COMM - Communication

An overview of the various communication majors, including career options, with a discussion of vocation and calling. Students will also begin work on their portfolio and discuss various sub-disciplines within the communication field.

A survey course designed to introduce the student to all types of communication study, including interpersonal, small group, public and mass communication environments. Emphasis is on understanding how communication sub-disciplines interrelate on a theoretical level. This course is part of the communication core common to all majors in the department.

A study of the principles of effective speaking. Practice in creating, organizing, and presenting informative, persuasive, and entertaining speeches.

Discussion of vocation and calling, with an emphasis on writing and speaking about one’s career in communication. Continued development of student portfolios. Prerequisite: COMM1180 or permission of instructor.

Survey of mass media effects and careers. Study includes the history and use of books, magazines, newspapers, radio, movies, music, television, digital media, advertising and public relations. Emphasis on media-particularly social, political, economic and legal. Topics focus on media theory, ethics and trends in commercialization conglomeration, converging technologies and globalization. This course is part of the communication core common to all majors in the department and is a Writing Emphasis (WE) course.

Essential course of Mass Communication majors. Teaches students how to identify grammar, spelling and punctuation errors, improve clarity, remedy inconsistencies and redundancies. Students will learn to edit information in accordance with writing standards for journalism and public relations according to the Associated Press Stylebook. Prerequisite (or concurrent enrollment): COMM 2360- Intro to Media Writing.

This class introduces the film styles of narrative films, documentary films, and stylistic techniques used in filmmaking in order to better understand how meaning is constructed, conveyed, and interpreted in film. This course satisfies the Fine Arts requirement in the Academic Core.

Students will learn interviewing techniques; and the location, retrieving, assessing, and verifying of information; advanced writing techniques in news, features, entertainment, sports, columns, and editorials. Basic proficiency in the use of a digital camera, the Associated Press stylebook, and layout, design, and editing software is required. Portfolio required.  Prerequisite: ENGL 1321 and 1322 (or equivalent) and COMM 2320 (credit or concurrent enrollment).

An introductory survey of public relations history, definition, principles, practices and codes of ethics. Career options and trends in business, government, non-profits and other entities are also discussed. Prerequisite (or concurrent enrollment) COMM 2360.

A survey of the film industry and the process of making motion pictures. Special attention given to the basics of film directing, acting, editing, cinematography and design, and to career paths in film and television.

The study of the process of attitude change from a psychological and a rhetorical perspective. Students will read texts, study persuasive artifacts (including advertisements, films, novels, and newspaper articles), write papers, and give oral presentations to the class. Prerequisite: COMM 1320.

This course covers the oral interpretation of literature. Students will study techniques of and gain practical experience in expressive reading aloud and in telling stories. Recommended for those certifying to teach and for those interested in working with youth.

Discussion of the history and the societal impact of oral communication.  Creation and delivery of extended, challenging speeches.  Prerequisite:  COMM 1320.

Relying on historic and iconic photographs that tell a story, this course covers a variety of photojournalistic subjects including general news, sports, features and caption writing and politics. Students will study major historical events in photojournalism, identify ethical issues and review their relevance to today’s photojournalists. Students are required to spend a time with a story in order to accurately photograph news events and get enough photos to effectively illustrate the story. Prerequisites: COMM 2330 & COMM 2360.

An introduction to the process of writing screenplays for television and film. Topics covered include character development, genre, plot structure, dialogue, audience analysis and writing/revision. Other topics covered at instructor's discretion.

Production of a documentary project from idea through final cut, culminating in a public screening. Course Fee.

A study of the history and expression of film art throughout the world. Students will view films from all eras of film history and from a variety of cultures and nations of the world, and engage with them using classic and contemporary critical theory.  

A survey of essential material for participation in interpretive individual events in forensic competition and training in vocal health and production, accent, and dialect.

An introduction to theory and practice of academic debate and the argumentation principles which underlie them.

Integrates interviewing, writing, and reporting skills to produce in-depth stories. Mastery of Associated Press stylebook required. Students will study investigative reporting, social science reporting, multiple-interview projects, and New Journalism. Requires digital camera skills as well as online and print design/production skills using layout, design, and editing software. Portfolio required. Outstanding students may progress to a limited number of paid student publication staff positions. Lab fee. Prerequisite: COMM 2360.

