Goucher College 2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalogue

Dec 06, 2025

Goucher College 2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalogue PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived catalog. Programs are subject to change each academic year.

Communication Major

In order for students to declare the major, they must have college writing proficiency and have earned a C+ in COM 105 “Introduction to Media and Communication Studies” or COM 232 “Writing for Film, Television, and Radio”.

All students must complete a total of 42 credits within the major

Requirements are as follows:

COM 105 - Introduction to Media and Communication (4 Cr.)
COM 232 - Writing for Film, Television, and Radio (4 Cr.)
COM 262 - Research Methods in Media Studies (4 Cr.) (minimum grade of B- in COM 262 required to count for CMS major)

Three 300-level courses in theory, history, or analysis, from the following list:

Three 400-level courses, two of which have to be in theory, history, or analysis from the following list:

COM 401 - Topics in Media and Communication (4 Cr.)
COM 405 - Topics in World Cinema (4 Cr.)
COM 417 - The Documentary (4 Cr.)
COM 421 - The Internet (4 Cr.)
COM 425 - Women and Film (4 Cr.)
COM 430 - Queer Film and Media (4 Cr.)
COM 435 - Global Media (4 Cr.)
COM 440 - Media and Politics (4 Cr.)
COM 499 - Independent Study (2 or 4 Cr.)
The third 400-level course can be studies- or skills-oriented.

Internship

COM 390 - Internship in Communication (0-4 Cr.)

Note:

Majors have to take at least 15 credits at advanced levels. This can be done in two ways:

1. Three 400-level, 4 credit courses AND 3 credits of internship

2. Three 400-level, 4 credit courses AND 2 credits of internship and 1 credit of Capstone Project within the major.

Writing Proficiency in the Major

Students are required to take COM 232 and COM 262 and achieve a grade of B- or better in COM 262 to be granted writing proficiency in the major. To achieve writing proficiency, students are expected to master the ability to

write grammatically correct, syntactically sophisticated sentences and construct cohesive, effective paragraphs consistently and spontaneously;
research and integrate information from multiple sources; and
provide substantial and appropriate support for theses and propositions and demonstrate the correlating ability to develop and write well-reasoned arguments of merit in the field of communication studies.
Students who fail to obtain writing proficiency in the major twice, will be dropped from the major.

Qualifications Required to Graduate with Honors

Honors are decided by a vote of the full-time and half-time faculty just prior to Commencement each year. The following guidelines are used to determine honors:

Students must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.67 in all 200-, 300-, and 400-level courses taken in the major to be considered for honors.
No student will be considered for honors who has taken any 200- or 300-level course for the major beyond the 100-level pass/no pass, except for those courses that can only be taken on a pass/no pass basis (internship and applied video).
Students must demonstrate via their course work or a senior thesis either (1) a superior grasp of communication and media studies theory, criticism, and/or history, or (2) creativity and substance in an applied skill.
Students must complete a variety of rigorous courses in the major and should take courses from many of the full-time faculty.

Multiple Failed Courses

It is the program’s policy that students majoring in communication must receive at least a C- in every course taken toward the completion of the major. Any student who receives a grade below C- in more than two courses will not be permitted to continue in the major.