Communication Studies (COMM)

COMM 1310. Fundamentals of Human Communication.

This course examines the principles and techniques of speaking and listening that are fundamental to human communication. Students analyze and apply verbal and nonverbal communication techniques across a range of contexts, including interpersonal, small group, and public speaking. The course examines multiple perspectives and professional standards related to ethical communication, and the ability to adapt messages appropriately for different audiences, occasions, and purposes. Skills gained in this course prepare students to analyze information, express ideas clearly, and collaborate effectively.

COMM 2111. Directed Speech and Debate Activities.

This course provides structured, supervised participation in intercollegiate speech and debate activities. Students engage in event preparation, performance practice, research, and tournament‑related responsibilities under faculty guidance. Coursework emphasizes skill development in argumentation, organization, delivery, and competitive communication contexts. Students receive individualized instruction and evaluation of their performances to strengthen applied communication competencies. Peer coaching and feedback reinforce conceptual competence and foster critical listening and audience adaptations skills necessary for competitive success. The course supports students’ involvement in a range of forensic events.

COMM 2315. Interpersonal Communication.

This course introduces interpersonal communication through the study of how individuals interact across personal, professional, and cultural contexts. Students examine message production, relational development, and communication processes using research‑based concepts and theories. Emphasis is placed on understanding how communication patterns vary across situations and on applying course concepts to practical examples. Coursework explores listening, verbal and nonverbal communication, and message adaptation as factors shaping interaction. Learning activities focus on analyzing communication patterns, evaluating communicative choices, and applying evidence‑based strategies to interpersonal scenarios. Communication behaviors are treated as subjects of academic study, with attention to how different approaches may influence interaction quality across relational, social, and professional environments. Prerequisite: COMM 1310 with a grade of "D" or better.

COMM 2326. Interpretive Reading.

This course examines the interpretation and performance of literature, focusing on how performance choices shape meaning. Students analyze prose, poetry, and drama using approaches grounded in performance theory. Content covers structural elements such as plot, characterization, and language choices, as well as practical instruction in vocal development and physical expression. Through guided practice, students explore how interpretation functions as a communicative act and how performance can illuminate textual complexity. The course develops students’ analytical, expressive, and critical listening skills across diverse forms of literature. Prerequisite: COMM 1310 with a grade of "D" or better.

COMM 2330. Small Group Communication.

This course examines communication processes in small groups and teams and explores strategies that influence productivity, cohesion, and collaborative decision making. Students analyze theories and research related to group roles, norms, leadership, conflict management, and participation patterns that shape group interaction. Course material considers problem-solving, team structuring, and meeting management as communicative practices that support effective group coordination and task completion. Activities include readings, discussion, experiential learning, and applied group work in which students analyze communication practices and evaluate group decision-making processes in small group and team contexts. Prerequisite: COMM 1310 with a grade of "D" or better.

COMM 2338. Public Speaking.

This course examines fundamental principles of public speaking with emphasis on speech composition and audience-focused presentation strategies. Students develop proficiency in topic research, organization, language selection, and delivery techniques. Course activities provide informative and persuasive speaking opportunities that familiarize students with the expectations of common professional and civic situations. To maximize effectiveness, students learn to identify available rhetorical resources and practice adapting to contextual, audience, and speaker constraints. Integrating the rhetorical tradition with iterative practice, students implement a rigorous process of performance, feedback, and revision to refine their presentation skills. Prerequisite: COMM 1310 with a grade of "D" or better.

COMM 3301. Empirical Research Methods.

This course focuses on the study of communication as a data-driven behavioral science. Students explore how to conduct and interpret communication research through valid interview and survey techniques, recruitment of participants, and appropriate study design. Emphasizing practical application, the course introduces key empirical methods used to investigate communication behaviors and outcomes. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to locate scholarly research, evaluate research findings, and apply methodological principles to real-world communication contexts.

COMM 3302. Rhetorical Research Methods.

This course is designed to introduce students to the process of critical and rhetorical methods to examine texts and messages in various contexts. Students learn how messages arise as responses to different situations, how speakers use rhetoric to achieve their purposes, and how different audiences interpret texts. Throughout the semester, students study and practice a variety of critical approaches and use them to understand the functions of messages of various kinds. Learning to apply theories and methods for rhetorical analysis will help students develop analytic and research skills. (WI) Prerequisite: COMM 1310 and COMM 2338 both with grades of "D" or better.

COMM 3310. Communication Theory.

This course introduces major theories used to understand, explain, and analyze human communication across interpersonal, organizational, cultural, and mediated contexts. Students explore how communication theories are developed and applied to everyday interactions, social institutions, and media texts. Emphasis is placed on understanding key concepts, comparing theoretical perspectives, and using theory to analyze communication issues. Through readings, discussions, and applied activities, students learn to think theoretically about communication while connecting abstract ideas to lived experiences and contemporary communication contexts.

COMM 3319. Organizational Communication.

This course examines how people communicate in organizations and how communication sustains organizational structures and processes. Emphasis is placed on communication studies perspectives that distinguish organizations as sites of ongoing communicative activity. Students apply communication and management theories to analyze messages in corporate, nonprofit, and volunteer organizations across U.S. and global contexts. Using course concepts, students examine communication processes related to leadership, conflict, organizational systems, culture, technology, and work‑life interaction. The course treats organizational communication practices as subjects of academic analysis using theory‑based and evidence‑informed approaches.

COMM 3320. Communicating Through Sport.

This course provides a theoretical foundation for understanding and applying interpersonal, organizational, team, and public communication skills in sport settings. Students will explore the evolution and likely future of sports communication strategies and messages, as well as the role of communication in sport within broader social contexts. This includes examinations of communication as media practitioners within sports contexts and of the culture of sport. Sample topics include: fan culture; player-coach interactions; analyses of identity-related dynamics (e.g., family roles, player–coach relationships, national affiliation) in sports; and crisis communication. Students gain practical knowledge and skills to optimize verbal and nonverbal messages in sport contexts.

COMM 3321. Science Communication.

This course introduces principles and research in science communication using an audience‑centered approach. Drawing on rhetorical and social‑scientific perspectives, students examine how scientific information is communicated, interpreted, and evaluated across diverse contexts. Topics include message design, public understanding of science, audience reasoning, and the circulation of scientific claims in digital environments. Students analyze examples of science communication and study how individuals assess competing claims. Through assignments and applied activities, students learn to interpret communication strategies, evaluate scientific information, and apply research‑supported principles to communicate scientific ideas clearly.

COMM 3322. Communication Career Readiness.

This course helps students discover communication careers by assisting them in building a personalized career pathway through hands-on experiences, mentoring, networking, and examining the field of Communication Studies. Readings and assignments prepare students for future professional workforce standards by developing organizational and group communication competencies. Students engage in self-assessment, career exploration, and professional skill development to strengthen their career readiness. Students also evaluate their growth in career knowledge, confidence, and employable skills across a variety of communication careers in corporate, professional, and nonprofit organizations. Prerequisite: COMM 1310 with a grade of "C" or better.

