Communication Studies

College of Arts and Sciences

103 Ferguson Building
336-334-5297
https://cst.uncg.edu

Christopher Poulos, Department Head
Jenni Simon, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Marianne LeGreco, Graduate Program Director

About

There is nothing on this earth more fascinating than the study of human communication. Meaning making is a complex, continuous, collaborative, dynamic process. Sometimes, we are transported into a world we could hardly imagine as we engage in deep listening and active dialogue with friends, loved ones, and colleagues. Sometimes a great speech will take us to soaring heights of understanding and even epiphany. Sometimes we are like ships passing in the night, hardly even understanding one another. And sometimes, we crash into each other like rams on a hillside, embroiled in conflict, with no apparent exit!

Friends, families, work groups, organizations, communities—we study them all, and all offer endless opportunities for study, sense making, and intervention. All of this action, and more, will confront you as you engage in your studies. And, at the end of it all, you will not only have a lifelong quest ahead of you (as you come to understand and engage in various forms and practices of communication), you will also find yourself equipped to succeed in a wide variety of fields and careers.

Mission Statement

We teach and research communication to connect people, create change, and work toward a just world.

Commitments

We engage communication knowledge to understand, advance, and challenge human interaction processes locally and globally.
We promote the centrality of communication to personal, professional, and public lives.
We seek to invigorate our collective moral imagination to build a world of hope, justice, and peace.
We engage pressing social and relational issues through written and spoken communication, active research and teaching, and involvement in the world around us.
We foster learning and application of communication knowledge and skill to transform relationships and communities.
We affirm, practice, and teach service and community engagement.
We teach the art of living well together.

Values

We actively value and promote:

Honesty
Trust
Respect
Fairness
Responsibility
Care
Ethics
Justice
Courage
Equality
Creativity
Compassion
Engagement
Critical Thinking
Holistic Thinking
Incremental Thinking
Learner-centered practice
Independence
Interdependence
Difference
Relationships
Connection
Self-discipline
Focus
Service

Philosophy of Scholarship

We believe that communication is formative and foundational to human identities, relationships, and communities—and that ethical and strategically effective communication can be the means of critiquing, constructing, and transforming identities, relationships, and communities.

We engage in communication scholarship in the form of research, teaching, and service that:

Integrates dialogue and other approaches to communication as the foundation for scholarly inquiry and application to the world
Cultivates diversity and respect for differences
Promotes change that leads to more democratic, just, and peaceful relationships and communities
Engages creative partnerships of faculty, students, and other stakeholders in addressing contemporary challenges and opportunities for improving communication

The Department offers the B.A. in Communication Studies as well as an undergraduate minor. The M.A. degree is also offered in the department. For details on the graduate program see the University Catalog.

The Department of Communication Studies offers required and elective courses that are designed to make productive use of differing learning styles among students: theoretical and applied, textual and experiential, topical and case study, course work and internships/service learning, individual and groups/team based performances. A number of courses involve service learning to link communication, action, and academic study.

The Department of Communication Studies provides opportunities to study relational, group, workplace, and community communication. Communication courses contribute to a liberal education by teaching creative thinking and problem-solving, critical reasoning, and effective oral, written, and mediated communication. The faculty strongly believe in the interdisciplinary nature of communication, and this curriculum encourages elective course work be taken in allied disciplines such as African American and African Diaspora Studies, Anthropology, Business, English, Media Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Women’s and Gender Studies. Additionally, the Department participates in high-impact educational experiences, such as Service-Learning, the Honors Programs administered by the Lloyd International Honors College, Writing Across the Curriculum and Speaking Across the Curriculum programs, and regularly offers freshman seminars. Opportunities also exist for Study Abroad including exchanges in Europe. Communication Studies majors with a 3.0 GPA may apply to go abroad in the spring semester of their junior year to participate in various Study Abroad opportunities.

