Communication Studies

Scott Gratson, Ph.D., Program Director
9C Annenberg Hall

215-204-6434

sgratson@temple.edu

http://smc.temple.edu/commstudies/

Communication Studies is a studies-based interdisciplinary major. It features the academic (aesthetic, analytical, critical, historical, theoretical) and interdisciplinary study of communication as represented by the departments included within the School of Media and Communication.

Designed to ensure flexibility and choice, Communications Studies allows students a chance to fully investigate multiple fields in the communications discipline. Emphasis is placed on providing an overview of Communication while also accentuating personal academic growth. Personal choice and options allow students a chance to complete the degree in a timely manner. In this interdisciplinary program, Communication Studies students will select Policy, Regulation and Advocacy; Contemporary Media Environments; Global Civil Society; or Arts in the Public Sphere as a distinctive area of investigation. A Major of Distinction track is also available for advanced scholars. The flexibility of the Communications Studies program offers students access to the field experiences, internships, and study away experiences vital to a comprehensive education. Students with a number of skill sets and academic interest areas are often drawn to this innovative program and graduates are poised for a number of professional and academic possibilities, such as graduate, law, or professional school. Graduates of this program will be well-suited to pursue a variety of positions across numerous aspects of the Communications field.

Students receive cross-curricular expertise through foundation and core courses. Academic rigor and student choice are at the very core of the program. Choices allow a student flexibility and curricular oversight ensures a solid, academically robust education. Courses are designed to allow student progress to be monitored at yearly intervals. Experiential learning is promoted, particularly during the junior and senior years. Cross cultural exchanges and experiences are integral aspects of the program's design. Advanced scholars have a distinct and individualized track.

Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of all University requirements:

• New students starting in the 2013-2014 academic year are required to complete the General Education (GenEd) curriculum;
• All students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses. The specific writing-intensive courses required for this major are identified with the code "WI" in the Attribute column; and School requirements, with a minimum of 124 semester hours. There is a maximum of 78 s.h. allowed in SMC.  Students must earn a "C" or better in all courses required for the major, including selected courses to fulfill major core (#2 below) and tracks (#3 below), and a minimum 2.0 GPA in the major.

The major requires completion of 42 s.h. in the Communication Studies major:

1) All Communication Studies majors must take the following two foundation courses (6 credits):

2) All majors will take five additional core courses. Students will select one course each from the categories below (15 credits). Students should plan to meet the prerequisites for courses in their selected tracks (see below) by taking appropriate core courses.

3) After completing the Foundational and Core Courses, students may continue with the major (A) or apply for the Major of Distinction (B, described below).

A) Major

In consultation with a faculty advisor, a student must take seven courses from those listed under each of the tracks below. Within the track, a student must take at least one course from at least three different departments.

At least four courses in the track must be taken at the 3000 or 4000 level. At least one of these four must be taken at the 4000 level.

Students must have met the prerequisites for courses in their selected tracks by taking the appropriate core courses (see above).

1) Policy, Regulation and Advocacy Track

This track focuses on citizen advocacy in the field of communication as related to and shaped by communication policy and regulation. Students are introduced to historical and recent examples of citizen advocacy in communication policy through the examination of social movements, civic journalism, art and performance, and special interest groups tied to issues of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and the environment.

 

Policy, Regulation and Advocacy Track
Subject	Course #	Course Title	Hours	Attribute
Advertising	4196	Morality, Law & Advertising (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3	WI
Media Studies & Production	3471	Media & Cultural Differences (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1011 or Communication Studies 2111)	3
Media Studies & Production	4226	Public Media (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1021)	3
Media Studies & Production	4454	Public Information Media Campaigns (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1011 or Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3101	Journalism and the Law (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Strategic Communication	2112	Strategy & Tactics of Persuasion	3
Strategic Communication	2296	Rhetoric of Social Movements	3	WI
Strategic Communication	3323	Rhetoric and Political Culture	3
Strategic Communication	3333	Rhetorical Theory	3
Strategic Communication	3336	Argumentation	3
Strategic Communication	3396	Rhetorical Criticism	3	WI
Theater	3052	Theater of Protest	3
Theater	3057	Queer Theater	3

 

2) Contemporary Media Environments Track

This track provides an historical overview of communication technologies - from papyrus to moveable type, from the rotary press to broadcasting and the Internet - and the ways that they shape public life. It will introduce theories on the relationship between technology and society, focusing on the intersection between communication technologies and the public sphere.

 

Contemporary Media Environments Track
Subject	Course #	Course Title	Hours	Attribute
Media Studies & Production	4296	History of Electronic Media (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1021)	3	WI
Media Studies & Production	4445	Media Images & Analysis (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1021)	3
Media Studies & Production	4453	Information Society (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1021)	3
Film & Media Arts	3671	Theory & Practice of Media Culture (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Film & Media Arts	4674	Anthropological Film/Media	3
Film & Media Arts	4675	Women Film/Video Artists	4
Film & Media Arts	3677	American Film	4
Film & Media Arts	4673	International Cinema	4
Journalism	2301	Introduction to Magazines (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3701	Contemporary Media Issues (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3702	Race and Racism in the News (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3703	History of Journalism (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3704	Ethical Issues in Journalism (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3705	Gender and American Mass Media (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3707	Visual Communication (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3708	Newsroom Management (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Theater	3052	Theater of Protest	3

 

3) Global Civil Society Track

This track will survey evidence on the emergence of global civil society including social movements, historical development, and the growing international public sphere. Courses will address such topics as public diplomacy, global mediascapes, international and public opinion.

