20 courses with the subject COMM, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
COMM 107Digital Storytelling3
Hour(s) Introduction to the study and practice of storytelling across digital media technologies. Students learn best practices in information gathering and how to adapt storytelling techniques to text, audio, visual, and converged platforms. Requires original research and media production across multiple media platforms.
Hour(s) Introduction to fundamentals of rhetoric and public speaking, including histories of women in public speaking and the development of feminine rhetorical style. Students will research, prepare, and present four to six speeches of various types and learn the basics of using visual aids.
Hour(s) Introduction to the intercultural communication process, with emphasis on appreciating the diverse ways that different cultures communicate and critically analyzing intercultural interactions. Group final project and individual portfolio required.
COMM 200Independent Study Communication and Media Studies1-4
Hour(s) Independent study, under guidance of a faculty advisor, is available to students with a 2.5 cumulative average and permission of communication department chair. Independent study may be readings, research, conference, project and/or field experience. No more than one course per term.
Hour(s) Investigation of a topic of importance in the field of communication. Topic will vary in accordance with developments in the field and needs/interests of students. Possible topics might include film criticism, mass media and society, documentary film and intercultural communication. Research paper or creative project and oral presentation generally required.
Hour(s) Critical exploration of the social constuction of identity through mass communication. Provides a foundation in feminist theoretical approaches to understanding media stereotyping, politics of exclusion from media production, and potential for media to empower maginalized peoples. Requires a critical essay and media analysis.
Hour(s) Introduction to the history of media technologies; media effects theory and research; and media law and ethics. Emphasis on development of media literacy and understanding of mass media-including news and entertainment-as cultural industries. Requires research project.
Hour(s) Introduction to persuasive communication theory and practice, including how persuasion influences thoughts, behaviors, decisions, and relationships in cultural contexts such as race, gender, and class. Requires a research project and portfolio.
Hour(s) Crime, policing, and justice are mainstay topics in news and entertainment media. Crime is also a critical social determinant of health, yet our understandings of crime, criminals, and the justice system are often filtered through inaccurate media representations. This course explores the complex social narratives that structure legal systems, media, and popular culture. Students will examine historic and contemporary representations of crime; analyze how media shape perspectives on law, policing, criminality, and justice; and learn how crime and crime media impact the health of individuals and communities. The study of crime and media in this course will include analysis of gendered crimes and bias in media representations of gender in crime reporting. Students in this course will conduct hands-on research to complete individual research projects.
Hour(s) On-site communication experience in profit or not-for-profit settings approved by internship coordinator. Requires weekly blogs, posting digital paper and digital portfolio. Students may count up to three internships in different positions/organizations as COMM major electives.
Hour(s) Critical analysis and practice of photo storytelling, with emphasis on composition, lighting and the law and ethics of photojournalism. Student must have access to a digital camera. Requires group project, digital portfolio and presentation.
COMM 263Guerilla Video Production (4 hrs) In lectures, experiential learning, and a weekly lab, students
will explore visual theories during video pre-production, then pursue recording and edit content in post- production. Key topics include use of ambient light and sound, storyboarding, shot composition, and function of B-roll. Discussion of ethical and legal issues; improvisation and innovation. Final short video-project—group or individual. 1-hour weekly lab to learn hardware and software early in course, then to edit film from midterm through project due date. Prerequisites: COMM 107.
Hour(s) This course is a survey of scholarship related to health communication in interpersonal, media, and organizational health contexts. Students will gain knowledge of media representations of health, wellness, and science, while developing critical media literacy skills that enable them to identify misinformation. Students will engage in project-based community service in partnership with a local health-oriented organization.
Hour(s) An advanced independent study under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Open to junior and seniors with a 3.5 G.P.A. in communication, subject to department chair approval. Honors work may be taken for a maximum of two courses. Requires research or creative project.
Hour(s) This course explores the historical and philosophical foundations of community journalism and provides experiential learning opportunities for students to report and produce solutions-based journalism. Working within a problem-based learning approach, students will conduct field research in order to refine listening skills and create a digital story about a local neighborhood issue or organization. The course will include science journalism and data analytics, ethical reporting, and avoidance of misinformation in reporting. Service learning will take place in the form of partnerships with local non-profit media organizations that students work closely with to address specific needs.
Hour(s) Strategic communication includes theories and practices in public relations, advocacy/activism, health communication, marketing communication, investor relations, fundraising, media relations, lobbying, and content marketing. This course introduces students to values-driven approaches that nonprofit and for-profit organizations can use to more effectively reach their target audiences. Students also will learn how to leverage digital media and use analytics to maximize the impact of communication strategies. Class research project, individual portfolio and oral presentation required.
Hour(s) Seminar course that provides a foundation in cultural studies approaches to understanding the history of popular media and the social construction of celebrity and fame. Topics will include the economic, legal, and political aspects of popular and celebrity culture, as well as representations of intersectional identities including race, gender, sexuality, socio-economic class, nationality, and religion in fame industries. Requires an original research paper.
Hour(s) In this course, students will propose and complete a significant group project that synthesizes the knowledge and skills developed during the degree program. Drawing inspiration from the annual Salem College Health Leadership theme, students will conduct research, complete analyses, and create a multimedia publication or production that informs the community about an aspect of the theme. For example, the class might produce a podcast series, a series of infographics, or a dashboard informing students about maternal mortality rates in the NC Piedmont.
