COM 101. Health Communication, Identity and Sport. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will focus on the relationships between health communication and public health concepts surrounding athletes, mental health and identity. Topics that will be focused on include the unique aspects in sport that impact the health/identity issues amongst college athletes, the challenges and opportunities to communicate mental health, how sport impacts perceptions, how identity is impacted by collegiate athletics, and how health and wellness is represented in the communication, participation and promotion of sport.
Prerequisites: Instructor permission and first year student standing only
Session Cycle: Summer.

COM 202. Public Speaking. 3 Credit Hours.

This “soft skills” course is designed to help students learn how to communicate in public and digital contexts. By the completion of the course, students should be able to: research, outline, and organize public messages including those that are informative, persuasive, and entertaining; analyze an audience; understand how verbal and nonverbal components of delivery influence speaker credibility; develop strategies to reduce and manage fears about communicating in public contexts; create and use visual aids appropriate to the message; respond to questions effectively and substantively; utilize critical and creative thinking skills. Because speakers and audiences live and interact in a multicultural society, this course will also consider the composition of the audience in crafting ethical, empathetic speeches which consider both the speaker and audience as members of various co-cultures.
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 203. Introduction to Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

The purpose of this course is to explore various topics related to communication. Students will learn how communication is defined and how research in the field is performed and evaluated. Furthermore, students will be introduced to various theories in communication as well as some of the common areas within the field (interpersonal, mass, health, intercultural, small group, etc.) Students taking this course can expect to apply the knowledge they gain to various aspects of their personal and professional lives, engage in critical thinking skills, and become familiar with the many options and career choices that study in communication can provide.
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 205. Introduction to Digital Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

As an introduction course students will examine the evolution and evolving nature of digital communication. Through lecture and activities students will survey the technologies that have been adapted and reframed for industries, look at how digital culture has affected our human interactions and explore how we use mobile, web, streaming and browsing of audio and video in our everyday lives. Students focus on technologies as both the consumer and the creator and deciphering factors affecting both, including internet governance, ethics, free speech and privacy. The course will examine industries impacted by digital technologies and explore the current and future issues they face.
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 206. Introduction to Sports Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This is an introduction and overview of the field of sport communication with specific topics including models of sport communication, print and electronic media, sport advertising, public relations, media relations, and employment opportunities. Students will have the opportunity to critically assess the communication efforts of sports organizations as well as construct their own communications in the field of sport. This course provides an exploration into the theory and practice of communication across specialized contexts sports professionals face and the development of strategic communication skills needed to succeed in them, including areas such as the press conference, sports feature content, sports promotion, sports branding, athletic administration, and sports reporting.
Session Cycle: Every Spring Semester.

COM 230. Introduction to Film Studies. 3 Credit Hours.

This course has three major aims: to introduce students to what might be called the language of film, to investigate the relationship between movies and culture, and to consider film as both an art form and a social practice. Students will examine the tools filmmakers employ to bring their works to the screen, including cinematography, production design, acting, editing, music, sound design, and narrative structure. Students will also focus on how the cinema both reflects and perpetuates aspects of culture, investigating images of masculinity, femininity, class, and race relations. By semester's end students should have a much clearer sense of what goes into the making of movies, and should have become more active, critical viewers of film. This course is cross-listed with LCS 230.
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 242. Basic Studio Production. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is an introduction to television production in which, through basic studio exercises and productions, students become familiar with the tools of the medium and the processes involved in the creation of completed video content. Emphasis is placed on understanding the role played by software and hardware in the structuring of visual, auditory, and motion elements to communicate through television.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 243. Digital Media Production. 3 Credit Hours.

This course offers an introduction to single-camera video production and editing. In a series of short film assignments, covering a variety of formats/styles, you will learn how to shoot digital media content (outside of the studio environment) and edit your video using Adobe Premiere. This is a hands-on, workshop style course, in which students share and discuss their ideas, raw footage and “rough cut” edits as they go. Technical training will be gradual, with a gently sloped learning curve, so the focus remains where it should be – on expressing your creativity while learning to use shot composition, camera movement, and editing techniques to inform and entertain the viewer.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 265. Public Relations and Social Media. 3 Credit Hours.

