University Catalog 2007-2008

University Catalog > College of Humanities and Social Sciences > Communication

Communication

Phone: 703-993-1090

Web: communication.gmu.edu

Faculty

Professors: Boileau, Botan, Decker, Friedley, Kreps (Eileen P. and Steve A. Mandell Term Professor of Health Communication; chair), Lichter, Lont, McAuley, Rowan (associate chair)

Emeritus professors: Looney, Manchester, Taylor

Associate professors: J. Muir, S. Muir, Villagran

Assistant professors: Cai, Gibson, Hopson, Muthuswamy, Zhao

Term associate professor: Finn, Pober

Term assistant professors: Bedore, Powell, Wright

Term instructors: Anderson, M. Dickerson, Klein, R. Smith, Talkington, Tomasovic, Warren

Adjuncts: Abdel-Kader, Ahmad, Akyeampong, Atwell, Aw, Barber, Beck, Biedrycki, Bridge, Cardenas, Carr, Chaaban, Chilcote, Clark, Copelin, Cordero, Dance, Denhardt, Dickerhoof, N. Dickerson, Dillon, Doyle, Effros, Feigenbaum, Fisher, Garifo, Gauthier, Gladis, Greiner, Hadji, Hadley, Hansche, Harzold, Holsonbake, C. Hoskinson, J. Hoskinson, Kahn, Kehoe, Kohlmann, Kraus, Kubiske, Ledford, Lehman, LeValley, Long, Mangus, Mattox, Mellom, Miller, Moss, Muzio, Niles, Oakley, Outlaw, Payne, Peck, Plaag, Riley, Sanders, Scheinhaus, Schmeidler, Simpson, Slagle, Strait, Stumpo, Suarez, Trowbridge, Talkington, Tirpak, Van Zummeren, Walsch, Walter, Willnat, Wilson, Wolyn, R. Wood, Wyatt

Affiliate: J. R. Censer (professor)

Course Work

The Communication Department offers all course work designated COMM in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog.

Undergraduate Program

Communication, BA

Study in communication prepares students for graduate study or entry-level positions in such fields as interpersonal and organizational communication, journalism, media production and criticism, persuasive and political communication, and public relations.

In addition to satisfying the university-wide general education requirements and requirements for the BA degree in CHSS, students majoring in communication must complete 36 credits in communication:

Students must complete COMM 250 with a grade of C (2.00) or better before enrolling in COMM 300, 301, 302, or 305.

Of the 21 credits in the second and third categories above, at least 12 must be at the 300-400 level. The 21 credits may include no more than 10 credits from the following courses: COMM 140, 141, 142, 143, 145, 148, 157, 340, 341, 342, 343, 345, 346, 348, 349, 450, 451, 452, 499; and no more than 6 credits of COMM 450 (internship). No more than 9 credits of internship (COMM 450 or GOVT 450) in total may be applied to the 120 credits required for a degree.

Communication majors must earn a C (2.00) or better in all required or elective communication courses applied to the major. Students declaring the major in fall 2005 and thereafter must meet this requirement.

Approved Concentrations

Specific sections of COMM 399 Special Topics in Communication may be applied toward a concentration with prior written approval of the undergraduate director.

Interpersonal and Organizational Communication

COMM 201, 230, 320, 332, 335, 344 (1), 349 (1), 401, 430, 434, 465

Journalism

One required course (3 credits): COMM 303

9 credits chosen from COMM 145 (1), 203, 210, 330, 345 (1), 351, 352, 353, 356, 361, 362, 370, 391, 412, 431, 434, 435, 435, 454, 455, 475

Media Production and Criticism

COMM 148 (1), 157 (1), 202, 210, 303, 348 (1), 350, 354, 355, 356, 358, 359, 360, 363 (1), 365, 366, 375, 380, 456

Persuasive and Political Communication

COMM 140 (1), 141 (1), 142 (1), 143 (1), 230, 260, 261, 320, 326, 340 (1), 341 (1), 342 (1), 343 (1), 362, 380, 412, 430, 431, 432, 454, 465

Public Relations

COMM 202, 230, 260, 261, 303, 320, 330, 335, 351, 362, 375, 389, 390, 391, 400, 430, 454

Individualized Concentration

With approval of their advisor and associate chair, students may construct an individualized concentration.

