Communication Studies Mission Statement

University of Northern Colorado

Mission

Human communication is the dynamic process by which people

create, exchange, and interpret verbal and nonverbal symbolic

messages within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and

media.

The Communication Studies program at the University of Northern

Colorado offers intensive study into that communication process, and

to the theoretic, analytic, and practical aspects of interaction which

make human communication rich, diverse, and complex.

Vision

The study of communication is at the forefront of a liberal arts

education, empowering undergraduate and graduate students to be

reflective practitioners in both their personal relationships and their

professional endeavors.

Values, Purposes and Goals

Students and scholars in communication studies recognize the breadth

and depth of the discipline, from our roots in classical antiquity to the

influence of human and technological evolution in past, present, and

future communication contexts.

Exploring effective practices and ethical dimensions of human

interaction, we educate students to become critical observers of social

problems, advocates in public life for the promotion of civil society,

and culturally-aware members of the global community.

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What Can I Do With A Communication Studies Degree? What Courses Should I Take?

Welcome to the Communication Studies (COMM) major. Your major is well-suited for a variety of careers. The COMM faculty worked diligently to create a

curriculum that will provide you with a comprehensive exposure to the discipline, preparing you for a vast array of work and life choices.

For starters, we have a certain number of courses that ALL majors must take. These constitute the core of our discipline, and ensure that our COMM majors

share a common knowledge of foundational communication theories, principles, and skills. The courses are:

COMM 100/101: Public Speaking and Speaking Evaluation COMM 330: Small Group Communication

COMM 102: Introduction to Communication COMM 343: Persuasion

COMM 201: Inquiry in Communication COMM 491: Communication Theory Capstone

COMM 220: Interpersonal Communication (note: all required core courses must be completed before taking 491)

In addition, we offer a variety of COMM electives, allowing you to tailor the major to your individual career and life goals. Below you will find a chart that

depicts a sample of career choices and some of the elective classes we would most recommend.

Sample Career Choices Suggested COMM Electives

Educator, Trainer , Speech Coach, Sports Coach, Sales, Professor, Performing Artist, Arts Administrator , Motivational Speaker

COMM 211: Argumentation & Debate, COMM 212: Professional Speaking, COMM 221: Nonverbal Communication; COMM 350: Comm. in the Classroom

Business, Training & Development, Human Resources, Consulting, Program Coordinator, Event Planner, Management, International Relations

COMM 212: Professional Speaking, COMM 223: Intercultural Communication, COMM 331: Organizational Comm., COMM 431: Comm. & Leadership

Speechwriter, Law, Political Office, Campaign Director, Legal Assistant, Press Secretary, Analyst, Consumer Affairs

COMM 211: Argumentation and Debate, COMM 212: Professional Speaking, COMM 341: Courtroom Comm., COMM 431: Comm. & Leadership

Editor, Author, Publisher, Public Relations, Publicity, Media Agent, Advertising, Development Officer, Creative Director

COMM 211: Argumentation and Debate, COMM 212: Professional Speaking, COMM 331: Organizational Comm., JMC 495: Television Criticism

Social and Human Services, Counselor, Family Advocate, Community Affairs, Outreach, Health Careers, Ministry Careers, Non-Profit Director, Educator

COMM 221: Nonverbal Communication, COMM 223: Intercultural Comm., COMM 324: Family Communication, COMM 431: Comm. & Leadership

AND MORE:

COMM majors are allowed to take up to two courses (6 credits) worth of internship. It is recommended you select an internship best suited to your

career goals. Most majors complete their internship the summer between their junior and senior years. Paperwork must be approved in advance.

Additionally, COMM majors are allowed – with their advisor’s approval – to take one class from another program that they believe enhances their study

of communication. Approval must be given before the class is taken.

And keep your eyes open for our COMM 461 seminars. The topics and titles change from semester to semester. Students are allowed to take multiple

461 seminars as long as the title is different. Options also exist for COMM 422: Directed Study credit, where the student would work one-on-one with a

faculty member to conduct advanced study in a specific area of communication studies.

Juniors/seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA are allowed to take 500-level COMM courses from the MA program. Talk to your advisor first.

