Communication

Programs Offered

• Bachelor of Arts in Communication
• Minor in Communication

The BA in Communication is based on a thorough examination of how we use language in a variety of specific social contexts. By critically considering how meaning is negotiated in health, environmental and business/nonprofit settings, students will appreciate the complexity of coordinating our actions.

By working in diverse small and large groups, making presentations, and using a variety of channels – from face-to-face to telephone, email to internet, students who complete the program will be prepared to take responsibility for their interactions within their communities and the workplace of their choosing.

Careers

Major career opportunities include environmental advocacy, nonprofit and business management, and health services. Additional employment avenues include: mediation, counseling, public affairs, government, entrepreneurship, sales, community relations, employee relations, teaching, consulting, event planning, media entertainment, law, international relations, social and human services, advertising, journalism, marketing, public relations. Students may also pursue graduate studies.

Student Learning Outcomes

After having completed the requirements for the degree, students will be able to:

• Interact with others in one-on-one and small/large group settings, and with audiences of diverse memberships;
• Collaborate effectively with others;
• Analyze messages critically for content, purpose, organization, argument, style and meaning;
• Analyze conflicts and work through resolutions;
• Differentiate ethical dimensions of health, environmental or organizational messages and estimate their impact upon a given community; and
• Choose an optimal means to communicate depending upon the audience, situation and by understanding the relevance, limitations and effectiveness of different communication technologies.

Faculty

Trudy Milburn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Communication
BTE 2838
(805) 437-3128
trudy.milburn@csuci.edu

Tracylee Clarke, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Communication
BTE 2834
(805) 437-3305
tracylee.clarke@csuci.edu

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication (120 units)

Lower Division (12 units)
Upper Division (33 units)
General Education (45 units)
Title V: American Institutions Requirement (6 units)
Electives (24 units)
Total (120 units)

Lower Division Requirements (12 units)

COMM 101 Public Speaking (3)
COMM 200 Introduction to Communication Studies (3)

Choose any two of the following:
COMM 210 Interpersonal Communication (3)
COMM 211 Discerning Information in an Interconnected World (LIB) (3)
COMM 220 Group Communication (3)

Upper Division Requirements (31 units)

Required Courses (13 units)

COMM 310 Communication Research Methods (3) ( Note: may substitute with permission ENGL 310 or SOC 310)
COMM 320 Persuasion and Argumentation (3)
COMM 321 Cultural Conversations (3)
COMM 331 Art, Society and Mass Media (ART) (3)
COMM 499 Capstone Project (3)

Major Electives (6 units)

You may choose any two upper division COMM courses:
COMM 301 Advanced Public Speaking (3)
COMM 335 Politics and Film (POLS) (3)
COMM 336 Multicultural Literature and Communication (ENGL) (3)
COMM 340 Conflict Management and Mediation (3)
COMM 343 Popular Culture (SOC/ENGL) (3)
COMM 345 Media Literacy and Youth Culture (EDUC) (3)
COMM 346 School-Community Relations (EDUC) (3)
COMM 430 Political Communication (POLS) (3)
COMM 490 Special Topics (3)
COMM 492 Internship/Service Learning (1-6)

Emphasis Requirements (12 units)

(Choose one emphasis below)

Environmental Communication Emphasis

COMM 443 Environmental Communication (ESRM) (3) (Prereqs. ESRM 100 and COMM 100 or 320) D, INTD

