Undergraduate Studies Catalog

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION (CMUN)

Lake Shore Campus:
Sullivan Center 060
Phone: 773-508-3730
FAX: 773-508-8492

Water Tower Campus:
Lewis Towers 900
Phone: 312-915-6548
FAX: 312-915-8593
www.luc.edu/soc

Professors Emeriti: M. Izral, D. Norwood, E. Rooney, M.A. Sullivan

Professors: S. Danna, L. Frey, M.P. Haley

Associate Professors: L. Artz, M. Cornett, P.K. Felkins, C. Fletcher, J. Harder, E. Lozano, B.A.O. Murphy (chairperson), G. Parrella, M. Pollock, J. Query, B.H. Rockwell

Assistant Professors: V. Keller,

Adjunct Professors: N. Canfield, J. Slania, O.R. Witte

Instructors: L. Horwitz, C. Kois, S. Lindsay, D. Romanelli

OBJECTIVES

The faculty of the Department of Communication believe that nothing is more practical or more consistent with Jesuit ideals than the study of communication in contemporary society. The courses in the department contribute to liberal education by teaching students how to learn about communication processes and practices. Specifically, students learn how to analyze and critique communication processes, use and assess the appropriateness of research methods for studying communication behavior, and apply communication in everyday situations.

In addition to formal coursework, the department offers a wide variety of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in which supervised performance is the primary means of learning. WLUW (the university FM station), and the Loyola Debating Society are two examples. Directed studies, practica, and internships are also available. Students may also be eligible for membership in a variety of organizations, including Lambda Pi Eta (the national communication honor society), the International Association of Business Communicators, and the Society of Professional Journalists, among others.

DEPARTMENT REGULATIONS

Requirements for the Major in Communication: 39 hours are required, including: CMUN 101 (Public Speaking and Critical Thinking), 150 (Communication Processes), 160 (Communication Practices), six hours selected from the theory/critical analysis menu, six hours from the research methods menu (three hours must be from menu A and three hours from either menu), six hours from the applied menu, and 12 additional hours from any courses in the department. Students may accumulate no more than six hours (usually 2 courses) in each of the following areas: themes, special topics, practicum, directed study, and internship within the 39 credit-hour minimum requirement.

Requirements for the Minor in Communication: 18 hours are required: CMUN 150 and 160 and 12 hours of electives (six hours of which must be selected from at least two different menus [theory/critical analysis, research methods, and applied]).

Journalism Minor: This minor enables students (excluding Communication majors) within any discipline in the College of Arts and Sciences to learn how to communicate effectively about their fields of interest for the mass media, including print and broadcast journalism. The minor has a strong emphasis on ethical reporting. Eighteen hours are required, including CMUN 150 (Communication Processes) or 160 (Communication Practices), 271 (Reporting and Writing), 217 (Ethics and Communication), and 315 (Advanced Reporting). Students also select six hours from a menu of specific communication courses available in the department office.

Organizational Communication/Business Minor: This minor is open to students (excluding Communication majors) enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and/or the School of Business. The courses blend theory with application to help facilitate students’ successful entry into corporate and non-profit arenas. The many links between management and communication are explored across presentations, case studies, simulations covering such topics as ethics, conflict management, the American Disabilities Act, cultural diversity, media and advertising, as well as workplace discrimination. Eighteen hours are required, including CMUN 101 (Public Speaking and Critical Thinking), either 150 (Communication Processes) or 160 (Communication Practices), and 224 (Organizational Communication). Students also select three hours from CMUN 231 (Conflict Management and Communication), 237 (Small Group Communication) 251 Business and Professional Speaking), and 271 (Reporting and Writing), and six hours of electives from a menu of specific communication courses. The Organizational Communication /Business minor is offered primarily at the Water Tower Campus although it may be completed also at the Lake Shore Campus.

Concentration in Communication & Social Justice. This special program helps students understand existing cultural practices that foster injustice, examines the role played by communication in helping to solve contemporary social problems, and provides opportunities for students to put into practice their communication knowledge for ethical action. Eighteen hours are required: CMUN 227, 230, 248, 321, 6 hours of electives designated as receiving communication and social justice credit.

Degree Requirements for the Major in Communication

Introductory (9 hrs.)

3 hours from menu A, and 3 hours from either menu.

