Communication, Media, and Persuasion

Course Learning Outcomes are measurable statements that are used to identify the specific knowledge and skills that a student should have at the end of a course.

CMP 1110 
L1-Write clear, stylistically appropriate news stories for media outlets that include effective leads, proper quote attributions, and sound organizational techniques.
L2- Develop strong interviewing, newsgathering, and reporting skills.  
L3- Acquire editing skills by reviewing the work of peers and identifying effective news- writing in media. 
L4-Familiarize themselves with the ethical and legal landscape of the news media.
L5- Write clear, effective press releases. 
L6- Generate broadcast copy by reporting, composing and delivering a radio story on the air. 

CMP 2201
L1- To learn the basic “language” of the group communication field by being introduced to relevant concepts, theories, and perspectives. Learning outcome: Students will associate terms with proper definitions (terminology exams) and use terms properly in the context of discussing personal group communication experiences (concept illustration papers).
L2- To develop an understanding of and appreciation for the role of communication in the creation, maintenance, and functioning of task groups. Learning outcome: Students will demonstrate a commitment to growing awareness of (reading quizzes) and insight into group communication through discussion (in-class activities) and personal reflection (concept illustration papers).
L3- To practice communication strategies for more creative and effective group discussion, decision making, and problem solving. Learning outcome: Students will participate actively in an ongoing problem-solving group, applying specific strategies for creativity and effectiveness (in class group participation).
L4- To expand awareness of your own strengths and limitations as a group communicator. Learning outcome: Students will reflect back on recent group experiences, making observations on their own participation as a functioning and contributing group member (group analysis presentation)

CMP 2202 
L1- Provide students with the capability to use the Adobe CC 2019 software through importing and manipulating imagery using Photoshop, InDesign, and Premier.
L2- Students will gain skills in basic graphic design principles and photo/video editing enabling them to create designs for print, web and digital media applications.
L3- Students will develop and increase visual communication skills by being able to communicate ideas and emotions through images created in Adobe CC 2019.
L4- Students will demonstrate familiarity with the Macintosh/PC computer operating system.
L5- Skills will be demonstrated through in-class exercises, assignments and mid-term and final projects, each requiring skills demonstration. 

CMP 2205 
L1- Students learn to critically assess the goal of argumentation by examining several argumentative contexts and developing the best way to adapt arguments to particular audience or situation.
L2- Students develop the proper skills for researching and evaluating the strength of various evidence sources.
L3- Students learn to develop argument cases by critically testing their ideas against the standard tests of evidence.
L4- Students learn to synthesize information to develop strong refutations and counter-arguments. 
L5- Students learn to critically analyze arguments through the application of argument models (e.g., Diagramming and the Toulmin Model); applying tests of evidence, linguistic consistency (e.g., definition, ambiguity, equivocation), and validity in argument (e.g., conditional, enumerative, and categorical).           
L6- Students learn the ethics of advocacy in the public sphere.

CMP 2209 
L1-Recognize the pervasiveness of persuasion.
L2-Students will learn about principles of persuasion by examining historical and contemporary examples and analyzing effectiveness (class lecture, quizzes, and Final exam).
L3- Understand some basic concepts of persuasion, first articulated by Aristotle.
L4- Students will learn and apply Aristotlean theories of persuasion (quizzes, Final Exam, Speech 1, 2, 3, and4).
L5 - Prepare persuasive messages for current and future interactions with policy makers, instructors, employers, colleagues, family, friends, and others, including researching and organizing ideas and presenting them in an ethical way.
L6- Students will prepare and present four speeches which apply theories of narrative (Speech 1), logos (Speech 2, 3,4), ethos (Speech3, 4), and pathos (Speech4) and learn how different contexts and audiences should be considered for constructive persuasive messages (Quizzes, Final Exam, Speeches).
L7- Critically analyze and evaluate persuasive messages.
L8- Students will conduct evaluations of their peer speeches and will an outside persuasive speech and evaluate it according to criteria of persuasive messages (In class critiques, Outside Critiques).
L9- Recognize the need and desire to consider ethical dimensions of persuasion.
L10- Students will participate in class discussions and exercises exploring the ethical aspects of persuasion, and prepare presentations reflecting ethical standards (Class participation, Speech 1, 2, 3, and 4).

