Fall 2019

Social scientific inquiry into human communication; core theories of message production and reception in interpersonal, group and organizational contexts.

Principles and practices of effective oral communication; analysis of the speaking-listening process; selection and organization of speech materials; use of new presentation technologies.

Students address communication issues in a field setting. They will evaluate communication practices using appropriate methodology. Projects are jointly evaluated by internship supervisor and professor. Sophomore standing. Graded: CR/NC. Not for major credit for Communication majors.

Examines cultural institutions, ideologies, artifacts, and productions; role of culture in everyday life; cultural studies as methodology; culture and power.

Economic and political economic principles for the analysis of communication and media industries including broadcasting, newspapers, motion pictures, music, video games, advertising and public relations. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 207 and COMM 208)

Experiential learning and structured practice to build skills in communication effectiveness, problem solving, decision making and self-awareness.

Experimental and survey methods for communication study; basic statistical concepts, procedures, and tests.

Theories and research in social influence; strategies and tactics of persuasive communications in such settings as politics, public relations, advertising, business.

Analysis of face-to-face interaction; role of communication in the development, maintenance and destruction of relationships; communication processes in managing interpersonal conflict.

Students learn to be consumers rather than creators of social science research. Examines the challenges and opportunities of communicating research through mass media.

Music as inter-cultural communication and method for exploring race and ethnicity in the constitution of American culture and American self; role of music industry.

Nature and functions of communication in human conflict; development of communication skills for managing conflict productively in interpersonal, organizational and intercultural contexts.

Cultural, social, political, and economic dynamics of communication technologies, including internet architecture, social media, participatory cultures, privacy, surveillance, networked journalism, big data, algorithms, online activism. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 202)

Interplay between media and society, including family and children's socialization, inter-group relations and community, pornography and violence, gender and race, media ethics, conduct of politics.

Humanistic approaches to inquiry in communication; qualitative research techniques; core theories of message production and reception in social, political, and mediated contexts. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 201)

Survey of mass communication research; history, content, effects, theories, and policy implications of various media. (Duplicates credit in former COMM 203)

Group process theories relevant to communicative behavior in small group/team settings, including information exchange, decision making, leadership, and meetings; student team projects testing theoretic propositions.

Basic argumentation theory including analysis. Research and evidence, case construction, refutation; discursive and visual argument; diverse fields of advocacy including law, politics, organizations, interpersonal relations.

Cultural variables and social psychological processes that influence intercultural interaction; relationship between communication and culture in diverse settings including business, medicine, and education.

Explores the role of the media in the LGBTQ revolution that transformed the lives of sexual and gender minorities in the United States.

This course examines philosophies and popular representations of technology from the origins of western culture to the present and identifies the complex attitudes toward technology.

Social and economic impacts of information and communication technologies; social factors that shape technological change; issues include access, privacy, freedom of expression, productivity, democratic control.

Advertising as a mode of communication; US advertising history and institutions; economic and policy contexts (domestic and global); critical analysis of advertising texts

Representations of Los Angeles communicated in diverse media; the city as rhetorical text; analysis of cultural identities, art, architecture, and representations in popular culture.

Theoretical approaches to the study of media consumption and audiences; examines international media and consumption practices; explores new media's impact on consumption.

Cross-national approaches to the study of US and UK media; focuses on news and entertainment media products; examines content, industries, technologies and audiences.

Examination of the modern city as a communicative text with London as the case study.

Students engage with a community partner, bridging classroom learning with "real world" experiences by working within the diverse community surrounding USC.

The study of current and historical battles over the limits of free expression from press and public parks to television, movies, music and cyberspace.

Oral and written communication skills demanded in the workplace including informative and persuasive speeches; interviewing; team communication; and training material preparation. Recommended preparation: COMM 204

Directed individual research studies of contemporary problems. Supervised laboratory experience. Open only to members of the University debate squad.

An inside look at the important stories, topical issues, trends and historical developments related to the growing influence of business and media on college and professional sports; identifying the key components and meeting the influencers in class that help shape the business side of sports, while recognizing the role the media plays in providing daily coverage across multiple platforms.

Rhetorical and critical approaches to sports and public discourse; application to sports organizations, the news and popular media; representations of gender and race in sports.

Popular culture as an indicator of cultural values, a producer and reflection of cultural meaning, and a means of communication; theory and case studies.

How communication processes both create organizations and are constrained by them. Theory and research into topics such as culture, technology, power, leadership and decision-making in a variety of organizational contexts.

Application of critical, sociological and rhetorical theories to sports events and sport media; examination of the role of sports in enacting social change.

Issues of gender in communication, including: mediarepresentations of femininity and masculinity; and gender's rolein communication at the interpersonal, public, and cultural levels.

