Bachelor of Science in Organizational Communication

This course focuses on introducing, developing, and refining the communication skills necessary for success in professional and academic arenas. The types of professional and academic writing students will undertake will include business and technical writing (e.g., memos, letters, reports); academic writing (e.g. research papers, position papers, response papers); and electronically mediated communication (e.g. email, telephone). All writing projects will emphasize the processes of drafting, revising, and editing. While the course will focus principally on honing written communication skills, students will also engage in individual and collaborative oral communication projects. Additionally the course will introduce information and strategies that will help working adult learners to succeed in college.

Offered in the Adult Undergraduate program only.

An introductory study of theories, models, and key variables of communication within the context of interpersonal relationships. Using primarily an experiential approach, the course covers topics including verbal and nonverbal processes, listening and feedback, communication competence, and goals.

This course will explore theories, processes, and variables that explain and predict communication behavior in complex organizations. A major emphasis of the class will be on application of these concepts to actual organizational contexts.

Offered in the Adult Undergraduate program only.

This course is intended to serve as a general introduction for majors and interested students to the theories and research questions investigated by social scientists interested in the processes of human communication.

Students will explore components of leadership theory, skills, and behaviors, and will examine and practice effective communication behaviors as related to leadership processes and roles.

This course is a general introduction to research methods most commonly used in the Communication discipline. Students will learn how to identify, understand, and appropriately employ a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Students will learn how to critically analyze and evaluate journal articles from Communication and related disciplines. This course will prepare students to complete research projects and use scholarly writing in future courses as well as in their careers. This course is quite similar to the COMM 150 Research Methods course taught in CLAS, however, given the age, experiences and aspirations of the Adult Undergraduate Program students, a special effort will be made to provide a focused application to the organizational setting.

Offered in the Adult Undergraduate program only.

Prerequisite(s): COMM 100 Introduction to Organizational Communication and COMM 130 Communication Theory.

This course will develop competent participation and facilitation of group communication processes. Students will study theories, models, and key variables of communication within groups, and will participate in a variety of group communication activities.

The course will provide knowledge and skill development relating to essential organizational communication effectiveness including individual, group, organizational and public strategies.

Offered in the Adult Undergraduate program only.

Prerequisite(s): COMM 003 Introduction to Professional and Academic Communication and COMM 100 Introduction to Organizational Communication.

This course is designed to explore the intersection of the theory and practice of communication in an organizational context. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding how organizations function as a part of the larger society. Topics include messages, networks, globalization, environmental influences, communication roles, technologies, organizational communication diagnosis, and change.

Offered in the Adult Undergraduate program only.

Prerequisite(s): Senior standing and COMM 151 Communication Research Methods.

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the uniqueness of cultures and the resulting variations in communication styles and preferences and to provide strategies and skills for successfully communicating across cultural differences. Students will spend at least 20 hours during the semester working with community agencies serving clients from diverse cultures.

This course focuses on a variety of issues a pluralistic society faces in current times. It will reflect upon historical foundations of cultural frameworks in the United States, immigrant cultures, cultural tolerance, empowerment and the close intersections of our global community. In addition, the students will have a chance to reflect upon their own cultural identity, biases, communication issues, and teachings in regards to racism, sexism, language diversity, and ethnocentrism.

Offered in the Adult Undergraduate program only.

This course focuses on constructive individual and group interaction by providing practical strategies for handling complex interpersonal dynamics. Class content weaves theory with skill building to help students explore the nature of conflict and a range of approaches to resolving differences. Students will discover what influences problem solving and decision-making through the application of negotiation, communication, and perceptual skills.

Offered in the Adult Undergraduate program only.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.

A study of the general principles of law as they apply to daily transactions and a consideration of such subjects as contracts, bailments, negotiable instruments, and personal and real property. This is the required business law course for the Business major.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.

This course provides a conceptual framework for understanding behavior within the organization. Students explore behavior at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Units of analysis include personality, leadership, conflict, motivation, power, and politics.

Prerequisite(s): BUS 105.

An in-depth study of current policies and problems in human resource management. Subjects include human resource planning, recruiting, selection, training, management development, compensation, discipline, labor relations, equal employment opportunity laws/regulations, and human resource management policies.

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.

Labor legislation, labor trends, and many controversial and contemporary human resource management problems are explored. The course is taught by case method along with lecture and general discussion of selected topics related to current personnel problems and trends. The cases used are designed to demonstrate the student's ability to apply sound human resource management concepts and principles in arriving at effective and workable solutions to complex contemporary problems.

Prerequisite(s): BUS 270.

A study of the development of types of media including books, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and film. The interaction of these media and their impact on society and the individual are included.