COMM 3324. Professional Skills for the Global Workplace.

This course examines professional communication and workplace skills used in international organizational settings. Students study competencies such as coworker communication, conflict management, leadership, and networking, and explore how these skills function across different organizational environments. Course activities include readings, discussions, structured site visits, and opportunities to practice professional presentations and training modules. Throughout the term, students integrate observations from business visits, class activities, and applied exercises to develop transferable strategies for their own career goals in global workplace contexts.

COMM 3325. Communication and Conflict Management.

This course examines how communication shapes the emergence, escalation, and management of conflict. Students study theoretical perspectives, research findings, and applied frameworks that explain how conflict develops and how communication affects interaction processes. Through case analyses and structured activities, students analyze listening behaviors, emotion management, and strategies used to navigate challenging interactions. The course focuses on describing communication patterns and evaluating evidence‑based approaches to conflict interaction rather than prescribing personal viewpoints. Students learn to interpret conflict dynamics, assess situational factors, and apply communication tools discussed in research to understand conflict across varied contexts. (WI).

COMM 3326. Family Communication.

This course examines how communication shapes family relationships, roles, and interaction patterns across a variety of family forms. Students examine theoretical frameworks, research findings, and applied perspectives that explain how messages influence family functioning, well-being, and relational development. Through case analyses, observation, and guided reflection, students analyze communication patterns related to cohesion, conflict, culture, parenting, sibling and inter-generational relationships, and family transitions. Rather than prescribing personal viewpoints, the course emphasizes interpreting evidence, evaluating family communication processes, and applying analytical tools that support clear, ethical, and context-aware communication in a range of family situations.

COMM 3328. Communication and Gender.

This course investigates how gender impacts communication and how communication impacts gender. Students will examine theories of gender and communication in a variety of settings, including in interpersonal relationships, small groups, organizations, healthcare, media, and society. Emphasis is placed on how gender is communicated across experiences, identities, contexts, and cultures. Through evaluating communication research and applied examples, students will analyze how social assumptions, norms, and processes related to gender are communicated across interpersonal, organizational, and public contexts. (MULT) (WI).

COMM 3329. Intercultural Communication.

This course examines how communication occurs across diverse cultural contexts, including differences in language, beliefs, traditions, and community practices. Students study theories of intercultural communication and analyze how messages are created, interpreted, and negotiated across cultural boundaries. The course explores verbal and nonverbal communication in global, historical, interpersonal, national, political, and social contexts. Through case studies and analytical activities, students learn to interpret intercultural interactions and apply research‑supported concepts to understand how culture shapes communication practices.

COMM 3330. Nonverbal Communication.

This course examines foundational theories, codes, and functions of nonverbal communication across interpersonal, organizational, and public contexts. Students study major nonverbal codes, identify a range of observable cues, and evaluate how nonverbal behaviors operate during interaction. Topics include identity expression, impression formation, emotion communication, relational processes, persuasion, power and status indicators, and research on deception. The course emphasizes evidence‑based analysis and the application of theoretical concepts to real‑world examples. Students analyze patterns in nonverbal behavior and interpret how nonverbal cues shape communication across diverse settings.

COMM 3332. The Dark Side of Communication.

This course examines communication that is considered challenging, complicated, stressful, or unpleasant. Topics include deception, teasing and bullying, jealousy, uncertainty, topic avoidance, criticism, and communicative aggression. The course explores these phenomena across a range of contexts, from everyday interactions to more extreme situations, and considers their impact on relationships and well-being. Students analyze theoretical and research-based perspectives on these forms of communication and examine how individuals interpret, manage, and respond to difficult communicative situations in personal and professional contexts.

COMM 3335. Communication and Identity in International Work Cultures.

This course explores how work identities (e.g., “I’m an IBMer,” or “I’m a teacher”) are formed, managed, and regulated in our interactions with organizations.  By examining workplaces across the world, students will compare how these processes vary across cultural contexts and global work environments. Students explore how identity is communicated through everyday practices, organizational narratives, and norms around belonging, professionalism, and work-life boundaries. Material includes discussion-based learning and guided reflections that connect course concepts to observed communication practices in diverse organizations.

COMM 3336. Communication across Social Contexts.

This course examines how communication scholars analyze differences among individuals based on identities and characteristics commonly studied in social science research. Topics may include gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, national origin, and citizenship status. Through research and case studies, students analyze how these identities and characteristics are examined within communication contexts such as workplaces, interpersonal settings, and intrapersonal communication.

COMM 3342. Interviewing Principles and Practices.

This course examines the components and techniques that distinguish interviewing from other communication practices. Students study interviewing goals, structures, and question formats, and apply communication strategies across different professional settings. Through guided activities and practice sessions, students develop interviewing guides and apply techniques used in a variety of interview types. The course emphasizes analytical understanding of interview design as well as skill development for roles ranging from job applicant to organizational representative.

COMM 3345. Argumentation and Debate.

This course introduces students to the study and practice of argumentation and debate through evidence‑based reasoning, structured analysis, and applied practice. Students examine how arguments are formed, tested, compared, and presented across multiple debate formats. Emphasis is placed on understanding argument structure, evaluating evidence, identifying reasoning patterns, and assessing claims in a variety of contexts. Students develop analytical and communication skills through written assignments, in‑class debates, and structured feedback. The course treats debate as a scholarly discipline concerned with examining issues from multiple perspectives rather than advocating particular viewpoints. Students learn to construct, critique, and deliver well‑supported arguments in academic and professional settings. Prerequisite: COMM 1310 with a grade of a "D" or better.

COMM 3350. Public Advocacy and Civic Engagement.

This course examines the role of public advocacy and civic engagement within contemporary democratic processes. Students study how individuals and groups communicate about public issues, how arguments are constructed and evaluated, and how civic forums function as sites for deliberation. Emphasis is placed on analyzing rhetorical strategies, understanding the structures of public controversies, and exploring how communication shapes civic participation. Through case studies, guided practice, and critical inquiry, students learn methods for evaluating diverse viewpoints and engaging responsibly in public discourse. Course content approaches civic and ethical questions as subjects of scholarly investigation, supporting students’ ability to form independent, evidence‑based conclusions.

COMM 3358. Professional Communication.

This course applies communication theories and concepts to professional contexts, including job searches, application materials, interviewing, and workplace interactions. Students examine how communication strategies support career development and learn techniques for creating résumés, cover letters, presentations, and digital professional profiles. Through readings, practice activities, and guided feedback, students analyze communication expectations in organizational settings and apply evidence‑based strategies for professional conversations and interviews. The course emphasizes the development of transferable communication skills relevant to a wide range of careers and prepares students to represent their qualifications effectively in written, verbal, and digital formats.

