University of Pittsburgh

 

UNDERGRADUATE
Bulletin

Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

MAJOR AND MINOR DESCRIPTIONS BY DEPARTMENT

 

 

COMMUNICATION

The study of communication is one of the oldest but still most contemporary of disciplines. The field examines important questions about society, communication, and persuasion in a way that combines the best of the ancient liberal arts tradition with the critical attention to the newest media technologies. In courses such as persuasion, argument, interpersonal communication, political rhetoric, rhetoric of science, nonverbal communication, history of media, media criticism, and television and society, our faculty offer diverse views on the roles of communication, media, and rhetoric in our lives.

A degree in communication is not vocational in design, although many of the Department of Communication’s graduates hold important positions in industry, education, the media, government, law, and various other professions. An understanding of communication as a human activity, as defined above, makes the department’s graduates attractive candidates when seeking employment or obtaining admission to graduate programs. For more information on the major or the Department of Communication, see www.comm.pitt.edu.

Major Requirements

The communication: rhetoric and communication major requires the completion of 33 credits with a grade of C or better in each course (if the course is to count toward the major). The distribution of courses is

  1. Three core courses (all required). Each is a prerequisite for a specific upper-level course.
    • COMMRC 0300 Communication Process
    • COMMRC 0310 Rhetorical Process
    • COMMRC 0320 Mass Communication Process
  2. Two skills courses
    • COMMRC 0520 Public Speaking and one of the following:
      • COMMRC 0500 Argument
      • COMMRC 0510 Debate
      • COMMRC 0530 Interpersonal Communication
      • COMMRC 0540 Discussion
      • COMMRC 0550 Speech Composition
  3. Six upper-level courses that focus on specific topics or contexts of communication. Since these courses require substantive research and writing components, completion of the composition requirement is a prerequisite.
  • COMMRC 1101 Evidence
  • COMMRC 1102 Organizational Communication
  • COMMRC 1103 Rhetoric and Culture
  • COMMRC 1104 Political Communication
  • COMMRC 1105 Television and Society
  • COMMRC 1106 Small Group Communication
  • COMMRC 1109 Nonverbal Communication
  • COMMRC 1110 Theories of Interpersonal Communication
  • COMMRC 1111 Theories of Persuasion
  • COMMRC 1112 Theories of Rhetoric
  • COMMRC 1113 African Americans and Mass Media
  • COMMRC 1114 Freedom of Speech and Press
  • COMMRC 1115 African American Rhetoric
  • COMMRC 1116 Rhetoric of Cynicism and the Counter Culture
  • COMMRC 1117 20th-Century Public Argument
  • COMMRC 1118 Presidential Rhetoric 1
  • COMMRC 1119 Presidential Rhetoric 2
  • COMMRC 1120 Rhetoric of the Cold War
  • COMMRC 1121 History of Mass Media
  • COMMRC 1122 Media Criticism
  • COMMRC 1123 Rhetorical Criticism
  • COMMRC 1125 Media Theory
  • COMMRC 1126 Media and Consumer Culture
  • COMMRC 1142 Theories of Modern Rhetoric
  • COMMRC 1143 Knowledge, Power, and Desire
  • COMMRC 1145 History of Rhetoric
  • COMMRC 1147 Rhetoric of Science
  • COMMRC 1148 Rhetoric and Human Rights
  • COMMRC 1730 Special Topics in Communication
  • COMMRC 1731 Special Topics in Rhetoric
  • COMMRC 1732 Special Topics in Mass Communication
  • LING 1000 Introduction to Linguistics
  • LING 1263 Cross-Cultural Communication
  • CSD 1020 Nature of Language

*This course is offered by the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science

The major also has the following rules and requirements:

  • The Department of Communication offers three special project courses (not required). COMMRC 1710 Senior Thesis in Communication requires a GPA of 3.00 for enrollment; COMMRC 1900 Communication Internship requires a GPA of 2.75, COMMRC 1901 Independent Study requires a GPA of 3.00. Only COMMRC 1710 counts toward the major. The others will fulfill elective credits.
  • Although any department could be a related area, past majors often have selected political science, sociology, business, English writing, psychology, anthropology, or history. Students who plan to do graduate work in communication are advised to do additional work in a second language.