Menu A

COURSES OF INSTRUCTION

(Note: courses are three credit hours each, unless otherwise noted in parenthesis after course title. Prerequisites for non-majors may be waived with instructor permission.)

101. Public Speaking and Critical Thinking.
This introductory course is designed to supply students with the skills of public address, a fundamental understanding of critical thinking practices, foundational tenets of communication theory, a grasp of the relationship between context and communication, and a sense of the social responsibility that comes with the capacity for communication.

125. Oral Interpretation of Literature.
The development and practice of individual presentational skills with the goal of communicating selected literary pieces and/or original story-telling to a variety of audiences. Involves the critical analysis of a variety of literary modes (e.g., prose, poetry, and drama) through the medium of presentation as well as exploration of the role of story-telling in society.

131. Voice and Articulation.
Principles of voice production, physiology of the vocal mechanism, and extensive practice of voice and articulation skills.

133. Intercollegiate Debate. (1)
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission.
Active participation in Loyola Debating Society. A maximum of four hours in intercollegiate debate credit allowed.

140. Radio Station WLUW-FM. (variable 1-3)
Prerequisite: instructor permission.
Active participation in operation of radio station WLUW-FM 88.7. A maximum of six hours allowed.

146. Community Radio Production.
This course focuses on community programming as a distinct approach to radio production. This programming derives from alternative modes of journalism applied to both geographically and socially defined communities in the area of the Lake Shore Campus. Work in the course involves a critical approach to the study and practice of conventional media and developing alternative approaches that facilitate the production of community-based radio programming.

150. Communication Processes.
An introduction to communication as a practical discipline. Within the context of fundamental theory, students explore the complexities involved in producing, reproducing, and consuming communication practices.

160. Communication Practices.
An introduction to communication as a practical discipline that studies communication practices within the social, historical, and political contexts in which they have emerged. An emphasis on the major shifts in communication, from oral to literate to post-literate forms.

216. Contemporary Culture and Communication.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
The role of communication in constituting race, gender, class, and social identity is examined. Interpersonal, group, and institutional communication (both face-to-face and mediated) are investigated for their contribution to everyday life in contemporary society.

217. Ethics and Communication.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
To be human is to communicate and to communicate is to make ethical decisions. This course examines the processes used to make such decisions. Students use various discussion formats to consider ethical approaches to a wide variety of case studies to become more conscious and in control of what communication decisions they make.

218. Intercultural Communication. (ANTH 231) (INTS 213) (PAX 218)
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Introduction to theory, research, and practice of communication within and between races and cultures, including the cultural construction and interpretation of messages, and the role of communication in creating and reducing racist/cultural biases and promoting acculturation.

219. Interpersonal Communication.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Introduction to theory, research, and practice of communication within social and personal relationships, with an application to daily interpersonal interactions.

222. Introduction to Cinema.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Introduction to the art and craft of the motion picture. Through the study of image, sound, and motion, students learn the methods and theories for textual analysis.

223. Media and Society.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
The psychological, political, social, and economic impacts of modern mass media as they affect individual and collective lives. An examination of print, electronic, and film media from theoretical and critical perspectives.

224. Organizational Communication.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Introduction to theory, research, and practice of communication in organizations, with an emphasis on organizational contexts, communication dynamics and flow, and the role of communication in the internal and external life of the organization.

225. Persuasion.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Introduction to rhetorical and social-scientific theories of persuasion, including practical experience in the analysis, criticism, and application of persuasive discourse across a wide variety of contexts.

226. Rhetorical Foundations of Human Communication.
Prerequisite: 150.
Introduction to theories of rhetoric, emphasizing the relevance of classical disputes for understanding current controversies over the nature and function of rhetoric. Students work through theoretical issues, in part, by examining speeches, films, and other rhetorical artifacts. A central theme is the tension between rhetoric’s promise for constructing a rich and meaningful civic life and the dangers of its descent into demagoguery and irrationality.

227. Social Justice and Communication (PAX 227).
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
This course seeks to discover how communication empowers and organizes social forces interested in serving social justice. Students debate how communication constructs issues of race, class, and gender in addressing issues of wealth, power, and democracy. Liberation theology, critical theory, and social-movement rhetoric provide examples/approaches.

