Course Descriptions
MA in Corporate Communication
COM 9108
Communication and Information Technology
3 hours; 3 credits
The course covers the nexus of information and communication management. As information becomes, increasingly, the principal "asset" of public organizations, managers will need to know how to develop, control, and capitalize upon that asset. This course will provide students with both a broad overview of information issues in organizational environments and a more focused treatment of information and communication in public organizations.
COM 9139 (PAF 9139)
Communication Strategy
3 hours; 3 credits
This course builds on PAF 9103 Communication in Public Settings, which emphasizes strategic issues in communication. Here students will focus on the management of institutional communication rather than the basics of message design. The goal is to provide public managers with theoretical and practical tools to integrate communicative considerations into institutional decision making. The course will cover the basics of negotiation, consensus building, media selection, and thematic strategy.
COM 9501 (ENG 9501)
Corporations and Media
3 hours; 3 credits
This course will allow both business journalism and corporate communication students an "inside" look at the corporation. Knowledge of structure, organization, decision making, communications, culture, goals, and politics is crucial to students and practitioners in both specialties for very different reasons. The business journalist must know the inside of a corporation in order to report effectively to the public newsworthy events, decisions, and changes in course. The corporate communication specialist must intimately know how a particular corporation or an area of business works so that information most favorable to the outside world can be selected and effectively disseminated. This course will allow students in both programs to familiarize themselves with the internal working of organizations, focusing particularly on those areas of organizational structure where information about an organization is most readily available. Case studies, presentations by corporate executives, and visits to organizations will be an important part of this course.
COM 9505
Media Analysis for Corporate Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
This course will cover the history, organization, ownership, and functioning of print, broadcast, and electronic media with a special emphasis on the coverage of business. Some of the questions addressed include, How are stories selected? What sources are consulted? How do deadlines shape the news? What assumptions go unexamined? How does public relations shape coverage? The institutional contexts and intellectual underpinnings of the practices of business journalists and corporate communication specialists will also be stressed, including a number of historical case studies.
COM 9510
Legal and Ethical Issues in Corporate Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
Students in this course will improve their understanding of the underlying ethical theories and principles that guide journalists and communication specialists, develop their moral reasoning, sharpen their ability to apply various decision-making strategies to a range of ethical problems, and acquire familiarity with the ethical norms of both professions.
COM 9515
Graphic Design for Media Professionals
3 hours; 3 credits
An understanding of the interaction of image and word and the power of that interaction to affect perception and understanding is crucial for the media professional. In this hands-on course in the basics of graphic design, students will explore communication through the juxtaposition of image and word. A design can enhance or harm the ability to communicate. In addition, advancements in technology have simplified image manipulation, which has become a primary means of affecting how people think, something the media professional engages in every day. Students will study the basics of graphic design for print, including the language of type and how image and word interact to create a full message. Students will also explore the manipulation of word and image in electronic and moving media.
COM 9620
Corporate Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
This course will survey the field of corporate communication, with special emphasis on the following areas: corporate image and identity, corporate advertising and advocacy, media relations, financial communications, employee relations, and crisis management. At the completion of this course, students will possess an understanding of the theory, research, and practice associated with these corporate communication functions, all of which will serve as a foundation for more specialized study later in the program.
COM 9625
Corporate culture & Sustainability
3 hours; 3 credits
This graduate seminar focuses on: 1) understanding the global business process, its environments, and cultures; 2) issues created in managing corporate cultures; 3) understanding and working with specific company cultures and sub-cultures; 4) understanding and implementing the social, financial, and environmental reporting guidelines outlined in the Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative. Class work includes individual and group work, including white papers, group projects focused on the analysis and interpretation of corporate cultures and case studies used to analyze the triple-bottom line (social, financial, environmental) reporting practices of successful corporations.
COM 9630
Corporate Media Relations
3 hours; 3 credits
This course examines the theory and practice of state-of-the-art media relations programs in business and industry. Topics to be covered include the nature of the mass media; history of the "business press"; the nature of business "news"; types of messages and channels; relationships with reporters and producers; training corporate spokespeople; and setting up, managing, and evaluating corporate media relations programs.
COM 9635
Research Methods in Corporate Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
Students in this course will learn about qualitative and quantitative research methods commonly employed in corporate communication research, with special attention paid to focus-group techniques and survey methods. At the completion of this course, students will be prepared to employ qualitative and quantitative research methods to address research problems in the corporate setting.
COM 9650
Multinational Corporate Communication and Culture
3 hours; 3 credits
This course is an intensive residency experience held outside the United States with experts and guest lecturers on issues and concepts essential to the understanding of corporate communication and its strategic management in a global environment. Emphasis is on experiential learning through an international setting, guest lectures by international experts, site visits to corporations, participation in cultural events, and an immersion in a multinational business environment. Emphasis is on the evaluation, analysis, and presentation of global concerns, and current international practices of corporate communication and strategic public relations. This seminar provides the student an opportunity to integrate research and an international experience in a professional research written presentation.
