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321(450). Undergraduate Internship. Junior standing, concentration in communication studies, and permission of instructor. Internship credit is not retroactive and must be prearranged. No more than six credits combined of Comm. Studies 321 and 322 may be elected. (1-3). (Excl). Offered mandatory credit/no credit. May not be used to satisfy communication studies electives in a communication studies concentration plan. (EXPERIENTIAL). May be repeated for a total of six credits.
Communication Studies concentrators who have reached junior standing may receive some amount of experiential course credit for an internship. Student assessment will be based on the academic merit of the work and evaluation of the final paper. Cost:1 WL:3
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351. Structure and Function of Media Systems. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly recommended. (4). (SS).
This course examines research and scholarship focused on existing media institutions, their genesis and current lines of development, institutional arrangements, organization and operation, economic structure, and characteristic communications "output." Course topics may include: the history of media systems; media and government, including legal, regulatory, and free-expression issues; media economics; international media systems; technologies; media organizational routines; and the values and behavior of media professionals. The course investigates the ways in which institutional, economic, and organizational arrangements affect professional behavior and media content, with attention to media system changes over time and in comparative contexts. Cost:2 WL:1
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361. Processes of Mediated Communication. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly recommended. (4). (SS).
This course examines general phenomena involved with the creation, dissemination, and reception of mediated information. Course topics may include: information processing, including message encoding and decoding; media priming and framing of evaluations and decisions; influences of message structure and communication modalities on processing; media use and reception, including interpretive processes; information flow and control, focusing on influences of communication networks, message diffusion, and information gatekeeping; and communicative processes of learning, persuasion, and social influence. The emphasis is on the development and testing of general theories explaining how mediated communication works, even though research examined will center on particular cases (e.g., studies of priming in political communication). Cost:2 WL:1
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371. Media, Culture, and Society. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly recommended. (4). (SS).
This course explores social and cultural approaches to the study of mass communication. Course topics studied may include: communication and social identity, including race, ethnicity, and gender; media's role in defining and reflecting culture; the equity of community, state, and worldwide information systems, including debates over the "new world communication order," postcolonialism, and globalization; media audiences as interpretive communities; media and social movements; and the role of media in altering and maintaining political and social order. Research on mass communication is examined in connection with broader questions about the relations between cultural systems and social formations, and about the dynamics of social and cultural change and contestation. Cost:2 WL:1
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381. Media Impact on Knowledge, Values, and Behavior. Comm. Studies 101 or 102 strongly recommended. (4). (SS).
This course critically evaluates research and scholarship on the impact of mass communication, especially television, in a variety of substantive domains. Media impact is treated both in theoretical and applied terms. The research examined spans levels of analysis, including effects on individuals as well as society at large. Topics to be covered include media impact on: social values, educational development, political behavior, violence and aggressive behavior, consumer behavior, health, emotion and mood, and children. Research on the use of mass communication in public information campaigns is also reviewed, as is the role of media research in providing guidance for social policy makers and media professionals. Cost:2 WL:1 (Harrison)
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442. Independent Research. Permission of department. (1-8). (Excl). No more than four credits may be included in a Communication concentration. (INDEPENDENT). Comm. Studies 441 and 442 may be repeated for a combined total of eight credits.
Intended for original, individualized student research under the direction of a faculty supervisor. Must be arranged with the faculty member. Cost:2 WL:1
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453(400). The Media in American History. Comm. Studies 351 or 371 strongly recommended. (3). (SS).
This course places the development of American mass media in historical perspective. It surveys the evolution of the mass media from colonial times to the present, focusing on the development of contemporary forms: the newspaper, magazine, broadcasting, and motion picture. Changes in the structure of the media are examined in connection with historical and economic trends in American society. While there are no specific prerequisites, a general grounding in American history is recommended. Cost:2 WL:1
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474. Mass Communication and Identity. Comm. Studies 351 or 371 strongly recommended. (3). (Excl).
This course explores the role of mass communication in shaping personal and social identity. Special attention is given to the ways in which the mass media can create, sustain, or alter ethnic culture and subcultures. Topics include the ethnic media in contemporary America, including the role of the media in immigrant communities, and the complex interplay of "mainstream" and minority cultural life. Cost:2 WL:1
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481. Media and Violence. Comm. Studies 361 or 381 strongly recommended. (4). (Excl).
This course examines the theoretical and empirical connections between violence in society and portrayals of violence in the mass media. The course explores the reasons for the prevalence of violent themes in television, film, and other popular media, and investigates the psychological and social mechanisms through which media portrayals might influence attitudes and behavior. Because one cannot fully understand the relation between violence and violence in society without first understanding the causes of aggressive and violent behavior, we will begin by examining the nature of aggressive and violent behavior and how it develops. In Part 2, we will discuss the role of the media as socializing agents in general. In Part 3, we will delve into the research and theory on the link between media violence and aggression. Finally, in Part 4 we will discuss societal and psychological approaches to controlling violence and the effects of media violence as well as issues of media policy. Cost:2: WL:1 (Huesmann)
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