230. Argumentation and Advocacy.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Introduction to processes of inventing, advocating, and critiquing claims about what is true, just, or expedient. Students examine similarities and differences in the standards of evidence and patterns of reasoning considered appropriate to various contexts of argumentation (personal, technical, public). Emphasis on practical experience in analyzing and critiquing arguments, and invention of arguments to advocate positions.

231. Conflict Management and Communication (PAX 231).
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Explores the role of communication in conflict and conflict resolution. Methods of analyzing the nature of conflict and applying appropriate communicative strategies for managing conflict. Special attention to mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

232. Film Production.
Prerequisites: instructor permission; 150 or 160; co- or prerequisite: 222.
Individual and group projects in planning, scripting, shooting, and editing short 16mm films.

233. Human Relations and Communication.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160. Provides opportunities to use principles of communication to study human relations/personal growth by developing the ability to understand, evaluate, and improve interpersonal communication within a small group. The class functions as an experiential group where students learn from interacting and from examining how ways of communicating affect their interactions.

234. Interviewing.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160. Explores the art and techniques of the interviewing process. Students learn to take critical approaches to interviewing methods, the interpretation of interviews, and the transmission of information from interviews. Practical experience through field projects.

235. Introduction to Video Production.
Prerequisites: instructor permission and 222.
A hands-on introduction to video field production. By designing and executing a series of short, creative production projects, students explore how video techniques are used to structure meaning in media messages.

236. Persuasive Presentations.
Prerequisites: 101; 150 or 160.
Focuses on the creation and delivery of persuasive messages to develop a variety of persuasive strategies and implement them in both individual and group presentations. Students engage in situation analysis and message critique.

237. Small Group Communication.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Introduction to theory, research, and practice of communication that contribute to effective task-group discussion and decision making. Development of personal leadership skills and observational/analytic skills through guided, structured group activities.

238. Introduction to Audio Production.
Prerequisites: instructor permission; 150 or 160.
A study of basic audio production methods used in the electronic and film media, with an emphasis on radio broadcasting. Topics include acoustics, recording methods, multi-channel techniques, and sound sweetening. The production of creative projects is a feature of this course.

246. Naturalistic Methods of Communication Research.
Prerequisites: department permission; 150, 160.
An understanding of how communication research is conducted in naturalistic settings using qualitative methods associated with observation and in-depth interviewing. Examines the questions that can and cannot be answered using these methods; appropriate methodologies, including their strengths and weaknesses; and ways of analyzing qualitative (symbolic) data.

248. Observing and Measuring Communication Behavior.
Prerequisites: department permission; 150, 160.
An understanding of how communication processes and behaviors are studied, using the social-scientific techniques of observation and measurement. Examines the questions that can and cannot be answered using these methods; appropriate methodologies, including their strengths and weaknesses; and ways of analyzing quantitative (numerical) data.

249. Rhetorical Criticism.
Prerequisites: department permission; 150, 160. Theory, research, and application of critical methods for analyzing historical and contemporary persuasive discourse.

250. Mass Media Advertising.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
The history, development, and current practice of advertising as related to the mass media industry (electronic and print). Media are covered in detail, stressing organizational, artistic, and legal aspects. Students are involved in observation and analysis of advertising as well as the study of existing campaigns in the respective media.

251. Business and Professional Speaking.
Prerequisite: 101.
Theory and practice of audience analysis, message design, and oral presentation for professional speakers, with an emphasis on communication in organizational settings.

252. Mass Communication Law.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Cases and issues in constitutional, statutory, and regulatory law that affect the journalist and broadcaster. Special emphasis on the First Amendment and FCC regulations.

253. International Mass Communication. (INTS 253)
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Study of the political and philosophical bases for broadcasting and press systems in representative countries. Analysis of use of international broadcast services for propaganda. Study of problems in international direct transmission.

254. Communication, Language & Gender. (WOST 208).
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Overview of the nature and effects of gender differences in the production and interpretation of human and mediated messages across a wide variety of contexts.

256. Broadcast News.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 271.
Reporting, writing, and production of news for radio and television. Students gain experience in editing and producing newscasts and documentaries.

257. Radio/TV Writing.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
An intensive theory/skill course, including a variety of electronic media writing experiences: commercials, news, documentaries, continuity, and drama. Selected written exercises may be produced by concurrent departmental radio and video production courses.