This course introduces traditional public relations and social media concepts and tools, building students’ strategic ability to create communications plans that connect both concepts to meet an organization’s objectives effectively. Through instruction, hands-on exercises, a client project and guest speakers, students will learn how to create a communications plan, write for the most popular digital communication channels, manage an always-on environment, interview clients effectively, drive social engagement, curate content and finally, create, present, defend and critique a communications plan. Students will gain strategic and tactical proficiency for building and managing a communications program in today’s media/social media environment.
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 270. Interpersonal Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is intended to be an introduction to interpersonal communication and examines concepts/contexts relevant to the study of communication in relationships e.g. language, perception, nonverbal signals, conflict, etc. The focus of the course will be on the various elements that impact relationships, as well as how these elements occur in the context of different types of social interactions. In addition, the course is designed to encourage students to increase their understanding of the research that is guided by these elements and the application that has to real-world experiences.
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 272. Mass Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course familiarizes students with mass media industries by developing an understanding of industry structures, trends, economics, organization, and the impact of these on content, culture, and agency. Media industries examined include television/cable/streaming services, radio/music, advertising, public relations, Internet, print media, and video games. Media literacy is a major theme embedded throughout the course as students navigate social responsibility by examining media content from a critical perspective. Finally, students will acquaint themselves with industry-related concepts including, but not limited to concentration of ownership, conglomeration, media literacy, synergy, mass communication theories, digitization, convergence, fragmentation, deregulation, media effects, hyper commercialism, deregulation, mass communication theory, globalization, agenda setting, First Amendment issues, censorship, cultivation, and media ethics.
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 280. Introduction to Health Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides students with an introduction to the area of health communication, an area that is large and multifaceted. Students taking this course will learn about a variety of topics that provide the foundation for work in health and health communication. Topics include (but are not limited to): patient-provider interactions, social support, health literacy, health campaigns and promotion, the influence of technology on health, and the role of culture in health.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

COM 332. Writing and Reporting for Broadcast and Digital Media. 3 Credit Hours.

This course gives students hands-on learning and experience creating broadcast and digital news content. Course assignments are filmed in the television studio, but with an emphasis on the “nontechnical” aspects of electronic journalism. Specifically, students learn the communication skills that producers and reporters use when researching and writing news stories, conducting interviews, and delivering news live on the air or via the Internet. This course is also recommended for those with an interest in public relations, or for those who simply want to sharpen their writing and presentation skills.
Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 333. Public Health Communication: Advocacy and Action. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the history and current issues in public health, the application of health communication theory and strategies to public health practice and research, and how to use knowledge in public health to advocate for policy changes. This course examines how to structure, develop and evaluate social marketing, media advocacy, risk communication and advocacy skills for change. In addition, systematic qualitative data collection processes such as interviewing skills, participant observation and focus groups will be developed. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking skills to help students analyze and utilize these skills in research and practice.
Session Cycle: Varies.

COM 344. Sports Media Production. 3 Credit Hours.

Covering a live sporting event is one of the most dynamic forms of video-mediated communication. The pace is fast, the narrative largely unscripted, and creative and editorial decisions must be made rapidly. This course uses sports broadcasting as a platform for confronting the challenges of live, remote production. Classroom instruction is reinforced by hands-on experience, as students work in production groups to create network-style, multi-camera broadcasts of Bryant athletic events. Rotating through various roles and responsibilities, students develop skills in multi-camera directing, field production, video editing, writing, reporting, announcing, and special effects. Also, students learn how to identify, shape and present the narrative (story) elements of public events as they unfold. (Note: Students must be available for the broadcast of three Saturday afternoon games during the semester).
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 345. Documentary Filmmaking. 3 Credit Hours.

In this course students learn how to create films using nonfictional "real" content as source material. The course covers all the creative aspects of documentary production: choosing a topic, creating a quasi-narrative framework, directing, writing and editing. Lectures, screenings and film assignments also explore how the filmmaker's communicative goal and point of view are expressed in a variety of modern documentary styles. And on the most practical level, students learn how to meet the challenge of scheduling a production based on "real" events that are often beyond the filmmaker's control. This course is also recommended for those who have an interest in journalism (both TV and print) or public relations for the non-profit sector.
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 346. Talk Radio: Sports, Politics and Podcasting. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on the skills needed to become a talk radio or podcast host. Special attention is given to the main functions of talk radio or podcast host as a researcher, interviewer, and storyteller. This course focuses on developing and planning live or taped talk show and podcast segments including researching topics, setting up interviews, writing interview questions, interviewing guests, and interacting with guests and other hosts. This course will also focus on integrating developing technologies in the broadcast field utilized by the talk radio and podcast hosts.
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 352. Writing for Social Media. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will explore the relationship between audience, purpose, image, and text and assess the trends in writing for the major social media platforms. Students will focus on creating and curating content and increasing their level of engagement on social media through effective, active social media writing assignments across a variety of personal and professional platforms.
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 353. Writing for Digital Media. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to help students gain an understanding of how digital writing addresses multiple genres, tools, platforms, and audiences. Students will effectively create digital content, analyze, and compose digital texts, and learn the multimodal writing processes of digital communication for audiences across a variety of digital mediums.
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 357. Digital Storytelling. 3 Credit Hours.