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No ‘s’ in Communication

The name of your new major here at UNC is Communication Studies, i.e. the study of communication

ideas, processes, and conditions. No “s.” Please, from this point forward, try very hard to refer to the

name of your chosen major correctly, and help to stop this widespread illiteracy. (Our school’s joint

program, Journalism and Mass Communications, does correctly end with an “s” because it is looking at

specific and concrete forms of communication such as broadcasting, newswriting, and public relations.)

Think about UNC. While students in the Monfort College sometimes visit actual businesses, they are a

college of business. History majors examine the histories of select peoples and times, but that doesn’t

make them Histories majors. And so on.

Just because “communications” makes sense as a word, it does not mean that it is the correct word to

describe your major. When you say or write “communications,” it seems as wrong and awkward as if

you were saying “Sociologies,” “Englishes,” or “Theaters.”

So, call our major “Communication Studies,” “Communication,” or just plain “COMM.”

No “s,” please. Thank you!

“Unfortunately, referring to the study of communication ‘s’ is a

widespread illiteracy in our field. Abstract conceptual nouns

that refer to ideas, processes, or conditions cannot be pluralized

by adding an ‘s’ or ‘es.’ To attempt to do so, when it does not

produce total nonsense, engages the related concrete morpheme and,

while it may appear to make sense, changes the basic meaning.

Consider that those who study radio, television, and press do not

necessarily study radios, televisions, and presses; students of

journalism are not students of journalisms; scholars engage in

scholarship, not scholarships; biologists study life, not lives;

medical students study medicine in general, and medicines only

occasionally; nutritionists study nutrition, not nutritions;

attorneys study justice, not justices; and Tolstoy’s book was

titled ‘War and Peace,’ fortunately, not ‘Wars and Peaces.’

Theorists of communication may occasionally analyze specific

messages, or communications, but that is not the name of their

field of study.”

From a footnote in a book review written by Gary Cronkhite, Quarterly Journal of

Speech, November 1974, p. 473.

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COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

Major world events and major

technological developments

trigger revolutionary changes

in the communication practices and

problems of people everywhere. Such

events also catalyze research about the

ways people communicate in order to

understand events and improve our

approach to solving problems, inform-

ing, comforting, and helping people go

about their business. In history, the

printing press, the telephone, television,

and computer technology have all

stimulated new applications and new

understandings about human commu-

nication. The Holocaust, Viet Nam,

and the Gulf War have each spawned

volumes of social scientific learning

about the relationships of the media to

the public. The terrorist attacks on the

U.S. and its responses—the real-time

broadcast of events on every television,

the cell-phone calls from the World

Trade Towers and from airplanes,

the email messages of reassurance of

surviving family members, the web

pages listing missing persons, and

even the live videophone images of

bombs in Afghanistan—contain

unprecedented developments in

the use and impact of both mass

and interpersonal communication

technologies.

Formal research on human communi-

cation has much to offer in our efforts

to understand new technological

developments that address such basic

human needs for information and

connection. But communication

research is much, much more than

studying who connects to whom with

what device.

In 1986 Dr. Kobi Kobayashi, president

of NEC computer corporation, specu-

lated that someday we would have

networked translation systems: If

telephone-linked computer systems

could translate one speaker’s language

into another speaker’s, it would

“...create a situation that would make

it possible for anyone in the world to

communicate with any other person

at any place and any time....

Communication is the most powerful

tool for deepening mutual under-

standing among nations.”

This statement reflects a general belief

in the importance of communication,

a common sense value in many con-

texts. However, the assumption—that

getting a message from one person

to another is sufficient to promote

effective change—is overly optimistic.

Communication is not, in fact, a neutral

act of moving content from one person

to another, but a complex transaction

influenced by numerous factors. The

prevalence of communication in all

aspects of life sometimes makes it

seem common, and obscures its

substance as an object of inquiry in

its own right. But precisely because

communication is a common denomi-

nator of human experience, it is vital

to understand its complexity, and this

has given rise to a significant field of

scholarly and professional research.

To communication researchers,

communication is not just getting a

message from point A to point B.

Communication research focuses on

how people use messages to inform,

persuade, manage, relate, and influence

each other in various contexts and

cultures, using a variety of channels

and media. Communication scholars

work toward understanding these

processes and promoting their

effective and ethical practice.