258. History of American Broadcasting.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Survey of U.S. broadcasting industry from its inception to the present, including technological bases, legal aspects, organizational structures, programming developments, and personalities.

259. Copy Editing.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 271.
Problems and methods of copy editing, design and typography, and newspaper management and competition.

260. Cinema History.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 222 recommended.
An examination of the aesthetic, social, technical, and theoretical evolution of cinema offered as specific topics that include, but are not limited to: war and revolution, social history and cinema, the role of women, technology and style, and the realistic impulse.

262. Feature and Opinion Writing.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 271.
Methods of researching and writing editorials, commentaries, and features for print media.

263. Layout and Editing.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
An introduction to information processing and readership, and basic principles of layout and editing. Students experiment with a variety of printed formats and practice copy fitting, typography, and photo-editing.

264. Nonverbal Communication.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160.
Overview of theory, research, and methods for studying the nature, function, and effects of nonverbal messages. Practical explorations and applications in individual and class projects.

265. Public Relations.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 271.
Introduces the theory and practice of public relations in planning, implementing, and evaluating publicity, information programs, and integrated marketing campaigns, and establishing relationships with diverse internal and external organizational publics. Examines the role and ethical responsibilities of public relations professionals. Focuses on writing skills and critical analysis.

266. Writing and Marketing Articles.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 271.
Methods and practice in researching, writing, and marketing articles for newspapers and magazines.

267. Writing for Business and Trade Publications.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 271.
Analysis of the writing, editing, and production of both internal and external organizational publications, including newsletters, magazines, reports, manuals, brochures, and promotional materials. Emphasis on effective writing, research, design, and support of organizational objectives.

271. Reporting and Writing.
Prerequisites: ENGL 105, 106.
Current issues in U.S. journalism with strong emphasis on developing skills in news reporting, interviewing, and writing.

296-298. Themes in Communication.
Intermediate-level lecture courses that examine specific areas of study. Course titles and contents vary, and prerequisites are established by the instructor. May be repeated (with different topics) for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

315. Advanced Reporting.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 271.
This course follows 271, but allows more in-depth attention to the challenges of writing complex stories characterized by careful research, use of sources, interviewing, and reporting and writing the news within a field of inquiry. This course addresses the questions of how one writes with clarity and creativity for a "lay" audience in such areas as science and technology, educational, government, religion, finance, fine arts.

317. Advanced Public Relations.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 265; 271.
Advanced theory, research, practice, and criticism of communication principles in public relations. Examines the communication dynamics involved in each stage of public relations project development and advanced research techniques and models in audience analysis.

319. Communication in the Legal System.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 230.
Theory, research, and practice of communication employed in the U.S. court system. Special emphasis on the effects of court rule and procedures on modes and content of argument, nonverbal communication, and the jury decision-making process.

321. Critical Ethnography in Communication. (LING 315)
Prerequisites: 150, 160, 227 or instructor permission.
Examines culture, knowledge, and action by critiquing the symbolic and material actions of the socially under-resourced. Highlighting the contradiction between what "is" and what "ought to be," this class moves to field research by mid-semester. Sites chosen represent communities with limited powers and resources.

323-324. Film Genre.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 222.
An in-depth analysis of film types, their conventions, and/or cultural functions (e.g., documentary, film noir, science fiction, thriller, and western). Selected film viewing is the catalyst for analyzing the relations between ideology, authorship, and storytelling. May be repeated (with different topics) for a total of 9 hours but only 6 may count toward the major.

328. Persuasive Campaigns.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 225 or 226.
Analysis of structure, development, and role of communication in political and advertising campaigns and social movements, with a focus on theories of media effects, message construction, and audience analysis.

329. Environmental Advocacy. (ESP 329) (PAX 329)
This course explores the rhetorical means by which citizens influence the policies and practices affecting our natural and human environments. The focus is on current controversies. The course seeks to provide an understanding of the history and range of communication styles in the U.S. environmental movement and to help students develop practical skills relevant to entering into environmental debates.

330. Media, Politics & Propaganda. (INTS 331) (PAX 331)
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 216, 223; 225 or 226.
To better understand the relationship between media and politics, this course examines news reports on selected international crisis spots. Students monitor and analyze the coverage provided by daily newspapers, periodicals, radio and television news programs to identify and investigate the propaganda efforts of various governments, agencies, and other political organizations.

