The MA in Communication Studies requires 30 se- mester hours of the mandatory core courses, elective course work, and the capstone experience.
Application and Admission
In addition to the application materials required by The Graduate School, applicants must submit a 2-3 page personal statement explaining their qualifications and interests in the program and a writing sample such as an academic paper. An interview (phone or in per- son) with the Director of Graduate Study or a member of the graduate faculty is also required. The fall ad- mission deadline for those applicants interested in an assistantship is March 1. For all other applicants the fall admission deadline is April 1. The spring admission deadline is October 1. Generally, assistantships are not available to spring admission applicants.
Degree Requirements
Procedural Guidelines
1. Upon admission to the Department, the Director of Graduate Study will advise students on Depart- mental and Graduate School processes and proce- dures.
2. After completing the core requirements, students will be informed by the Director of Graduate Study if they are or are not meeting the academic stan- dards and requirements of the program. At that time, students may be allowed to continue in the program, be placed on academic probation, or be asked to leave the program.
3. In the semester immediately prior to their final semes- ter, students will form an advisory committee to assist with completion of the Final Research Project. The committee, ideally, will consist of two faculty mem- bers with whom the student has taken courses during the degree (and with whom the student shares com- mon research interests), one of whom will serve as the major guiding professor on the project. The commit- tee will guide the student through the development and execution of a research project appropriate to the culmination of the MA degree. The final product will be a scholarly essay suitable for presentation at a
adequate planning, the committee should be formed before either fall or spring break in the semester prior to the final semester.
Mandatory Core Courses (6 hours) CST 601 Engaging Communication Theories (3)
CST 602 Engaging Communication Research Methodology (3)
The core courses form the foundation for effective scholarship and inquiry. During their first year in the program, students are required to take CST 601 in the fall semester and CST 602 in the spring semester to introduce students to the theories and methodologies necessary to engage in communication scholarship. Elective Course Work (21 hours)
Satisfactory completion of 21 hours in CST cognate, graded courses is required. All new teaching assistants are required to take CST 599 Communication Pedagogy (3) in the fall of their first semester in the program. CST 599 is included in these 21 hours. A maximum of 9 se- mester hours of electives may be taken at the 500-level. Capstone Experience (Final Research Project) (3 hours)
CST 698 Capstone Experience in Communication (Final Re- search Project) (3)
All students must complete a final research proj- ect, in consultation with the Graduate Faculty, as a demonstration of mastery of the arts of communica- tion scholarship (see Procedural Guidelines above for more information). All students must enroll for a total of 3 hours in CST 698.
Independent Study and Course Work outside the Department
Students are permitted to take independent studies and course work outside the department when ad- ditional course work is required for a student’s plan of study, as determined by the Director of Graduate Study and the student. Up to three hours of course work out- side the department may be included in the minimum 30-hours requirement for the MA degree.
SACS 18-Hour Requirement
Community college instructors interested in earn- ing 18 semester hours in communication to satisfy Scholarly Focus Areas
These beliefs and values are articulated in the follow- ing ongoing scholarly focus areas of the department: • Public Voice: How can communication scholarship
help us to understand and improve the quality of public discourse in the world around us?
• Voices of Change, Diversity and Difference, and Conflict: How can communication scholarship help people to engage with diversity, differences,
and divisions in ways that promote understanding and collaborative/democratic change?
• Voices of Identity and Relationships: How can communication scholarship help us understand how people create and sustain desired identities and healthy relationships?
• Voices of Discovery: How can communication scholarship help us understand how people learn to co-construct, share, and critique knowledge?
C
o M M u n i C a t i o ns
t u d i e sCST 500-level classes are open to any graduate stu- dent. Undergraduate student prerequisite: permission of instructor.
502 The Semiotics of Everyday Life (3:3)
Language, meaning, and sign systems as communication pro- cess. Emphasis on projects to apply theoretical concepts from general semantics and semiotics to promote understanding of how humans symbolically construct reality.