COMM 4307. Media Criticism.

This course introduces students to contemporary critical theories used to analyze the roles of media technologies, industries, messages, and audiences in society. Students learn twelve critical perspectives and apply them to examine how film and television construct social meanings. Emphasis is placed on developing analytical tools for interpreting media texts and understanding how media influence cultural narratives. The course focuses on methodological approaches and skills development rather than promoting particular political or ideological viewpoints.

COMM 4310. Methods of Teaching Communication Studies.

This course prepares students to teach speech communication at the secondary level (grades 7–12). Students examine effective instructional strategies for speech communication, emphasizing opportunities to discuss and demonstrate classroom teaching methods. Students explore the rules and regulations of the Texas Education Agency and consider both the practical and theoretical dimensions of becoming a speech educator. By the end of the course, students are equipped with foundational skills for a career in secondary speech teaching. Prerequisite: COMM 1310, COMM 2315, COMM 2330, or COMM 2338; with a grade of "C" or better.

COMM 4311. Instructional Communication Practicum.

This course provides students with an overview of instructional communication research and theory. Teaching and learning are explored from both teacher and student perspectives, focusing on verbal and nonverbal communication strategies included, but not limited to, immediacy, feedback, questioning techniques, and clarity. The curriculum is designed such that students will spend half of their course time working with a faculty supervisor as an instructional aide in an undergraduate course. As instructional aids, students will apply their instructional communication knowledge and skills through presentations, facilitation of experiential activities, and learning to assess low-stakes assignments.  Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

COMM 4315. Directed Research in Communication Studies.

This course provides students with guided instruction and supervised research opportunities in Communication Studies that extend beyond the standard undergraduate curriculum. Students may engage in scholarly projects such as synthesizing literature, designing methodological approaches, collecting and analyzing data, or writing and disseminating a research paper. Applied projects may focus on translating communication research for practical audiences across various contexts. Working closely with a faculty mentor, students identify research questions, project goals, and appropriate theoretical and methodological frameworks. The course emphasizes independent inquiry, analytical rigor, and the development of skills needed to conceptualize and complete a scholarly or applied communication research project. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit. Prerequisite: Instructor and department approval and 2.0 TXST GPA.

COMM 4320. Planning Communication Studies Activities and Events.

This course examines the processes involved in planning, coordinating, and evaluating communication‑focused activities and events. Students explore logistical, organizational, and audience‑related factors that shape event design, as well as the communication practices that support effective planning. Through applied projects, the course emphasizes skill development in scheduling, budgeting, documentation, collaboration, and implementation. Students will analyze a range of event formats common within communication studies and consider how communication principles inform planning choices across diverse contexts. Course activities may include needs assessments, logistical analyses, venue reviews, and reflective evaluations of planning outcomes. Students approach event planning as a systematic and communicative process grounded in clarity of objectives, professional standards, and research-based decision‑making.

COMM 4321. American Speeches.

This course surveys the history of American public address. The class studies significant and representative speeches from different periods of American history. Students read primary texts, including speeches and other public messages, from selected periods of American history. Students learn methods of rhetorical criticism that can be applied to these texts. This class examines what the study of American public address reveals to us about communication and social influence throughout American history. It approaches political and social topics analytically and does not promote particular viewpoints. Prerequisite: COMM 2338 with the grade of a "D" or better.

COMM 4322. Rhetoric of Protest Movements.

This course examines persuasive strategies used by protest and political movements and analyzes how rhetorical practices function within historical and cultural contexts in American society. The course applies rhetorical and analytical frameworks to examine movement development, leadership styles, and rhetorical appeals. Through readings, research, and case studies, students analyze historical and contemporary examples to evaluate how movements represent and respond to cultural contexts. Prerequisite: COMM 2338 with a grade of a "D" or better.

COMM 4324. Organizational Rhetoric.

This course examines how organizations use rhetoric to shape meaning for internal and external audiences. Students analyze organizational texts related to identity, issues, risk, crisis, and internal communication by applying concepts from rhetorical criticism and organizational communication. Emphasis is placed on developing analytical skills for identifying rhetorical strategies, evaluating organizational communication choices, and understanding how symbolic action influences stakeholder interpretations. Through reading, discussion, and applied assignments, students gain experience studying organizational rhetoric as an object of scholarly inquiry and learn to assess communication practices across various organizational contexts.

COMM 4325. Communication and Technology.

This course investigates communication processes within digital and technology supported environments. It examines interpersonal interaction, workplace communication, and digitally mediated public discourse, with attention to how technological features shape message creation and interpretation. Students study scholarly approaches to analyzing communication practices in various digital contexts and review research on relationships between technological systems and human interaction. The course draws on established evidence-based frameworks used to understand contemporary communication patterns in mediated settings.

COMM 4326. Health Communication.

This course provides an overview of theories and research that examine how health information is communicated in clinical, organizational, relational, and public contexts. Students study contemporary issues such as patient–provider communication, public health messaging, crisis communication, health campaigns, cultural considerations, digital health tools, and communication related to socio‑emotional experiences in health settings. The course emphasizes analyzing communication strategies and evaluating how message design can shape access to, and interpretation of, health information.

COMM 4327. Social Media in Organizations.

This course prepares students to be effective social media writers, resourceful workers, critical consumers, and savvy job seekers by examining how social media shapes communication inside and around organizations. Students explore organizations’ use of social media for community management, crisis communication, and stakeholder engagement, along with enterprise social media for knowledge sharing, culture, and policy. Material includes an applied social media audit in which students analyze an organization’s current practices using scholarly research and produce evidence-based recommendations.

COMM 4329. Communication Training and Human Resource Development.

This course provides an in-depth comprehensive exploration of theories, practices, and strategic applications of communication training and human resource development within organizations. Students examine concepts in instructional design, adult learning theory, organizational communication, and professional development, with focus on designing, delivering, and evaluating communication training programs that improve individual and organizational performance. Through a combination of assignments, case studies, and applied projects, students will analyze organizational communication needs, design evidence-based training interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of learning programs. Prerequisite: COMM 2315 or COMM 2330 or COMM 2338 with a grade of a "D" or better.

COMM 4331. Persuasion.

This course examines rhetorical and social scientific theories of persuasion, focusing on how persuasive messages are created, interpreted, and evaluated. Students explore definitions of persuasion and analyze how different definitions shape ethical evaluations of persuasion. By studying contexts ranging from interpersonal relationships to political, social marketing, and advertising campaigns, students are familiarized with the scope and significance of persuasive practices. Course activities reinforce instruction in topics such as message design, audience analysis, source image and credibility, and message evaluation using evidence-based standards.

COMM 4332. Rhetoric and Public Memory.

