Academics

Department of Communication > Course Descriptions

110 Introduction to Communication
This course introduces students to the theories and principles that define the field of communication, including classical rhetorical theory, semiotics, interpersonal communication, and the history of the media.

235 Rhetoric and Speech
Preparation and criticism of both formal and informal public speeches, including exposition, narration, description, argumentation, and  persuasion.

250 Classical Rhetorical Tradition
A historical survey of theorizing about the role of public discourse in human affairs in ancient Greece and Rome.  (Cross-listed as Classical Studies 250.)

255 Rhetorical Criticism
The analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of persuasive discourse. A writing-intensive course.

275  Introduction to Film Studies
This course studies cinema technique, production, language, style, genres, movements, and criticism, through the analysis of particularly important and representative films and directors. (Cross-listed as American Studies 275.)

280 African American Communication
This course explores what is distinctive about the artistic and strategic communication practices of African Americans, including speeches, sermons, songs, literature, and film. (Cross-listed as African American Studies 280. Meets GEC Cultural Diversity requirement.)

281 Theories of Mass Communication
A survey of 20th and 21st century theories and research perspectives on mass communication.

285 Modern Media History
This course offers an introduction to the history of media of communication.  Though it begins with a review of ancient media, the focus here is placed squarely on the media in Western society from the 19th through 21st centuries.  There are two main goals in this class.  The first goal is to understand the media as a dimension of human history.  The second goal is to establish that today’s media environment is only one of a wide variety of possibilities.

300 Mass Media/Marketing Research
(Cross-listed as Business 355.)

310 Communication Ethics
(Cross-listed as Philosophy 310.)

320 Advanced Argumentation
This course examines exemplary texts, both ancient and modern, as a way to foster analytical precision in argumentation.

350 Topics in Communication 
Intensive study of selected subjects within the field of communications. Topics vary by  semester. (Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement, depending on topic.)

350  Senior Seminar: Black Cinema
Is Black Cinema a genre? What makes a movie Black?
In this class we will examine a number of films and consider their formal elements as well as their reception, exhibition and distribution. We will consider film from the 1970s Blaxploitation era, the films of Haile Gerima, Kasi Lemmons, Leslie Harris, Julie Dash, Spike Lee and Robert Townsend. The class is divided into 3 units of study with a final film that encapsulates many of the issues presented in the course. The course will also utilize fundamental film studies vocabulary, and I expect students to employ these terms in their writing and class discussion. These units are: Blaxploitation Era, Women Directors, and Spike Lee. The closing film, Hollywood Shuffle, brings together many of the issues of all three units.

350  Topics in Communication: Rhetoric of Humor
Comedy is a persuasive form of communication; this course will provide the analytical and theoretical tools with which to evaluate humor rhetorically.  Each student will choose his or her own humorous text, be it a single instance or ongoing comedic event and write a series of  papers that will be combined to form a major research paper.  Students will discuss their projects in small groups and make individual presentations to the class to allow for the analyses of different modes of humor transmission (print, television, movies), as well as various types of comedy (satire, physical, jokes).

350 Topics in Communication: Richard Widmark Practicum
This course integrates practical production experience and academic study culminating in a film retrospective honoring the career and screen work of Hollywood actor Richard Widmark, a Lake Forest College alumnus. The practicum will involve planning and operating the retrospective, including the production of a film programme containing student-written short essays, for distribution at the screening. A second component of the practicum will constitute the research, writing, and filming of a documentary on Widmark's life and film work. The practicum will also consist of coursework on Widmark as an academic case study of Hollywood stardom, with particular emphasis on the shifting position of the actor during the pivotal historical moment when the American film industry underwent the demise of the studio system and power relations were reconstituted through the rise of the star as independent producer. Coursework will include study of film noir, the genre in which Widmark became established as a star, and which informed his screen image.

381 History and Theory of Freedom  of Expression
This course will apply philosophies of communication to specific debates within the topic of freedom of expression, including debates concerning indecency, obscenity, slander, sedition, violence, and hate speech.

382 Women’s Rhetoric and the Feminist Critique
This course looks at how gender affects communication and how communication affects gender. Our focus is both 1) how gender limits who can speak and controls how they speak and what they say as well as 2) how the resulting speech constructs society’s understanding of womanhood. (Cross-listed as Women’s and Gender Studies 382. Meets GEC Cultural Diversity Requirement.)

383 New Media and Society
A detailed look at grand theoretical perspectives on the Internet and other new media of communication, with a particular focus on the perceived cultural meaning of new media.

384 The Rhetorical Presidency
Examines the rhetorical nature of the office of the President of the United States. (Cross-listed as American Studies 384.)

386 Reading Popular Culture; Television
In this course, we will learn to read popular culture.  A course core assumption is that the popular culture of our times teaches us about who we are. A major goal of the course is to identify potential areas of resistance in the existing popular culture.  In short, we are both producers and products of our popular culture.  This course will focus on television as a medium of popular culture. Specific attention will be paid to how television is involved in the construction of race, gender, class, and social identity.  The overall question we will try to answer is: “are we, as a culture, using the “gift” of television wisely”? (Cross-listed as American Studies 386.)

390 Internship     
Off-campus professional work experience. One credit acceptable, but two credit internships preferred.

420 Senior Seminar

420  Topics in Communication: Kids/Media/Culture
In this course, we will examine contemporary and historical artifacts of children's culture in the United States. The course will examine children's culture with a focus on literature, toys and media (especially television) asking questions such as: How are changing conceptions of childhood apparent in children's media? Is contemporary children's media more "progressive" than postwar children's media on questions of race and gender? What are the economics of children's television in the United States? How does this compare with other countries? Are the ideologies of children's culture more or less explicit than in "grown-up" culture? This is an upper-level course requires significant writing and research.  It is expected that you attend each class session prepared to discuss the assigned materials. You will need to watch some children's television and films on your own time, in addition to course readings and written assignments. We will be doing several site visits as a class and in small groups, to the American Girl store, the Chicago Children's Museum and several toy stores.

420  Senior Seminar: Lincoln and Public Memory
This course examines the major critical concepts for analyzing and understanding public memory by focusing on Abraham Lincoln.  Lincoln is a useful starting place for investigating public memory in that we will be able to parallel the dual issues of how Abraham Lincoln molded public memory of what America means and how American public memory has molded Abraham Lincoln.  We will be engaging in rhetorical criticism of Lincoln’s most important speeches as well as investigate the plethora of biographies, commemorations, controversies and pop culture images of Lincoln.  The prerequisite for this course is Communication 110.