Communication Student Activities and Organizations

All students are encouraged to participate in one of the communication activities: Broadside, debate, forensics, GMView, Mason Cable Network, PRSSA, or WGMU. Many students include an internship during their senior year as a way of gaining practical experience with national and international businesses, associations, or government agencies.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated as writing intensive in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in communication fulfill this requirement by successfully completing COMM 300.

Presentation-Intensive Requirement

All communication majors are required to take at least one of the following courses to fulfill a presentation-intensive requirement: COMM 100, 210, 260, 310, 320, 356, or 399 (when the topic is special occasion speaking).

Honors Program in Communication

Communication majors who have completed 80 credits with an overall minimum GPA of 3.50 and a minimum GPA of 3.50 in communication courses are eligible to apply to the departmental honors program. Candidates for the honors program must have satisfactorily completed or be enrolled in COMM 250, 300, 301, 302, and 305. Students who meet the criteria for admission are invited to submit a proposal for an honors thesis. If the proposal is approved, they are admitted to the honors program. To graduate with honors in communication, students must complete COMM 425 Honors Seminar in Communication, maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.50 in this course and an overall minimum GPA of 3.50. For more information, contact the director of the honors program in communication.

Minors

Students may choose to minor in any discipline that offers an undergraduate minor program (refer to this course catalog for descriptions of all university minors). The Communication Department, however, houses three minors: communication, electronic journalism, and telecommunications (see below). It also participates in several interdisciplinary minors, including film and media studies, multimedia, and women's studies. For a description of these minors, see the Interdisciplinary Minors section of this chapter.

Minor in Communication

The Department of Communication offers a minor to students who major in any other discipline. Students in the minor complete 18 credits of course work in communication beyond the 3 credits used to satisfy the university general education requirement.

With the approval of the director of the minor, the requirement of COMM 250 may be waived for students who have had an equivalent research course. Those students take an additional 3 credits of COMM electives.

Students must earn a C or better in all courses applied to the minor.

Minor in Electronic Journalism

Electronic journalism provides a foundation in journalism with a focus on the writing style and research techniques unique to broadcast, online, and computer-assisted reporting. Students must complete 18 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00 distributed as follows.

* If topic or internship is approved by the director of the minor.

This minor is not available to communication majors pursuing a concentration in journalism. For policies governing all minors, see the Academic Policies chapter of this catalog.

Minor in Telecommunications

Beginning in Fall 2007, this minor will no longer be offered. In its broadest sense, telecommunications includes technology (software and hardware), policy issues (national and international), mass media, and management. No longer can computer technologists sit alone working on code; they must be able to manage technical and nontechnical people, understand policy issues, and present technical material to others in the corporate setting. Required and elective courses in this minor provide a solid introduction to the work world of telecommunications.

Students in this minor complete 18 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00, distributed as follows.

This minor is not available to communication majors pursuing a concentration in journalism. For policies governing all minors, see the Academic Policies chapter of this catalog.

Teacher Licensure

Students who wish to become teachers should consult the College of Education and Human Development chapter and attend an information session early in their undergraduate career. For more information, call 703-993-2892, e-mail gseadmit@gmu.edu, or go to gse.gmu.edu.

Graduate Program

Communication, MA

The master of arts (MA) degree in communication at Mason examines the powerful role played by communication practices in contemporary society. The program has two major areas of emphasis: strategic communication/public relations and health communication.

Our strategic communication faculty teach courses on planning, developing, executing, and evaluating public communication campaigns based on their expertise in public relations theory and research. For its part, our health communication faculty explore the relationship between communication practices and the health and well-being of individuals and communities, including everything from how to improve relationships between health-care providers and patients to how agencies can develop more effective health information campaigns. The program is committed to providing students with a strong foundation in communication theory and research while at the same time encouraging students to apply their skills in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Assistantships

The department offers a limited number of merit-based teaching assistantships to students taking at least 6 graduate credits each semester. Other sources of support, such as research assistantships, are available as funding permits.

Admission Requirements

Students must meet the admission standards and application requirements of the university. See the Graduate Admission Policies section of the catalog. In addition to fulfilling the university application requirements, applicants must submit

Review of applications is ongoing. Late applications will be considered on a space-available basis. Because the number of students admitted is limited, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the degree must successfully complete 33 credits of graduate course work distributed as follows.

Other courses including independent study courses can be used to fulfill this requirement with the prior approval of the director of graduate studies.

Students electing the thesis option should consult the section on Master's Thesis in the Academic Policies section of this catalog.

Communication, PhD

The department offers a PhD in communication. Contact department for details.