This course introduces students to rhetorical approaches to public memory, examining how communities construct, negotiate, and circulate shared understandings of the past. Students study major theories of collective memory, commemorative practices, national identity, narrative construction, and memory sites such as monuments, museums, archives, and public rituals. The course emphasizes how rhetorical strategies shape interpretations of historical events, public identities, and cultural narratives. Students analyze case studies from diverse contexts to understand how memory is produced, contested, and communicated in public discourse.

COMM 4336. Communication and Training Across Differences.

This course focuses on communication practices and training strategies for working across social, cultural, and identity-based differences in educational, organizational, and community contexts. Students examine how communication shapes understanding, collaboration, and participation among individuals with varied lived experiences. Emphasis is placed on applied training design, audience analysis, facilitation strategies, and message development. Through partnerships with community organizations or applied showcase projects, students practice designing and delivering communication trainings that respond to real-world needs while developing professional presentation and teamwork skills.

COMM 4338. Advanced Public Speaking.

This course examines advanced principles of public speaking with emphasis on contextual analysis, speech composition, and audience-focused presentation strategies. Students develop proficiency in researching topics, organizing material, selecting language, developing memory, and applying verbal and nonverbal delivery techniques. Course activities introduce informative, persuasive, and ceremonial speaking opportunities to help students address rhetorical expectations across professional, civic, and cultural contexts. Students practice managing constraints such as preparation time, audience diversity, and the availability of presentation aids. Through repeated application and feedback, students learn adaptable, evidence-based approaches to preparing and delivering speeches in varied communication settings. Prerequisite: COMM 2338 with a grade of a "D" or better.

COMM 4345. Political Communication.

This course examines historical and contemporary examples of political communication in the United States, including communication practices in political campaigns and in the performance of public office. Students analyze how ethical frameworks are used to evaluate political communication as well as the impact of genre conventions, media, audience, identity, and institutions across different contexts. The course introduces major scholarly approaches and research findings in the field and applies them to various case studies to better understand communication strategies and their observable effects on audiences and political processes. Prerequisite: COMM 2338 with a grade of a "D" or better.

COMM 4346. Environmental Communication and Sustainability.

This course examines how environmental communication shapes public understanding of environmental topics, scientific debates, and policy discussions. Students analyze a variety of public messages, including speeches, debates, organizational statements, and media texts, using rhetorical, visual, and digital communication approaches. Emphasis is placed on identifying communicative strategies, framing practices, and representations of human and nonhuman environments. Students develop skills for assessing environmental discourse and for producing clear, evidence‑supported messages for diverse audiences while maintaining an analytical, non‑advocacy orientation.

COMM 4347. Leadership and Communication.

This course examines leadership as a set of communicative practices grounded in theory and research. Students analyze messages, leadership styles, and followership dynamics while evaluating how leadership operates across a variety of professional contexts. Through applied activities and case‑based analysis, students study how communication shapes leadership interactions and organizational processes. The course emphasizes analytical understanding of leadership communication and provides opportunities for students to practice applying leadership theories in structured, professional scenarios.

COMM 4350. Communication and Coping across the Lifespan.

This course reviews research on how communication processes relate to coping with stress across major life transitions and health challenges. Students examine theoretical models of stress and coping with attention to communication behaviors associated with adaptation across the lifespan, including during emerging adulthood, family transitions, caregiving, chronic illness, and end‑of‑life contexts. Topics include social support, disclosure, privacy management, narrative sense‑making, and stigma communication. The course emphasizes analyzing research evidence, interpreting communication patterns, and applying theoretical frameworks to understand how individuals and groups communicate during stressful situations.

COMM 4351. Relational Communication.

This course examines how communication relates to relational formation, interaction patterns, maintenance processes, and relational change. Students study major theories, models, and empirical research addressing friendships, families, and romantic relationships. Topics include relational development, maintenance strategies, conflict processes, turning points, and dissolution. Emphasis is placed on analyzing scholarly literature and applying research‑supported concepts to examples of interpersonal interaction. Students evaluate evidence to understand how communication functions within relational processes across a variety of contexts while maintaining autonomy in personal viewpoints and decisions. Communication behaviors are treated as subjects of academic inquiry rather than prescriptive guidance.

COMM 4390. Communication Internship.

This course provides applied organizational experience via on-the-job practice in a communication related internship role in an approved organization. As interns, students will apply communication theories, concepts, and skills in a professional setting that prepares them for their future workforce interests and goals. Students complete a minimum of 150 hours at their internship organization in their intern roles, a written contract and check-ins with the internship coordinator, and a final portfolio of work connecting their internship to communication concepts. May be repeated for additional credit. Prerequisites: 6 hours of upper level communication electives completed with a grade of “C” or higher and 2.0 TXST GPA and instructor approval.

COMM 5100. Teaching Communication Studies.

This course introduces curriculum design, instructional practices, and assessment approaches relevant to teaching Communication Studies at the college level. Students examine foundational principles of the COMM 1310 basic course, including learning objectives, administrative procedures, and instructional formats. The course provides opportunities to plan, prepare, and facilitate applied learning activities using established instructional communication frameworks. Additionally, students analyze communication processes associated with teaching, such as clarity behaviors, immediacy, and classroom management strategies. Students also study approaches to assessing student performance, applying standardized course policies, and interpreting evaluation data for instructional improvement. Throughout the course, communication behaviors relevant to teacher–student interaction and instructional organization are treated as subjects of academic study rather than prescriptive teaching requirements.

COMM 5301. Quantitative Research Methods in Communication.

This course provides an overview of foundational quantitative research methods in Communication Studies. Students develop a critical framework for evaluating quantitative research and gain applied experience conducting quantitative investigations. Coursework emphasizes identifying research problems, distinguishing among research designs, and collecting and analyzing quantitative data. Students examine textbook materials and published research to understand methodological choices and research practices in the field. Through structured assignments, students build skills related to research design, data collection, statistical analysis, and interpretation of findings. Curriculum treats quantitative research as a systematic and evidence‑based process for advancing communication scholarship.

COMM 5302. Rhetorical Methods.

This course introduces students to major methodological approaches in rhetorical studies. Students explore a tradition spanning millennia to examine foundational and emerging frameworks for analyzing rhetorical artifacts, with attention paid to how critics select, justify, and apply methods in scholarly research. The course emphasizes various approaches to the practice of rhetorical criticism, including but not limited to narrative criticism, metaphoric criticism, generic criticism, and more. Students select and apply appropriate rhetorical methods through advanced analysis of rhetorical artifacts.

COMM 5303. Qualitative Research Methods in Communication.

This course examines qualitative research methods used to study communication as lived, relational, and socially situated practice. Students engage with qualitative research traditions, epistemological foundations, and ethical considerations shaping communication inquiry. Emphasis is placed on research design, data collection methods (e.g., interviews, observations, etc.), analytic strategies, and reflexive practice. Through intensive readings, methodological exercises, and applied research projects, students develop the skills necessary to design, conduct, analyze, and represent qualitative communication research grounded in theory and context.

