Civility, Advocacy, and Engaging Publics
The very nature of our culture and institutions (e.g., values, structures, ideas, and practices) are created, challenged, changed, and maintained through communication. Every new idea, product, and practice was initially created and instituted through communication. Therefore, this area of emphasis focuses students on the processes through which ideas are developed, disseminated, advocated, and adopted.
This focus should effectively prepare students for positions in areas such as professional speaking, public information dissemination, community organizing, non-profit leadership, advertising, public relations, diplomacy and foreign service, and political communication in both domestic and international contexts. Students interested in this area of emphasis should also consider enrolling in the Certificate in Civil Communication.
Some students go on to law school or other areas of graduate study.
A. Required Core Courses:
| COM 321 | Rhetorical Theory and Research |
| COM 421 | Rhetoric of Social Issues |
B. Recommended Elective Courses:
| COM 222 | Argumentation |
| COM 316 | Gender and Communication |
| COM 320 | Communication and Consumerism |
| COM 323 | Communication and Popular Culture |
| COM 325 | Advanced Public Speaking |
| COM 326 | Court Room Oratory |
| COM 327 | Civil Communication |
| COM 426 | Political Communication |
| COM 394 or COM 494 |
Relevant Special Topics Courses |