CMS Course Descriptions

CMS 102J Introduction to Communication
This course provides students with an overview and brief history of the field of communication, introduces them to theory development and the research process, and illustrates how communication theories can be applied to everyday life. Students will explore communication in a variety of contexts, including intrapersonal, organizational, intercultural, and mass communication.                Cr 3.

CMS 103 Introduction to Media Studies
This course examines the historical, philosophical, technological, economic, political, and social aspects of print (book, magazine, and newspapers) and electronic media (radio, television, film, sound recordings, and the Internet). In addition, the effect of mass media will be explored. Prerequisite: media studies or communication major.            Cr 3.

CMS 130J Interpersonal Communication Skills
Blending research and theory in interpersonal communication, this course provides a thorough introduction to the subject while emphasizing skill development and application. Among the topics to be covered are perception, listening, verbal and nonverbal communication, conversational skills, culture, stages of relational development, and the role of the self in each of these topics. Students will be asked to expand their critical thinking abilities in these areas, thereby enhancing their personal empowerment as a communicator with varied types of individuals.            Cr 3.

CMS 150W The Writing Process
This course provides students with professional writing skills through practice
in techniques and strategies used in a variety of media writing applications. There is
a strong emphasis on the utility of writing as a tool of communicating information,
interpreting media content, and constructing meaning.

Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, college writing, and communication or
media studies majors.                                                                                    Cr  3.

CMS 190 Introduction to Media Production
This course will examine the phases of production and design associated with studio production, video field production, and multimedia production. Course content will also explore media aesthetics. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and communication or media studies major.            Cr 3.

CMS 191 Introduction to Media production Lab
Various production exercises and assignments to illustrate the principles and theories presented in CMS 190. Prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in CMS 190.            Cr 1.

CMS 200 Research Methods in Communication
This course introduces students to methods of inquiry found in the communication and media studies research literature. These methods include experimental design, survey research, textural analysis, and ethnography. The course examines the underlying philosophical assumptions associated with these methodologies as well as their unique strengths and limitations. Students’ conceptual understanding of these methodologies and their ability to become critical consumers of research findings are the major objectives of the course. Prerequisite:  communication or media studies major, CMS 102J.            Cr 3.

CMS 205 Topics in Media Writing I
A selection of courses varying in content from term to term. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Students should consult their media studies advisor for detailed descriptions. Prerequisites: communication or media studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 1-3.

CMS 210 Topics in Media Criticism I
A selection of courses varying in content from term to term. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Students should consult their media studies advisor for detailed descriptions. Prerequisites: communication or media studies major,  CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 1-3.

CMS 220 Topics in Media Production I
A selection of courses varying in content from term to term. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Students should consult their media studies advisor for detailed descriptions. Prerequisites: communication or media studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 1-3.

CMS 225 Screenwriting I
In this course, students will learn the process of writing scripts for films. A variety of concept development strategies, writing exercises, script examples, and screenings will be used to encourage students to develop their creative writing skills. Emphasis will be placed throughout the class on the process of screenwriting, from idea formation through writing and revision. Each student will produce a script for a short film. Prerequisites: communication or media studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 255 Business and Professional Communication
Designed to provide students with essential communication skills for business and other professional settings, the course covers interpersonal, group, and public communication. These skills include listening actively, giving and receiving constructive feedback, interviewing others, leading groups, negotiating, and making effective public presentations. The course also includes discussions of gender, cultural diversity, and ethics in the workplace.            Cr 3.

CMS 250W Critical Thinking and Writing
This course will examine various discourses that pertain to mass media, especially those following on the ways creator/audience/critic relationships determine the content of mediated messages. Students will develop literacy in a number of fields (cultural theory, media writing, and production) and build a portfolio of creative and analytical work that is broad in scope and substantive. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, communication or media studies major, or by instructor’s permission.            Cr 3.

