Carroll College - CO - Communication Studies

Introduction to the field of communication through the study of life-enhancing communication skills including listening attentively, managing conflict, interviewing successfully, interpreting media, sustaining healthy relationships, working effectively in groups and communicating amid diversity. Students also receive training in multiple forms of public speaking. Assignments apply communication training to students' personal, academic and professional lives.

An introduction to digital publishing in the age of social media. Students learn basic design philosophy in addition to how to use traditional desktop publishing softwae such as Adobe InDesign for production of pamplets, newsletters, etc. Plus advanced units on digital design, Photoshop, designing for the Web and guides for effective PowerPoint presentations using digital tools.

Preparation for intercollegiate forensics competition in individual events and British Parliamentary (BP)/World Debate. Events include extemporaneous, impromptu, after-dinner speaking, persuasion, informative, prose, communication analysis, poetry, duo, dramatic, program oral interpretation and BP/World Debate.

Smartphones have given rise to Citizen Video. In this course, students can start producing their citizen videos for distribution on YouTube and other social media platforms.

The course will introduce students to the techniques and aesthetics of digital video production. Students will learn about the creative process of creating audiovisual texts: camerawork, lighting, art direction, set design, costume design, sound design, editing, and how they all contribute to the visual language.

Students will produce short movies using varying real-life scenarios and publish them to their YouTube account. Through a hands-on approach and critical analysis, students will learn and understand how messages are successfully and unsuccessfully crafted, targeted, and delivered through digital audio/visual media.

The course introduces students to the different digital media and writing techniques and designs of digital video content for various media. Students will learn about writing styles and techniques, story structure, narration, and dialogue through the writing of broadcast news, persuasive (advertisements), documentary, and drama scripts for the audio-visual medium. Students will also have the opportunity to translate their texts into visual pieces through some hands-on camera exercises during the semester.

Special Topics courses include ad-hoc courses on various selected topics that are not part of the regular curriculum, however they may still fulfill certain curricular requirements. Special topics courses are offered at the discretion of each department and will be published as part of the semester course schedule - view available sections for more information. Questions about special topics classes can be directed to the instructor or department chair.

The study of group communication processes. Students will learn group communication theory and then apply that theory through in-class group games and out-of-class group projects. The course studies teaches leadership and conflict management skills necessary for leading teams of all types in organizations.

A study of the theory and research on the relationships between language, nonverbal behavior, and communication in contemporary American society. We will investigate the practices and techniques involving verbal and nonverbal actions used in everyday encounters. Topics include slang, hate speech, dialects, interactional synchrony, physical symmetry, micro expressions, gestures and more.

Preparation for intercollegiate forensics competition in individual events and World Debate in British Parliamentary format. The team competes in the Northwest, the Rocky Mountain region, Canada and in select international events abroad. We are a national program concluding each year with a national tournament against top programs from throughout the country including, for example: The Air Force Academy, the University of Miami, Cornell, Stanford, Harvard and Yale.

A two-semester introduction to the theory and practice of public relations, including crisis communication. Class interviews (in person/Zoom) with PR professionals. The first semester focuses on theory and on PR writing (including press releases). The second semester points towards the job market by focusing on campaigns including design of a public relations campaign for a local organization.

An introduction to the researching, planning, coordinating, marketing, management and evaluation of special events. The course content will explore the theories and practices relevant to successful event planning, will study the ethics of event planning, will study case studies of events - and will plan an event as a culminating course project. This course could serve as training for a careers in PR, event planning, sports event marketing or in the hotel hospitality industry. But the course is also designed to supplement almost all organizational careers.

An advanced course in public speaking, job interviewing and advanced listening with practical career-training emphasis. This course is aimed at preparing students to make polished public presentations. The course will include units on listening, mindfulness, contemplative computing, job interviewing, and public speaking for professionals.

A course designed for paraprofessionals working in residence halls. By means of readings, professional speakers, and discussions, students will become more effective in performing duties and accepting responsibilities of a resident assistant. Class begins one week before fall semester;

A course designed for Student Ambassadors (Carroll's student tour guides). Topics covered will include communication and presentation skills, history and facts about Carroll College, Student Services/resources on campus, and a general overview of the admission process. By means of readings, professional speakers, and discussions, students will become more effec -tive in performing duties and understanding the responsibilities of Student Ambassadors. There will be some written homework assignments as well as out of class work (shadowing tours, helping with admission special events, etc).