506 Speaking Out for Community Change (3:3)
Exploration of theory and practice in community advocacy. Focus on public deliberation, moral conflict, and community dialogue in value-laden topics and controversies.
520 African American Culture and Identity (3:3)
Examines dynamic ways that African Americans construct, maintain, and negotiate their social identities in a variety of contexts. Explores the connections among race/ethnic identity, communication, and culture.
540 Social Entrepreneurship: Justice and a Green Environment (3:3)
Interdisciplinary course in social entrepreneurship and envi- ronmental sustainability. Explore models for designing and implementing entrepreneurial projects that respond to social, economic, environmental, and justice issues through direct ac- tion and evaluation. (Same as BUS 540, CPS 540, ENT 540, SWK 540, and WGS 540)
555 Relational Communication and the Hollywood Feature Film (3:2:3)
Analysis and application of the images, discourses, and prac- tices concerning human communication and relationships as they are represented in the powerful cultural medium of film.
562 Organizational Change: Diversity and Identity (3:3)
Contemporary theory and practices of communication applied to changing organizations. Emphasis on the role of diversity and issues of identity in driving change.
589 Experimental Course
This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings.
599 Communication Pedagogy (3:3)
Seminar focusing on the effect of communication upon learn- ing. For graduate teaching assistants in any discipline, gradu- ates and undergraduates interested in teaching or training. Em- phasis on pedagogical principles and instructional materials.
601 Engaging Communication Theories (3:3)
Pr. admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instructor
Contemporary theories of communication, including interpre- tive, critical, rhetorical, and scientific. Emphasis on engaging social and cultural contexts in which to utilize theory.
602 Engaging Communication Research Methodology (3:3)
Provides a foundation in communication research methodol- ogy. Introduces positivist, interpretivist, and critical research paradigms, and links these to focus groups, in-depth interview- ing, participant observation, and document analysis.
605 Communicating for Social Change (3:3)
Theoretical and practical views on how to work inside and out- side institutions of power to transform values, assert credibility, and mobilize others. Emphasis on how communication creates social change. Topics and emphasis vary by semester.
612 Seminar in Communication Studies (3:3)
Pr. admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instructor
Subject matter varies. May be repeated for credit.
630 Organization, Democracy, and Community (3:3)
Draws upon critical organizational communication and criti- cal/cultural studies to consider the role of communication in creating and sustaining democratic organizing in micro, meso, and macro contexts.
632 Seminar in Communication Ethics (3:3)
Pr. admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instructor
Theory and practice of communication ethics in a free society. Issues and cases ranging from intrapersonal to mass media communication situations.
635 Identity, Culture, and Communication (3:3)
Takes critical/cultural studies approaches to examine how cul- turally significant identity sites such as race, ethnicity, gender, and diaspora are constructed, negotiated, and resisted through communication.
650 Independent Study (1-3)
Pr. admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instruc- tor and major advisor
Topic to be determined by faculty advisor and student.
652 Research Practicum in Communication (1-3:0:3-9)
Pr. permission of Graduate Faculty member with whom student wishes to work
Engagement in communication research with the direct super- vision of a member of the Graduate Faculty. (Graded on an S-U basis.)
659 Communication and Gendered Communities (3:3)
Ways in which communication process constructs gendered communities. Analysis of gendered language codes, speech communities, and messages that transform community.
663 Seminar in Relational Communication (3:3)
Pr. admission to appropriate degree program or permission of instructor
Major interpersonal communication theories and constructs, and methods for investigating them.
698 Capstone Experience in Communication (Final Research Project) (1-3)
Synthesis of theories, research methods, and practices of com- munication that will shape the 21st Century, demonstrated through independent scholarly research (conducted in consul- tation with faculty committee). (Graded on S-U basis)
711 Experimental Course
This number reserved for experimental courses. Refer to the Course Schedule for current offerings.
803 Research Extension (1-3)