CMS 265 Intrapersonal Communication
This course examines our ability to use what we know and feel in order to send, receive, and store information. Whether stimuli come from an external source or from within the self, the focus of intrapersonal communication is on the ways in which we process those stimuli, our ability to make sense out of our experiences, to remember, to retrieve information from memory, and to create messages at whatever level of consciousness, and no matter how many people are involved, in face-to-face or mediated communication. Prerequisites: Communication or media studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 272 Persuasion
A course designed to help students understand the basic principles of persuasion. The course deals with persuasion as a social phenomenon. The perspective from which the course is offered is the analysis of persuasion as a behavioral process. As such, the course will investigate the social science research that relates to persuasion. Students will examine the attempts made by others to persuade them, as well as the attempts they make to persuade others. Further, the course will deal with the issue of ethics in persuasion. Prerequisites: Communication or media studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 274W Writing for the Media
This writing-intensive course is designed to provide students with an overview of media writing. Students will be introduced to radio and television commercial writing, broadcast journalism, and fiction and non-fiction scriptwriting. Prerequisites: communication or media studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 275 Theories of Language
The purpose of this course is to instigate thinking about the nature of language. The course is premised upon the conviction that, because language is such a central concern of so many disciplines and because various disciplines have made important contributions to our understanding of it, language can only be studied adequately via an interdisciplinary approach. The student will be introduced to some of the foremost efforts to comprehend language in the fields of psycholinguistics, philosophy, and linguistics. Through these disciplines, we intend to raise and pursue questions concerning the nature of language, its structure and function, its relation to people’s perception of reality, and its relation to the mind. Prerequisites:  Communication or Media Studies major,  CMS 102J and CMS 103.             Cr 3.

CMS 284 Film Appreciation
This course will introduce the student to film aesthetics and appreciation. It assumes that the student has no knowledge of cinema beyond the moviegoing experience. The aim of the course is to survey the fundamental aspects of cinema as an art form and communication vehicle. The power of moving images and their mass-mediated messages will be analyzed. Prerequisites: Communication or Media Studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 294 Television Processes
The purpose of this course is to enhance understanding of TV processes by introducing students to several basic visual aspects of reality as mediated through a camera lens. Topics covered will include techniques of lighting, camera angles, perspective, shot distance, cutting to continuity, and montage. Students will use 35 mm cameras to produce assignments on color slides. These will be used in class discussion in conjunction with illustrations taken from magazines that demonstrate the same techniques. In addition to learning some rudiments of visual language, students will examine visual persuasive strategies. The course is open to all communication majors who have access to a 35 mm camera with manual controls. Automatic camera controls are optional. Prior experience with photographic procedures is helpful but not necessary since all students will receive instruction leading to a working knowledge of photographic techniques. Prerequisites: Communication or Media Studies major,  CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 300 Topics in Media Writing II
A selection of courses varying in content from term to term. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Students should consult their media studies advisor for detailed descriptions. Prerequisites: Communication or Media Studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 1-3.

CMS 303 Media Effects
This course will examine the effects of mass media upon individuals and societies. It will explore such questions as who is affected, what effects occur and how much, which media content is involved, and what situations make effects more or less likely to take place. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and a communication or media studies major.            Cr 3.

CMS 305 Writing Opinion: Editorials and Columns
This is a writing intensive course that provides students with the basic skills for writing editorials, columns, and journalistic essays. The emphasis is on economical, persuasive, and strongly argumentative styles of writing. Students will read, analyze, and discuss throughout the semester the work of a leading U.S. essayist/columnist. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 310 Topics in Media Criticism II
A selection of courses varying in content from term to term. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Students should consult their media studies advisor for detailed descriptions. Prerequisites: Communication or Media Studies major, CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 1-3 .

CMS 315 Broadcast Newswriting
This course introduces the basics of newswriting for television. It stresses brevity and conversational style of writing. Students will learn how to write TV news story scripts, beginning with simple news scripts (readers) and closing with complex scripts (packages). By providing the basics, the course prepares students for an internship with a broadcast news organization. It also offers practical advice on obtaining a job in broadcasting. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 320 Topics in Media Production II
A selection of courses varying in content from term to term. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Students should consult their media studies advisor for detailed descriptions. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 1-3.

