57 courses with the subject COM, 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.
This course provides students with an opportunity to gain knowledge and skill as they do work at WCU media outlets. Repeatable for credit.
Transfer Credits
This course develops abilities to engage in effective oral argument. Topics covered include the structure of arguments, reasoning, fallacies, refutation, argumentation ethics, and answering questions. Gen Ed Attribute: Speaking Emphasis
120 3 COM 309 3 CRJ 240 3 CRJ 315 3 CRJ 325 3 CRJ 370 4 CRL 321 4 CRL 342 3 CRL 371 3 CSC 365 3 CSD 270 CSD 301 CSD 401 DEG 199P DEG 199S DGR 399K EDA 416 EDA 417 EDA 421 EDF 490 EDR 304 EDR 305 EDR 306 EGP 220 EGP 410 EGP 411 EIT 321 EIT 360 ENG 339 ENG 499 ENV 242 ENV 324 ESS 365 ESS 499 EXS 103 EXS 490 FIN 400 GEO 332 redits GEO 333 3 GEO 400 3 GER 302 3 HEA 303 3 HEA 340 3 HEA 346 3 HEA 360 3 HIS 224 3 HIS 300 1 HIS 313 3 HIS 381
This course explores research in the communication studies discipline. Topics covered include strategies for reading primary source research, library resources for communication research database searches, APA formatting, various methods for data collection and analysis. Distance education offering may be available. Equivalent courses: MDC 255 2026-2027 CATALOG - UNDERGRADUATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA
This course provides the theoretical foundation for studying public communication and persuasive influence. Topics covered include definitions of persuasion and rhetoric, the history of the rhetorical tradition and persuasion as social influence, as well as the nature and process of theorizing persuasive influence in communication. Distance education offering may be available.
This course explores theoretical approaches to communication in interpersonal (one-to-one) relationships. Topics covered include the place of our interpretations, selves, and roles in our one-to-one relationships as well as societal influences on our choices for friendship, romantic, and family relationships. Distance education offering may be available.
This course explores foundational organizational communication and small group communication theory. Topics covered include explanations of the value of theory, major approaches to the study of organizations, select theories of small group communication, and theories related to organizational reputation. Distance education offering may be available.
This course explores how individuals communicate through and about disability. Topics covered include the place of perceptions, identity, language, non verbal behavior, and assistive technology in interpersonal communicative interactions among and about individuals with disabilities in family, friendship, and professional relationships. Gen Ed Attribute: ASL Culture Cluster Distance education offering may be available.
This course extends organizational communication theory into the context of organizational effectiveness, and training and development. Through an examination of theories related to topics such as organizational structure, goal setting, organizational change, human resources, and organizational culture, the course provides students with tools to diagnose organizational issues and develop plans to address these issues at an organizational and personal level. COM 304 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 215. Gen Ed Attribute: Writing Emphasis
This course explores the intricacies of nonverbal communication through an appreciation for communication theory and research. This enhanced understanding, combined with honing skills, will help shape the way you experience and witness nonverbal communication in interpersonal interactions. In this way, the course will apply to the complexities and contexts of your daily life. Topics covered include kinesics, vocalics, haptics, proxemics, artifacts, chronemics, and physical appearance. COM 307 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Distance education offering may be available.
This course refines students' public speaking skills and introduces students to new forms of public speaking. Topics covered include speech structure, speech delivery, impromptu speaking, ceremonial speaking, motivational speaking, style, narratives, and visual aids. COM 309 Prerequisite: Successful completion of COM 209 with minimum grade of C (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students). Gen Ed Attribute: Speaking Emphasis
This course explores resolving conflict in a variety of contexts from close interpersonal relationships to family relationships and work relationships. Topics covered include the means c of resolving conflict through argument, negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. COM 332 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Distance education offering may be available. Equivalent courses: COM 410, SPC 410 195
This course introduces communication skills needed when working with people in organizational team settings. The focus is on developing a working knowledge of theory and skills for the preparation of, analysis of, and participation in problem-solving-oriented teams. This course focuses on the communication processes of the family, social, work, and political groups that people engage in throughout their personal and public lives. As such, this course will provide students with an understanding of basic concepts and theories that describe these processes, opportunities to analyze how these concepts and theories apply to their team experiences, and practice in applying these concepts and theories to problem-solving situations. COM 333 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 215. Gen Ed Attribute: Community Engagement Pathway
This course explores how organizations focus on issues of sustainability. Students will investigate how organizations operate sustainably by considering the social impact of organizational activities. Students will study how we organize ourselves, communities, and institutions sustainably and unsustainably. Through analysis of case studies and contemporary organizations, students will examine, critique, and create sustainability-related communications. COM 335 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 215. Distance education offering may be available.