COMM 5304. Work-Life Communication.

This course examines how people use communication to create, negotiate, and manage the interconnections of work and life. Students theorize work-life communication intersections including: how organizational communication shapes relational and family interactions, how relational and family communication impact professional experiences, and how the rhetoric of work-life is communicated in society and media. Through reviewing scholarly research in communication studies alongside U.S. and international applied work-life examples, students examine personal, professional, and societal communication contexts where work and life intersect.

COMM 5305. Communication Ethics.

This course explores common ethical dilemmas in personal and professional communication contexts. Students analyze various ethical frameworks to better understand decision-making, dialogic communication styles, and case studies in communication ethics. In addition to reading primary texts in the philosophy of communication ethics, students examine how ethics affects strategic communication choices across various platforms, audiences, and situations. Students discuss ethical issues in media, public policy and deliberation, education, research, technology, health, and relationships.

COMM 5306. Communication for Leadership & Management.

This course examines communication processes associated with leadership and management in a range of organizational contexts. Students study theories, models, and research addressing communication challenges such as power dynamics, conflict, decision-making, socialization, support, technology use, and well‑being. Emphasis is placed on analyzing leadership and management communication using applied case studies and evaluating how communication patterns function across professional settings. The course treats leadership and management practices as objects of scholarly inquiry rather than promoting particular ideological or personal viewpoints. Students interpret research findings, assess situational factors, and apply communication concepts to understand how leadership and management communication operates in diverse organizational environments.

COMM 5307. The Dark Side of Communication.

This course takes a research-based approach to the exploration of seminal scholarship on common aversive communication behaviors. The curriculum also emphasizes the nuances and complexities of communication across various interpersonal interactions. As such, students will read scholarly literature that emphasizes both the dysfunctional nature of seemingly prosocial communication behaviors and the functional nature of seemingly problematic communication behaviors. Sample topics include, but are not limited to deception and honesty, secrecy and privacy, (in)civility, teasing and bullying, and relational transgressions and repair.

COMM 5308. Communication and Negotiation.

This course examines how communication shapes conflict management and negotiation across interpersonal, organizational, and mediated contexts. Students explore major theoretical perspectives, empirical research, and applied frameworks that explain how individuals construct meaning, manage disagreement, and pursue goals through strategic interaction. Topics include message design, relational dynamics, individual and cultural differences, communication technologies, and facilitation processes that influence negotiation outcomes. Emphasis is placed on analyzing negotiation as a communication-centered activity through scholarly reading, instructor- and student-led discussion, and structured simulations that cultivate skills in diagnosis, planning, message execution, and evaluation of negotiation processes.

COMM 5309. Proseminar in Communication Research Methods.

This course explores core skills and competencies relevant to graduate-level learning and research in Communication Studies. Students examine how the discipline is organized, how scholarship is produced, and expectations for researchers and practitioners in academic and industry settings. The course provides an overview of research methods and processes in the communication discipline. Through analysis of academic literature, students assess approaches to scholarly writing, ethical conduct, and professional development. Emphasis is placed on understanding disciplinary and departmental standards and research practices in Communication Studies.

COMM 5311. Communication and Emotion.

This course examines how communication and emotion intersect in interpersonal and relational contexts. Students engage theoretical frameworks, empirical research, and applied approaches that explain how emotional experience and expression shape communication processes. Topics include emotion management, emotional intelligence (as defined in academic research), relational maintenance, conflict, and the role of communication in facilitating or constraining emotional meaning making. Emphasis is placed on analyzing scholarly research, comparing academic and popular accounts of emotion, and evaluating emotional communication within varied relational environments. Students participate in analytical reading, discussion, and original research to investigate how emotion influences interaction and to develop skills for scholarly inquiry into emotional communication.

COMM 5312. Intercultural Communication.

This course examines how culture evolves and is maintained through communicative systems of meaning. It explores the ways language, culture, and communication interact and manifest in everyday experience. The course addresses communication across cultural and geographic contexts, including intercultural interaction, negotiation, and conflict. Students analyze pragmatic components of communication in intercultural settings and examine how cultural differences shape communication at interpersonal, group, and societal levels. Emphasis is placed on theoretical frameworks and research related to cross-cultural communication and the analysis of intercultural interactions.

COMM 5313. Relational Communication.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of relational communication theories and research that address communication dynamics in intimate relationships. Students engage with theoretical and empirical frameworks to examine relational communication perspectives, including their strengths and limitations. The course covers topics such as social support and isolation, conflict, relational turbulence, resilience, relational development, maintenance, and dissolution. Emphasis is placed on analyzing scholarly research and evaluating communication processes within close relationships.

COMM 5314. Family Communication.

This course examines how communication functions within diverse family systems and across the lifespan. Students explore major theoretical frameworks, empirical research, and applied perspectives that explain how families create meaning, manage change, and navigate challenges through communication. Students examine relational maintenance, conflict processes, rituals, transitions, health-related communication, and care-giving. Emphasis is placed on analyzing communication patterns, evaluating evidence-based findings, and interpreting family interactions within broader social, cultural, and generational contexts. Students engage in analytical reading, discussion, and original research to evaluate how communication practices shape family relationships and to develop skills for conducting systematic inquiry into family interaction.

COMM 5315. Directed Research in Communication Studies.

This course provides students with guided instruction and supervised research opportunities in areas of communication that extend beyond the standard curriculum. Students may engage in scholarly projects such as synthesizing literature, designing methodological approaches, or collecting and analyzing data. Applied projects may focus on translating communication research into practice across various contexts. Working closely with a faculty mentor, students identify research questions, project goals, and appropriate theoretical and methodological frameworks. The course emphasizes independent inquiry, analytical rigor, and the development of skills needed to conceptualize and complete a scholarly or applied communication project. Prerequisite: Departmental approval.

COMM 5318. Interpersonal Communication.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of interpersonal communication theories, research, and applications. Interpersonal communication serves as a foundation for social interactions across contexts such as friendships, workplace relationships, patient-provider communication, and close relationships. Students engage with major theoretical frameworks and empirical research, examining contributions, strengths, and limitations of different perspectives. The course emphasizes critical analysis of interpersonal communication scholarship and the application of theory to varied relational contexts. Students also develop theoretically grounded work that applies, tests, or extends interpersonal communication concepts through structured assignments.

COMM 5319. Organizational Communication.

This course applies communication and management theories, along with contemporary research, to the study of communication practices in corporate, nonprofit, and volunteer organizations. Students examine how communication shapes organizational processes such as supervision, conflict management, culture, and decision making. The course emphasizes analyzing organizational experiences using theoretical frameworks and empirical findings. Students practice interpreting communication patterns, diagnosing communication problems, and forming evidence-based assessments of organizational processes across various professional contexts.