The undergraduate program in Communication Studies is designed to serve as a solid foundation for a variety of professional and entrepreneurial careers; it also provides preparatory work for graduate studies in communication, as well as related fields such as law, business, media studies, and education. Faculty and students in the Department of Communication Studies are actively involved in research, service, and consulting with community, state, regional, national, and international organizations and agencies.

Student Learning Goals

As a reflection of the mission statement, the UNC Greensboro general education goals, and in consultation with the National Communication Association, the Department of Communication Studies has the following student learning outcomes for the B.A. degree. At the completion of the major, the student should be able to:

Speak effectively and ethically to a public.
Utilize communication concepts and competencies to build relationships and/or community.
Apply a communication perspective to identify and analyze social issues/problems.
Engage communication scholarship using appropriate theory and research methods.

Graduate Programs

The Master of Arts program in Communication Studies prepares students for scholarly or applied communication careers in the social, public, and private sectors, community college teaching, or advancement to a doctoral program. As they master the tools of scholarship, students acquire:

A deep, research-based, critical understanding of communication in relation to public and private contexts and issues, and
The ability to participate in and contribute to the communication discipline as scholars and practitioners.

Professor

Pete Kellett^G

Etsuko Kinefuchi^G

Loreen Nyla Olson^G

Christopher N. Poulos^G

Associate Professor

Marianne E. LeGreco^G

Assistant Professor

Cristiane Sommer Damasceno^G

Senior Lecturer

Jessica E. D. McCall^G

Jenni Marie Simon^G

Lecturer

David Scott Errera

Marc H Rich

Pat Patterson Sawyer

Kiya Jae Sellers

Jenny Marie Southard

Jessica R Sullivan

G: Graduate-level faculty

CST 105 Introduction to Communication Studies 3

Students will learn to construct and deliver coherent oral arguments for various contexts. Principles of competent communication will be addressed. Recordings will be used to evaluate and enhance communication skills.

MAC: MAC Oral Communication

CST 199 Introduction to Communication Inquiry 1

This course prepares students to ask and answer questions from a communication perspective. Students will engage critical thinking skills to evaluate evidence, interpret communication journal articles, and package information.

CST 200 Communication and Community 3

Exploration of role and impact of communication in diverse communities. Ethical and social responsibilities of civic action are examined in the context of community problem solving. Includes service learning experience in a supervised setting.

CST 207 Relational Communication 3

Contemporary theory and practice of relational communication, with emphasis on increasing awareness of strategic and ethical uses of communication to build relationships.

CST 210 Communicating Ethically 3

Provides students with an opportunity to think critically about ethical and moral dimensions of current practices in interpersonal, institutional, and public communication.

CST 300 Communication Theory 3

Critical analysis and evaluation of scientific, rhetorical, and critical theories of communication. Emphasis on how theory assists us to understand, predict, and transform society.

Prerequisites: Junior status and above and any two courses from among CST 200, CST 207, and CST 210, or permission of instructor.

CST 305 Persuasion in Western Culture 3

The history of rhetoric (persuasion) and its evolution in Western culture, from ancient Greece to our current age. Application of rhetorical theory/criticism to various historical and contemporary communicative events.

Prerequisites: CST 105 and junior standing.

CST 308 Organizational Communication 3

Examines contemporary organizational communication theory and practices as they enable organizations to function, change, learn, and create/recreate identities.

CST 311 Deliberation and Decision Making 3

Course content explores the theory and practice of collaborative argumentation. This includes analysis and deliberation over contemporary issues and training in reasoned, persuasive oral and written communications.

CST 315 Persuasion and Social Influence 3

Theories and practices of persuasion in critically evaluating and creating/composing persuasive messages. Role of ethics in relational, group, and mass mediated persuasive communication.

CIC: CIC College Writing

CST 333 Special Problems 1-3

Guided individual study in an area of special interest to the student.

Prerequisites: Permission of faculty supervisor.

Notes: May be repeated for credit.