This course is designed to focus on organizational theory as it relates to leadership and change concepts. Students will evaluate organizational leadership in the public sphere and reflect on their own personal leadership as it relates to their own interaction with organizations. COM 337 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 215. Equivalent courses: COM 480
This course functions as a supervised, on-campus practicum, which allows students to apply the concepts and skills learned in COM courses to professional settings. Under the supervision of the instructor, students will work in small teams to complete projects for clients and partners on and off campus. Emphasis is placed on professional engagement, project management, client and partner interaction, creative problem-solving, and application of prior coursework to real-world organizational goals. COM 339 Prerequisite: Successful completion of COM 209 or SPK 208; COM 211; and COM 215. Distance education offering may be available.
This course explores the role of communication in the political process. Topics include persuading with political messages, citizen talk about politics, media coverage of politics, political ads, political debates, and politics over the Internet. COM 340 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 213.
The focus of this course is to develop an understanding of the theories and means of social influence and persuasion that determine then drive audience change. Topics covered include: foundational theories of persuasion, applied persuasion efforts in various settings using varied mediums, and communication strategies for crafting written and spoken persuasive messages. COM 342 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 213. Equivalent courses: COM 403
This course explores a variety of approaches for analyzing and explaining messages and symbols. Topics include historical foundations for the study of rhetoric, contemporary critical methods, and public address. COM 344 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 213. Gen Ed Attribute: Writing Emphasis Equivalent courses: COM 404 196
This course explores how gender and sexuality are shaped by and reflected in human communication. Primary focus is given to classic and contemporary studies of interactional patterns related to gender and/or sexuality as well as intersecting identities, types of social relationships (e.g., friendships, romantic relationships, kinship, and family) and a variety of communicative contexts. COM 345 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Distance education offering may be available.
This course explores how personal and collective identities are constructed, contested, and performed rhetorically through symbolic communication. The intersections of power and identity categories such as race, class, gender, and sexuality may be addressed. Students will examine the relationship between rhetoric and identity in a variety of contexts that may include (but are not limited to) politics, popular culture, sports, public memory, digital/social media, or everyday life. COM 346 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 213. Distance education offering may be available.
This course explores the rhetorical tradition as a way of understanding and interrogating popular culture in terms of what it does and how it contributes to the construction of our social reality. Topics include the rhetorical tradition, Neo-Aristotelianism, critical theory, feminism, Marxism, dramatism, and visual rhetoric. COM 348 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 213. Distance education offering may be available. Equivalent courses: COM 425
This course explores how language is used as a practical tool for accomplishing basic social actions, constructing and managing identities, and linking ourselves to a range of social and cultural realities. Course topics will focus on discourse, defined as everyday talk and conversation, and various concepts and frameworks for how to analyze features of social interaction across a range of public, private, and technologically-mediated contexts. COM 375 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Gen Ed Attribute: Writing Emphasis Equivalent courses: COM 415, SPC 415
This course engages with theory and research on social support and its role in shaping our experiences of social connectedness in the 21st century. Course topics will include exploring how we communicate support, the ways we adapt such communication practices within an increasingly digital social landscape (e.g., social media, legacy media, etc.), and how to better manage our need for support amidst reports of epidemic-levels of loneliness and isolation in the world. COM 377 Prerequisite: Successful completion of COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214, all with minimum grades of C.
This course explores communication in health care settings. Topics covered include the changing perceptions of medical encounters, the language of illness and health, the roles of patients and caregivers, and health communication in historical, cultural, organizational, technological, and medical contexts. COM 380 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Distance education offering may be available. Equivalent courses: COM 450 2026-2027 CATALOG - UNDERGRADUATE
This course explores the ways in which families are built, maintained, and destroyed by communication. Family communication is a complex phenomenon, so it is not surprising that approaches to studying the family have spanned disciplines including communication, psychology, child development, sociology, and anthropology. In this course, students will be exposed to a sampling of interdisciplinary research and theories on families, but the main emphasis of the course will be on contributions to the study of families from within the communication discipline. Topics covered include family communication theories, courtship and mate selection, parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, divorce, family violence and abuse, and extended family relationships. COM 385 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Gen Ed Attribute: Community Engagement Pathway, Writing Emphasis Equivalent courses: COM 445
This course explores communication in friendship relationships. Topics covered include the communication of similarity and difference between friends in various contexts from childhood and adolescence to adulthood through the theoretical perspectives of dialectics, narrative, and dialogue. COM 387 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Gen Ed Attribute: Writing Emphasis Distance education offering may be available. Equivalent courses: COM 440
This course explores a specific area of study in public communication. Topics will be announced in advance. COM 396 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 213. Repeatable for credit.
This course explores a specific area of study in relational communication. Topics will be announced in advance. COM 397 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 214. Repeatable for credit.
This course explores a specific area of study in organizational communication. Topics will be announced in advance. COM 398 Prerequisite: Successful completion of C or higher in COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and COM 215. Repeatable for credit.