This course provides a practical application of creative strategy, process, and execution. The overall goal is to help students design effective advertisements and commercials in a variety of media including print, television, radio, direct mail, outdoor, and web-based. Students will learn to produce ads for local, regional, national, and international markets.

(Normally offered each semester.)

A study of theories and practices of persuasion within a variety of communication contexts. Students will be expected to apply these concepts to out-of-class persuasive situations.

The course in Public Relations is a study of the nature of public relations, the persons involved, its relationship to public opinion, and the channels communication that are used. Special attention is given to the application of public relations strategies for particular events or organizations.

Students will design and make presentations for a variety of communication contexts and audiences. Both practical skills and theoretical insights will be enhanced. Students will complete major projects related to their professional interests. This class is open to majors.

Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

This course provides an introduction to the project management body of knowledge. It focuses on the project management framework (as described by the Project Management Institute), which outlines basic project management terms and concepts as well as the context for project management, and it provides an overview of the project management process groups and knowledge areas.

This course, when combined with PRO 203, introduces foundational knowledge, skills and tools in each of the nine knowledge areas of project management outlined by the Project Management Institute. This course covers the following knowledge areas: Project Integration Management, Scope Management, Time Management, and Cost Management.

Prerequisite(s): PRO 201.

This course, when combined with PRO 202, introduces foundational knowledge, skills and tools in each of the nine knowledge areas of project management outlined by the Project Management Institute. This course covers the following knowledge areas: Human Resource Management, Communication Management, Risk Management, Quality Management, and Procurement Management.

Prerequisite(s): PRO 201 Introduction to Project Management and PRO 202 Practice Project Management 1.

This course provides the student with the opportunity to explore tools that are available to a project manager. The class combines lab sessions for learning how to use Microsoft Office Project with seminar sessions in which students present tools that they have researched. Students also deepen their knowledge and understanding of a specific area of project management by reading and reporting on a project management textbook that is relevant to their field of interest.

Prerequisite(s): PRO 201 Introduction to Project Management, PRO 202 Practice Project Management 1, and PRO 203 Practice Project Management 2

This course provides the students with the opportunity to experience the rigors of a disciplined project management process by working on a project from initiation through closing. Students are assigned to teams and given a project to complete. They apply the knowledge, skills, tools and techniques that they learned in previous courses of the project management curriculum to complete the project.

Prerequisite(s): PRO 201 Introduction to Project Management, PRO 202 Practice Project Management 1, PRO 203 Practice Project Management 2, and PRO 204 Exploring Tools for Project Management.

In this course students demonstrate and further develop their project management knowledge and skills by completing a small project in which they explore an area of project management that is relevant to their own life situation. They will identify a relevant project, create a combined charter and plan, implement the project and write a lessons learned report.

Prerequisite(s): PRO 201 Introduction to Project Management, PRO 202 Practice Project Management 1, and PRO 203 Practice Project Management 2

Students examine the process of achieving organizational goals by working with people and other organizational resources. Students explore the history of management and the environment in which managers operate. Classroom discussion focuses on the basic managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.

Students examine the role of marketing in society with an introduction to the fundamentals of strategic marketing planning and the development of the marketing mix. Topics include buyer behavior, market segmentation, distribution, pricing policies, communication strategies, and product development.

This course is taught from the leader's decision-making perspective with an emphasis on the marketing manager's role in the development and analysis of goal-oriented marketing strategies. Students explore how marketing decisions impact the overall development including market research, promotion, pricing, distribution, and competitive strategies.

Prerequisite(s): BUS 107.

Application of behavioral science theories, concepts, methods, and research findings to the understanding and prediction of consumer behavior as the basis for decision making by marketing managers. Designed to provide additional insight into sociological, psychological, and environmental factors affecting the consumer decision process and their importance to marketing strategies.

Prerequisite(s): BUS 107.

Focuses on developing the appropriate mix of promotional tools used in marketing communications, including advertising, sales promotions, public relations, sponsorship, point of purchase, and personal selling. Examines the relationship of promotional strategies to the communication process. Students develop an integrated marketing communications plan for an area business.

Prerequisite(s): BUS 107.

This course investigates ethical issues and moral dilemmas found in the modern business arena. The conflict between an organization's economic performance and its social obligations are studied. Various economic theories, legal regulations, and philosophic doctrines are discussed. Contemporary Western moral philosophy, historic and contemporary Christian ethics, and social theory provide a context for the course. Case studies are integrated throughout the semester.

Students use multidisciplinary business skills to identify, analyze, and execute practical management solutions to the various problems and opportunities of a small business enterprise. The major project is preparation of an actual business plan. Lectures, cases, and guest speakers from the community help provide students a clearer understanding of the link between theoretical studies and the practical world of business.

Prerequisite(s): BUS 001, BUS 105, BUS 107, and junior standing or permission of the instructor.