Communication and Digital Studies
Degree: B.A., Communication and Digital Studies
Department of Communication and Digital Studies
Communication courses enhance understanding of and skill in oral communication by introducing students to communication theories and by providing opportunities to practice communication in a variety of settings. Courses on the 200-level are performance courses, kept small to allow for individualized instruction.
Courses on the 300-level offer a historical and theoretical approach to the study of human communication behavior and examine how communication activities affect society. Students interested in more intensive training in persuasive speaking can join the University debate team and receive academic credit for participating in regional and national tournaments.
Students who pursue the Communication and Digital Studies major will develop the critical tools to study and use digital technology to effectively communicate in a dynamic new media environment. The interdisciplinary major, which leads to a general liberal arts and studies degree (Bachelor of Arts), provides students with the means to navigate the rapidly changing nature of both communication networks and the world they live in. The course work in this major focuses on new theoretical directions in the field of digital studies, and provides students with a dynamic understanding of how communication practices currently work through digital means and how those practices can be adapted to meet their future needs.
Major Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Communication Core | ||
COMM 205 | Public Speaking | 3 |
COMM 206 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
COMM 340 | Introduction to Rhetoric and Communication | 3 |
COMM 341 | Communication Research Methods | 3 |
COMM 460 | Seminar in Digital Rhetoric | 3 |
Digital Studies Core | ||
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Digital Approaches to Fine Art | ||
Digital Storytelling | ||
Introduction to Computer Science | ||
DGST 101 | Introduction to Digital Studies | 3 |
DGST 395 | Applied Digital Studies | 3 |
Electives | ||
Select four of the following, with at least two at the 300 or 400 level: | 12 | |
Digital Approaches to Fine Art 1 | ||
Digital Video Production | ||
Animation | ||
Experimental Documentary | ||
Multiple Imaging | ||
Approaches to Video Art | ||
Argumentation | ||
Visual Rhetoric | ||
Social Media | ||
Topics in Speech Communication | ||
Not-For-Profit Communication Campaigns | ||
Gender and Communication | ||
Pop Culture | ||
Health Communication | ||
Professional Communication | ||
Digital Storytelling 1 | ||
Introduction to Computer Science 1 | ||
Applications of Databases | ||
Game Programming | ||
3D Computer Graphics | ||
Advanced Web Application Development | ||
Human-Computer Interaction | ||
Tinkering, Hacking, and Making | ||
Creative Coding | ||
Digital Media Studio | ||
Special Topics in Digital Studies | ||
Writing with Digital Media | ||
Introduction to Cinema Studies | ||
Games and Culture | ||
The Literary Journal: Professional Practice in Publishing and Editing | ||
Film, Text, and Culture | ||
Electronic Literature | ||
The Graphic Novel | ||
Seminar in New Media | ||
Archives and Society | ||
Technology and Culture | ||
History of the Information Age | ||
Digital History | ||
News Journalism | ||
Investigative Journalism | ||
Magazine Journalism | ||
Practicum in Journalism (for up to 3 credits) | ||
Technology for Musicians | ||
Principles of Marketing | ||
Digital Marketing | ||
MIDI Composition | ||
Audio Recording | ||
Audio Production | ||
Electroacoustic Techniques | ||
Mass Media Politics | ||
US Political Film | ||
Individual Study | ||
Internship | ||
Total Credits | 36 |
- 1
May be taken as electives if not used in the Digital Studies Core.
General Education Requirements
The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.
Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of BLS general education requirements.
Electives
Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the BLS degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits
Communication and Digital Studies Department
P. Anand Rao, Chair and Career Advisor (Communication)
Zachary N. Whalen, Career Advisor (Digital Studies)
Faculty
Professor
P. Anand Rao
Associate Professor
Adria Y. Goldman
Zachary N. Whalen
Elizabeth A. Johnson-Young
Sushma Subramanian
Assistant Professors
Emily D. Crosby
James [J.D.] D. Swerzenski