Students will write and edit news, conduct interviews and develop commercials for broadcast and new media, as well as train in the use of video camera and editing processes. Prerequisites: COMM 2360 and 3365.

This course will focus on specific topics such as PR theory and practice beyond the scope of the introductory course. This includes program planning, budgeting, media relations, social media and event planning. PR writing will be emphasized as well as building and managing organizational image. Prerequisites: COMM 2330 Copy Editing and COMM 2370 Intro to Public Relations.

Researching, interviewing, writing and editing for magazine non-fiction and newspaper feature articles, both online and print. Surveying various local, state, and national publications; identifying freelance markets with an emphasis on publication. Prerequisite: COMM 2360.

Students will analyze and critique speeches and other rhetorical acts taken from a specific historical period or social movement and evaluate them by applying theories of rhetorical action. Prerequisites: COMM 1320.

Students will analyze and critique speeches and other rhetorical acts taken from the American civil rights movement and evaluate them by applying theories of rhetorical action. Prerequisite: COMM 1320

This class prepares the student for taking the state certification exams for secondary teaching.

Presentation of portfolios, exit surveys and a service-learning project. Writing assignments related to vocation, the student’s sub-discipline of communication, and the service project. This is a Writing Emphasis (WE) course. Prerequisite: COMM 2180 or permission of instructor.

Part-time paid or unpaid field experience in journalism. Students will pair with a mentor at a newspaper, magazine, radio/television station or video/audio production facility and learn writing, reporting, editing, interviewing, research, social media management, web design and other skills. Daily log of activities must be kept. Final paper and computer graphics presentation required upon completion. Prerequisite: COMM 3365 and senior standing (or permission of faculty advisor).

Part-time paid or unpaid field experience in public relations. PR track students must complete THREE separate internships (4197.01, 4197.02, and 4197.03). Each internship is 70 hours. Students are responsible for securing their own PR internships. The PR program coordinator must approve each PR internship beforehand. Students will pair with a PR mentor/organization and learn practical PR skills.

In conjunction with the Sundance Film festival, this course will cover the business decisions that a filmmaker needs to think about in regards to their finished film. A course fee will be required and will cover the expense of travel, lodging, food and applicable fees for attending the festival.

This course will focus on traditional film and media production in addition to the skills required by the role of a freelance media person once you graduate. 

Social media and digital/online media have become pervasive in public relations. This course will provide a review of best social media practices and current trends in research and “real world” practice relevant to utilizing social media in strategic communications. Prerequisite: COMM 2370

Discussion of legal concepts in mass communication and journalism, including libel, obscenity, privacy, copyright, and telecommunications issues. Students will give in-class presentations on legal controversies and important court cases in the mass communication field. Prerequisite: COMM 2320 and 2360.

In-depth analysis of a specific subject in film studies. Possible topics include animation, film acting, the independent film industry, and Christian engagement with film. Students will learn in a seminar environment by researching and presenting scholarly analyses of the course topic under the guidance of the instructor.  

With an emphasis on low-budget, independent film and video making, students will study all aspects of narrative film production from idea generation, conceptualization and scripting through post-production. Course fee. Prerequisite: COMM 2390 and COMM 3340.

Students will present their portfolios of work created while at UMHB and will take part in exit interviews and surveys; a student-driven seminar discussing the place of communication in the wider world, and a service project This course is part of the communication core common to all majors in the department and is a Writing Emphasis (WE) course. Prerequisite: Graduating senior status.

Students will work with a mentor in a speech classroom, in a local high school and learn effective pedagogical techniques in speech.

Possible topics might include Introduction to Advertising, Online Journalism, Video Editing, Popular Culture and the Mass Media, Theories of the Mass Media, etc.

Part-or full-time field experience in a communication-related field off campus. Students will keep a log of all activities and report to the sponsoring faculty member as required. On-site mentors will evaluate student's performance of agreed-upon tasks. Prerequisite: junior standing and permission of faculty advisor.