The Communication Major with a Rhetoric and Culture concentration prepares students to construct strategic messages intended to influence specific audiences and cultures. It also enables students to engage culture critically, charitably, and redemptively.

Requirements for the major are 32 hours: 14 hours in the Communication Core, 16 hours in a Concentration, and 2 elective hours of any Communication course. The Core consists of 4 courses in performance, theory, research, and a senior capstone (in which each student submits a portfolio and has a senior assessment interview). These four core courses should be completed in sequence.

To complement core courses, students select a concentration in Interpersonal Communication, Media Studies, Rhetoric and Culture, or Theater. Within each concentration, there are requirements and electives with course work progressing from introductory to advanced levels of study.

General Education Requirement. The following courses fulfill the oral communication competency requirement:

COMM 101Public Speaking2
COMM 201Fundamentals of Oral Communication (Communication majors and minors only)4
COMM 252Argumentation and Debate4

This requirement should be completed by the end of the sophomore year.

Communication Core14
COMM 201Fundamentals of Oral Communication4
COMM 302Rhetorical Theory4
COMM 312Communication Criticism4
COMM 494Senior Seminar2
Concentration Courses (Required and Elective)16
Required Concentration Courses
COMM 253Messages, Influence, and Culture4
COMM 454Special Topics in Rhetoric & Culture4
Elective Concentration Courses8
Select 8 credits of the following:
COMM 252
Argumentation and Debate
COMM 261
Strategic Communication
COMM 344
Visual Symbolism: Icons, Brands, Logos
COMM 353
Advanced Persuasive Speaking
COMM 363
Persuasion
COMM 393
Intercollegiate Debate (Practicum)
COMM 444
Special Topics in Media and Culture
COMM 495
Independent Study
COMM 496
Internship
CORE 321
AIS: 'Holla If Ya Hear Me': Engaging Hip-Hop Culture 1
CORE 327
AIS: Propaganda and Image in Everyday Life 1
Communication Elective2
Select two or more credits of any offered COMM course
Total Credits32
1

College policy states that students shall not be allowed to take more than one AIS course.