global context, by exploring underlying values, rules, worldviews and the systems of power, and inequality of different international cultures. They explore culture-specific verbal and nonverbal communication patterns, and conflict negotiation strategies. Students learn key issues of cultural influence on the construction of communication messages in specific settings within the global context, such as business and education, and create and demonstrate communication strategies for intercultural communication competence.