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COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES

The educational mission of the Communication and Media Studies major and minor is to empower students with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop meaningful relationships on an interpersonal, professional, and public level. The Communication and Media Studies program enables students to learn appropriate and effective communication strateiges that appreciate diverse perspectives and cultures and provides ample opportunities to practice communicating and to produce media for various contexts in an evolving world. Students will have the chance to take a wide variety of courses that examine media’s intersectional relationship to race, class, gender, sexuality, and identity, and to think critically about the relationship between power and communication. Throughout their program of study, students will also learn about theory, technology, and history and their applicability to media in its many forms, including visual, audio, multimodal, digital, written, and oral.

In addition to a foundation in critical and cultural studies, Communication and Media Studies majors and minors can engage in their choice of campus media opportunities. These credits can be earned through practicum courses with the Pegasus, the college’s digital magazine (COM 205), ECTV, the college’s television studio (COM 206), WXEC-FM - EC 103.1 FM, the college’s radio station (COM 207), and/or an independent internship with a local or national business or organization (COM 295/495). As part of these practicums, students will work with faculty to compile career-ready portfolios of their produced work.

Additional information on the Communication and Media Studies program can be found below, including an overview of current course offerings, requirements for both the major and minor, possible internships, and program goals.

CURRENT COURSE OFFERINGS

The Communication and Media Studies faculty are offering the following courses for the 2023/2024 Academic Year:

Fall 2023
COM 104: Modern Communication (Geraths; MWF 8-8:50 am; 3 credits; Communication [CO] capability course)
COM 106: Writing for Media (Duncan; MWF 1-1:50 pm; 3 credits; Communication [CO] capability course)
COM 205: Pegasus Media Practicum (Duncan; MWF 9-9:50 am; 1 credit)
COM 206: Television Practicum (Malone; M 3-3:50 pm; 1 credit)
COM 207: Radio Practicum (Malone; M 3-3:50 pm; 1 credit)
COM 211: Sports, Media, and Culture (Geraths; TR 1:15-2:30 pm; 3 credits)
COM 212: Film & Rural America (Duncan; MWF 11-11:50 am; 3 credits; Justice and Civic Responsibility [JCR] capability course)
COM 217: Video Games and Contemporary Problems (Geraths; TR 2:45-4 pm; 3 credits; Analytic Inquiry and Problem Solving [AIPS] capability course)
COM 220: Media Management and Sales (Malone; TR 9:30-10:45 am; 3 credits)
COM 306W: Communication and Media Methods (Duncan; MWF 10-10:50 am; 3 credits)

Spring 2024
COM 108: Media and Culture (Geraths; MWF 10-10:50 am; 3 credits; Intercultural Understanding [IU] capability course)
COM 205: Pegasus Media Practicum (Duncan; MWF 9-9:50 am; 1 credit)
COM 206: Television Practicum (Malone; M 3-3:50 pm; 1 credit)
COM 207: Radio Practicum (Malone; M 3-3:50 pm; 1 credit)
COM 216: Cinema Studies (Duncan; MWF 11-11:50 am; 3 credits; Aesthetic Sensibility [AS] capability course)
COM 219: Media, Gender, and Sexuality (Geraths; TR 11-12:15 pm; 3 credits; Analytic Inquiry and Problem Solving [AIPS] course)
COM 221: Media History (Duncan; MWF 1-1:50 pm; 3 credits)
COM 304W: Communication and Media Theory (Geraths; TR 9:30-10:45 am; 3 credits)
COM 401W: Seminar in Communication and Media Studies (Duncan; 12-12:50 pm; 3 credits)

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

The Communication and Media Studies major can be earned by completing the following 39 credits:

Introductory Core (9 credits)
Requires each of the courses below:

COM 104: Modern Communication (3 credits; Communication [CO] capability course)
COM 106: Writing for Media (3 credits; Communication [CO] capability course)
COM 108: Media and Culture (3 credits; Intercultural Understanding [IU] capability course)

Topics Core (9 credits)
Requires three of the courses below. Courses cannot be repeated: 

COM 211: Sports, Media, and Culture (3 credits)
COM 212: Film & Rural America (3 credits; Justice and Civic Responsibility [JCR] capability course)
COM 213: Social Media and Internet Culture (3 credits)
COM 214: Communication Law (3 credits)
COM 215: Relational Communication (3 credits)
COM 216: Cinema Studies (3 credits; Aesthetic Sensibility [AS] capability course)
COM 217: Video Games and Contemporary Problems (3 credits; Analytic Inquiry and Problem Solving [AIPS] capability course)
COM 218: Organizational Communication (3 credits)
COM 219: Media, Gender, and Sexuality (3 credits; Analytic Inquiry and Problem Solving [AIPS] capability course)
COM 220: Media Management and Sales (3 credits)
COM 221: Media History (3 credits)

Experiential Core (9 credits)
Requires nine credits earned via the courses below. Courses can be repeated:

COM 205: Pegasus Media Practicum (1 credit)
COM 206: Television Practicum (1 credit)
COM 207: Radio Practicum (1 credit)
COM 295/495: Communication and Media Studies Internship (1-9 credits)

Advanced Core (9 credits)
Requires each of the courses below:

COM 304W: Communication and Media Theory (3 credits)
COM 306W: Communication and Media Methods (3 credits)
COM 308W: Communication and Media Ethics (3 credits)

Capstone (3 credits)
Requires the course below:

COM 401W: Seminar in Communication and Media Studies (3 credits)

MINOR REQUIREMENTS

The Communication and Media Studies minor can be earned by completing the following 21 credits:

Introductory Core (6 credits)
Requires two of the courses below:

COM 104: Modern Communication (3 credits; Communication [CO] capability course)
COM 106: Writing for Media (3 credits; Communication [CO] capability course)
COM 108: Media and Culture (3 credits; Intercultural Understanding [IU] capability course)

Topics and Experiential Core (9 credits)
Requires nine credits from the courses below. COM 205, COM 206, COM 207, and COM 295/495 can be repeated; COM 211, COM 212, COM 213, COM 214, COM 215, COM 216, COM 217, COM 218, COM 219, COM 220, and COM 221 cannot be repeated:

COM 205: Pegasus Media Practicum (1 credit)
COM 206: Television Practicum (1 credit)
COM 207: Radio Practicum (1 credit)
COM 211: Sports, Media, and Culture (3 credits)
COM 212: Film & Rural America (3 credits; Justice and Civic Responsibility [JCR] capability course)
COM 213: Social Media and Internet Culture (3 credits)
COM 214: Communication Law (3 credits)
COM 215: Relational Communication (3 credits)
COM 216: Cinema Studies (3 credits; Aesthetic Sensibility [AS] capability course)
COM 217: Video Games and Contemporary Problems (3 credits; Analytic Inquiry and Problem Solving [AIPS] capability course)
COM 218: Organizational Communication (3 credits)
COM 219: Media, Gender, and Sexuality (3 credits; Analytic Inquiry and Problem Solving [AIPS] capability course)
COM 220: Media Management and Sales (3 credits)
COM 221: Media History (3 credits)
COM 295/495: Communication and Media Studies Internship (1-9 credits)

Advanced Core (6 credits)
Requires two of the courses below:

COM 304W: Communication and Media Theory (3 credits)
COM 306W: Communication and Media Methods (3 credits)
COM 308W: Communication and Media Ethics (3 credits)