COMM 5321. Communication Assessment.

This course introduces theoretical and applied approaches to evaluating communication behaviors across verbal, written, and nonverbal channels. Students examine research-supported tools used to assess communication processes such as clarity, listening, message structure, and tone. Emphasis is placed on understanding how communication assessments are designed, implemented, and interpreted in academic, organizational, and training environments. The course addresses distinctions among assessment types, the purposes for which assessment data are used, and considerations that shape the interpretation of communication measures. Students analyze communication assessment instruments, apply evaluation frameworks to structured examples, and explore how assessment practices inform instructional, organizational, and developmental decision-making. Communication assessment is treated as an analytical and methodological subject rather than a clinical or diagnostic practice.

COMM 5324. Seminar in Instructional Communication.

This course explores scholarship at the intersection of pedagogy, educational psychology, and communication, with an emphasis on research examining how communication functions in the teaching and learning process. Students engage with instructional communication theories, variables, and models used to study classroom interaction across varied educational contexts. Topics include instructor clarity, immediacy, student responsiveness, engagement, and related instructional communication processes. Course activities emphasize analyzing scholarly research and applying theoretical frameworks to structured examples of teacher-student communication. Instructional communication behaviors are treated as objects of academic study rather than prescriptive teaching requirements. The course supports students interested in research on instructional communication as well as those seeking to understand how instructional communication concepts operate in professional or educational environments.

COMM 5325. Communication Theory.

This course examines advanced communication theories used to analyze, critique, and extend understandings of communication across interpersonal, organizational, cultural, rhetorical, and mediated contexts. Students engage deeply with theoretical traditions, epistemological assumptions, and debates that shape the field of Communication Studies. Emphasis is placed on theory comparison, application, and critique, as well as the relationship between theory, methodology, and practice. Through intensive readings, scholarly discussion, and theory-driven projects, students develop the capacity to use communication theory as a tool for research design, critical inquiry, and professional scholarship.

COMM 5327. Contemporary Rhetorical Theory.

This course surveys major theoretical perspectives and debates in contemporary rhetorical criticism. Through close reading of foundational texts and contemporary scholarship, students analyze how rhetoric works in political, cultural, and social contexts. Students read a selection of primary theoretical works as well as touchstones in debates about the role of rhetoric and rhetorical scholarship in the 20th and 21st centuries. This course engages key theoretical movements including but not limited to narrative theory, constitutive rhetoric, public sphere theory, feminist rhetoric, psychoanalysis, critical rhetoric, and material/affective turns in rhetoric.

COMM 5329I. Relational Health Communication.

This course reviews the intersection of interpersonal and health communication theory, highlighting the impact of social involvement and communication processes on health outcomes, as well as the application of health communication theories in close relationship contexts.

COMM 5329O. Communication in Understudied Close Relationships.

This course focuses on important relationships that may get ‘glossed over’ in standard interpersonal communication seminars. More specifically, we will examine the various types of close relationships that comprise modern society, and current issues that affect those bonds. Students will investigate how communication functions to develop, maintain, enrich, or limit these understudied relationships.

COMM 5330. Nonverbal Communication.

This course provides a graduate-level examination of nonverbal communication as a core component of human interaction across interpersonal, organizational, and intercultural contexts. Students analyze major theoretical frameworks, empirical research, and applied methodologies to understand how nonverbal codes, including kinesics, vocalics, proxemics, haptics, appearance, olfactics, chronemics, and environmental cues, shape meaning and relational processes. Emphasis is placed on critical analysis of research findings, interpretation of complex nonverbal behavior, and the use of observational methods common in scholarly inquiry. Through readings, observation assignments, and empirical projects, students evaluate how nonverbal practices function across diverse settings and apply nonverbal concepts in research and professional environments.

COMM 5331. Persuasive Communication.

This course examines the major theories of persuasion as they have developed in the rhetorical and social scientific traditions of communication research. It emphasizes the disciplinary histories of persuasion theory; theories of attitude formation and change; examination of perspectives on ethics in persuasion; contemporary questions in persuasion research; and the application of persuasion theory and research to personal, professional, and civic communication contexts. Students engage with foundational and contemporary academic research on persuasion across various cultural contexts and academic disciplines.

COMM 5332. Communication and Technology.

This course examines the relationships between communication and technology across interpersonal, group, and organizational contexts. Students study foundational and contemporary theories of mediated communication and explore emerging technological trends. The course investigates how communication through digital platforms, artificial intelligence systems, and social technologies influences identity, privacy, self-presentation, trust, relational processes, and networks. Students examine the social, cultural, and organizational dimensions of mediated communication and analyze scholarly debates in the field. Emphasis is placed on synthesizing research and developing evidence-based analyses of communication behavior in technologically mediated environments.

COMM 5333. Health Communication.

This course introduces major theories, concepts, and research in health communication. Students examine how communication influences health practices, patient-provider interaction, information seeking, and message design across varied cultural and technological contexts. Using peer-reviewed research, students analyze topics such as audience segmentation, misinformation, health technology, and interpersonal communication in clinical settings. Coursework includes readings, discussion, and applied assignments designed to strengthen students’ ability to interpret evidence, evaluate communication strategies, and understand how health communication functions across individual and organizational environments.

COMM 5334. Relational Health Communication.

This course introduces communication research at the intersection of health and close relationships. Students examine theoretical frameworks and empirical findings that explain how communication practices influence both health processes and relational dynamics. The course explores how health-related theories inform communication in close relationships and how relational theories contribute to understanding communication in health contexts. Through academic readings, discussion, and analytical assignments, students investigate communication patterns related to illness, support, coping, and decision-making. Coursework emphasizes evidence-based approaches to understanding how relational communication shapes and reflects health-related experiences.

COMM 5335. End-of-Life Communication.

This course examines communication processes surrounding end-of-life care across interpersonal, family, clinical, and organizational contexts. Students study research on decision-making, final conversations, uncertainty, cultural variation, and the role of communication in shaping experiences of serious illness and care transitions. The course emphasizes analytic and evidence-based approaches to understanding how individuals, families, and professionals exchange information, negotiate preferences, and manage relational dynamics during end-of-life situations. Students will critically assess theoretical frameworks, communication strategies, and ethical considerations without promoting particular policy, moral, or ideological positions. Through case analyses and research application, students develop advanced skills for examining communication practices in diverse end-of-life settings.

COMM 5336. Communication in Understudied Close Relationships.

This course examines communication processes within close relationships that have received comparatively limited scholarly attention. Students explore theoretical frameworks, empirical studies, and methodological approaches used to analyze how individuals create, sustain, and interpret meaning in diverse relational contexts. Emphasis is placed on understanding how situational, cultural, and structural factors shape communicative experiences, relational maintenance, and constraints. Through critical reading, analytical writing, and guided discussion, students evaluate research on understudied relational forms and develop skills for interpreting interaction patterns, assessing evidence-based claims, and formulating scholarly analyses of communication in varied interpersonal contexts.