CST 337 Intercultural Communication 3

Drawing from multiple theoretical perspectives, this course explores theories, research, and issues important to the understanding of communication between people from different racial, ethnic, national, and other cultural backgrounds.

CST 341 Communication and Workplace Relationships 3

Advanced communication skills applied to the workplace. Emphasis on both oral and written communication in interviewing, making presentations, and creating ethically grounded professional communication.

CST 342 Communication and Public Relations: Strategies and Innovations 3

Prepares students for effective and ethical public communication and relations on behalf of profit and not-for-profit organizations. Students conduct research, apply strategies, and utilize innovative methods to meet organizational communication objectives.

CIC: CIC College Writing

CST 343 Crisis Communication 3

Investigates the range of crises facing us in every segment of society. From readings, case studies, videos, and presentations an understanding of current communication functions relating to these issues are studied.

CIC: CIC College Writing

CST 344 Conflict Communication 3

Course explores how communication is central to expressing opposing voices and managing conflicted relationships, change, diversity/difference, and identities.

CIC: CIC College Writing

CST 350 Small Group and Team Communication 3

Theory and practice of small group/team communication, emphasizing student participation. Develops skills for leadership in small group/teams. Develops framework for analysis of effective small groups/teams.

CST 390 Speaking Center Theory and Practice 3

Explores principles of Communication Across the Curriculum, applying them to interpersonal communication, listening, group communication, public speaking, and pedagogy to prepare Communication Consultants in UNCG's Speaking Intensive program.

Prerequisites: CST 105 or CST 341 (may be taken as a corequisite). 3.0 GPA in the student's major; written permission from the Speaking Across the Curriculum Center Director.

CST 399 Communication Research Methods 3

Theoretical examination and practical application of the philosophical, ideological, and processual bases for selecting, using, and evaluating methods of conducting and reporting communication research.

CST 403 Communication Pedagogy 3

Seminar focusing on the effect of communication upon learning. For undergraduates interested in teaching or training. Emphasis on pedagogical principles and instructional materials.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

CST 406 Speaking Out for Community Change 3

Exploration of theory and practice in community advocacy. Focus on public deliberation, moral conflict, and community dialogue in value-laden topics and controversies.

Prerequisites: CST 305 recommended for undergraduates.

CST 407 Gender and Communication 3

Using a case study method, this course examines the relationship of gender to communication process. Identity, language, and relationships within cultural context are key concepts under study.

Prerequisites: CST 207 or equivalent.

CST 408 Health Communication 3

Focuses on current trends in the design of health messages. Explores health campaigns, interpersonal interventions, health care institutions, and consumer-based models and participatory approaches to health.

Prerequisites: CST 105.

Notes: May be repeated once for credit.

CST 412 Communication Internship 3-6

Field learning experience using communication theory, research, and strategies in agencies and organizations within the larger community.

Prerequisites: Will vary. junior or senior status, and permission of instructor;

Notes: May be repeated for maximum of 6 s.h. credit. Open to majors only.

CST 415 Family Communication 3

Exploration of family communication, including symbols, meanings, rules, traditions, stories, secrets, roles, artifacts, and theoretical frameworks. Practical application exercises and research related to family communication practices and patterns.

CST 416 Communication and Ethnography: Writing Life 3

Intensive study and practice of methodologies of personal narrative, ethnography, autoethnography, and memoir. Examination and expression of self, identity, and communication in close personal relationships via writing life histories.

CIC: CIC College Writing

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing.

CST 417 Communication and Friendship 3

Course focuses on communication in friendships, via a close examination of friendships in everyday and popular culture contexts. Ethnographic methodology and dialectical, narrative, and identity theory frame our study.

CIC: CIC College Writing

CST 420 Environmental Communication 3

Explores environmental communication including current issues, theoretical frameworks, ethical frameworks, and the symbolic relationship of humans to nature. Emphasizes research, analysis, critical self-reflection, and practices.

