Course Descriptions
2300. Free Speech and the First Amendment. This course examines the philosophy, cases and issues relevant to the First Amendment right to free expression, with a focus on issues relevant to internal security, obscenity, pornography, slander and the regulation of communication. Foundations of legal argumentation will also be discussed.
2310. Rhetoric, Community and Public Deliberation. This course examines the role of rhetoric and public deliberation in the production and maintenance of communities and the larger public sphere, and includes such topics as the formation and rhetoric of social movements, the structural factors impacting the modern public sphere, and the skills necessary to be an informed citizen.
2327. Communication Theory. This course introduces the foundational concepts, theories and approaches to the study and practice of human communication. It includes a historical overview of communication theories as well as discussion of contemporary ethical questions.
3310. Crisis Management. This course examines different strategies and tactics organizations use after a crisis to respond to internal and external audiences. Theoretical models including apologia, attribution theory, and organizational identification theory are applied to specific types of organizational crises. Special emphasis is placed on the role emerging communication technologies play in the organization’s crisis response. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3321. Communication in Global Contexts. This course provides an international perspective to the study of corporate communication and public affairs. Emphasis on experiential study allows types of organizational crises. Special emphasis is placed on the role emerging communication technologies play in the organization’s crisis response. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3341. Ethnicity, Culture and Communication. This course explores the impact of culture on our understanding and practice of human communication in interpersonal, organizational and mass media contexts. Strong emphasis is placed on the role of globalization, gender, race and socio-economic dynamics as impediments and conduits of cross-cultural collaboration and interaction. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3345. Persuasion Theory and Practice. This course provides a survey of major theories that explain how to influence attitudes and behaviors. Applications to persuasion within a variety of contexts, including relationships, organizations, legal campaigns and the mass culture. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3347. Political Communication. This course examines political communication as it evolves throughout a political campaign, and includes such topics as political communication theory and research, communication strategies, the influence of the mass media, television advertising, candidate debates, news management, polling and the use of new technologies in political campaigns. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3350. Integrated Marketing Communication. This course explores the concept of planning that recognizes the value of coordinating the media mix within a communication campaign to create maximum clarity and impact. This course covers the ways that a firm or brand communicates with its publics. Prerequisite: CCPA 3381.
3355. Introduction to Public Relations. This course introduces the basic theories, concepts and approaches to public relations. It includes a historical overview as well as discussions of the professional and ethical demands on practitioners. Prerequisite: CCPA 3381.
3360. Management Communication. This course emphasizes the role that communication plays in recruiting and selecting project team members, motivating employees, and understanding how to make a project team productive. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing..
3365. Communication in Organizational Contexts. This course explores the role of communication in key organizational processes in both corporate and nonprofit settings. Students will examine the multiple approaches to organizing and their implications for human communication. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3375. Research. This course teaches students how to conduct professional research. Students identify an organization or individual with an emerging communication need and then analyze secondary sources in order to create an original research project that addresses that need. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3380. Communication in Civil Society Organizations. This course explores the unique discursive context of not-for-profit organizations. Students examine the role of communication in the various stages of nonprofit organizational life including founding and incorporation, recruitment and retention of staff and volunteers, and external funding and philanthropic development. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3381. Strategic Communication: Audience and Advocacy. This course introduces basic media writing skills used in producing materials commonly used by communication professionals to communicate messages to the mass media. Students develop research, interviewing, writing, and speaking skills by writing and presenting news stories, feature articles and press releases. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3382. Strategic Communication: Presentations and Campaigns. This experiential course teaches students to strategize, develop, research and write in-depth articles, newsletters, speeches, press releases and position papers. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
3385. Civil Society Advocacy and Campaigns. This course, which must be taken in conjunction with an internship at an approved nonprofit organization, combines classroom exploration with real-world writing as students complete 150 hours in a service learning environment. Students identify the unique “publics” of the nonprofit and create materials directed at specific goals such as the media, donors, volunteers, client base, board, foundations and corporations. Prerequisite: CCPA 3381.
