MA in Communication

COMM 506-02 – Intercultural Communication (M/W/F - 9:15-10:20am – Scott Schonfeldt-Aultman)

An exploration of intercultural communication within various national contexts, though primarily U.S.-based. The courses will include an examination of the roles of identity, history, power, language, cultural values, nonverbal communication, migration, cultural space, popular cultural communication and relationships. Students will also become familiar with intercultural communication theories and with approaches to studying intercultural communication. Seeks to provide a basis for comprehending the relationship between culture and communication and for understanding cultural practices, differences and similarities.

COMM 532-02 – Audio Production (T/TH - 3:20-5:00pm - Jason Jakaitis)

Recognizing the importance of the sonic arts in contemporary forms of media, this course introduces students to: (1) basic acoustical theory, (2) musical concepts as related to media production, (3) aesthetic and technical elements of sound design, (4) audio field recording, and (5) non-linear audio editing and post-production techniques. Students produce podcast projects and build sound designs for film scenes from scratch.

COMM 533-02 – Video Production (T/TH - 1:30-3:10am – Jason Jakaitis)

This course introduces students to the basics of digital video production. Topics covered include: (1) introduction to film language and sound design, (2) video camera basics and video-production workflow, (3) cinematography and lighting, (4) non-linear video editing, and (5) post-production techniques. Students write, direct and edit short narrative films.

COMM 565-02 – Social Media and Society (T/TH – 8-9:45am – Staff TBD)

This course is a two-part journey through the recent integration of social media into society. In the first section, we will explore the historical roots of new and social media, spending time understanding how to use social media effectively and how it is related to the individual. In the second section, we will investigate how social media relate to our relationships with others, interpersonally and within organizations. An understanding of social scientific research methods is helpful, but not required. Throughout, we will apply theories of communication to the study and design of social media sites and discuss the ways in which social media may influence various important social domains. General concepts and topics include identity formation and maintenance, privacy, and aspects of social media. Social media sites in various contexts such as relationship maintenance, organizations and advertising, health, and multitasking will be examined. The objective is to provide students with the knowledge, critical thinking ability, and practical skills they will need to effectively produce, consume and assess the potential cognitive, social, and political impact of social media.

COMM 600: Theories of Communication

This course investigates the relationship between theories of communication and culture. Students will use case studies to apply a range of communication theories to analyze problems that typically arise in “real world” settings. Students are expected to make a clear connection between a communication phenomenon (e.g., current social issues) and  communication theories as they work toward critical engagement with professional communication competencies.

COMM 602: Strategic Mediated Communication

This course examines media and mediated forms of communication as they intersect with cultural, economic, political or social contexts.  The focus is on both the analysis and strategic use of mediated communication for various occasions, including development, social change, crisis response, corporate/organizational digital presence, and social justice. The course integrates both critical and practical approaches to understanding effective mediated communication. By the end of this course, students will have completed a digital portfolio that will highlight all of their work in the program as a case study in strategic mediated communication at the individual micro level.

COMM 605: Applied Research Design

This course is designed to focus on methods of data gathering. In this course, students will learn designs of quantitative and qualitative research, such as experiment, survey, interview, participant observation, and ethnography. Students gain research design experience by designing a project to address a particular intercultural communication phenomenon, and the importance of proper research design for professional applications, including project or training assessment and evaluation. Each student’s proposed research project will be executed in the Applied Research Methods course. This is an on-campus course, offered during the regular work week. Students must take this course in the Fall semester of the +1 year. This is the first course of the Applied Research Certificate sequence.

COMM 606: Applied Research Methods

This course prepares students to collect data for a research project using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The primary foci include experiment, survey, interview, participant observation, and ethnography. Continuing from the Applied Research Design course, students will collect data from the previous semester’s project designs, gaining experience in a variety of methods as well as how to work in research teams.

COMM 607: Applied Research Analysis

This course prepares students to analyze a research project using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The primary foci of data analysis include (M)ANOVA, regression, and mediation and moderation analysis for quantitative survey data and coding based on the grounded theory approach for the qualitative data. Continuing from the Applied Research Methods course, students will analyze the data, interpret and report the results. This is an on-campus course, offered during the regular work week. Students must take this course in the Spring of their +1 year. This is the third course of the Applied Research Certificate sequence.

