Fall 2023

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.

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

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.

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.

Forms of civic life; opportunities and obstacles in forming, participating in, and disrupting community; issues of knowledge, power, identity; theories/methods of rhetorical analysis and production.

Survey of mass communication research; history, content, effects, theories, and policy implications of various media.

Examines the various stages of K-pop's transformations and related issues in the process of its rise as a global popular culture.

Behavioral approaches to health communication; communication competencies in health care settings, theories of risky behaviors and behavioral change programs.

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.

Social media within the broader social, political, and historical contexts; key themes include labor, Web 2.0, self-branding, celebrity, participation, privacy, online shaming, and activism.

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.

Introduces students to critical analyses of media texts, industries and technologies that shape the lives of Latinx communities in the United States.

Theories of communication and persuasion in ancient Greece and Rome; cultural and social contexts of classical rhetorical theory; major historical figures and concepts.

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 a rhetorical text; analysis of cultural identities, art, architecture and representations in popular culture.

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, online and social media.

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.

Explores social, political and ethical issues in elite sports and how issues are addressed through popular media; examination includes the relationship between sports and politics.

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.

Fashion as a form of communication and culture; fashion's role in identity, body politics, art, nationhood, celebrity and Hollywood culture, youth cultures and subversive practices.

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

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.

Examines laws and regulatory policies shaping new media, especially the Internet; impact of regulation on development and use of communication technology.

Genres of religious communication, including sermon, prayer, ritual, polemic, and revival. Impact of technological and cultural change on religious advocacy, beliefs, and practices.

How religion, ethics and spirituality are embedded, embodied and emplotted in television drama; how secular texts represent "lived religion" to increasingly diverse audiences.

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

Examines music's unique characteristics as a communicative form and the cultural, economic, political and social influences in music interpretation and production.

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.

Analysis of photography's evolution; new strategies for the photographic image, photo documentary work and global social issues; analysis of images on blogs and Websites.

Examines American business culture; platforms; data capitalism; Silicon Valley; venture capital, startup cultures (United States, China, Sub-Saharan Africa); neoliberalism; innovation diffusion; "Techlash," investing and online communities.

Explores blurring of entertainment, marketing and culture in advanced information economies; intersections of culture and media and their social ramifications.

Exploration of youth media and culture, including television, movies, video games, toys, magazines, music, social media. Examines representations of youth and youth as audience.

Communication about environmental controversies in the public sphere: history of environmentalism; forms of citizen participation; media coverage; advocacy campaigns and movements; scientific and industrial discourses.

Critically examines four key dimensions of the Anthropocene -- climate change, mass extinction, reproductive justice and pandemics -- from a cultural studies approach.

Theory and research; examination of the influence of environmental factors, physical behavior, and vocal cues on human communication.

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.

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.

Overview of humanistic and social scientific approaches to the study of communication; emphasis on macro and micro social scientific, symbolic, and structural 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.

Explores cybersecurity, privacy, network neutrality and other critical issues in internet governance through the lenses of international political economy and media theories.

Learn to harness the power of data science and computational techniques to study social and communication networks and extract value, knowledge and insights from big data.

Comparative analysis of social, cultural and political impacts of communication technology and media; emphasis given to communication's influence in the social dimensions of globalization.

A survey of scholarship about the relationship between money and culture, with emphasis on poststructural accounts of neoliberalism.

Addresses specific topics and issues in sociotechnical models of knowledge, power and society related to communication and media.

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.

Conduct original or revised global media and communication research thesis projects for submission to academic journals and conferences.

Evaluation of research about communication in patient care, health campaigns for diverse publics, tools for disease management, and outreach to producers in mass media.

Learning how to conduct (and write up) a meta-analysis using comprehensive meta-analysis software tools to enter and analyze data for meta-analysis.

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

Advanced research seminar examining the interaction between communication technology, society, economy, politics, and culture from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives. Not available for degree credit for M.A. in Communication Management students. Not available for Communication Management M.A. students.

An exploration of theoretical, technical, and political implications of cross-disciplinary scholarship rooted in cultural studies.

Principles of survey construction and validation; format selection, sampling, question wording, adaptation for international audiences, response option formats, order, and avoiding acquiesence bias and breakoffs.

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.