Plus three electives (9 units)
ANTH 332 Human Ecology (ESRM) (3) D, INTD
BIOL 313 Conservation Biology (ESRM) (4) (Prereq. BIOL 200)
BIOL 433 Ecology and the Environment (4) (Prereq. BIOL 200) B2, INTD
CHEM 301 Environmental Chemistry (3) (Prereq. CHEM 122)
COMM 450 Environmental Conflict Resolution (ESRM/POLS) (3)
ENGL 337 Literature of the Environment (3) C2, D, INTD
ESRM 329 Environmental Law and Policy (3) (Prereq. ESRM 100)
ESRM 462 Coastal and Marine Resource Management (4) (Prereqs. BIOL 433, ESRM 200, 329)
ESRM 463 Water Resources Management (4) (Prereqs. BIOL 433, ESRM 200, 329)
ESRM 464 Land Use Planning & Open Space Management (4) (Prereqs. BIOL 433, ESRM 200, 329)
ESRM 482 Issues in Environmental Planning & Resource Management (3) (Prereqs. BIOL 433, ECON 362, ESRM 329)
ESRM 483 Issues in Global Resource Management (Prereqs. BIOL 433, ECON 362, ESRM 329) (3)
GEOL 321 Environmental Geology (4) B1

Select either:
GEOL 121 Physical Geology (4)
or
GEOL 122 Historical Geology (3)

Health Communication Emphasis

COMM 441 Health Communication (NRS) (3) (Prereq. COMM 320) D, INTD

Plus three electives (9 units):
ANTH 104 Introduction to Bioanthropology (3) B2
ANTH 443 Medical Anthropology: Cross Cultural Perspectives on Health & Healing (3) D, INTD
BIOL 331 Biotechnology in Twenty-First Century (BUS) (3) B2, D, INTD
BIOL 332 Cancer and Society (3) B2, D, INTD
BIOL 333 Emerging Public Health Issues (3) B2, E, INTD
BIOL 432 Principles of Epidemiology and Environmental Health (3) B2, D, INTD (Prereq. BIOL 201, CHEM 122)
BUS 341 Drug Discovery and Development (CHEM/ECON) B1, D, INTD (3)
HLTH 322 Health Issues in Education (2) E
MGT 426 Management of Healthcare Organizations (3) (Prereq. MGT 307)
NRS 352 Health Promotion and Patient Education Strategies (3)
PSY 342 Complementary and Alternative Health (NRS) (3) C3b, E, INTD
PSY 348 Healthy Aging (SOC/NRS) (3) D, E, INTD

Business & Nonprofit Communication Emphasis

COMM 442 Organizational Communication (3) (Prereqs.COMM 101 and COMM 210 or 220) A1, INTD

Plus three electives (9 units)
BIOL 326 Scientific & Professional Ethics (MGT) (3)
COMM 333 Nonprofit Organizations (BUS/ECON/ POLS) (3) D, INTD
BUS 340 Business & Economics in American Literature (ECON/ENGL) (3) C2, D, INTD
ECON 329 Managerial Economics (3) (Prereq. ECON 110, 111 and MATH 140 or 150)
ECON 370 The World Economy (3) (Prereq. ECON 110 or 300)
ECON 471 International Trade (3) (Prereq. ECON 310 or 329)
ENGL 483 Technical Visual Communication (3)
MGT 307 Management of Organizations (3)
MGT 310 Management of International Business (3)
MGT 325 Entrepreneurial Management (3)
MGT 421 Human Resource Management (3) (Prereq. MGT 307)
MKT 310 Principles of Marketing (3)
MKT 410 International Marketing Management (3) (Prereq. MKT 310)
POLS 320 Public Administration (3)
PSY 432 Seminar in Leadership (3) D, E, INTD

Requirements for the Minor in Communication (18 units)

The minor in Communication affords non-majors the opportunity to learn the fundamental skills necessary to interact with diverse others in a wide variety of contexts. Students will survey the field of communication studies and learn the basic skills to interact one-on-one and in small and large groups.

Lower Division Requirements (9 units)

COMM 101 Public Speaking (3)
COMM 200 Introduction to Communication Studies (3)

Select one of the following:
COMM 210 Interpersonal Communication (3)
COMM 220 Group Communication (3)
COMM 211 Discerning Information in an Interconnected World (LIB) (3)

Upper Division Requirements (9 units)

Select three courses from any Upper Division COMM course

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