COM 9651
Theories of Persuasion
3 hours; 3 credits
This course is designed to familiarize the student with various significant theories and research programs in persuasion, with special attention paid to the applications of these theories and this research in the world of corporate communication. "Persuasion" is an expansive term and therefore difficult to define. At its core, it concerns attempts to cause persons to change their beliefs or desires through the manipulation of symbol systems. This course approaches the study of persuasion from both "humanistic" and social-science perspectives. Accordingly, we will begin our study of persuasion with an examination of classical texts on rhetoric-the first systematic treatment of persuasion in the Western world. Here we will pay special attention to the relationship between persuasion and politics and also to the relationship between persuasion and ethics. Next, we will examine various theories of the human "self" with an eye toward understanding how adherence to one or another of these theories constrains our understanding both of how humans are persuaded and of how "persuadable" human beings are. Drawing on research in psychology, sociology, and cultural anthropology, we will explore the question of whether there are any cultural universals in the way of beliefs or desires, or whether the human self is entirely the construction of a particular social organization. In other words, we will explore the limits (if there be any) of persuasion. Finally, we will examine the role of persuasion in advertising, political campaigns, and social movements. In this section, we will attempt to tie together threads from previous examinations and to explore additional aspects of persuasion, including the extensive research on persuasion and the mass media.
COM 9652
Crisis Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
This course examines the theory and practice of crisis communication in business and industry. Topics to be covered include the nature of crisis in business and industry; the role of public opinion and the media in the crisis process; strategies of crisis management; the role of management communication in crisis management; and the development of crisis management plans. Numerous case studies of crisis communication in business and industry will be analyzed. At the completion of this course, students will be prepared to participate in the management of a corporate crises as a corporate communication specialist.
COM 9653
Investor Relations
3 hours; 3 credits
This course examines the theory and practice of investor relations as corporations both comply with legal requirements for financial communication and compete in the marketplace for investment capital. Topics covered include types of financial information, SEC requirements/guidelines, and the design of annual reports and other communications directed to shareholders and prospective shareholders, especially Web sites. At the completion of this course, students will possess a sufficient understanding of the theory, research, and practice of investor relations to work with other specialists in a corporate investor relations program.
COM 9654
Employee Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
This course will focus on understanding the various models of strategic communication in the organization. It will consider such goals for internal communication as sustaining morale and goodwill between employees and management; informing employees about internal changes, such as reorganization; communication of compensation and benefit information; communication to increase employee understanding of a company's products, organization, ethics, culture, external environment; and changing employee attitudes and behavior. Finally, the management of effective internal communication programs will be addressed.
COM 9655
Corporate Advertising, Image, and Identity
3 hours; 3 credits
This course examines the nature of corporate image and reputation, the process of managing corporate identity process, and the role of corporate (nonproduct) advertising in a corporate communication program. Students will receive a sufficient understanding of the theory, research, and practice of corporate advertising, image, and identity to enable them to plan, manage, and evaluate corporate programs in this area.
COM 9656 (IBS 9756)
International Business Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
Analysis of the process of business communication across cultures and nations. Special attention is given to the impact of differences in language, nonverbal communication, social and political organization, and customs of how firms interact with their employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators, and other relevant factors. Methods include the presentation and discussion of concepts as well as experiential learning situations such as communication exercises, role playing, and case studies.
COM 9657
Video Production for Corporate Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
This course in the theory and practice of video communication familiarizes students with the critical skills of moving-image analysis as well as with the technologies of the television studio, field recording, and video editing room. Students will learn the principles and techniques of scriptwriting and preproduction, studio and field recording, and audio and video postproduction through a series of written assignments and individual and group production projects. The relationships among film, video, and digital media will also be explored in this course.
COM 9658
Reputation Management
3 hours; 3 credits
What are the key drivers of corporate reputation? How do companies and NGOs sustain and enhance their reputations? How do these entities respond to reputation threats and why do some survive those threats while others do not? These are among the topics that will be covered in the reputation management seminar. Through case studies, student presentations, intensive class discussion and guest lectures by practitioners on the firing line, seminar participants will develop a sophisticated understanding of reputation, its fragility, and how to navigate through times, almost inevitable for every organization, when bad things threaten to undermine both reputation and, sometimes, the organization's very existence.
COM 9660
Selected Topics in Corporate Communication
3 hours; 3 credits
COM 9800
Internship in Corporate Communication
140 hours; 3 credits
Students work within an organization under the supervision of both their professional mentors and the internship coordinator. Internship fields in Corporate Communication include: Public Relations, Media Relations, Investor Relations, Advertising, Human Resources, Government Relations, and Public Affairs. This experience must incorporate at least 140 experiential (work) hours during the semester.
Prerequisite: Departmental Permission. The internship is reserved for graduate students in Corporate Communication who have completed at least 24 credits and/or are in their 3rd semester in the program. All students must have at least 3.0 GPA. Students should arrange an interview with the internship coordinator during the prior semester.
COM 9901
Masters Thesis in Corporate Communication
3 credits; 3 hours
The Masters Thesis is a significant work of scholarship—incorporating a literature review, methodology, analytical procedures, and findings—that integrates the range of corporate communication theory, practice, and management presented throughout the program. The Thesis enables the student to: conduct extensive research in a subject of interest in the field; apply his or her knowledge of corporate communication; demonstrate professional capabilities acquired during the program; and display an ability to undertake further scholarly work beyond the master’s level in the academic field of communication studies or a related discipline. The students will also have an opportunity to report the results of his or her research in a clear, professional, and comprehensive way to an appropriate audience.
COM 9902
MA Capstone Project in Corporate Communication
3 credits; 3 hours
The MA Capstone Project is a research based work—such as a case-study, article-length paper, or sample corporate communication strategy—that integrates the range of corporate communication theory, practice, and management presented throughout the program and enables the degree candidate to: conduct research in a subject of interest in the field; apply knowledge of corporate communication acquired in the program; and demonstrate professional capabilities acquired during the program. The MA Capstone Project also requires the student to present the results of his or her research in a clear, professional, and comprehensive way to the university and professional communities at a colloquium.