COMM 5337. Health Communication Campaigns.

This course provides an overview of theoretical and applied perspectives on health communication campaigns. Students study research on planning, implementing, and evaluating campaigns across various contexts. Readings and discussions address how social scientific theories inform message design, audience analysis, and communication strategies. Emphasis is placed on assessing evidence-based practices, analyzing campaign effectiveness, and understanding how communication functions within public-health contexts. Students develop analytical skills for examining health campaigns across varied contexts.

COMM 5340A. Rhetorical Movements.

This course examines the unique phenomenon of “rhetorical movements”. Unlike rhetorical inquiries that typically focus upon the discourse of those in power, the study of rhetorical movements analyzes how individuals, who often have no other resources but their voices and their bodies, come together to attempt social and political changes.

COMM 5341. Historical and Contemporary Rhetoric of Women's Rights.

This course examines the rhetoric of women's rights in the United States through historical, legal, and theoretical perspectives. Students analyze rhetorical strategies used in women's rights discourse across different periods, including nineteenth-century abolitionist, temperance, and women's rights movements, as well as contemporary contexts. Readings focus on rhetorical forms associated with advocacy, legal arguments, policy discourse, and media representations. Students evaluate how different communication strategies frame gender-related issues and shape public discourse surrounding women’s rights.

COMM 5342. Historical Rhetoric and Social Influence.

This course examines historical issues in rhetorical theory, criticism, and practice across a range of social, cultural, and political contexts. Students engage in analytical study of speeches, speakers, groups, movements, and rhetorical strategies in history. The curriculum centers on how rhetoric is employed to frame issues, mobilize audiences, and circulate messages and focuses on public address and other historic topics of interest. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the complexity, function, and implications of rhetorical strategies in history that have implications for everyday and public discourse.

COMM 5343. Contemporary Rhetoric and Social Influence.

This course examines contemporary issues in rhetorical theory, criticism, and practice across a range of social, cultural, and political contexts. Students analyze rhetorical practices associated with social movements from historical and contemporary periods, including movements of the twentieth century and the present. The course examines how rhetoric is employed to frame issues, mobilize audiences, and circulate messages, including through digital and social media platforms. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the complexity, function, and implications of rhetorical strategies in everyday and public discourse.

COMM 5344. American Speeches.

This course surveys the history of American public address. The course examines significant and representative speeches from different periods of American history. Primary texts, including speeches and other public messages, are analyzed from selected historical periods. Methods of rhetorical criticism, including approaches applicable to public discourse, are introduced and applied to these texts. The course analyzes how American public address reflects communication practices and social influence across historical contexts. Political and social topics are examined analytically.

COMM 5345. Political Communication.

This course examines historical and contemporary examples of political communication in the United States, with particular attention to the rhetorical study of political campaigns and performances in public office. The course analyzes how ethical frameworks, genre conventions, media, audience, identity, and institutions shape political communication across different contexts. Major scholarly approaches and research findings in the field are introduced and applied to case studies to examine communication strategies and their effects in the political process.

COMM 5346. Rhetoric and Difference.

This course examines research on rhetoric and difference and analyzes how such strategies may reflect underlying assumptions or argumentative frameworks within rhetorical discourse. Students analyze rhetorical texts, theories, and concepts related to difference, such as disability, race, age, and gender, across a range of contexts. The course emphasizes examination of how rhetorical strategies address, construct, and respond to differing viewpoints, and how rhetorical strategies are used to engage differing viewpoints, and how scholars analyze assumptions within arguments.

COMM 5347. Small Group Communication.

This course examines theories and research related to communication in small groups. The course covers classic and contemporary concepts, including group processes, roles, norms, leadership, and decision making. Emphasis is placed on applying theoretical perspectives to analyze small-group interactions and on exploring pedagogical strategies for presenting these concepts in instructional or professional settings. Readings, discussion, and applied activities support evaluation of small-group research and the communication of complex concepts for academic and organizational audiences.

COMM 5348. Rhetorical Movements.

This course examines rhetorical movements as a distinct area of rhetorical inquiry. The course explores how groups use communication strategies to coordinate action, articulate shared goals, and influence public discourse. Coursework surveys definitions of rhetorical movements, analyzes their rhetorical features, and examines approaches used to investigate movement discourse. A broad range of rhetorical practices is considered, including speeches, slogans, performances, marches, music, confrontational actions, and digital communication. Emphasis is placed on evaluating how rhetorical choices shape movement communication across varied historical and contemporary contexts.

COMM 5349. Argumentation and Public Advocacy.

This course examines theories and practices of argumentation and public advocacy in contemporary communication studies. Students study major models of argument, standards for reasoning and evidence, and approaches to constructing and evaluating public arguments. Emphasis is placed on how arguments function in civic, organizational, and mediated contexts, as well as how public advocates design messages for varied audiences. Curriculum introduces key scholarly traditions and research findings on argumentation, debate, and public discourse. Students apply these frameworks to analyze arguments on a range of public issues.

COMM 5352. Science, Health, and Environmental Rhetoric.

This course explores the history, theories, and applications of rhetoric in scientific, health, and environmental contexts. Students examine how these fields develop distinct rhetorical traditions while also intersecting in public discourse. Coursework analyzes rhetorical constructions of concepts such as nature, scientific expertise, health communication, and environmental risk. Students apply classical and contemporary rhetorical theories to evaluate how arguments, narratives, and symbols shape communication about scientific, health‑related, and environmental issues. Emphasis is placed on rhetorical criticism as an analytic method.

COMM 5353. Free Speech and Extremism.

This course examines historical and contemporary perspectives on freedom of speech in the United States, with an emphasis on how communication practices shape public debates about expression. Students study legal, rhetorical, and institutional frameworks that define and challenge the boundaries of free speech. Because disputes over expression often involve controversial or extremist discourse, the course also analyzes rhetorical strategies used by groups operating at the margins of public communication. Using rhetorical criticism, particularly narrative approaches, students investigate how free‑expression debates develop, how messages circulate, and how courts, institutions, and publics respond to contested speech.

COMM 5354. Managing Communication Technologies in the Workplace.

This course examines how digital tools and communication technologies shape organizational interaction. Students study theories of mediated communication, technology adoption, and organizational processes while analyzing empirical research on digital collaboration platforms, social technologies, artificial intelligence systems, and monitoring tools. The course emphasizes evidence‑based approaches to understanding how technology influences communication networks and workplace coordination. Through case studies and analytical activities, students evaluate communication challenges in varied organizational settings and apply theoretical frameworks to examine technology‑mediated communication in contemporary workplaces.

COMM 5355. Media Criticism.

