Communications

Majors in Communication - Core Requirements - Internship Opportunities - Contact Information

Students in Communications will experience the following:

Learn to communicate effectively in digital environments

Develop research and critical thinking skills

Four program tracks meet a variety of career interests, including broadcast and print news organizations, businesses, advertising, government, law, and media.

Program design facilitates double majors

Earn prestigious internships across the country in print or electronic media

Students may choose any concentration in English, Journalism/Writing, Broadcast/ Digital Communications, and Public Relations/Advertising. Students are urged to choose more than one concentration in order to gain a broader background in critical thinking skills. The program is designed to give students a flexible set of opportunities to develop analytical and critical thinking skills that are valued across a range of professions and careers. Students will use technology-rich classrooms and one-on-one instruction to help them master the hardware and software used in the discipline. Students can find jobs with production companies, broadcast and print news organizations, non-profits, and businesses; they will be prepared for law school and other graduate programs, and for work with emerging media forms using state-of-the art equipment.

Admission

Students must gain general admission to the University of Charleston. A visit to the campus to meet with Admissions personnel and program faculty is strongly encouraged.

COMM Core Requirements

COMM 150 Introduction to Media Studies

ENGL 345 Advanced Writing

COMM 400 Media and Literary Theory

COMM 405 Senior Capstone Project

Additional Requirements

Students must meet all Liberal Learning Outcomes required for graduation from the University of Charleston. All students are required to complete ENGL 405 Senior Capstone,

which serves as the comprehensive program assessment.

Completing a Minor in COMM

Students who wish to minor in COMM are required to take these core courses:

COMM 150

ENGL 345

COMM 400

Plus nine (9) hours of electives within ONE of the COMM tracks

Total: 18 hours

Majors in Communication:

Journalism/Writing                  English                            Broadcast and               Public Relations/
                                                                                         Digital Communications       Advertisement

Journalism and Writing Concentration

This track gives students the theoretical principles for and practical experience in writing for various purposes. Students will demonstrate the ability to read, reflect, and respond at a highly developed level to various kinds of texts. The courses in this track are designed to help students understand the processes by which meaning is generated through language, rhetoric, and style. Students will use these skills to communicate to a variety of audiences in digital environments, mass media, business, industry, and other careers in which excellent communication skills are essential.

Upon completion of the track the student will:

Understand the history and role of print journalism
Understand the role of media in society
Be able to communicate effectively for a variety of audiences
Demonstrate the ability to construct meaning from, interpret, and evaluate media by using a variety of rhetorical and analytical strategies

Course Requirements:

COMM 221 Introduction to Journalism

COMM 200 Media and Society

COMM 220 Writing for the Media

COMM 327 or 222 Electronic Journalism or Newspaper Reporting and Editing

ENGL 355 Writing for the Internet

COMM 498 Internship

Six credit hours of electives

Students may choose from COMM 320, 323, 324, 325, 326, 350, ENGL 241, 340, 346, or any of the courses within the Communications tracks depending on the student’s interests and career plans.

Total track hours: 24

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English Concentration

This track gives students a broad overview of the major literary and cultural trends in British, American, and World literature. The English track prepares students for graduate study and for careers in law, business, journalism, advertising, editing, and government, by developing and sharpening research, critical thinking, cultural literacy, and communication skills. Students acquire these intellectual tools by learning to analyze texts critically within their historical and cultural contexts and by developing the ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes.

Upon completion of the program the student will:

1. Demonstrate effective research skills (electronic and non-electronic) by exploring, documenting, evaluating, and publishing conclusions in written and oral form.

2. Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences.

3. Demonstrate the ability to read, construct meaning from, appreciate, comprehend, analyze, and evaluate a wide range of literary texts, including historical and contemporary works by British, American, and World authors, works by female authors, and works by authors of color across several genres.

4. Demonstrate the ability to construct meaning from, interpret, and evaluate non-literary texts and non-print media by using a variety of rhetorical and analytical strategies.

Course Requirements:

ENGL 202 or 203 Studies in British Literature from Beowulf to 1798 or Studies in British Literature from the Romantics to the Present.

ENGL 220 Studies in American Literature

ENGL 230 or 231 Studies in Western World Literature or Non-Western World Literature
ENGL 312 or 315 Shakespeare or Language and Rhetoric

ENGL 336 or 350 Literature and Film or Special Topics

ENGL 325 or 320 Studies in Gender or Multiculturalism

Six credit hours of electives

Students may choose from ENGL 330, 335, 340, 346, 355, or any course within the Communications tracks depending on the student’s interests and career plans

Total track hours: 24

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Broadcast and Digital Communications Concentration

This track prepares the student for work in Radio/TV Broadcasting. Learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom, through coursework, work in the media, and internships. At the completion of the program the student will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively though oral, written, and mediated communication to a variety of audiences; a knowledge of and ability to manipulate the elements of two media (depending on the student’s training and area of specialization), and to create effective presentations in these media; a knowledge of Communication theory, and the ability to apply theory in order to understand the mass media; an awareness of media, its relation to society, and the ethical practice in using media, in terms of manipulation of audience.

Upon completion of the track the student will:

Understand the history and role of broadcast and digital communications in our society
Understand the role of media in society
Be able to communicate effectively for a variety of audiences
Demonstrate the ability to use a variety of broadcast and/or digital equipment in order to work successfully in the industry.

Course Requirements:

COMM 200 Media and Society

COMM 202 Television Production

COMM 203 Advanced Television Production

COMM 220 Writing for the Media

COMM 330 Audio Production

COMM 498 Internship

Six hours of electives

Students may choose from COMM 320, 332, 350, 355, or any course within the Communications track depending on the student’s interests and career plans.

Total hours within track: 24

Communications

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