332. Investigative and Public Affairs Reporting.
Prerequisites: permission, or 150 or 160; 234; 246; 248 or 249; 271.
The "journalism of outrage" as it has been practiced in the 20th Century. Emphasis on examining investigative documents, including historical and contemporary nonfiction and documentaries/broadcast exposes for techniques used to awaken public outcry against social injustice/marginalization. Analysis of investigative works and independent inquiry applications.

333. Radio Documentary.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 222; 238.
A study of the use of studio and field audio technology for the creation and production of audio documents. Consideration of the radio documentary as a process, a text for analysis and criticism, and a vehicle for social change.

335. Radio/TV Programming.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 235 or 238.
Methods of analyzing a total program schedule and programming for a broadcast station, covering various factors involved in programming, including audience, lead-in, lead-out, blocks, alternative, strength vs. weakness, etc. Program development is included. Actual examples and case simulations are utilized.

337. The Rhetoric of Social Change: Agitation and Resistance.
Prerequisite: 150 or 160. This course explores the communication strategies and practices used to promote significant socio-political change in the Americas, and those that undermine and counteract change. Of primary interest are a variety of texts (e.g., speeches, marches, and news media) that constitute public discourse of such issues as civil rights, labor, public health, and ecology.

339. Video Documentary.
Prerequisites: permission; 150 or 160; 222; 232 or 235.
Production of video documentaries through the study of electronic field production technology, the analysis of documentary texts, and the application of documentary research methods.

348-349. Communication Research Methods, Topics.
Prerequisites: 150 and 160, instructor permission.
Advanced courses that offer in-depth discussion of a specialized area of communication research methods. Course title and content vary, and additional prerequisites are established by the instructor. May be repeated for a total of 9 hours, but only 3 may count toward fulfilling the methods requirement and only another 3 may count as electives toward the major.

350. Advanced Advertising Applications.
Prerequisites: 150 or 160; 250.
This course focuses on the practical application of advertising theory in developing specific campaigns for corporate, institutional, or social service agencies. Students get practice in creating ad concepts, writing copy, and designing layout. Emphasis on understanding use of major print and broadcast media.

367. Communication Consulting.
Prerequisites: all menu requirements and 224, completed or concurrent.
Explores the ways in which people use contemporary consultation practices to understand, create, and facilitate individual, group, and organizational change. Emphasizes theory, research, and practice in the interactive process of collaborative data collection, assessment, feedback, action planning, and application. Focuses on integrating complex change processes, maintaining co-operative relationships, and making agreements for coordinated action.

370-372. Special Topics in Communication.
Advanced courses that offer in-depth reading, research, and discussion in a specialized area. Course titles and content vary, and prerequisites are established by the instructor. May be repeated (with different topics) for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

380. Debate Practicum.
Prerequisites: member of Loyola Debating Society; instructor and departmental approval.
Advanced practical experience in the Loyola Debating Society. May be repeated for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

381. Communication Practicum.
Prerequisites: instructor and department approval.
Advanced practical experience in organizational/interpersonal/public communication. May be repeated for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

382. Journalism Practicum.
Prerequisites: instructor and department approval.
Advanced practical experience in journalism projects. May be repeated for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

383. Radio Practicum.
Prerequisites: instructor and department approval.
Advanced practical experience in radio projects. May be repeated for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

384. Film Practicum.
Prerequisites: instructor and department approval.
Advanced practical experience in film projects. May be repeated for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

385. Television Practicum.
Prerequisites: instructor and department approval.
Advanced practical experience in video projects. May be repeated for a total of 9 hours, but only 6 may count toward the major.

390H. Honors Tutorial.
Prerequisites: instructor and departmental approval.
Independent or small group study or research in student area of interest.

396. Communication Internship I.
Prerequisite: permission from internship director in prior semester.
Practical experience in applying communications skills within selected organizations and media agencies.

397. Communication Internship II.
Prerequisite: 396 and permission from internship director in prior semester.
Advanced practical experience in applying communication skills within selected organizations and media agencies.

398. Directed Study.
Prerequisites: instructor and department approval.
Independent research under the supervision of a designated faculty member. May be repeated for a total of 6 hours.

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