This course provides an advanced analysis of contemporary critical and communication theory to examine the relationship between mass media systems and sociopolitical structures. Students engage in rigorous theoretical and rhetorical analysis utilizing foundational frameworks categorized by their focus on technological materiality, political economy, rhetorical messaging, and audience reception. Students use theory to evaluate how media can shape attitudes and personal subjectivities through messages of identity and power. This graduate-level seminar culminates in the production of an original research project based on students' research interests utilizing media criticism methods and theories.

COMM 5356. Gender and Communication.

This course examines scholarly research on relationships between gender and communication. Students analyze theoretical approaches and empirical studies addressing how communication practices and gendered expectations are examined in communication scholarship. Through reading, research, and analysis, students evaluate how social assumptions and communication norms related to gender are represented across interpersonal, organizational, and public communication contexts.

COMM 5357. Communication and Organizational Culture.

This course examines how organizational culture is produced, communicated, and interpreted through everyday interactions and member practices. Students explore theories and research on cultural elements, artifacts, identity, socialization, and communication processes across workplace, nonprofit, and volunteer settings. Emphasis is placed on how culture influences sensemaking, coordination, and organizational routines, as well as how members communicate cultural expectations to insiders and outsiders. Through research analysis and case‑based discussion, students evaluate cultural communication patterns and develop skills for interpreting organizational culture across varied contexts.

COMM 5358. Work, Identity, and Difference.

This course examines how communication shapes experiences of work, identity, and difference across historical and contemporary contexts. The course analyzes theories and research that explore how individuals construct meaning, interpret work practices, and understand identity through communication. Topics include work-life dynamics, technology, health, community, and representations of work. Research evaluation, analytical writing, and case-based examples are used to examine how communication reflects and structures diverse work experiences. Coursework emphasizes evidence-based inquiry in the study of communication and work.

COMM 5359. Communication and Training Across Differences.

This course examines advanced approaches to communication-centered training in organizational and community contexts. The course covers theoretical frameworks, instructional design principles, facilitation strategies, and ethical considerations that shape training effectiveness. Emphasis is placed on needs assessment, program design, implementation, and evaluation using evidence-based methods. Case studies and research on communication in varied interactional settings are analyzed, and instructional communication concepts are applied to the development of training plans. Coursework focuses on analytical skill development in communication training contexts.

COMM 5371. Communication Training and Development.

This course provides a research‑supported examination of communication training and development in organizational contexts. Students explore theories and practices of instructional design, adult learning, organizational communication, and professional development. Emphasis is placed on analyzing organizational communication needs, designing evidence‑informed training interventions, and evaluating learning programs using established assessment tools. Through case studies and applied projects, students study how communication training frameworks are developed, implemented, and assessed. The course treats leadership, coaching, and training methods as objects of scholarly inquiry rather than prescribed workplace behaviors. Students interpret research, compare training approaches, and apply instructional concepts to structured examples relevant to organizational learning environments.

COMM 5374. Organizational Rhetoric.

This course examines organizational rhetoric as the strategic use of symbols through which organizations communicate with internal and external audiences. Drawing on concepts from rhetorical criticism and organizational communication, students analyze how organizations construct meaning, identity, and legitimacy. The course focuses on the study of organizational texts related to identity, issues, risk, crisis, and internal communication. Using a range of rhetorical methods, students examine how symbolic messages function within organizational contexts and how rhetorical choices shape interpretation and response. Organizational rhetoric is treated as an object of scholarly analysis, emphasizing theory‑based inquiry and critical evaluation of communicative practices.

COMM 5390. Communication Internship.

This course provides graduate students with supervised professional experience in organizational settings related to communication, including strategic communication, corporate communication, marketing, digital media, nonprofit communication, and organizational communication. Students integrate communication theory, research, and strategic decision‑making while observing and participating in workplace processes. Emphasis is placed on analyzing organizational communication practices, evaluating data‑informed strategies, and applying graduate‑level knowledge to complex professional tasks. Through guided reflection and applied assignments, students connect academic learning with organizational communication practices and develop advanced competencies relevant to diverse professional environments. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

COMM 5399A. Thesis.

This course supports completion of original, independent research in Communication Studies under direct supervision of the student’s thesis advisor and represents initial thesis enrollment. Students engage in the development, execution, and documentation of graduate-level research that contributes to knowledge and practice in the communication discipline. Continuous enrollment during long semesters ensures sustained research progress, faculty mentorship, and academic oversight throughout the thesis research and writing process. This course is a required component of the master’s degree in Communication Studies for students selecting the thesis option. No thesis credit is awarded until the student has completed the thesis in Communication Studies 5399B. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

COMM 5399B. Thesis.

This course supports completion of original, independent research in Communication Studies under direct supervision of the student’s thesis advisor and represents continuing thesis enrollment. Students engage in the development, execution, and documentation of graduate-level research that contributes to knowledge and practice in the communication discipline. Continuous enrollment during long semesters ensures sustained research progress, faculty mentorship, and academic oversight throughout the thesis process. This course is a required component of the master’s degree in Communication Studies for students selecting the thesis option. Students continue to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

COMM 5599B. Thesis.

This course supports completion of original, independent research in Communication Studies under direct supervision of the student’s thesis advisor and represents continuing thesis enrollment. Students engage in the development, execution, and documentation of graduate-level research that contributes to knowledge and practice in the communication discipline. Continuous enrollment during long semesters ensures sustained research progress, faculty mentorship, and academic oversight throughout the thesis process. This course is a required component of the master’s degree in Communication Studies for students selecting the thesis option. Students continue to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

COMM 5999B. Thesis.

This course supports completion of original, independent research in Communication Studies under direct supervision of the student’s thesis advisor and represents continuing thesis enrollment. Students engage in the development, execution, and documentation of graduate-level research that contributes to knowledge and practice in the communication discipline. Continuous enrollment during long semesters ensures sustained research progress, faculty mentorship, and academic oversight throughout the thesis process. This course is a required component of the master’s degree in Communication Studies for students selecting the thesis option. Students continue to enroll in this course until the thesis is submitted for binding. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

COMM 7315. Directed Research in Communication Studies.

This course provides doctoral students with guided instruction and supervised research opportunities in Communication Studies that extend beyond the standard curriculum. Students may engage in scholarly projects such as synthesizing literature, designing methodological approaches, collecting and analyzing data or texts, or writing and disseminating a research paper. Applied projects may focus on translating communication research into practice across various contexts. Working closely with a faculty mentor, students identify research questions, project goals, and appropriate theoretical and methodological frameworks. The course emphasizes independent inquiry, analytical rigor, and the development of skills needed to conceptualize and complete an advanced scholarly or applied communication project. May be repeated with different emphasis for additional credit. Project approval must be obtained from the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies prior to registration. Prerequisite: Department approval and 3.0 TXST GPA.