In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences .
Course Offerings
The Department of Communication begins from the premise that, to understand communication in its many forms and contexts, it should be understood as a fundamentally social phenomenon. Communication is a process engaged in by people, between people, and with the aim of influencing people. It happens inside of real social contexts, whether that be communities, organizations, teams, or cultures. It happens with the aid of technologies that are themselves a product of the social world. For us, this means the study of communication draws its theoretical strength and methodological rigor from the social sciences. We are therefore committed to engaging in grounded, empirical research, drawn from an array of social science traditions and a variety of research methodologies, and both developing and applying novel theoretical perspectives to the most pressing social and policy issues of the day. This includes a focus on the social dynamics and effects of media, the psychological workings and sociological implications of information technologies, the workings of persuasion and social influence, and the particular communication challenges around science, environment, and health. We are also convinced that students should have a fluency in statistics, have a chance to engage in research if they choose, and develop the professional acuity, particularly around writing and presentation, they will need to tackle the conceptual questions they encounter here to the particular professions they will pursue.
Major Learning Outcomes
Communication students will learn how to:
- Develop familiarity with ideas fundamental to scholarship in the social sciences, with mastery of principles of key communication theories.
- Demonstrate understanding of how processes of social influence operate in communication contexts including science, media and technology.
- Apply systematic analytic skills to pressing social and policy issues.
- Develop communication knowledge and skills to enter into and succeed in complex social organizations.
- Recognize the foundations, assumptions, and methods of communication research, and be able to apply a wide range of empirical research methods to diverse intellectual questions.
- Write and speak lucidly, logically, and intelligently.
The communication major is a program with a strong emphasis on contemporary communication knowledge, theory, and practice.
Faculty
L. M. Humphreys, chair; D. Bailey, N. N. Bazarova, C. P. Byrne, S. E. Byrne, E. L. Chambliss, J. Cohen, B. E. Duffy, S. R. Fussell, B. V. Lewenstein, N. Lewis, Jr., D. Margolin, J. N. Matias, K. A. McComas, P. L. McLeod, J. D. Niederdeppe, D. E. Schrader, J. P. Schuldt, K. Sender, M. A. Shapiro, A. S. Won, Y. C. Yuan
Coursework
In addition to the major requirements outlined below, all students must meet the college graduation requirements.
Total Credit Requirement- 46 credits for first-year majors, 45 credits for transfer students.
- Core Courses (13cr or 14cr)
- COMM 1111 - Navigating the Communication Major and Beyond (1cr, first-year students only)
- COMM 1101 - Introduction to Communication (4cr)
- COMM 1300 - Visual Communication (3cr)
- COMM 2010 - Oral Communication (3cr)
- COMM 2310 - Writing about Communication (3cr)
- Data Literacy (8 credits)
- COMM 2820 - Research Methods in Communication Studies (4cr)
- One statistics course from the list below (4cr)
- AEM 2100 - Introductory Statistics
- ILRST 2100 - Introductory Statistics
- STSCI 2100 - Introductory Statistics
- MATH 1710 - Statistical Theory and Application in the Real World
- Three Explorations in Communication Courses from the list below (9cr)
- COMM 2200 - Media Communication
- COMM 2450 - Communication and Technology
- COMM 2760 - Persuasion and Social Influence
- COMM 2850 - Communication, Environment, Science, and Health
- Upper-Level Electives (12 Credits)
a. These 12 credits are filled by completing four Communication courses at the 3100-level or above.
b. COMM 4980 (Teaching Assistant), COMM 4960 (Internship), and COMM 4950 /COMM 4951 /COMM 4952 (NYCOMM/CaliCOMM) will NOT count toward these 12 upper-level electives.
E. Communication Practica (3 Credits)
a. COMM 3010 - Writing and Producing the Narrative for Digital Media ; OR
b. COMM 3090 - Experiential Writing in Mexico: Cultural and Environmental Communication
Additional Information:
- All coursework for this major is in person, in Ithaca, unless otherwise noted.
- First-year and transfer students are admitted directly into the major and most prerequisites will be met by virtue of the requirements for admission. Students seeking to transfer internally to the COMM major should contact Ashlee Cherry (ac2396@cornell.edu) for more information.
- All major requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
- A grade above failing (F) must be earned to meet major requirements.
- COMM 4940 - Special Topics in Communication may be repeated for credit when the topics are different.
- A maximum of 3 credits in either COMM 4970 - Individual Study in Communication or COMM 4990 - Independent Research (combined) can be counted toward the upper level requirements.
Minors
The minor in communication consists of 22+ credits.
Students must complete COMM 1101 - Introduction to Communication (4 credits)
One of the following introductory courses (3 credits):
Two courses from the following list, only one of which can be a writing course (6 credits):
Three upper level elective courses, which must be at the 3100-4000 level (9 credits)
*COMM 4960 and COMM 4980 do not count toward the Communication minor.
*Three credits from an additional concentration introduction course COMM 2200 , COMM 2450 , COMM 2760 , or COMM 2850 ; COMM 4970 ; and/or COMM 4990 can be used as an upper level course.
*Minor Transfer Credit Policy: Students can transfer up to 6 credits toward the 21 credits required for the minor. Only course equivalencies will count toward the minor.
*All Communication courses must be taken for a letter grade.
*Some upper level courses may be cross listed with other departments and therefore may have lower numbers than 3100-4000. Please check with the Communication Department and consult their website for an updated list of courses that will fulfill the upper level elective requirement.
Students should contact the Department of Communication to enroll in the Communication minor.
Communication Research Honors Program
Please see Communication Research Honors Program section in Special Academic Options section of this catalog.