 

Global Civil Society Track
Subject	Course #	Course Title	Hours	Attribute
Media Studies & Production	3296	Travel Writing (Permission of SMC Study Away Director or Assistant Director)	3	WI
Media Studies & Production	3473	Media & the Environment (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1021)	3
Media Studies & Production	3572	Communication & Development (Prerequisite: Media Studies & Production 1011 or Communication Studies 2111)	3
Media Studies & Production	4496	Global Media (Prerequisites: Media Studies & Production 1011 & 1021)	3	WI
Media Studies & Production	4571	Foreign Studies in BTMM (Permission of SMC Study Away Director or Assistant Director)	3
Media Studies & Production	4572	British Media & Telecommunication (Permission of SMC Study Away Director or Assistant Director)	3
Film & Media Arts	4673	International Cinema (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Film & Media Arts	4674	Anthropological Film/Media	3
Journalism	3706	International News Communication (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Journalism	3751	Foreign Studies in Journalism	3 or 6
Strategic Communication	2672	Global Communication & Leadership	3
Strategic Communication	4696	Diverse Communication and Leadership	3	WI
Theater	3053	Women in Theater	3
Theater	3054	African American Theater	3
Theater	3057	Queer Theater	3
Theater	3611	Visual History I	3
Theater	3612	Visual History II	3

 

4) Arts in the Public Sphere Track

This track will examine the history and theory of the performative and media-based arts, with a focus on the interplay between aesthetic expression, cultural context, and social change. Study will include courses on both artistic works that address explicit social issues and those that use innovative formal elements to suggest change.

 

Arts in the Public Sphere Track
Subject	Course #	Course Title	Hours	Attribute
Media Studies & Production	3196	Writing Workshop	3	WI
Film & Media Arts	2670	Topics in Film Study	4
Film & Media Arts	2674	History of Photography	4
Film & Media Arts	3670	Topics in Media Culture	4
Film & Media Arts	3671	Theory & Practice of Media Culture (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	4
Film & Media Arts	3770	Topics in Film Study	4
Film & Media Arts	4670	Topics in Film Study	4
Film & Media Arts	4674	Anthropological Film/Media	3
Journalism	3707	Visual Communication (Prerequisite: Communication Studies 2111)	3
Theater	2210	Special Topics	2-3
Theater	3001	History of Theater I	3
Theater	3002	History of Theater II	3
Theater	3051	Modern Directions	3
Theater	3052	Theater of Protest	3
Theater	3053	Women in Theater	3
Theater	3054	African American Theater	3
Theater	3057	Queer Theater	3
Theater	3070	Seminar in Drama	3
Theater	3080	Special Topics	2-4
Theater	3082	General Study	1-3
Theater	3191	Research	1-3
Theater	3611	Visual History I	3
Theater	3612	Visual History II	3
Theater	4003	Production Dramaturgy	2-4
Theater	4097	World of the Play	3	WI

 

B) Major of Distinction (Communication Studies Thesis Track)

The Major of Distinction is an academically rigorous program for students who wish to construct an interdisciplinary curriculum that meets their individual interests across the SCT departments. In the Major of Distinction, each student works individually with a faculty advisor from a relevant SCT department to build a curriculum that goes beyond that offered by the tracks above. The student completes five courses, four of which must be at the 3000 or 4000 level, and in the senior year completes a two-semester thesis. A student in the Major of Distinction must have completed three semesters of a foreign language (or equivalent with the approval of the Director of Communication Studies) by the time of graduation. If appropriate to the student's research, an advanced methods or theory course may be required by the student's faculty advisor.

Students apply for a Major of Distinction in the second semester of their sophomore year. To be considered, students must be on schedule to complete their Foundational and Core Communications courses by the end of their sophomore year. Also, students must have earned at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in their Foundational and Core Communications courses along with a 3.25 overall GPA. Students must submit an application to the Director of Communication Studies that includes a statement of student's interest, a proposed curriculum, and a support letter from a full-time SCT faculty member willing to act as student's faculty advisor.

Once accepted into the Major of Distinction and in consultation with his or her faculty advisor and the Director of Communication Studies, each student constructs his or her own curriculum. The curriculum must contain five courses, four of which must be at the 3000 or 4000 level, and include courses from at least three of the SCT majors. Courses selected should be designed to lead to the senior-year thesis.

• No more than 8 s.h. in Kinesiology (physical education activity) may be credited toward the degree.
• Students may participate in study away programs.
• Transfer students are required to complete a minimum of 24 s.h. of major courses at Temple.
• A maximum of 4 s.h. of Internship credit may be counted toward the degree.
• A maximum of 8 s.h. combined of Independent Study and/or Special Projects may be counted toward the degree.
• A maximum of 27 s.h. in any one department may be counted toward the degree.

Communication Studies majors may minor in established SCT minors subject to the policies of the individual department. The Communication Studies student who declares a minor must complete the entire program requirements for both the major and the minor, with only the Communication Studies Major introductory required courses listed above fulfilling both the major and minor requirements. Courses in a minor department above the minimum minor requirement may be used to fulfill Communication Studies Major degree requirements.

Suggested Semester By Semester Plan

Please note that this is a suggested academic plan. Depending on your situation, your academic plan may look different.

Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies

Requirements for New Students starting in the 2013-2014 Academic Year