CST 421 African American Culture and Identity 3

Examines dynamic ways that African Americans construct, maintain, and negotiate their social identities in a variety of contexts. Explores the connections among race/ethnic identity, communication, and culture.

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing.

CST 440 Reclaiming Democracy: Dialogue, Decision-Making, Community Action 4

This course asks: How do we reclaim our democracy as a humane, inclusive process responsible to the needs of all community members and what does this require of us?

Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing.

CST 455 Relational Communication and the Hollywood Feature Film 3

Analysis and application of images, discourses, and practices concerning human communication and relationships as they are represented in the powerful cultural medium of film.

Prerequisites: Undergraduates: CST 207, CST 300 or CST 305, and upper division standing.

CST 460 Special Topics in Communication Research 3

Seminar in applying communication theory and research to current topics.

Notes: May be repeated for credit an unlimited number of times when topics vary.

CST 499 Senior Capstone 3

Graduating seniors synthesize their experience of the communication studies major by reflecting on course work and scholarly focus areas, assessing departmental learning outcomes, and constructing a career portfolio.

Prerequisites: Senior status or permission of instructor.

CST 601 Engaging Communication Scholarship I 3

Theories and research methodologies in communication studies. Emphasis on application of theory to social and cultural contexts and use of methods to solve research problems/answer research questions.

CST 602 Engaging Communication Scholarship II 3

Study of theories and research methodologies in communication studies. Application of communication theory to social and cultural contexts and use of methods to solve research problems/answer research questions.

CST 603 Communication Pedagogy 3

Seminar focusing on the effect of communication upon learning. For graduate teaching assistants in any discipline, graduates or undergraduates interested in teaching or training. Emphasis on pedagogical principles and instructional materials.

CST 605 Communicating for Social Change 3

Theoretical and practical views on how to work inside and outside institutions of power to transform values, assert credibility, and mobilize others. Emphasis on how communication creates social change. Topics and emphasis vary by semester.

CST 606 Speaking Out for Community Change 3

Exploration of theory and practice in community advocacy. Focus on public deliberation, moral conflict, and community dialogue in value-laden topics and controversies.

CST 612 Seminar in Communication Studies 3

Subject matter varies.

Prerequisites: Admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instructor.

Notes: May be repeated for credit.

CST 621 African American Culture and Identity 3

CST 630 Communication, Organization, and Democracy 3

Draws upon critical organizational communication and critical/cultural studies to consider the role of communication in creating and sustaining democratic organizing in micro, meso, and macro contexts.

CST 632 Communication Ethics and Social Justice 3

Theory and practice of communication ethics in a free society. Issues and cases ranging from intrapersonal to mass media communication situations.

Prerequisites: Admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instructor.

CST 635 Identity, Culture, and Communication 3

Takes critical/cultural studies approaches to examine how culturally significant identity sites such as race, ethnicity, gender, and diaspora are constructed, negotiated, and resisted through communication.

CST 650 Independent Study 1-3

Topic to be determined by faculty advisor and student.

Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor.

CST 652 Research Practicum in Communication 1-3

Engagement in communication research with the direct supervision of a member of the Graduate Faculty.

Prerequisites: Permission of Graduate Faculty member with whom student wishes to work.

Notes: Grade: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U).

CST 655 Relational Communication and the Hollywood Feature Film 3

Analysis and application of images, discourses, and practices concerning human communication and relationships as they are represented in the powerful cultural medium of film.

CST 659 Communication and Gender 3

Ways in which communication process constructs gendered communities. Analysis of gendered language codes, speech communities, and messages that transform community.

CST 663 Seminar in Relational Communication 3

Major interpersonal communication theories and constructs, and methods for investigating them.

Prerequisites: Admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instructor.

CST 698 Capstone Experience in Communication (Final Research Project) 1-3

Synthesis of theories, research methods, and practices of communication that will shape the 21st Century, demonstrated through independent scholarly research conducted in consultation with faculty committee.

Notes: Grade: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U).

CST 803 Research Extension 1-3

Research Extension.