Courses of Study - William Jewell College

Courses of Study – Communication
Communication
Professor G. Lane, chair; Professors D.
Chasteen, K.B. Harris, L.A. Harris;
Assistant Professors T. Wirth, N. Wyman.
The mission of the Communication Department
is to offer its students a major that will prepare
them to be knowledgeable, versatile and confident
in responsibly meeting the complex communication
challenges of a dynamic world. To support
this mission, the department has adopted
the following goals:
• Our students should excel in public speaking
and other forms of communication, demonstrating
an ability to create and fluently deliver well-written,
ethical and strategically crafted messages that
respond to the needs of a specific audience
and context.
• Our students should be critical consumers of
communication, able to analyze and respond to
complex communication problems, taking
leadership roles when necessary.
• Our students’ familiarity with a wide range of
communication theories and history should be
evident in their ability to conduct independent
creative and scholarly projects.
The department offers seven majors and one minor,
which offer students a wide variety of knowledge
and experience while focusing on the development
of core competencies. All seven majors lead to a
Bachelor of Arts degree: communication (31 hrs.),
organizational communication (36-38 hrs.), communication
with an electronic media emphasis (36
hrs.), communication with a theatre emphasis (38
hrs.), theatre education (40 hrs.), speech education
(42 hrs.), and theatre (41-43 hrs.). The department
also offers a minor in theatre (22 hrs.). A grade of
C- or higher is required in each course for the major
or the minor. In those courses with prerequisites, a
student must have completed the prerequisite with
a C- or better before taking the requisite course. All
communication majors (including those students
with communication as a second major) must complete
the general education requirements for the BA
degree and must have an advisor in the department.
A student must earn a C- or better in GEN 101 or
its transfer equivalent.
The Communication Core
The core is comprised of an integrated set of courses
that offer students essential knowledge and skills in
public speaking, research and writing, and communication
theory. Core courses are required in the
following majors: communication, communication
with an electronic media emphasis, communication
with a theatre emphasis, and speech education. A
modified core is required in the organizational communication
major. Students should strive to take
the core courses in the order listed.
Advanced Public Speaking (210) 3
Communication Theory (215) 3
Theory and Practice of Persuasion (312) 2
Communication Research Methods (368) 3
History and Criticism of
American Public Address (380) 3
Senior Seminar (400) 1
Senior Recital (401)
________
1
16 hours
The Majors
Communication
The communication major provides a generalist
approach with a focus on public speaking and communication
theory to persons interested in pursuing
one of the many communication professions. It is
also a valuable second or third major for those
going into such professions as business, government,
public relations, ministry, law, medicine, and
politics. The courses required for the communication
major are as follows:
The Core
Advanced Public Speaking (210) 3
Communication Theory (215) 3
Theory and Practice of Persuasion (312) 2
Communication Research Methods (368) 3
History and Criticism of
American Public Address (380) 3
Senior Seminar (400) 1
Senior Recital (401) 1
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