Communication

COM1000 Introduction to Communication (3)
A survey of media including broadcast, print, radio, film, and Internet. Students learn critical approaches to media messages and media ethics.

COM1008 Oral Communication (3)
Students develop their skills to become confident and effective speakers and learn how to gather organized researched information from a variety of sources for making informative and persuasive arguments. Course methodology includes group discussions and extemporaneous presentations of prepared speeches. Students advance critical thinking skills by conducting extensive analyses of outside speeches.

COM1416 Communication Technology (3)
Students learn desktop publishing skills using software, such as InDesign and Photoshop, for document design for internships, personal and classroom use, and on the job. Special attention is paid to the mechanics and psychologies of design in print and web publications.

COM1456L Journalism Lab: The Argonaut (1-3)
Produces the campus newspaper, The Argonaut, and its website, www.theargonaut.net, which provide hands-on instruction in all aspects of news production including news, editorial and feature writing, editing, headline writing, layout, design, photography and advertising design and sales. May be repeated for credit.

COM2400 Corporate Communication (3)
Provides in-depth study of internal and external communication in companies, including public relations, advertising, integrated marketing and media relations, and crisis and issue management.

COM2408 Media, Politics, and Society (3)
Focuses on effects of mass media on society and the conflicts that arise in the political, social, legal, cultural, and economic arenas. How the media presents political leaders and national issues that shape society are examined. Emerging new media are critically analyzed for persuasive content.

COM2416 The Holocaust (CDiv) (3)
Provides a history of anti-Semitism, racist ideology of National Socialism, the death camp experience, propaganda analysis, and media usage of the Third Reich and psychological strategies of survivors, perpetrators, and bystanders. Responses of Christians, Jews, and the student's individual response are compared. Guest speakers include survivors and Jewish and Christian clergy. Applications are made to contemporary genocide. The work required for upper-division credit will differ in both quantity and quality from that required for lower-division credit.

COM2424 Web Communication (3)
Students create Web sites with text and graphics. Textual requirements of electronic media, principles of visual communication, basic HTML, models for project development, and implications of the World Wide Web as a communication medium are emphasized.

COM2432 Technical Writing (3)
Emphasizes clear, succinct writing. Fundamentals of preparing technical documents such as memos, letters, and proposals are studied. Analytical decision-making in the writing process and teamwork are developed. Fulfills Core Curriculum Upper-Division Writing requirement.

COM2435 Newswriting (3)
Focuses on learning the craft of news writing, including reporting, interviewing, composing a variety of leads, gathering quotes, brevity, specificity, fact-checking and ethics. Uses a workshop approach to wordsmithing and graceful writing.  Fulfills Core Curriculum Upper-Division Writing requirement.

COM2440 Writing for the Media (3)
This course covers the mechanics of effective writing for various media: identifying the story, collecting data, writing under deadline, and journalistic ethics and applications to media as they meld onto the Internet. This course is especially suitable for those interested in careers in public relations or marketing. Fulfills Core Curriculum Upper-Division Writing requirement.

COM2448 Video Production (3)
Focuses on creative and technical requirements needed for planning a successful video production for broadcasting or webcasting. Also covered are production, setup, camera movements, composition, lighting and sound techniques, and nonlinear editing.

COM2456L Journalism Lab — The Argonaut (1-3)
Produces the campus newspaper, The Argonaut, and its website, www.theargonaut.net, which provide hands-on instruction in all aspects of news production including news, editorial and feature writing, editing, headline writing, layout, design, photography and advertising design and sales. The work required for upper-division credit will differ in both quantity and quality from that required for lower-division credit.  May be repeated for credit. Three units fulfills Core Curriculum Upper Division Writing requirement.

COM2500 Public Relations (3)
Focuses on writing as a tool for developing effective media relations through press releases, press kits, newsletters, direct mail, flyers, and crisis management. 

COM2508 Persuasion and Presentation (3)
Prerequisite: COM1008
Focuses on advanced public speaking using presentation software to support persuasive presentations. Students learn effective persuasive strategies applicable to professional and corporate settings. Students integrate researched information from a variety of sources to create and present compelling presentations for a variety of persuasive purposes. 

COM2981 Communication Seminar (BA Capstone) (3)
Prerequisite: completion of all Major Core coursework
This capstone course helps students integrate and build on prior learning in communication for future application either in graduate school or in the workforce.

COM2986 Special Topics (3)
A course to be utilized for seminars and special lectures in topics that are not offered on a regular basis.  This course will address a specific need or current interest and/or trend in the field pertaining to the program’s curriculum.  Consult syllabus as content will vary from semester to semester depending on the research interests of the Faculty teaching the course.

COM2990 Internship (3)
Prerequisite: senior status or by permission of program director
Provides students with the opportunity to work in an industry to gain career-related experience. The internship will require 120 to 150 hours where the student will acquire further industry knowledge and develop skills necessary for professional advancement.  (Course may be repeated up to a maximum total of nine units of credit).