Digital storytelling has changed the way media is gathered and delivered to an audience across a broad range of industries. You may be asked to explain a concept, make an argument or profile an individual or event as a digital storyteller. This course focuses on the skills needed to become an effective digital storyteller no matter what your major or chosen career field. You will learn to plan and develop live and recorded content for a variety of purposes and platforms. Special attention is given to the four main functions of a digital storyteller including: producing, writing, capturing and editing.
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Alternate.

COM 359. The Sociological Imagination: What We See When We Watch T.V.. 3 Credit Hours.

This course uses the Sociological Imagination as the lens through which to analyze of the content of television. We will apply "The sociological imagination" (C. Wright Mills famous concept) to episodes of "The Wire", an HBO series that ran for five years. We will examine the lives of the characters and "urban space" as chronicled in "The Wire" including the work, neighborhoods, the city, morality, sexuality, politics, "childhood," gender and gender expression, race and social justice. We will also consider the relationship between social structures, culture, structure and agency. This course is cross-listed with SOC 359.
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 360. Crisis and Risk Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

The need to assess, understand and implement an effective communication strategy following a crisis or risk event is becoming increasingly important. Whether dealing with the fallout from an environmental disaster, warning the public about a health hazard, interacting with the public on issues of terrorism, dealing with fallout from a public scandal, or addressing an organizational crisis, the need for effective communication management and its successful implementation is high. This course will focus on examining the intricate parts to the crisis/risk communication process, risk/crisis plans and public implementation.
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Alternate.

COM 361. Public Relations. 3 Credit Hours.

Students in this course consider the public relations process with emphasis on how corporations and other institutions relate to their various publics. Readings and discussions center on methods of conducting effective public relations and on legal and ethical issues. Students plan programs and copy for various media.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 363. Conflict Management and Negotiation. 3 Credit Hours.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the study of conflict and the role that communication plays in causing, escalating, and/or managing the conflict process. Additionally, the concept of negotiation and how it fits within this framework, will also be explored. After exploring basic elements of the conflict process (e.g., attributions, goals, power, tactics, etc.), the class will examine ways of altering negative conflict cycles, and the nature and effects of conflict in various situations such as intimate relationships, work relationships, public discourse, team settings, etc. This course is appropriate for anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of the complexities of conflict as well as better and worse ways of managing and or negotiating the process.

COM 367. Small Group Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to (a) give students a better understanding of the communicative practices that make a small group successful, and (b) provide students with the tools to diagnose and rectify potential obstacles to good group work. Students will accomplish these objectives by surveying theory and research in key areas of small group communication including cohesiveness, conflict, power, conformity and deviance, social influence, group roles and processes, group structures, leadership, and decision-making skills. In addition, students will have the opportunity to apply such theory and research by interacting in a small group environment to solve a problem, and then analyzing what their group did right and what their group did wrong.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