CMS 325 Screenwriting II
Students will continue to build skills in dramatic story structure, visual storytelling, character, dialogue, conflict enhancement, effective description, and theme development. Each student will produce a draft of a feature length screenplay. Prerequisite: MES 225.            Cr 3.

CMS 330 Theories of Interpersonal Communication
A study of the current thinking in interpersonal communication which emphasizes specific theories of human interaction. Students will be exposed to research in the interpersonal setting and will apply findings to their personal relationships. The course will help students foster effective traditional and nontraditional relationships with a variety of people. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 332 Communication in the Family
This course examines the role of communication in various family types. Students will be introduced to research and theory on the family and will apply findings to their own lives. Topics covered will include family satisfaction, communication rules, decision making, values, structures, autonomy, and conflict. Students will be asked to draw upon their family backgrounds for analysis and discussion. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 340 Field Video Production
This course is primarily concerned with the development of critical evaluation skills needed in assessing and analyzing the video medium as a communication vehicle. Students will engage in actual video production projects. Prerequisite: MES 190 and MES 191.            Cr 3.

CMS 341 Field Video Production Lab
This lab will provide students with hands-on experience with digital video cameras, production equipment, and digital, non-linear editing software. Students must concurrently be enrolled in MES 340. Prerequisites: MES 190 and MES 191.            Cr 1.

CMS 345 Small Group Communication
This course is designed to familiarize students with the theories and techniques associated with group behavior. The course explores the topics of leadership, conflict resolution, group climate, and decision making. Through simulations and exercises students learn methods for analyzing group process and their own behavior. Students’ findings are reported in preliminary and final papers. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 350 The Internet and Society
This course explores the worldwide network of computers linked to form a new medium of communication—the Internet. Course content will include the computer as a tool of communication, and how the Internet influences communication in such ordinary areas of life as work, interpersonal relations, and education. Students must have access to the Internet to participate in this course. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103 or instructor permission.            Cr 3

CMS 355 Consumer Culture
This course explores U.S. commercial culture from historical and theoretical perspectives that privilege media and advertising/marketing. It engages critical perspectives that question consumer culture. The course focuses on the historical development of consumer culture, and how identity, the environment and economy, are impacted and shaped by it.
Prerequisites:  CMS 102J AND CMS 103 and Communication or Media Studies major.

CMS 370 Media Social Change
This course analyzes how news media coverage affects social change. Students explore how and why the media cover social movements the way they do, and look closely at news coverage of the civil rights, black power, antiwar, women’s and men’s movements. Both print and TV news are examined through readings, discussion and original research. Prerequisites: Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103 and Communication or Media Studies major.            Cr 3.

CMS 380 Film Genres
This course will explore a genre found in film history. The genre selected for any given semester could be taken from such established ones as science fiction, horror, screwball comedies, musicals, or film noir. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and  CMS 284 and Communication or Media Studies major.            Cr 3.

CMS 374 Media Criticism and Aesthetics
This course introduces students to the variety of critical approaches applied to the analysis of media. The content of this course will focus on traditional and contemporary analysis of media. The aim of this course is to provide a critical context for the consumption of media content. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103 and Communication or Media Studies major.            Cr 3.

CMS 375 Meaning and Communication
This course examines the assignment of meaning to verbal behavior, especially conversational exchange. Researchers have paid special attention to the ways in which words and actions take on meaning in context. We will focus on the full communicative event involving talk, i.e., context, pragmatics, grammatical structures, conversational structures, and types of meaning. A central question of the course is: How do people interpret what other people say? The course makes use of close reading and discussion of theory as well as the collection and analysis of naturally occurring spontaneous spoken and written discourse. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 380 Film Genres
This course will explore a genre found in film history. The genre selected for any given semester could be taken from such established ones as science fiction, horror, screwball comedies, musicals, or film noir. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and  CMS 284 and Communication or Media Studies major.            Cr 3.