COMM 601: Communication and Conflict

This course examines communication that creates, manages, and resolves conflict in various relational and workplace contexts. The focus is on theoretical understanding of conflict and its management and the practical skills of applying non-violent communication. Students learn and examine the sources of conflict, optimal communication skills to facilitate the conflict to resolution, and relational implications for the parties involved in the conflict.

COMM 570: Group Facilitation and Leadership

This course focuses on the development of group facilitation and critical thinking skills for making ethical decisions in diverse organizational, professional, and personal settings. Topics covered in this course include leadership, communication, theories of power, interpersonal dynamics in teams and groups, listening abilities, perspective-taking, practical discussion facilitation, skill building, understanding organizational structure and decision-making processes.

COMM 571: Identity and Intercultural Communication

This course aims to develop a critical cultural consciousness. Students begin by examining their own cultural identities and then learn how to view interactions with others through the lenses of intercultural communication. Through self-awareness and understanding how identity, culture, and communication work together, students learn critical skills to enhance their intercultural competence. Students work in groups to apply these insights by developing a diversity training activity grounded in theories of identity and intercultural communication.

COMM 512: Intergroup Communication

In this course, students conceptualize culture as a branch of larger conversations surrounding social groups. This course is designed to examine the dynamic of intergroup relations and its cyclical impact on human communication, perceptions, and relationships. Applying theories and perspectives of communication, social psychology, sociolinguistics, and history, students explore the relationship between communication and social group membership.

COMM 534: Understanding Digital Cultures

This course is a humanities-based exploration of the fundamental concepts of digital culture. The “digital” will be examined as technology, as a communicative and expressive medium, as philosophical precept and paradigm, and as political, social, economic, and psychological force. Students will explore key concepts and theories through the close reading of fundamental texts, study of representative examples of digital work (e.g. websites, gaming, media art, networked and immersive environments), and engage in complementary design and production assignments. As a significant force shaping life in the contemporary world, it is important that students learn how to examine the effect of the digital.

Intercultural Externship

This final experience works as a “capstone” that synthesizes and builds upon the competencies learned in the MA courses.  Students choosing this option spend two weeks on campus and two weeks traveling to a site (international unless global health and safety measures requires a domestic site) to conduct an applied research project as a group. Site preference, whenever possible, is given to Lasallian partner organizations working in international settings. Students act as consultants and assist the client organization in the development and execution of a data-driven research project. The cost of travel for this course is not included in tuition.

Examples of previous intercultural and international experiences led by the Communication Department faculty include:

• Centro Bartolomé de las Casas/Colegio Andino, Cusco, Peru
• Municipal Government of Diriamba, Nicaragua
• Bosques de Gaia Organic Farm, Diriamba, Nicaragua
• Taking Root, San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua
• San Carlos Community, Diriamba, Nicaragua
• Sunsplash Reggae Festival, Goa, India
• People's Grocery, Oakland, California, U.S.A.
• Mommas' Boyz, Oakland, California, U.S.A.
• Showing Up for Racial Justice, Oakland, California, U.S.A.

Comprehensive Exam

Students who choose this option complete their "capstone" requirement by completing a 6 hour exam in June split between questions drawn from the core classes and a bibliography of texts chosen by the student that reflect the elective courses and areas of emphasis completed by the individual student for the degree.  Students will defend the answers to their exam in a one hour presentation with faculty from the program. There is no extra cost for this option.

During Undergraduate

Two cross listed upper division electives (4 units each). One each semester of senior year is recommended.

Note: not all upper division Comm electives are eligible for cross listing. Consult a faculty advisor.

+1 Graduate Year

Fall

COMM 600: Theories of Communication (4 units)
COMM 605 Applied Research Design (4 units)
Cross listed elective (4 units)

January Term

COMM 606 Applied Research Methods (4 units)

Spring

Cross listed elective (4 units)
COMM 602 Strategic Mediated Communication (4 units)
COMM 607 Applied Research Analysis (4 units)

June Term

Either Comprehensive Exam or Intercultural Externship