COM 368. Organizational Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides an introduction to contemporary theory and intellectual traditions applied to the study of organizational communication, including the role of organizations in society and cultural practices. Whatever your career goals, the knowledge you gain from participating in this course will help you make sense of how communication is integral to the organizational experience. The focus will be on all forms of communication within the organization including small group, interpersonal, intercultural, and public. Other topics include superior-subordinate communication, communication and leadership, and the role of communication in developing organizational identity.
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 370. Media Organizations. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is designed to introduce students to major issues involved in the management, production, and distribution of the mass media. Topics include the technical side of media production, the history and development of media organizations, business aspects of broadcasting and cable, media regulation, societal effects and the impact of new technology on traditional broadcast media. The focus will be on the history and development of media organizations and how they have helped shape American culture. Students will also discuss the impact of new technology such as HDTV and internet television. This class will examine how the media are both products of social forces as well as social forces in their own right.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 380. Nonverbal Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides an in-depth study of nonverbal communication, such as body language, eye contact, touch, vocalics, etc. It does so in two ways. The first will be to examine various theories and research about the codes and communicative functions of nonverbal behaviors. This will provide an understanding of the importance, persuasiveness, and effect of nonverbal communication, and the role it plays in the overall communication process. The second way that the course will examine nonverbal communication is to experience actively how people use it, and discover what happens when nonverbal rules are violated. This course will provide students with a subjective awareness of their own and others nonverbal messages.
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 390. Research Methods in Communication/Digital Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students in Communication and Digital Communication to research methods and concepts used in the field. During the semester, students will learn about ethical implications, sampling, variables, hypothesis testing and research design. They will also explore several different research techniques (e.g., surveys, experiments, content analysis, social network analysis, etc.). In addition, students will also be introduced to some basic statistical techniques used in the analysis of research data. The goal is to not only provide students with the groundwork for understanding and conducting research in these fields, but to also be able to be critical consumers of the research they will encounter in their future careers.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 204 and MATH 201
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 391. Communication Internship. 3 Credit Hours.

Students engage in individually supervised work in communication and learn to apply communication skills, concepts, and theory to the work environment. Interns work at least ten hours per week on the job, meet periodically with a supervising faculty member, do research related to the employment field, and prepare a report on the work experience and studies involved.
Prerequisites: Approval of a supervising faculty member and the department chair and junior/senior standing.

COM 401. Advanced Intercultural Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course explores the complexity and uniqueness of intercultural communication by focusing on the various theoretical and practical aspects of how culture influences the way we communicate. By examining the various approaches to the study of intercultural communication, we will come to appreciate the complexity and dialectical tensions involved in intercultural interactions. We will examine the important role of context (social, cultural, and historical) in intercultural interactions and apply intercultural theories to practical situations such as education, healthcare, and business. This learning process will enhance self-reflection, flexibility, and sensitivity in intercultural interactions.
Prerequisites: COM 203 and Sophomore Standing.

COM 402. Digital Literacy, Digital Lives. 3 Credit Hours.

Digital literacy refers to the ability to use, understand, and navigate digital technologies effectively. Given the impact and constant presence that digital media has in our lives, becoming critical consumers, rather than just users, is becoming an ever increasing imperative. As digital technologies continue to evolve, and new ones emerge (such as Artificial Intelligence), engaging with digital devices, applications, and information sources in a meaningful way is important. This course will focus on the cognitive and critical thinking skills required to assess, analyze, and create content in the digital realm, as well as the impact that it has on our interactions, society, and relationships.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 205 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Every Fall Semester.

COM 442. Advanced Digital Media. 3 Credit Hours.

With the advent of digital platforms including web sites, streaming networks, and social media platforms, it is no longer sufficient to think solely in the context of traditional broadcast and streaming media. Platforms such as Youtube, Roku and Tik Tok have changed all manner of content creation. This course will give you an understanding of how all areas of digital media production, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera, come together and are practiced at various stages, from preproduction through distribution, to create programming for both traditional and digital platforms. You will create high-end content in a simulated, professional environment taking on the roles of production personnel, from showrunner to craft service, with the ultimate goal of seeing your programming “air” on the chosen distribution platform for the semester.
Prerequisites: COM 203 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Spring
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 444. Sports Journalism. 3 Credit Hours.

Sports Journalism is the foundation of all sports coverage from play-by-play to podcasting, to sports promotion. This hands-on course prepares you to write, report, and analyze sports across print, radio, television, the web and social media. Students will learn to develop their own unique voice using journalistic principles such as researching, interviewing, and writing as they apply to sports, athletes, and coaches. Students will also learn sports journalism from the perspective of the athlete.
Prerequisites: COM 203, Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Every Spring.

COM 452. Personal Branding in Digital Media. 3 Credit Hours.

In digital communication, tools and methods are available for people to share ideas, thoughts, and content online, providing key opportunities for product and personal marketing to support a brand image. This course is a practical, hands-on class where students explore the history and concept of branding and how it applies to aspects of self-presentation and self-promotion in digital media. Students will focus on developing and strengthening their own brand with an emphasis on the use of creating content for use on digital platforms.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 205 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Fall
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 463. The Impact of Digital Addiction on Individuals and Social Interactions. 3 Credit Hours.