Disciplinary Roots ofCommunication ResearchThe importance of communication in

human affairs was recognized at the

dawn of scholarly inquiry, when Plato,

Aristotle, and Isocrates undertook

major treatises on its role in politics,

the courts, and epistemology. Its

importance is no less evident today in

the renewed attention to communica-

tion processes recently undertaken by

many social sciences, as they attempt

to understand the impact of commu-

nication technologies on their own

practices, as well as the effects on

other individuals, their relationships,

institutions, and society.

Communication today is a broad

discipline, including scholars from

academic departments of Communi-

cation, Speech Communication,

and Mass Communication, as well

as groups in Information Systems,

Library Science, Management, and

Family Studies. Communication

research employs a wide range of

methodologies, including all types of

Communication Research:addressing the scientific and social challenges of

human and technological systems

quantitative and qualitative social

scientific research methods, mathe-

matical modeling, simulation, and

rhetorical and discourse analysis.

The field has also developed methods

uniquely suited to its subject matter,

such as content analysis, semantic

network analysis, nonverbal commu-

nication analyses, and phase mapping

for the study of communication

processes over time. Communication

inquiries range from the development

of general and abstract theories on

how communication figures in social

change, to middle-range research on

topics such as the impact of the

Internet on interpersonal relationships,

to applied research on questions such

as how communication promotes

learning in both physical and

“virtual” classrooms.

Significant areas of communication

research include:

• interpersonal communication

• nonverbal communication

• persuasion and social influence

• group communication

• organizational communication

• communication networks

• mediated communication

• communication technology and

media studies

• health communication

• family communication

• instructional communication

• legal communication

• communication and public policy

The field of communication has

important interdisciplinary connections

as well. Communication scholars from

discipline-based departments have

conducted major research projects

with colleagues from the fields of

psychology, sociology, information

systems, journalism, medicine, political

science, and linguistics. Some of

these projects have brought multiple

perspectives to bear on communica-

tion phenomena such as the impact

of media on adolescent health.

Communication scholars have

contributed their unique view of social

processes to phenomena centered in

another field, for example, the analysis

of the role of communication in urban

decision-making. As the common

currency of human life, communication

is often an integrating factor in inter-

disciplinary inquiries.

What distinguishes communication

research from other, similar approaches

to social behavior? Often there is

considerable overlap, and there is a

healthy exchange between communi-

cation research scholarship and that

of other disciplines. Yet, while commu-

nication outcomes are influenced by a

host of psychological and sociological

factors that set the stage for interaction

(e.g., personality, goals, social skills,

contextual and relational norms), the

influences of these factors frequently

pale in comparison to actual commu-

nication dynamics, once people

commence interaction. For example,

cognitive factors are likely to exert

their strongest influence early in

conversations and to diminish in

importance as the interaction

proceeds, as communicators adjust

to ongoing conversational behavior.

Thus, a focus on messages and patterns

of messages is essential to understand-

ing the consequences of human inter-

action and the relationship between

what precedes and follows from it.

“Anthrax Offers Lessons in How to Handle Bad News”New York Times, October 23, 2001

By Erica Goode

In recent decades, social scientists have learned much about how govern-ment authorities can best inform and reassure an anxious public facedwith a new and unfamiliar threat. But in their initial handling of theanthrax crisis…health and law enforcement authorities made confidentstatements that later proved false, tried simultaneously to inform andreassure, and limited the flow of information to the public. Agenciesissued conflicting statements…And they simultaneously warnedAmericans about vague dangers while urging them to go about their lives.These early failures, the experts said, in some cases undermined the cred-ibility of officials and might have increased the public's fear.

The news media, acting both as the vehicle of official communicationsand as their interpreter, did not help matters either. Hype and worst-casetheorizing were common.

“There is a real need for a communication strategy,” said Dr. Jonathan B.Tucker, a bioterrorism expert in the Washington office of the MontereyInstitute for International Studies.

COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

Unlike most other social sciences, the

field of communication has industries

closely associated with it. The media

and telecommunications industries—

two of the most important and fastest

growing sectors of the economy in the

late 20th and early 21st centuries—

have radically reshaped traditional

patterns of social interaction, work,

politics, and economic activity. They

have contributed greatly to the

increased pace of change and to the

globalization that promise to be

dominant themes of the 21st century.

The interactions between industry and

communication researchers suggest

significant research questions and

provide grounding for many subjects

of inquiry.

The discipline of communication—

grounded in a rich and ever-expanding

intellectual tradition, generating a

wide range of disciplinary and inter-

disciplinary research, and engaged

with major industries—is dedicated

to addressing critical social needs

and improving lives through basic

and applied research.

Communication Technology: A Focal Point forCommunication ResearchThe field of communication has had

a formative impact on research that

focuses on communication technology,

the factors that shape it, and its

influences on individuals, groups,

organizations, cultures, societies,

and the world. In this document,

communication technology is broadly

construed to include traditional media

such as television and the newspaper,

telecommunications technologies

such as the telephone, wireless services,

and videoconferencing, and informa-

tion/communication technologies

such as the Internet, groupware, and

virtual reality. Although these have

often been studied as separate

domains, the rapid convergence of

technologies has blurred the distinctions

among them and justifies a broad

view encompassing them as general

communication technologies. As the

remainder of this document shows,

a broad perspective informed by com-

munication theory and guided by

research paradigms from communica-

tion can be remarkably fruitful.

Communication research on technology

offers groundbreaking and practical

insights that can help address pressing

social concerns and help people live

fuller, healthier lives. Communication

technology defines the parameters of

the political process. It shapes our

views of what society is like and of the

kind of society to which we can aspire.

It plays a central role in educating our

youth and plants the seeds of their

dreams for the future—and sometimes

spawns violent nightmares in the pres-

ent. Communication technologies

provide powerful means for influencing

and shaping attitudes and behaviors.

They can be used to promote con-

sumption just as they warn, intercede,

“Travel’s Loss Could be Conferencing’s Gain”Network World, October 1, 2001

by Denise Pappalardo and Carolyn Marsan

While many Americans have vowed not to let last month’s terrorist attackson the U.S. change their ways of life, it’s clear that some things will neverbe the same. Many companies are looking harder than ever at alternativesto flying. While video-, audio-, and Web conferencing are not brand-new tech-nologies, companies have started giving them a second look or beefing uptheir use of them. The fact that the events of September 11 happened inthe U.S. and were so unprecedented in scope should result in a sustainedincrease in usage this time around…

and correct harmful behavior.

Communication technologies can

play a role in making us healthier,

live longer, and be more productive.

Communication technology has also

reshaped social and organizational

life. The Internet, for example, has

created communities spanning widely

separated groups and geographically-

dispersed “virtual” organizations.

Technology in general—and commu-

nication technology in particular—

serves a critical role in the ongoing

transformations of U.S. society and

the world. As a long-standing tradition

argues, technologies can pose challenges

and threats as well as opportunities.

Understanding and developing ways

to meet these challenges and capitalize

on these opportunities have long

been concerns of communication

researchers.

Addressing the Challenges of a New CenturyThe sweeping changes of the past

decade leave U.S. society poised on

the brink of another leap ahead if we

can take advantage of our people, our

ingenuity, our economic and natural

resources, and our place in the world.

We are in a position to bring our society

to unprecedented levels of health,

education, and empowerment and to

help raise the rest of the world along

with us. However, whether we are able

to do so depends on our ability to

accomplish the transition to new

social and economic systems suited

for a global, diversified world. In so

doing, the U.S. must meet four critical

challenges:

• Our political system—the forum in

which our democratic society develops

the will and the means to address

problems and manage change—is in

disarray. Citizen participation nears

all-time lows and there is widespread

cynicism and lack of faith in the

system.

• An educated and

healthy citizenry is

essential to an expand-

ing economy, a civil

society, and growth of

knowledge. However,

doubts have been raised

as to whether our edu-

cational system is ade-

quate for producing

the workers needed by a

knowledge-intensive,

high technology driven

economy or citizens

ready to participate in

our democratic system.

