1995-1996 Academic Catalog

74 Communication Arts Communication Arts The communication arts major prepares students for careers in public relations, personnel management, consultancy programs, media communications, and corporate executive training. Because of the importance of excellent communication skills in many professions, this major has also been chosen by those pursuing careers in sales or politics. It also serves as excellent under– graduate preparation for those planning additional graduate professional training such as law, theology, and business. Course requirements involve fifty-five quarter hours including thirty-one hours in core requirements and twenty-four hours in an area of specialization chosen with the advice of the student's academic advisor. Graduating seniors in communication arts culminate their programs with an individualized senior project under the direction of a faculty mentor. This project involves either a senior recital or a senior thesis. Summer jobs can provide excellent o.periences and contacts. Brent Gibbs, pictured here with recording artist Cheri Keaggy, spent this past summer in Nashville working as an intern for Sparrow Records. The senior recital emphasizes the performance training in areas of acting, oral interpretation and public speaking, and results in a public performance. Students planning to do a recital should take COM-241 Fundamentals of Oral Interpretation as a prerequisite. The senior thesis emphasizes research and writing, and results in a public lecture. Those doing the senior thesis should take COM- 205 Communication Theories as a prerequisite. The core requirements involve thirty-one quarter hours including: COM-200 Persuasive Theory .......................................... 5 COM-210 Advanced Public Speaking ............................ 5 COM-222 Research in Communication ......................... .4 COM-324 Interpersonal Communication ........................ 3 COM-331 Communication in the Information Age ......... 3 COM-411 History of Public Address .............................. 5 COM-482,483 Senior Project I,II - Research ................. 6 (or COM-484,485 Senior Project I,II - Recital ............ 6) Specializations, selected by the end of the sophomore year, include: General communications Organizational communications Platform arts communications Specialization requirements may be adjusted to the needs of individual students with the written permission of the department chairman. General communications specialization requirements (selected from the following) ................ 24 COM-123 Voice and Diction .......................................... 3 COM-205 Communication Theory ................................. 3 COM-223 Group Discussion .......................................... 3 COM-232 Theories of Mass Media ................................ 5 COM-312 Argumentation and Debate ............................ 5 COM-313 Rhetorical Criticism ....................................... 3 COM-431 Communication Internship ....................... 5-15 COM-461 Communication Ethics ................................... 3 COM-471 through COM-476 Independent Study ....... 1-4