CMS 385 Intergenerational Communication and the Internet
There are three major components to this course: 1) mentoring a senior citizen who is learning to use the Internet; 2) learning about mentoring through hands-on experience, reading, writing, and discussion of the process; and 3) writing a research paper on a topic relevant to intergenerational communication. Students in this course will mentor students enrolled in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute course, Internet for Seniors (or other similar course). In addition, each student will read research on intergenerational communication and write a research paper. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 384 Film and Cultural Studies
This course will investigate how the discipline of cultural studies can be applied to the analysis and criticism of film. Students will read influential essays by writers such as Roland Barthes, Stuart Hall, and Teresa de Lauretis and discuss the implications of these writings for the study of the film medium. During the semester, students will view and critique films from a cultural studies perspective. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, COM 284 and Communication or Media Studies.            Cr 3.

CMS 390 Theories of Organizational Communication
This course is designed to introduce students to organization theory and behavior through the medium of metaphor. Using different metaphors, the course draws attention to significant aspects of the process of organizing, and provides a means for understanding and managing organizational situations. Students are responsible for conducting on-site field studies and preparing written and oral presentations of their findings. Prerequisites: CMS 102J and CMS 103.            Cr 3.

CMS 394 Theories of Film
The emergence and evolution of the film medium are traced through the writings and teachings of both the classic and the modern theorists/film-makers, from several perspectives: humanistic, ideological, and technical. The course focuses on the contributions of historical trends, film genres, major schools of thought, and the works of selected individuals in shaping a concept of what the medium of film is, how it operates as a language, how it relates to reality and what functions it serves. Students will apply these notions in their examination of the often conflicting relationships among the various theories as well as between film theory and film criticism. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, COM 284 and major in Communication or Media Studies.            Cr 3.

CMS 400 Senior Project
This course offers graduating seniors in media studies an opportunity to complete a substantive piece of work in preparation for graduate work or professional placement. Students are also required to complete a media portfolio (résumé, personal narrative, and sample media-related work). Students will present their work to an audience of faculty and peers. Students will further develop career strategies by participating in professional development workshops. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103,  Media Studies major,  and senior standing.            Cr 3.

CMS 420 Communication and Cognition
A seminar designed to explore the relationship between communication and thought processes. The nature of consciousness is explored through a consideration of the acquisition, retention, and retrieval of information. Special attention is given to experimental analysis of thought processes. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and junior or senior standing.             Cr 3.

CMS 430 Communication Internship
An in-depth experience in specific areas of communication acquired in the field. Students will focus their efforts in an area related to their choice of communication expertise (i.e., organizational communication, mass communication, interpersonal communication). Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103. and a precise definition of the project and director’s consent. Pass/Fail only. Restricted to Communication majors, or permission of the instructor.            Cr var.

CMS 432 Topics in Interpersonal Communication
This seminar is designed to investigate significant issues in interpersonal communication. The course will be theoretical in nature, exploring a particular topic in depth each semester. Topics vary from semester to semester. Such topics as conversational analysis, friendship, deception, relationship termination, and conflict may be selected for the course. A research project is required. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, CMS 200, and COM 330.            Cr 3.

CMS 440 Advanced Field Video Production
This course continues to explore the concepts introduced in MES 340 and MES 240. Students will investigate pre-production planning, production techniques, and post-production execution in order to communicate clearly in the video medium. More complex assignments will be given to hone skills in writing, directing, and producing. Prerequisites: MES 190, MES 191, MES 340, and MES 341.            Cr 3.

CMS 441 Advanced Field Production Lab
This lab will focus on advancing the skills and concepts taught in MES 340/341. This lab will consist of workshops and exercises in image and sound acquisition using digital video cameras and production equipment, as well as advanced video editing principles and techniques using editing software. Students must be concurrently enrolled in MES 440. Prerequisites: MES 190, MES 191, MES 340, and MES 341.            Cr 4.