A course designed for Student Ambassadors (Carroll's student tour guides). Topics covered will include communication and presentation skills, history and facts about Carroll College, Student Services/resources on campus, and a general overview of the admission process. By means of readings, professional speakers, and discussions, students will become more effective in performing duties and understanding the responsibilities of Student Ambassadors. There will be some written homework assignments as well as out of class work (shadowing tours, helping with admission special events, etc).

All students are welcome to join the staff of The Prospector, the student newspaper. Students will be assigned tasks in accordance with their talents and the papers' needs: writing stories, taking photos, designing pages or selling ads.

Graphic Design is a universal, visual language. This course teaches the fundamentals of graphic design, serves as the foundation for creative-thinking, and is complementary to jobs in the communications field. Students will engage in design thinking, creative-thinking exercises that activate a new means of problem-solving. They'll learn the fundamental principles of Graphic Design through weekly exercises, critiques, lectures, and short readings. Students will gain a comprehensive knowledge of contemporary media applications of design thinking and graphic design in today's professional world.

Social Media & Communication examines the profound shift that the Internet, social networking, digital publishing and mobile media technologies (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, et al) have on the communication and business landscape. Through both theoretical and practical study, students will examine evolving technologies and their application to personal life, business development and business marketing/sales. The course will end with experiential learning labs utilizing social media, social networking and real-time publishing.

Servant Leadership, based on Robert Greenleaf's theory, is a leadership course designed to train students to lead humbly, putting service first. Students will learn about the theories of servant leadership, customer service and forgiveness to gain a full understanding of humility-based leadership.

Students learn various strategies for engaging in productive conflict management, while preventing and de-escalating destructive conflict. The course examines the dynamics of everyday conflicts across a variety of settings, from personal relationships to the workplace. Additionally, students will be asked to reflect on their own style of conflict management and improve their skills. Course content will include both theory and application, with an emphasis on their interrelation. Topics include factors that influence conflict choices, ethical implications, options for third-party intervention, and the roles of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Course is designed to teach a student to recognize and appreciate a good film. Students will watch films, read film reviews, and learn how to write and publish film reviews.

Social Science. Cultural Diversity.

Students will examine the interactive relationships between gender and communication in contemporary American society. Course will explore ways that communication creates and perpetuates gender roles and how socially created gender roles are enacted in public and private settings. Students will connect research to everyday lives.

Special Topics courses include ad-hoc courses on various selected topics that are not part of the regular curriculum, however they may still fulfill certain curricular requirements. Special topics courses are offered at the discretion of each department and will be published as part of the semester course schedule - view available sections for more information. Questions about special topics classes can be directed to the instructor or department chair.

Students learn basic elements of journalistic writing for the print media, including news reporting, feature writing, and column writing. Course includes study of libel law, observation of community media, and production of one issue of the school newspaper. Students will learn AP Style, the gold standard for journalistic writing.

Course seeks to deepen insights into ethical issues arising on all frontiers of communication, ranging from small groups to news media. Students will read case studies of ethical crises and learn to apply philosophical and religious ethical principles to those crises.

The course examines the history and theory of contemporary mass media, including radio, television, print, and digital media. Students will explore, synthesize, and contextualize the political, social, economic, and cultural forces that shape and define media content and how these contents shape our culture.

Preparation for intercollegiate forensics competition in individual events and World Debate in British Parliamentary format. The team competes in the Northwest, the Rocky Mountain region, Canada and in select international events abroad. We are a national program concluding each year with a national tournament against top programs from throughout the country including, for example: The Air Force Academy, the University of Miami, Cornell, Stanford, Harvard and Yale.

This course presents both historical and current perspectives on the origins and usefulness of organizational theory relating to communication, emphasizing the relationship between organizational life and communication principles. Students will explore both theory and practice through case study discussions and experiential learning opportunities.

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to explain how communication functions within organizations and how communication practices can be used to understand and enhance both employee relationships and organizational effectiveness.

Study of the relationship between culture and communication in everyday life. Students will consider the nature and place of cultural practices in social life and will examine the influence of features of culture (world views, values, beliefs) on communication encounters. Students will examine topics related to diversity and social justice, such as ethnocentrism and stereotyping. Fulfills Cultural Diversity requirement. Fulfills National Diversity requirement or Global Diversity requirement, but not both.

The study of interpersonal communication from both a personal and theoretical standpoint. Topics include interpersonal concepts (listening, empathy, confirmation, humor, social support, self-disclosure, apprehension, defensiveness, etc.), the initiation, maintenance, and termination of platonic, romantic, and family relationships as well as attraction, courtship, affection, conflict, and destructive behavior.