3387. Philanthropy and Donor Communication. This course is designed to introduce the fundamentals of philanthropy in the organizational process of the non-profit organization. The course will review historical, economic and political forces that formed and continue to influence the development and funding of non-profit organizations. Additionally, building on Persuasion, Interpersonal and Organizational communication theory students will explore the unique communication of philanthropy, grant writing and donor relations. Prerequisites: CCPA 3365 and CCPA 3380.
4300. Seminar in Political Communication. This course is offered only as appropriate occasions arise. It provides advanced study of the role of communication within specific public affairs settings such as political summits, party conventions or other major venues. Instructor approval is required. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4302, 4303, 4304. Washington Term Studies. This course offers students an opportunity to study and work in Washington, D.C., as part of American University’s Washington Semester. Instructor approval is required. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4305. Washington Term Directed Studies. This is an independent study with the goal of producing original research while students are enrolled in American University’s Washington Semester. Instructor approval is required. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4325. Internship. Students in approved positions gain career-related experience and establish professional contacts. At the conclusion of the internship, students prepare a report that allows for academic reflection on that experience. Offered on a Pass/Fail basis only. Prerequisites: Skills course, 90 or more hours of coursework, 2.75 overall G.P.A., 3.00 G.P.A. in CCPA coursework, and permission of faculty adviser. May be taken earlier with adviser approval. Major standing only.
4326. Washington Term Internship. This course is offered in conjunction with courses taken in Washington, D.C. This internship provides students with experience working in public affairs in the nation’s capital, supervised by a faculty member there. Major standing only.
4327. Rational Discourse and Public Deliberation. This course explores concepts characterizing rational discourse, with a concern for examining validity and fallacy. Students consider traditional and contemporary models for analyzing argument, including an examination of the philosophy of argument and a practical inquiry into the uses of debates on contemporary social issues. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4328. Media Convergence. This course explores the intersection of mass communication technologies. Students examine the digital future of media and the impact of media convergence on business, politics and society. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4345. Rhetoric, Politics and the Mass Media. This course examines the dynamic and interpersonal relationship between the news media and politics. The media’s influence on the political process, the relationship between reporters and public officials, the impact of media-based campaigns and the ethical impact of media manipulation by political strategists are examined. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4350. Public Opinion, the Press and Public Policy. This course examines the interdependent relationships among media coverage, public opinion and public policy. Students consider the influence of press coverage on electoral and policy-making processes in which the public voice is presumed to impact democratic outcomes. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4375. Honors Thesis in Communication. This course provides advanced students with the opportunity to do original research on a topic related to communication. Students learn how to write research questions, conduct a literature review, engage in qualitative or quantitative methodologies, and present findings. Prerequisite: CCPA 3375, senior standing, 3.5 G.P.A., major standing.
4385. Communication, Technology and Globalization. This course examines how various communication technologies are used within a strategic communication context. Historical, ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of these technologies are addressed. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4386. Financial Communication. This course familiarizes students with terms, principles, theories and practices in financial communication. Students examine techniques used in investor relations and consider the legal and ethical responsibilities. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
4395. Strategic Communication Campaigns. This course demonstrates how strategic communication contributes to problem-solving in corporate and nonprofit settings. Students apply their skills toward practical challenges as they prepare and present complete plans for a corporate client. Prerequisites: CCPA 3381, CCPA 3375 and fourth-year standing.
5110, 5210, 5310. Directed Study. A directed study is a close collaboration between the professor and an advanced student who conducts a rigorous project that goes beyond the experience available in course offerings. The student must secure written permission from the instructor and return a completed form to the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs office before the start of the term. Prerequisites: Junior standing and permission of instructor. Major or minor standing.
5301, 5302, 5303, 5304. Advanced Topics. These courses encourage students to examine the role of communication within contemporary issues and social problems. Topics vary by instructor. Prerequisite: Major or minor standing.
