Fall 2024

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.

Explorations of innovation in the entertainment business. The effects of digital mobile media on TV, movies, music, advertising, social networks and art.

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.

Employs the concept of "celebrity" as an optic through which to view and assess some of the key aspects of the communication revolution.

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.

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.

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.

Value perspectives on communication in varied settings: interpersonal, organizational, and public. Issues of truth and responsibility in family and social interactions, advertising, and governmental communication.

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.

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.

Explores the theory, strategy and practice of assessing and responding to risks and crises, corporate and personal leadership, and follow-up reputation management.

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.

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

Survey of economic, political, and cultural dimensions of the global entertainment marketplace; focuses on the international production and distribution of media products and services.

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

How communication -- interpersonal, mass media, information technologies -- shapes health behavior. Topics: doctor-patient consults; marketing campaigns; health in entertainment, news; internet; social media; mobile devices.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Students follow the ongoing presidential campaign and consider topics such as gender, race, new media, polling, religion, and advertising on election outcomes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Explores ethnography as research mode including theory and practice of ethnographic research; epistemological and political underpinnings of ethnographic research.

Intersection of communication and culture; focus on race, ethnicity, interracial and intraracial relations in shaping political, social dynamics of U.S. in late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Considers science fiction as a genre that has consistently reflected on communication technologies and their consequences and the ways science fiction metaphors have shaped media and cultural theory.

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.