CMS 450 Service Learning Practicum
This course gives students the opportunity to work with organizations outside the University in a professional context.  Students will be divided into groups and will work with nonprofit organizations to develop projects, such as a multimedia presentation, a video, or a research report.  Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, Media Studies major, and senior standing.            Cr 3.

CMS 455 Computer-Mediated Communication Research
This senior seminar makes use of the Internet for two main purposes: (1) to gather research findings, and (2) to present research findings as a home page. Students will learn how to use the Internet for its scholarly resources and how to express their research report as a home page. In essence, students will use a new medium to do an old job: to read and critically evaluate research, and to present a summary or final research report. Research found online and offline will be critiqued. Prerequisite: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and junior/senior standing.             Cr 3.

CMS 475 Discursive Practices
This is a senior seminar in which each student designs and carries out an empirical research project to study “talk activities that people do,” such as person-referencing practices, or narratives; it may focus on single features that may be named and pointed to (e.g., speech acts) or it may reference sets of features (dialect, perspective). Students will examine how identities are associated with talk activities. Discursive practices may focus on something done by an individual or they may refer to actions that require more than one party. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, Communication Major, and junior/senior standing.            Cr 3.

CMS 484 Topics in Film
This course is a senior seminar designed to explore a particular topic in film communication. The professor designated to teach the course during any given semester will select an area of interest to explore with students. Such topics as film and society, women in film, and the silent cinema are areas that could be selected. Class sizes are limited in order for students to participate in discussion and contribute to the group’s synergy. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, CMS 284 and junior or senior standing in the Communication or Media Studies major.             Cr 3.

CMS 485 Sex-Related Differences in Communication
This seminar on sex-related differences in communication is designed primarily to evaluate critically the research literature. It is concerned with whether or not males and females differ in their actions of sending, receiving, and interpreting messages. The course examines gender-role stereotyping, empirical findings on sex-related differences in communication behavior (e.g., talking, interpersonal style, touching, eye contact, etc.), and explanations for sex differences. Critiques of some major theoretical positions are discussed (e.g., sex differences in dominance, aggression, cognition, and brain organization). Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and junior or senior standing.             Cr 3.

CMS 486 Women in Film
This course will explore the depiction of women in film. Films will be analyzed in the context of the political and ideological subtexts they contain. The purpose of the analysis is to understand a film and to be able to relate it to the society that it reflects and sometimes affects. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and junior or senior standing.            Cr 3.

CMS 490 Theories of Mass Communication
A discussion of significant factors related to communication theory. Contemporary theories of mass communication, the mass media, audience analysis, and the role of mass communication in society will be among the topics examined in the course. Students elect to examine an aspect of mass communication that is of interest to them, and present their findings in research papers and projects. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, and junior or senior standing.             Cr 3.

CMS 491 Independent Study
A concentrated program of research or study on a particular topic approved and guided by a Department faculty member. The student and faculty member will have periodic conferences throughout the semester to discuss the progress and outcomes of the student’s work. Prerequisites: Communication or Media Studies majors, junior or senior standing, and faculty approval.            Cr 3-6.

CMS 492 Internships in Media Studies
This course offers students the opportunity to develop media expertise by working
with professionals in the field.  Typically, the intern will work closely with a mentor
in a sponsoring organization to gain practical skills and to develop strategies for
transitioning from college to professional placement.  An application process is required.
Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, Media Studies major, junior/senior standing.
Cr. Variable (1-6 per internship; 15 total).

CMS 495 Theories of Communication
This course is designed for upperclass students who are majoring or minoring in communication studies. Based on a seminar format, students in this course will explore in depth several advanced theories of communication, mechanistic through interactive, with examples and application for each. Prerequisites: CMS 102J, CMS 103, CMS 200, COM 265 or COM 375, CMS 272, CMS 330 or CMS 332, CMS 390 and junior or senior standing.             Cr 3.