CMS 107 - Media and Society II
Media and Society provides an analysis of mass media in the United States, with a focus on the development of mass media institutions and the role of media in society. Particular attention is placed on theory, law, ethics, effects, economics, emerging technologies, and audiences.
Prerequisite
ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently.
Course Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation
CMS 114 - Media Industries in the Digital Age
In Media Industries in the Digital Age, students are introduced to the business, creative, technological, and ethical dimensions of contemporary media industries. Students explore how media organizations operate, generate revenue, develop content and audiences, and respond to social, legal, and technological change. Topics include media industry structures, professional roles and career pathways, monetization strategies, for-profit and nonprofit media models, media ethics, diversity in media workplaces, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and social platforms. The course situates media industries within historical and global contexts while supporting professional development through exposure to industry practices, career exploration, and foundational workplace communication skills.
CMS 115 - Public Speaking
Public Speaking emphasizes the development of oral communication skills through the preparation and delivery of public speeches. Students learn to inform, persuade, and entertain diverse audiences while mastering organizational strategies, rhetorical techniques, and delivery methods. Through hands-on practice and constructive feedback, students build confidence and refine their speaking abilities. This course also emphasizes audience analysis, critical thinking, and ethical communication practices essential for academic and professional success.
Prerequisite
ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently.
Course Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Oral Communication/Creative Expression
CMS 116 - Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication examines the theories and practical skills needed to enhance interpersonal communication competence in personal, social, and professional contexts. Students explore how perception, culture, language, and nonverbal communication shape meaning, relationships, and identity. Emphasis is placed on effective listening, relationship development, and conflict management, with attention to communication across diverse interpersonal settings.
Prerequisite
ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently.
Course Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Oral Communication/Creative Expression
CMS 117 - Group and Team Communication
Group and Team Communication focuses on the theories and practical skills essential for effective group and team communication. Through interactive, project-based learning, students examine how individuals think, communicate, and behave in group settings; how teams make decisions; and how leadership, power, and roles influence group dynamics. Emphasis is placed on collaboration, problem-solving, and fostering inclusive, productive team environments. The skills developed in this course directly support success in academic group projects and professional workplace settings.
Prerequisite
ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently.
Course Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Oral Communication/Creative Expression
CMS 118 - Intercultural Communication
Intercultural Communication examines how culture shapes, influences, and challenges communication across diverse contexts. Students cover key intercultural communication theories while developing practical skills for communicating effectively and ethically in culturally diverse settings. The course explores communication across differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and other dimensions of identity, with an emphasis on awareness, empathy, power, and inclusion in interpersonal, group, and professional interactions.
Prerequisite
ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently.
Course Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Oral Communication/Creative Expression
CMS 119 - Rhetoric & The Public Sphere
Rhetoric and the Public Sphere introduces students to rhetoric and the public sphere, examining how communication is used to influence thought, action, and collective life. The course traces the development of rhetorical theory and public discourse from its origins in ancient Greece and Egypt through contemporary rhetorical practices. Students engage with influential rhetorical theorists across historical periods and apply these frameworks to the analysis of public texts, developing foundational skills in rhetorical criticism and critical interpretation.
Prerequisite
ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation
CMS 122 - Writing and Reporting for Media
This introductory course teaches students basic newswriting skills for print, digital, audio, and visual platforms. Students will learn the form and content of news stories and how to write them using Associated Press style and other conventions used by professional news organizations. Students will also learn the laws and ethics associated with writing and reporting for the media.
Prerequisite
ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better.
Course Offered Online: Yes
CMS 140 - Communication Technology for the Workplace
This course is an introduction to communication technologies for the workplace. Students create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. A premium is placed on digital communication at work through virtual presentations, social media usage, and emerging business communication tools.
CMS 180 - Social Media & Digital Cultures
Social Media and Digital Cultures examines how social media platforms shape culture, identity, relationships, politics, and everyday life at both local and global levels. Rather than treating social media as neutral tools, this course centers platform design, algorithms, economies, and user practices to understand how digital environments influence behavior, power, and meaning-making. Students analyze social media across social contexts while developing critical media literacy skills related to misinformation, digital labor, and platform ethics. Through hands-on projects, case studies, and reflective writing, students connect theory to lived digital experience and explore how social media both reflects and reshapes society.