Research, creative projects, reports, and readings in communication studies. Students must apply to advisors one semester in advance of registration. Up to 6 credits may count toward major requirements. COM 399 Prerequisite: Successful completion of COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and one of the following: COM 213, COM 214, or COM 215, all with minimum grades of C. Junior or Seniors. Repeatable for credit.
This internship provides students the opportunity to gain vital hands-on work experience in the communication discipline that cannot come from classroom experience alone. Credits earned vary based upon the amount of time spent on the job. All internships must be approved by the Department's Internship Coordinator and must meet federal guidelines. This course counts as an applied area course rather than as an upper-division course in the COM major. Please see the department website for more information. COM 400 Prerequisite: Successful completion of COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 211, and one of the following: COM 213, COM 214, or COM 215, all with minimum grades of C; successful completion of a 300- or 400-level COM course with a C or higher; enrollment as a COM major or minor; and a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA. Repeatable for credit. 2026-2027 CATALOG - UNDERGRADUATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA
This course is designed to integrate students' learning experiences across the Communication Studies major. Students will be asked to bring together their understanding of communication theory and research with their oral communication skills. Topics examined vary by instructor. COM 490 Prerequisite: Successful completion of COM 209 (or SPK 208 for internal and external transfer students), COM 206, COM 211, COM 213, COM 214, COM 215, and COM 309, all with minimum grades of C.
Intensive examination of a selected area of study in the field of communication studies. Topics will be announced in advance. COM 499 Prerequisite: Successful completion of SPK 208. Repeatable for credit.
A comprehensive examination of major theoretical perspectives on human communication ranging from classical to contemporary. Distance education offering may be available.
An examination of the major issues pertaining to inquiry in human communication, including the nature of inquiry; qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches to communication research; moral and ethical standards for human research; the role of the researcher; and comparisons of academic research. Students will be required to design and execute a research project.
An analysis of major conceptual approaches to persuasion and their implications for understanding influence contexts and designing pragmatic strategies.
An intensive examination of a selected area within communication study. Topics will vary and will be announced in advance of each semester.
Course examines how the media constructs ideologies and images of various cultural groups for mass consumption.
This course is designed to introduce and discuss basic theories, themes, concepts, and controversies in relationships from a communication standpoint. Students will be better quipped to apply theoretical knowledge to repair, maintain, and enhance their own personal relationships.
This seminar is designed to acquaint students with contemporary theory and research on family communication. More specifically, students will examine communication processes that define and impact families, the diverse family forms that comprise contemporary family systems, intersections between families and other contexts (e.g., workplace, healthcare, media), and current issues that affect families. The course provides students with the opportunity to learn about family communication both in an abstract way (via readings and class discussions) and in a more concrete fashion (by developing and writing a scholarly paper).
Examines the role communication plays in the political system with a specific focus on campaign communication, political advertising, and media coverage of politics.
This course investigates recent advances and controversies in nonverbal communication theory and research.
Course examines what it means to be a highly competent communicator. Communication competence will be explored across a multitude of communication contexts including interpersonal, organizational, intercultural and leadership contexts.
A survey of research in listening behavior and related nonverbal variables. Identification of important characteristics of effective listeners. Application to communication activities in the classroom.
Familiarizes student with the skills needed to work as a public relations writer and editor. Explores applicable media theories as well as ethical and legal issues.
Today's digital environment provides endless distribution options. The purpose of this course is to guide students through the process of creating and maintaining a digital media content strategy. Specifically, students will learn how to apply communication audience research measurements to strategic development of organizational goals. Next, students will apply knowledge towards the development of a strategic digital marketing plan for distribution. In this phase, students will study various social media platforms and the function and audience for each, as well as how they work together in cross-platform promotion. Finally, students are expected to complete a final marketing campaign to meet a local organization's digital media goals. The final project will require digital media creation and evaluation.
Digital communication these days is overwhelmingly visual. We consume visual content through websites, streaming video, and social media. The most engaging social media content typically consists of visual images. This course equips students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to create compelling social media visuals in a variety of formats.
This course is intended to prepare students to make multimedia products about fundamental scientific phenomena which can be used to educate and teach others. Through both theoretical and practical approaches, students learn skills and concepts that will enable them to complete a series of science-based creative projects and apply these skills toward future use.
An intensive examination of a selected area within digital media marketing study. Topics will vary and will be announced in advance of each semester. Distance education offering may be available. Repeatable for credit.
An examination of pedagogical research on the development of effective public speakers. Provides opportunities to both train speakers and critique public presentations.
Supervised professional training in approved communication placements. Repeatable for credit. 108
Research projects, reports, readings in speech communication. Repeatable for credit.
Original research, supervised through topic selection, investigation, and oral defense.
Original research, supervised through: IRB approval (if necessary), data collection, analysis, writing results, writing thesis chapters, and defense. COM 602 Prerequisite: Successful completion of COM 601. M.A. IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES
Source: West Chester University of Pennsylvania's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 59
