SC&I Courses

Students who must interrupt their studies may, with the approval of a program director, register for Matriculation Continued (leave of absence). There is no tuition for this registration, although a student fee is charged. Students who do not register for Matriculation Continued will be charged a reactivation fee upon their return to the program. (Students on temporary visas who interrupt their studies must in most cases leave the United States during such periods.) Matriculation Continued is available only to students not enrolled in any coursework and not using faculty time and university facilities, except to complete previous coursework from classes with incomplete or temporary grades. Students may enroll in Matriculation Continued for a maximum of two consecutive semesters.

For students appointed to fellowships.

Research internships are not generally offered by the SC&I doctoral program, but may occasionally become available.

For students appointed to Graduate Assistantships.  Credits for a Graduate Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

For students appointed as part-time Graduate Assistants.  Part-time GA appointments (half-time for a semester or year) are not generally offered by the SC&I doctoral program, but may occasionally become available.May be offered under the 867 or 878 course numbers.  Credits for a Graduate Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

For students appointed as Teaching Assistants.  Credits for a Teaching Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

For students appointed as part-time Teaching Assistants. Part-time TA appointments (half-time for a semester or year) are not generally offered by the SC&I doctoral program, but may occasionally become available.  Credits for a Teaching Assistantship do not count towards doctoral degree requirements.  The credits enable a student's transcript to reflect that this experiential learning was part of their doctoral study, and factor into the number of credits needed to be considered a full-time student.

Topic to be determined each semester

(Below are some sample topics courses that have been offered in the past few years)

Corporate Social Responsibility 
Focuses on communication in the business-society relationship and the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The seminar examines the communication, information, and media issues emerging along with global transformations in the relationship among business, society, and government.

Conflict and Collaboration
This course examines the role of communication in conflict and collaboration. The course focuses on theories and methods for describing, assessing, and diagnosing complex situations to understand the nature of conflict and the possibilities for collaboration among groups, organizations, and communities.

Communication and Civil Society Organizations
This course provides a critical examination of the particular communication problems encountered by the nonprofit organization. Among the topics that are explored: Superior subordinate relationships in volunteer-based organizations, interactions with special stakeholders (e.g., volunteer boards, funding agencies, community groups, under-served client populations), inter-organizational coordination efforts within communities of nonprofits, image and representation of nonprofit organizations, formal and informal structure within non-profits, and planned change implementation in the context of multiple stakeholder relationships.

Communication and Organizational Change
This course will serve as a broad introduction to theories, perspectives, and empirical evidence related to organizational change and how communicative processes are involved in this phenomenon. We will examine traditional topics of organizational development, implementation, and stakeholders' responses to change programs. Embedded in those discussions will be exploration of issues of vision, leadership, channels used for communication, interaction among stakeholders, strategic messages for implementation, emotional aspects of change, and trust and fairness among others.

Organizational Communication Networks
This course is an introduction to the theory, concepts, procedures, methods, and analysis of social networks with an emphasis on theory and its applications in organizational communication. The goal of the course is to provide you foundational knowledge about communication networks and their implications for organizations. Students will develop a working knowledge of relevant social networks theories, concepts, and methods used to describe and understand relationships in and among organizations. The objective of this course is to help students understand and articulate network theory, its applications, and implications for audiences including researchers and practicing professionals.

Dynamics of Global Organizations
This course aims to provide deeper insight into the contested phenomenon of globalization and its implications for organizations and processes of organizing. Topics covered include globalization theory and theoretical perspectives, global management, culture and cross-cultural issues, the role of technology, global and virtual teams, outsourcing, network organizations, knowledge management, identification, and social justice. Students taking this course will gain awareness of the complexities of organizing across national boundaries and the role of communication in this process, as well as assessing the implications of globalization for today's organizations, including both corporations and non-profits, governmental and private.

Organizational Culture
This seminar is designed to expose students to the vast arena of literature on organizational culture and cultural approaches to studying organizations. Course readings and discussions cover dominant theoretical frameworks for studying culture in organizations and various approaches taken (interpretive, ethnographic, narrative, and social scientific), as well as current issues facing the field. The goal is for students to be conversant with the breadth of the literature as well as to be able to conduct original cultural or interpretive research in organizational settings.

This course gives students hands-on instruction in how to use digital media tools to produce interactive and media rich online stories. Students will learn key concepts and design principles in Web technologies & programming (e.g., XHTML, CSS, JavaScript), Video editing and Animation. Students will develop a website that presents a multi-part investigative story, using slideshows, videos and animations. Students will learn how to capture engaging photo & video footage to create an effective multimedia experience in post-production.