A theoretical and practical examination of the central role of communication in the provision of health care. Students will examine communication issues such as empathy, therapeutic listening, trust, self-disclosure, social support, and interactional control/power and their use and impact on our emotional and physical well-being and in varying heath care relationships: individual (e.g., the patient role, the provider role), interpersonal (e.g., provider-client, provider-family), group (e.g., healthcare teams, self-help/support groups), organizational, and societal. Designed to serve all students, especially those seeking careers as healthcare professionals.

Special Topics courses include ad-hoc courses on various selected topics that are not part of the regular curriculum, however they may still fulfill certain curricular requirements. Special topics courses are offered at the discretion of each department and will be published as part of the semester course schedule - view available sections for more information. Questions about special topics classes can be directed to the instructor or department chair.

A discussion of selected communication issues associated with researching and reporting about human interaction. The student will investigate the scope, central concepts, and practices of communication research with particular focus upon microanalysis, ethnography, surveys, and experiments.

Preparation for intercollegiate forensics competition in individual events and World Debate in British Parliamentary format. The team competes in the Northwest, the Rocky Mountain region, Canada and in select international events abroad. We are a national program concluding each year with a national tournament against top programs from throughout the country including, for example: The Air Force Academy, the University of Miami, Cornell, Stanford, Harvard and Yale.

A critical study of classical and contemporary communication theory. Students consider foundations of communication theory through examination of traditions of theorizing including Rhetoric, Semiotics, Cybernetics, Critical Theory, and Phenomenology.

Theoretical and applied study of teaching communication and coaching speech. Students will read works on the philosophy of education and will complete a teaching and coaching project.

This course explores the instruments of globalization and its socio-econo-cultural impact on gender. Students will identify the political, social, and cultural fault lines created by the concept of globalization.

The course will examine issues such as the impact of wars, media, and international institutions on the loss of nation-state autonomy and borders as well as globalization's effect on gendered inequality. The course will also examine power shifts, a reconfiguration of political power and civil society, and a change in gender roles within the context of national cultures via communication tools and the global economy.

An option available to the communication major who is preparing for a career in public relations, TV/radio broadcasting, public information, communication consulting, or as a media specialist. The student will intern in an appropriate business, state office, or federal agency in the Helena community for supervised, practical experience in the area of the intended career. Internship Programs Recognizing that learning can take place outside the classroom, Carroll College allows its students to participate in a work program that relates to their area of studies. This employment must relate directly to classroom work in order to qualify for an internship. Close cooperation between Carroll and the participating companies insures a work experience that contributes significantly to the student?s overall growth and professional development. Juniors and seniors in any major area may participate with the approval of the department chairperson, academic advisor, and the internship coordinator. Students will receive academic credit and may or may not receive monetary compensation for an internship. A student may earn a maximum of 6 semester hours in the internship program. Enrollment in the course must be during the same semester in which the majority of the work experience takes place. Interested students should contact their academic advisor and the internship coordinator at the Career Services Office.

Independent study is open to junior and senior students only. At the time of application, a student must have earned a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. A student may register for no more than three (3) semester hours of independent study in any one term. In all cases, registration for independent study must be approved by the appropriate department chairperson and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

A capstone course about life transitions - particularly the graceful exit from college and the humble entrance into a post-college career. Course includes units on selecting and applying to graduate schools, job interviewing, resume writing, web-based job searching and conference call interviews with successful communication and public relations alumni.

The senior thesis is designed to encourage creative thinking and to stimulate individual research. A student may undertake a thesis in an area in which s/he has the necessary background. Ordinarily a thesis topic is chosen in the student's major or minor. It is also possible to choose an interdisciplinary topic. Interested students should decide upon a thesis topic as early as possible in the junior year so that adequate attention may be given to the project. In order to be eligible to apply to write a thesis, a student must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.25 based upon all courses attempted at Carroll College. The thesis committee consists of a director and two readers. The thesis director is a full-time Carroll College faculty member from the student's major discipline or approved by the department chair of the student's major. At least one reader must be from outside the student's major. The thesis director and the appropriate department chair must approve all readers. The thesis committee should assist and mentor the student during the entire project. For any projects involving human participants, each student and his or her director must follow the guidelines published by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Students must submit a copy of their IRB approval letter with their thesis application. As part of the IRB approval process, each student and his or her director must also complete training by the National Cancer Institute Protection of Human Participants. The thesis is typically to be completed for three (3) credits in the discipline that best matches the content of the thesis. Departments with a designated thesis research/writing course may award credits differently with approval of the Curriculum Committee. If the thesis credits exceed the full-time tuition credit limit for students, the charge for additional credits will be waived. Applications and further information are available in the Registrar's Office.