Reviews current theory and research on topics such as contemporary rhetorical theory, rhetoric and public life, rhetoric as an interpretive social science, and rhetoric of social movements and political campaigns. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Surveys foundational texts and contemporary research in the rhetoric of inquiry. Focuses on the role of persuasion in the production of knowledge. Critical analysis of major theoretical and methodological traditions and topics, with an emphasis on social dimensions of inquiry. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Considers performances of public life as rhetorical inducements of civitas. Topics include negotiation of self-regulation among interdependent partners, rhetorical exclusions and/or counterpublics, and dialectical tensions of public/private as these contribute to and have civic consequences for publicness, community, and social will. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Surveys foundational texts and contemporary research in argumentation. Analysis of distinctions between philosophical and rhetorical approaches to argument. Critical analysis of major theoretical and methodological traditions and topics with an emphasis on social dimensions of argument. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Traces select traditions in social and/or cultural theory, emphasizing how those traditions affect and are affected by the field of rhetoric studies. Examines the origins and resolutions of major debates in social and/or cultural theory from a rhetorical perspective. Recommended prereq., COMM 5320. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Acquaints students with the main types of discourse analysis: conversation analysis, critical discourse analysis, and rhetorically informed discourse approaches. Teaches how to conduct discourse analysis, including transcribing, selecting excerpts, documenting inferences, and linking findings to scholarly controversies. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Educates students in one of a selected set of methodological specializations used in the study of human interaction. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Examines theory, method, and application of grounded practical theory, an approach to building normative theory through description, critique, and theoretical reconstruction of situated communicative practices. Semester project involves analysis of a sample of discourse from a public or field observation setting. Recommended prereq., COMM 5210. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Focuses on cultural diversity in human communication, acquainting students with classic and contemporary readings that articulate relationships between communication and culture, and introducing them to methodologies used to develop a cultural approach toward a variety of observable forms and practices of communication. Recommended prereq., COMM 5425. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Explores the history, routine communicative practices, common interactional troubles, cross-cultural differences, and expectations about "Ideal" communicative conduct for workplace and public meetings. Seminar project involves field study of a meeting group. Recommended prereq., COMM 6030. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Explores theory and research on communication processes associated with collaboration and decision making in contemporary organizations, particularly as they are influenced by participation programs, technology, and team structures. Recommended prereqs., COMM 5620 and COMM 6010. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Reviews theory and philosophy of organizations and organizing where communication processes are seen as constitutive. Focuses on discursive and material practices in the formation and change of organizational structure, culture, and operation. Recommended prereq., COMM 5620. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Addresses the role of communication in cultural change efforts in organizations. Topics include the nature and function of organizational cultures, role of leadership, ethical issues, and member involvement in change processes. Specific organizational cases are highlighted throughout. Recommended prereq., COMM 5620. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Examines how social roles influence communicative practices, the development of relationships, and the impact of relationships on identity. Considers these processes in contexts, such as personal relationships and institutional settings. Topic varies. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours on different topics. Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
All doctoral students must register for not fewer than 30 hours of dissertation credit as part of the requirements for the degree. For a detailed discussion of doctoral dissertation credit, refer to the Graduate School section.
