Goucher College 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalogue

Nov 27, 2024

Goucher College 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalogue PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived catalog. Programs are subject to change each academic year.

Communication Major

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In order for students to declare the major, they must have college writing proficiency and have earned a C+ in COM 105 “Introduction to Communication Studies” or COM 132 “Writing for Film, Television, and Radio”.

For students entering the major as of Fall 2011:

All students must complete a total of 41 credits within the major

Requirements are as follows:

COM 105 - Introduction to Communication Studies (3 Cr.) (should be taken during the first year; needs to be taken before enrolling in 200-level courses.)
COM 132 - Writing for Film, Television, and Radio (3 Cr.) (needs to be taken before enrolling in 200-level courses in history, theory, and analysis).
COM 262 - Research Methods in Communication Studies (3 Cr.) (to be taken sophomore year after achieving college writing proficiency. Student needs to earn a B- or above for departmental writing proficiency.)
Three 300-level courses. At least two of these 300-level courses must center on critical/theoretical or historical issues (can be taken only after achieving departmental writing proficiency and meeting 200-level prerequisites)
COM 290
- An off-campus internship of three or four credits in a field relevant to communication studies (to be taken after achieving at least nine credits in the major)

Three of the following 200-level theoretical courses

(to be taken during the sophomore and junior years and after completion of COM 105 and achieving college writing proficiency):

Note:

With the approval of the major adviser, each student may take up to two courses in one or more of the support fields in other academic departments; these courses may then be used as part of the total requirement of 41 credits for the major. An independent research course is also available for juniors and seniors with a minimum 3.5 overall GPA who wish to do an in-depth study of one specific topic within the communication discipline. Students may also earn up to eight credits in applied video with the permission of the instructor and adviser.

Writing Proficiency in the Major

Students are required to take COM 132 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 Departmental 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- and 300-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 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 department’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.