Communications Major Program

In the Communications, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Modern Languages Department at MCLA, we educate our students to become effective, adaptable critics and creators of a variety of human discourses - individuals who are comfortable with storytelling across a range of mediums and who want to create stories that inform, entertain, enlighten, and educate. To this end, the department offers a four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

Students majoring in Communications think, study, and write about the multifaceted ways people communicate across cultures. Critical thinking, strong writing and multimedia storytelling skills are at the heart of the Communications major. Courses typically combine hands-on media production with theory across digital media platforms. The Foundation of the program gives students a broad background in media theory and practice, with opportunities to explore forms of storytelling across different media and across cultures. Beyond the Foundation, students choose one or more of the following concentrations: Broadcast Media, Digital Media Innovation, Journalism, or Public Relations & Corporate Communications.

Students graduating with a concentration in Communications will be able to:

• Communicate effectively in oral, written, and other forms of discourse;
• Employ relevant technologies in the production, critique, and presentation of texts;
• Demonstrate an ability to work effectively in collaborative learning and problem-solving environments;
• Craft thoughtful, creative texts that demonstrate a keen sensitivity to language, form, style, and effect;
• Analyze texts closely and critically, demonstrating how languages, style, form, and genre create effects and shape meanings;
• Articulate an understanding of how cultural, historical, and ideological contexts condition both the creation and the reception of texts across time and in today’s complex, diverse world;
• Use various critical methods and theoretical frameworks in scholarly dialogue with others about the interpretations of texts;
• Design and conduct research, applying it to problem-solving and contributing to various forms of public discourse;
• Reflect on how the knowledge and abilities developed in the Communications, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Modern Languages Department transfer meaningfully to other academic and non-academic, real-world situations.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Communications Major Foundation Courses		24
Department Electives		6
COMM 239	Writing and Reporting the News I	3
COMM 305	Magazine Writing and Editing	3
or COMM 328	Issues in Journalism
COMM 321	News Media Practicum	1-6
COMM 339	Writing and Reporting the News II	3
Two communications electives at 200-level or above:		6
COMM 205	Introduction to Photography
COMM 305	Magazine Writing and Editing
COMM 315	Social Media Strategies
COMM 323	Publication Design and Typography
COMM 328	Issues in Journalism
COMM 337	Advanced Photography
COMM 338	Photojournalism
COMM 405	Data Journalism & Infographics
COMM 427	Senior News Media Practicum 1
COMM 481	Advanced Special Topics in Communications (by subject - may be repeated)
COMM 493	Teaching Assistantship in Communications
COMM 500	Independent Study
COMM 540	Internship in Communications
ENGL 221	Literary Journalism
Total Hours		46-51

¹

Course can be repeated.