This course examines the role of communication in society. Taught with a special topics focus in each semester, the course will examine the important impacts that communication processes, relationships, and messages have in society. Topics of focus include corporate social responsibility; community networks; community health campaigns; political communication; and communication in civil society organizations, among others.

This course will serve as a broad introduction to theories, perspectives, and empirical evidence related to organizational communication in a wide range of organizations (e.g., nonprofit, for-profit, governmental, communal) and in a variety of contexts (e.g., industry, educational, social services, advocacy). Students will learn about historical, current, and future issues; changes and challenges facing organizations; and the communication-relevant aspects of these issues. They will gain practice in applying theoretical perspectives and concepts to actual organizational situations and settings.

Drawing on existing theory and research, this course examines issues of usage, adoption, and performance of new and established communication technologies in the workplace and other contexts. The course also considers opportunities and challenges that mediated communication presents for both users of these tools and society more generally. The course will expose students to a range of new technologies used by people to coordinate, collaborate, and communicate with one another.

This course will introduce students to a set of social science research methods that are used in the communication discipline and in workplace and organizational contexts. At the end of this course, students should have a basic understanding of several general research methods used by communication scholars and have gained an appreciation for the ethical considerations in conducting human subjects research. Students will gain knowledge and practice of collection methods such as questionnaires, experiments, structured interviews, focus groups, structured observations, and content analysis.

This course focuses on building skills and knowledge in the analysis of communication problems in real-world settings. Students learn to define key concepts and issues, review current literature, and empirically examine a core communication problem in a specific context.

This course examines the nature and impact of the media of mass communication in society. Particular attention is paid to emerging media technology, including the internet and other digital technologies. Students learn four primary ways new technology influences media and society, including: 1) how media professionals and members of the public increasingly create content using new media technologies; 2) the nature of mediated content; 3) the relationships between and among media and relevant publics; and 4) the structure, culture, and management of media organizations and systems. Students learn five areas of media technology, including: 1) acquisition tools; 2) storage technologies; 3) processing devices; 4) distribution technologies; and 5) display, access, or presentation tools.

Explores the strategic use of communication by individuals and groups to facilitate persuasion and change. Topics covered vary by instructor, but may include theories of behavior and social change, strategic communication, interpersonal influence and diffusion, media advocacy and social marketing, argumentation, discourse, and conflict.

The capstone seminar requires students to integrate theory and practice through the preparation and presentation of an intensive project. Students will design their own original work that includes integrating, synthesizing, and analyzing fundamental communication theories, concepts, and research methods; show proficiency in gathering and using evidence to study and understand communication processes and consequences; demonstrate advanced written and oral presentation skills; apply communication theories and concepts to professional and civic life.

Examination of group and organizational leadership from a communicative perspective, integrating both theory and current practice. Topics of focus include leadership roles relative to organizational culture, diversity, organizational assessment, support technology, organizational change, ethics, and leadership and organizational development. The course includes informational and experiential learning approaches.

This course is an advanced masters-level course focused on the diverse array of topics studied in organizational communication research. We will examine the role of communication in issues of socialization and identification; power, conflict, and control; decision making and leadership; ethics, performance, and feedback; turnover, burnout, and exit; culture; structure and networks; as well as image and reputation. It is based on theory and research, but will also address application.

The key issues explored in this course concern the management of interorganizational relationships and projection of organizational reputation, image, and identity to external audiences. The course begins with identification and specification of the external environment(s) of organizations. Readings and discussion explore interorganizational relationships, boundary-spanning communication, and management of external stakeholder relationships.

Applications and policy implications of innovative communication and information-processing technology in business, government, and education; emphasis on political, economic, and legal aspects.

This class is designed to give an overview of the major fields of study in the area of health communication. This includes the areas of health communication campaigns, multicultural health communication, physician-patient communication, and communication among health professionals. The ultimate goal of health communication is to increase health and satisfaction by encouraging healthier behaviors, medical compliance, and more efficient communication of medical information.

This class focuses on the foundational and contemporary research that makes up the study of interpersonal communication. Its primary goal is to give students an understanding of the origins and the current directions of much of the scholarship on interpersonal communication.