Advanced readings in communication theory and research (broadly defined); specialized interest areas of individual faculty on the frontiers of knowledge; seminar topics change each semester.

Theory and research in public health communication campaigns; design, implementation, and evaluation; extensive discussion of historical case studies and reasons for success or failure.

Explores food communication as a facilitator of human interaction and cultural diplomacy; controversies regarding food production/consumption; and evolution of food entertainment programming.

Social and political movements as rhetorical phenomena; ideology, organization, and influence of such movements as civil rights, "New Left," feminism, "New Right," environmentalism.

Examines how the City of Los Angeles and other local actors use public diplomacy tools to strengthen ties between themselves and foreign audiences.

This course addresses the practical and theoretical aspects of the international economy that are most relevant to management strategy in the communications industry.

Focuses on global technologies, media, money, and labor in the sport sector. Investigates both deviant and regulatory networks of sport in the context of globalization.

Examines issues of visual images in communication related to history, modernity, cityscapes, news media, advertising, evidence, science, digital technology, and globalization.

Analysis of photographys evolution; new strategies for the photographic image, photo documentary work and global social issues; analysis of images on blogs and web sites.

Money as communication; social scientific analysis of money and financial markets; money and popular culture; the business press; representations of Wall Street in Hollywood cinema.

Examines how race and ethnicity as social categories are shaped by communication media; focuses on how race and ethnicity sustain entertainment and media industries. Prerequisite: COMM 206.

News media as instruments of constructive social change; standards of ethics and aesthetics; interactions between news media and cultural settings; social responsibility of news media personnel.

Examination of the effect of gender stratification in media industries upon the cultural products they create, especially gender and gender/race role portrayals.

Gender and news media evolving images of women and men in print and electronic media. Impact of gender in content and style of news, television and cinema. Open to non-majors.

Problems in political communication: creating an informed electorate, use of mass media, factors in voter persuasion. Guest experts in political analysis, opinion polling, communication evaluation.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduatecredit. Available to juniors and seniors only.

Students gain research experience in the design, implementation, analysis, and reporting of communication research. Students serve as research assistants to faculty members. Not available for graduate credit.

Advanced study of issues in communication; recent developments in communication and rhetorical theories. Open only to students in COMM honors program; recommended for seniors. Recommended preparation: COMM 301L.

Examines social and political controversies over conflicting ethical standards for communication in a variety of media: mass-media, communication technology, and entertainment. Prerequisite: COMM 310.

Selected topics in communication.

Focuses on theories and research in communication and social sciences to bridge disciplines to produce a proposal, business plan, publication, or a research project.

Implications of feminist theory for communication; topics include epistemology, critique of science/technology, women and language, feminist approaches to media and film, women and the workplace. Not open to M.A. in Communication Management majors.

Overview of humanistic and social scientific approaches to the study of communication; emphasis on rhetorical/critical and macro social scientific perspectives. Not open to M.A. in Communication Management majors.

Developing expertise in qualitative methods, including participant-observation, ethnography, discourse analysis and historiography in communication research.

The political, economic, regulatory and technological changes that are together creating a new world information economy. The politics of international telecommunications is emphasized.

Examines models of a democratic public sphere, with special focus on design and use of networked information infrastructures supporting free speech.

Emerging models of audience engagement and participation in a networked culture with a strong focus on grassroots communities and their relationships with cult media content.

Mass media in American political life, including political reporting, election campaigns, non-electoral politics, and the media as a political issue.

Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the school. Graded CR/NC.

Classical and contemporary theories of persuasion, attitude formation and change; impact of cognition, affect and emotions; cultural and group influences; message strategies and framing.

Problems in rhetorical theory and criticism; advanced, specialized interest areas of individual faculty on the frontiers of knowledge.

Examination of health communication efforts for the prevention of diseases or other adverse physical or mental health outcomes by the promotion of behavior change.

Current problems in communication theory and research; advanced, specialized interest areas of individual faculty on the frontiers of knowledge.

Examines the relationship of culture to globalization, ranging from nationalism and colonialism to global cultural products, multinational cultural production, diasporic cultures, global media, and cosmopolitanism.

Interpretive, critical and cultural research in organizational communication; emphasis on narrative approaches to ethnographic studies, critical essays, and quantitative intercultural research in organizational communication.

Advantages and drawbacks to experimental designs and quasi experimental designs for social research and theory building. Emphasis on how to design and report experiments.

A supervised course tailored to specific student interests. The professor and student develop a syllabus that permits exploration of advanced or specialized topics. Graded CR/NC.

Independent research designed to demonstrate the student's ability to conceptualize, conduct, and present scholarly research. Parallel to COMM 794. Graded CR/NC.

Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.