And while health care

science and technology

have made enormous

leaps in the past 20 years, many

Americans do not choose healthy

lifestyles. The best health care sys-

tem in the world is of no use to those

who do not avail themselves of it.

• The emerging global economy and

the increasing pace of change

require private, public, and nonprofit

organizations to adapt rapidly and

innovate constantly. However, much

of the same inertia that inhibited U.S.

organizations from meeting the chal-

lenge of Japanese organizations in

the 1980s persists in many sectors,

particularly public and nonprofit

organizations. How can the organiza-

tions of the 20th century change

in order to meet the challenges of the

21st?

• An important part of the American

Dream is having a happy life and ful-

filling relationships. However, the

fast-paced world of work and social

changes place growing demands on

individuals that threaten their ability

to maintain satisfying personal lives

and to develop themselves. New

technologies are altering how we

form and manage the personal rela-

tionships that are most important to

our well-being. While it is important

to develop the “new economy” and

rise to the challenges of globalization,

it is also essential to enable people to

live good lives, to pursue the happiness

held out in the Declaration of

Independence. What measures can

be taken to promote higher quality

personal lives for our people as they

endeavor to meet the challenges of

democracy, the new economy, and

diversity?

For fifty years, the field of communica-

tion has engaged these questions

through basic and applied research,

exploring the bases of these phenomena,

developing and testing hypotheses,

and building the infrastructure of

knowledge for future research. Current

directions in communication research

promise to advance theory and practice

toward each of these challenges.

COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

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Advising Sheet: Communication Studies

Advisor:___________________ Date:____/____/____

Student Name: ________________________________

Minor (18 Credit minimum): _____________________

Career Track: ___ General Business

___ Public Relations ___ Education

___ Social Services ___ Pre-Law/Government

___ Human Relations ___ Other ____________

Credits Completed ____ (A)

Credits Taking Currently ____ (B)

Total (A + B) ____ (C)

Credits Remaining (120 – C) ____ (D)

Semesters Remaining (D / 15) ____ (E)

Expected Graduation: Fall Summer Spring: ______

Progress in Communication Studies Major REQUIRED COURSES ELECTIVE COURSES (9 credits)

COMM 100 Basics of Public Speaking (1) [with COMM 101] COMM 211 Argumentation and Debate (3)

COMM 101 Speaking Evaluation (2) [with COMM 100] COMM 212 Professional Speaking (3)

COMM 102 Introduction to Communication (3) COMM 221 Non-Verbal Communication (3)

COMM 201 Inquiry in Communication (3) COMM 223 Intercultural Communication (3)

COMM 220 Interpersonal Theory (3) COMM 261 Seminar in Communication (3)

COMM 330 Small Group Communication (3) COMM 324 Family Communication (3)

COMM 343 Persuasion (3) COMM 331 Organizational Communication (3)

COMM 491 Communication Theory Capstone (3) COMM 341 Courtroom Communication (3)

COMM 492 Undergraduate Internship (6) OR

COMM Elective ________________________

COMM Elective ________________________

COMM 350 Communication in the Classroom (3)

COMM 410 Communication & Technology (3)

COMM 431 Communication and Leadership (3)

COMM 461 Seminar in Communication (3)

JMS 490 Television Criticism (3)

Credit Summary and Planning Credits of Liberal Arts Core Needed (After Current Semester) ____ (F)

Credits of Communication Studies Needed (After Current Semester) ____ (G)

Credits of Minor Needed (After Current Semester) ____ (H)

Total (F + G + H) ____ (I)

“Free Credits”, a.k.a. UNC Electives (D – I) ____ (J)

Graduation Check (Informal) Completed 40 Credits of Liberal Arts Core

Completed 31 Credits of Liberal Arts Core in Areas 1-6

Completed 15 Credits of Liberal Arts Core from Areas 3, 4, and 5

Completed 36 Credits of Communication Studies

Completed 27 Credits of Required Communication Studies Courses

Completed 18 Credits of Communication Studies at the 300-400 Level

Completed 6 Credits of Communication Studies at the 400 Level

Completed a Minor (minimum 18 credits)

Conducted a Formal Graduation Check (when 90+ credits have been completed)

I have read and understand the information presented above ___________________________________.

(Student’s Signature)

Course Planning

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