TEACHING
"Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those who you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one: men learn as they teach." - Seneca
MAPC 605: DATA ANALYTICS & RESEARCH STRATEGIES
The purpose of this Master-level course is to teach students' skills to pose answerable empirical questions and develop rigorous research designs in social scientific study. Research is the heart of social inquiry. Thus, the goals of this course are to develop students' ability to think like a communication researcher, critically consider information they read about communication, and apply communication research techniques in their professional and personal lives.
MAPC 604: CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The purpose of this Master-level course is to help students understand the dynamics of interpersonal and organizational conflict. Specifically, this course focuses on the theory and practice of conflict resolution. Students learn conflict theory, conflict styles, conflict analysis, and conflict resolution tactics. Students engage in hands-on simulations and participate in role playing activities to put theory into practice.
SPE 300: STORYTELLING: VOICE, SCRIPT, & MOVEMENT
The purpose of this upper level course is to launch students into the powerful world of storytelling within the forms of writing and performance. Students learn how to “storify” their lives to reap the physical and psychological benefits, practice “story-selling” to sell a product, and participate in a live Story Slam event. This is an advanced public speaking course, theatre course, and writing-intensive course all in one.
SPE 425: PERSUASION, ARGUMENTATION, & CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The purpose of this upper level course is to train students to critically evaluate positions by studying types of argumentation, debate,
proof, and refutation. Students will also learn the essential skills to prepare, organize and assess persuasive statements. In addition to learning theory and practical strategies, students will engage in various forms of conflict resolution, mock debates, and negotiations.
SPE 208: SPEECH FOR BUSINESS AND THE PROFESSIONS
The purpose of this introductory level course is to teach students the public speaking skill needed to be successful in business and professional situations. Students will practice their storytelling skills, create elevator pitches, deliver an informative presentation using a compelling visual aid, develop their personal brand, and present a professional persuasive pitch to sell a product or service.
SPE 200: ORAL COMMUNICATION "HONORS"
The purpose of this honors course is to develop student's skills in critical thinking, rhetorical composition, and speech delivery. The honors component comprises a research emphasis, whereby students are placed in research teams and asked to complete a full research study. At the end of the semester, students are asked to present their research in a formal poster presentation with the ultimate goal of sending the research study to conference and possible publication.
COMM 410: FAMILY COMMUNICATION
The purpose of this upper-level course was to give students the opportunity gain a deeper appreciation for the complexity and power of communication that exists within and around family relationships. This writing-intensive course encourages students to synthesize family communication research findings, discuss these findings in class, and incorporate the findings into their own research project presented in a formal setting at the end of the semester.
COMM 404: PERSUASION
The purpose of this upper-level course was to expose students to the theory and practice of persuasion from a communication perspective. The course aims to help students identify major persuasion concepts and apply them to various practical contexts. Moreover, students are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of persuasive messages and create their own professional persuasive campaigns based on theory.
COMM 308: NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION
The purpose of this mid-level course was to examine the role of nonverbal communication in interactions. The course helps students differentiate nonverbal communication behaviors, identify different contexts as to when these behaviors are perceived as appropriate or inappropriate, and apply their own experiences with nonverbal communication to better understand and improve their everyday interactions.
COMM 104: PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
The purpose of this introductory basic course was to educate students on the principles of communication within a public context. Course goals included critiquing communicative messages, analyzing conflict management, evaluating effective message strategies, and examining ethical issues in communication.
COMM 112: SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION
This introductory course focused on the importance of small group communication with emphasis on developing understanding of the small group communication process and learning how to communicate effectively with group members. This was a service-learning course in which the instructor facilitated student volunteering to work with local community partners.
COMM 105: INTRODUCTION TO MASS MEDIA
This introductory course examined the characteristics of mediated communication and how communication technologies have changed the ways in which we communicate in a global society. Course goals include increasing media literacy, deconstructing electronic media myths, and demonstrating how new media can promote learning and build interpersonal relationships.
COMM 102: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
This introductory course involved the study of concepts and theories of interpersonal communication and focuses on relationships between friends, coworkers, family, and romantic partners. This course utilized a case studies textbook and used a narrative approach to learning.