This course explores the impact that digital communication has on us as individuals as well as how it serves to create a digital culture. Students examine topics such as digital communication's impact on cognitive processes, digital addiction, and digital literacy. How does software programming and engineered behavior addiction lead us to spending massive amounts of time on the devices and online? Students also dive into the implications of spending so much time online as it relates to topics such as memes, online relationships, identity presentation via things such as selfies, online humor, mental health, linguistics, influencers, trolls and more.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 205 and Sophomore Standing.

COM 470. Persuasion and Social Influence. 3 Credit Hours.

Communicative efforts to influence us and our efforts to influence others are so common that we rarely give them a second thought--that is, until they do not work the way we intended. This course is designed to introduce you to theoretical and applied issues in the study of social influence. It presents a broad overview of the area with an emphasis on the creation and consumption of persuasive messages in a variety of contexts including advertising, politics, health, and even our own interpersonal relationships.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 204 and Sophomore standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 472. Media Effects. 3 Credit Hours.

This course examines the impact of mass media on individuals and contemporary culture. Areas of examination include media cultivation, desensitization, priming, violence, agenda-setting, media framing, hypersexualization, gender portrayals, commercialism content, persuasion, the empathetic audience, entertainment education, media discourse, numerous media theories, and digital communication, to name a few. Students in this course will complete semester-long research on a media effects topic of their choosing and will deliver presentations on a number of mass communication theories.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 204 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 473. Gender and Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This class is designed to explore the complex relationships among women, men, language, and communication from theoretical and practical perspectives. Students will be exposed to relevant gender and communication-related social and political issues, research findings, and theory in a wide variety of contexts. Some of the many specific questions to be addressed include (but are not limited to): What is gender? How do we become gendered? How do we display and perpetuate gender through our use of language and nonverbal codes? What are the effects of media on our experiences of gender? How do the popular media portray gender and sexuality? Additionally, we will explore differences and similarities in how men and women communicate and contrast research findings in these areas with those views espoused in popular literature.
Prerequisites: COM 203 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 474. The Dark Side of Human Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course will investigate how individuals cope with social interaction that is difficult, problematic, challenging, distressing and disruptive. Specific topics to be covered may include jealousy, deception, infidelity, gossip, unrequited love, sexual coercion, stalking, breakups, and codependent relationships. In this seminar style course, students will study relevant research and theory and apply this research to real or hypothetical situations.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 204 or COM 270 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Varies.

COM 478. Global Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on cross-national comparative approaches to the study of communication policy and practice. It illustrates the value of comparative study through discussions of broadcasting, cable, telecommunications, culture and new media policies and practices such as those surrounding the Internet. This course focuses on the history, development, implementation and effects of global communication systems. There is an emphasis on how culture is a shaping force in the development of communication policy and practices in each country.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 204 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 480. Advanced Health Communication Health Campaigns. 3 Credit Hours.

This course provides students with an in-depth look into the area of health communication and the specific context of health message design, health promotion, and health behavior change. Building upon knowledge gained in Introduction to Health Communication, students will be presented with various theories and models that are used in the field as well as strategies and campaigns that are currently being enacted in society. Students will gain practice in applying knowledge gained in this course as they select, research, and design a health campaign of their own.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 204 or COM 280 and Sophomore Standing
Session Cycle: Varies
Yearly Cycle: Alternate Years.

COM 491. Senior Capstone for Communication/Digital Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

In this capstone course, students will build on knowledge from prior classes to examine and apply the major theories used in the study of communication/digital communication. Through course discussion and application to real world situations, students will synthesize their understanding of communication and how it impacts human behavior and attitudes. Students will develop the ability to articulate opinions, translate concepts, and formulate solutions on current topics through the lens of both theory and ethics. Then, students will apply their knowledge of communication and/or digital communication to gain real world experience by solving problems that exist within a nonprofit organization and/or between its members and target audience.
Prerequisites: COM 203 or COM 204, senior standing, and Communication or Digital Communication major
Session Cycle: Fall, Spring
Yearly Cycle: Annual.

COM 497. Directed Study in Communication. 3 Credit Hours.

This course permits the student to pursue a communication area of interest and relevancy. The work will be performed under the supervision of a faculty member who will help design the program of study and the requirements to be met by the student.
Prerequisites: This course requires departmental permission on the basis of the agreed - upon plan of study.