Nov 21, 2024

2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog

2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Communication [BA]

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The undergraduate program in Communication, leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree, is one of the largest programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. As a student in Communication, you’ll explore the impact and influence of communication in personal, professional, and public contexts and learn the fundamentals and techniques that give effective communication the power to inform and to persuade.

Learn

The Communication Major engages students in lifelong learning that addresses socially and globally pressing communication challenges through scholarly, creative, critical, and practical curriculum and instruction. It prepares undergraduate students for careers as ethical communicators with a broad understanding of contemporary communication issues and with skills that are adaptable to a variety of contexts. The following are the Programmatic Student Learning Outcomes for the Communication Major:

Students will be able to conduct a critical analysis of various communication messages.
Students will be able to apply communication theory and concepts to various situational forms of message production.
Students will be able to apply ethical principles to various communicative acts.
Using communication strategies, students will be responsive to the needs of the community.
Students’ communication choices will demonstrate respect and dignity for all human experiences.

Opportunities

Communication majors have the opportunity to further develop and refine their communication skills through participating in our internship program, the Undergraduate Research Symposium, academic service-learning courses, and our nationally ranked forensics team. Many of our Communication graduates have gone on to challenging careers in advertising, business administration, government, health services, human resources, management, marketing, politics, public relations, and social services. Others have found a degree in communication to be excellent preparation for advanced studies in law or pursuing communication-related graduate programs.

Additional Information

Articulation Agreements - Washtenaw Community College (2018-2021) or see Community College Relations for additional agreements for this major.

School Information

Communication, Media & Theatre Arts | Kathleen Stacey, Ph.D., Director | 124 Quirk, 734.487.3131, kstacey@emich.edu

Advisor Information

Dennis Patrick O’Grady, Ph.D., Professor, 121 Quirk, 734.487.6956, dogrady@emich.edu

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or print a worksheet .

Major Requirements: 36 hours

Foundation Courses: 15 hours

COMM 124 - Foundations of Speech Communication [GEEC] 3 hrs
Cultural Communication

Choose one course from the following.
COMM 260 - Gender Communication [GEUS] 3 hrs
COMM 274 - Intercultural Communication [GEGA] 3 hrs
COMM 275 - Interracial/Interethnic Communication [GEUS] 3 hrs
Public Communication

Choose one course from the following.
COMM 224 - Advanced Public Speaking 3 hrs
COMM 340 - Communication Ethics 3 hrs
COMM 350 - Persuasion 3 hrs
COMM 356 - Argumentation and Debate 3 hrs
Relational Communication

Choose one course from the following.
COMM 225 - Listening Behavior [GEKS] 3 hrs
COMM 226 - Nonverbal Communication [GEKS] 3 hrs
COMM 227 - Interpersonal Communication [GEKS] 3 hrs
Organizational Communication

Choose one course from the following.
COMM 354 - Organizational Communication 3 hrs
COMM 359 - Small Group Communication 3 hrs
COMM 370 - Nonprofit Organizational Communication 3 hrs

Advanced Theory and Research: 6 hours

Choose two courses from the following.

Capstone Experience: 3 hours

This course is restricted to Communication Majors

COMM 495L2 - Communication Capstone [GELB] 3 hrs

Restricted Elective Courses: 12 hours

Choose twelve credit hours from the following. Courses taken above may not also count toward this requirement.

COMM 224 - Advanced Public Speaking 3 hrs
COMM 225 - Listening Behavior [GEKS] 3 hrs
COMM 226 - Nonverbal Communication [GEKS] 3 hrs
COMM 227 - Interpersonal Communication [GEKS] 3 hrs
COMM 260 - Gender Communication [GEUS] 3 hrs
COMM 274 - Intercultural Communication [GEGA] 3 hrs
COMM 275 - Interracial/Interethnic Communication [GEUS] 3 hrs
COMM 310 - Health Communication 3 hrs
COMM 330 - Relational Communication 3 hrs
COMM 340 - Communication Ethics 3 hrs
COMM 350 - Persuasion 3 hrs
COMM 352 - Communication in Negotiation 3 hrs
COMM 354 - Organizational Communication 3 hrs
COMM 356 - Argumentation and Debate 3 hrs
COMM 357 - Interviewing as Communication 3 hrs
COMM 359 - Small Group Communication 3 hrs
COMM 370 - Nonprofit Organizational Communication 3 hrs
COMM 371 - Professional Networking 3 hrs
COMM 372 - Assertive Communication 3 hrs
COMM 373 - Family Communication 3 hrs
COMM 376 - Conflict Management 3 hrs
COMM 379 - Special Topics 3 hrs
COMM 440W - Analyzing Communication in Civic Life [GEWI] 3 hrs
COMM 460 - Rhetorical Criticism 3 hrs
COMM 475W - Research Methods in Communication [GEWI] 3 hrs
COMM 485W - Communication Theory [GEWI] 3 hrs
No more than six credit hours from the following courses:
COMM 387L4 - Cooperative Education in Communication [GELB] 1 hr
COMM 388L4 - Cooperative Education in Communication [GELB] 2 hrs
COMM 389L4 - Cooperative Education in Communication [GELB] 3 hrs
COMM 407 - Directing the Secondary Communication and Theatre Co-Curriculum 3 hrs
COMM 487L4 - Internship in Communication [GELB] 1 hr
COMM 488L4 - Internship in Communication [GELB] 2 hrs
COMM 489L4 - Internship in Communication [GELB] 3 hrs
COMM 497 - Independent Study 1 hr
COMM 498 - Independent Study 2 hrs
COMM 499 - Independent Study 3 hrs
CTAA 166 - Forensics 1 hr
CTAA 266 - Forensics 1 hr
CTAA 366 - Forensics 1 hr
CTAA 466 - Forensics 1 hr
No more than three credit hours from the following alternate department courses:
CTAO 205 - Voice and Articulation 3 hrs
CTAO 210 - Interpretative Reading [GEKH] 3 hrs
CTAT 238 - Mobile Technologies in the Global South 3 hrs
CTAT 241 - Broadcasting Announcing 3 hrs

Minor Requirement:

This major requires a minor. Please see Programs for a list of available minors or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.