Prerequisite
ENGL 097 which may be taken concurrently or ENGL 101 ready.
CMS 214 - Communication Theory
Communication Theory provides a foundational overview of major theories and research traditions in communication. Students examine dominant theoretical perspectives across key areas of the field, including interpersonal, group, public, and media studies. Emphasis is placed on understanding how communication theories are developed, applied, and tested, with attention to both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The course prepares students to critically evaluate communication research and to apply theoretical frameworks to real-world communication contexts.
Prerequisite
CMS 107 with a grade of "C" or better.
Course Offered Online: Yes
CMS 216 - Relational Communication
This course provides an advanced engagement in interpersonal communication theory and research associated with communication in various stages of platonic and romantic relationships including initiation, maintenance, and dissolution.
Prerequisite
ENGL 115 with a grade of "C" or better and CMS 107 or ENGL 116 with a grade of "C" or better
CMS 219 - Black Rhetoric
Black Rhetoric examines how Black communities have used rhetoric and symbolic expression to construct, challenge, and reimagine representations of themselves and their communities. Drawing from speeches, music, literature, film, television, and digital media, the course explores Black rhetoric as a tradition rooted in African cultural frameworks, historical struggle, and lived experience. Students are introduced to theoretical and cultural paradigms grounded in African diasporic traditions as tools for rhetorical analysis. The course also explores the Black public sphere, tracing its development from field songs and sermons to digital spaces such as Black Twitter.
Prerequisite
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation
CMS 220 - Representation in the Media
Representation in the Media critically examines historical and contemporary media representations of identity in television, news, advertising, magazines, popular music, film, and social media. Students engage in textual analyses of media and reflect on issues of socioeconomic inequality in society and their impact on media institutions.
Prerequisite
CMS 252 - Principles of Public Relations and Advertising
Principles of Public Relations and Advertising introduces students to the principles, history, and practices of public relations (PR) and advertising as strategic communication disciplines. Students will learn how organizations, brands, and individuals manage reputation, create persuasive messages, and build relationships with diverse audiences. Emphasis is placed on ethical communication, media strategy, and digital storytelling across platforms.
Prerequisite
CMS 107 or CMS 114 or CMS 122.
CMS 254 - Writing for Sports Media
Writing for Sports Media provides students with the practical skills and industry knowledge needed to succeed in the sports journalism field. Through hands-on assignments, students learn to write compelling and accurate stories in formats such as features, profiles, podcasts, and on-deadline pieces, all while applying the Associated Press (AP) Style. The course emphasizes the art of interviewing to capture unique perspectives and explores the ethical challenges of covering sports with fairness and professionalism. Students utilize digital platforms and social media to enhance their storytelling and build audience engagement.
Prerequisite
CMS 122 or ENGL 122
CMS 255 - Writing for Digital Media
This course teaches students to write for digital media, with a focus on the use of social media in journalism. Students will learn how to write for various digital platforms such as vlogging, blogging, social media, and podcasting, in a professional context. This course also emphasizes the political, ethical, and social implications of digital media writing.
Prerequisite
CMS 270 - Media and Globalization
Media and Globalization explores media through the lens of globalization. Students explore how history, political systems, economics, and cultural values influence media around the world. Students study media systems and genres in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Prerequisite
CMS 280 - Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing introduces students to the strategic use of social media platforms for marketing, branding, and audience engagement. Students examine how organizations, brands, nonprofits, and public figures use social media to achieve communication and business goals within platform-driven digital environments. Emphasis is placed on content strategy, platform affordances and algorithms, audience targeting, influencer culture, and campaign planning. Through applied project-based work, students develop platform-specific content, analyze brand voice and visual identity, interpret basic performance metrics and analytics, and evaluate the effectiveness of social media marketing strategies within contemporary digital culture, while considering ethical, legal, and inclusive marketing strategies.
Prerequisite
CMS 290 - Communication and Media Studies Capstone Experience
The CMS Capstone Experience course provides students with an opportunity to connect the relationship between principles and theories taught in the Communication and Media Studies curriculum and apply those principles to practices in the workplace. Under supervision, students get hands-on, professional work experience in communication, media, journalism, advertising, public relations and/or other related industry internships.