CMP 2231 
L1- Explain basic principles of design and demonstrate how to use them.
L2- Follow a basic design process to create appropriate solutions to design problems.
L3- Demonstrate good craftsmanship in project creation and presentation.
L4- Demonstrate an understanding of the basic characteristics and rules of typography.
L5- Explain basic vocabulary terms used in the design industry and use those terms to discuss graphic design.
L6- Explain the basic purposes of standard software tools and use these tools to produce graphic design 

CMP 3308 
L1- To learn the basic “language” of the group communication field by being introduced to relevant concepts, theories, and perspectives.
L2- Learning outcome: Students will associate terms with proper definitions (terminology exams) and use terms properly in the context of discussing personal group communication experiences (concept illustration papers).
L3- To develop an understanding of and appreciation for the role of communication in the creation, maintenance, and functioning of task groups.
L4- Students will demonstrate a commitment to growing awareness of (reading quizzes) and insight into group communication through discussion (in-class activities) and personal reflection (concept illustration papers).
L5-To practice communication strategies for more creative and effective group discussion, decision making, and problem solving.
L6-Students will participate actively in an ongoing problem-solving group, applying specific strategies for creativity and effectiveness (in class group participation).
L7-To expand awareness of your own strengths and limitations as a group communicator.
L8-Students will reflect back on recent group experiences, making observations on their own participation as a functioning and contributing group member (group analysis presentation).

CMP 3309
L1- Students will distinguish between different research philosophies and methodologies.
L2- Students will be able to interpret basic statistical results.
L3- Students will be able to distinguish between authentic and inauthentic results in statistical and social scientific data.
L4- Students will be able to craft quality survey questions.
L5- Students will understand how to conduct basic marketing, academic, and other research.

CMP 3311 
L1- Practice business reporting skills by locating and interpreting information such as earning statements, economic statistics, stock-market data, and regulatory filings.
L2- Write a range of conventional business stories that include profiles of companies and    entrepreneurs as well as market reports, economic indicators, and consumer issues.
L3- Read and follow the latest business and economics news through a Wall Street Journal subscription, assessed via pop quizzes.
L4- Conduct interviews and report on political issues affecting campaigns, non-profits, and public figures; and report, compose, and deliver regional enterprise stories on the radio.

CMP 3339 
L1- Conceptualize, plan, and create professional websites.
L2- Employ professional graphic design principles to digital media.

CMP 4410
L1- Gain critical knowledge about the instances, methods, and techniques through which the news media has influenced events in American history.
L2- Enhance their critical thinking skills by learning the different ethical perspectives of journalism and how to work as a responsible practitioner of media.
L3- Develop analytical writing skills by reading historical First Amendment case law about the freedom of the press and composing a formal legal brief and an amicus curiae opinion.
L4- Comprehend issues of copyright law and intellectual property by examining issues such as the public domain, fair use, and piracy.

CMP 4483 
L1- Recognize the pervasiveness of popular culture.
L2- Students will learn about popular culture and understand its importance and influence in our lives. (Class lecture, presentations, exercises, Mid-Term and Final exams).
L3- Understand several perspectives for analyzing popular culture. 
L4- Students will learn and apply numerous theoretical perspectives to popular culture artifacts.  (Presentations, exercises, Mid-Term and Final Exams) 
L5- Clearly communicate the significance, importance, and influence of popular culture artifacts from various media including television, film, news, fiction, websites, music, and other media.
L6- Students will prepare and present two oral presentations which apply theories including narrative, dramatism, symbolic convergence, neo-Marxism, feminism, music, visual, and media-centered perspectives to artifacts from popular culture to demonstrate the influence of popular culture, to critically evaluate the ethics and effectiveness of the artifacts. (presentations)
L7- Critically analyze and evaluate subtexts in popular culture and how they communicate issues relating to identity, power, and race, class, and gender.
L8- Students will participate in class discussions and complete exercises to help them identify how these issues are communicated and enacted in popular culture. (Exercises, presentations, Mid-Term and Final exams)

CMP 4487 
L1- Awareness of the historical roots of our discipline & the scholars who contributed to our views of rhetoric.
L2- Students will demonstrate understanding of rhetorical theorists throughout history by recognizing definitions and perspectives of rhetoric (quizzes).
L3- Understanding of the variety of perspectives one may take when studying rhetoric and the usefulness and drawbacks of each perspective.
L4-Students will be asked to compare/contrast perspectives of rhetoric through the years and offer evaluations of them (quizzes, Final Exam, Application Papers)
L5-Understanding that the study of rhetoric has been largely influenced by the surrounding culture/beliefs and rhetoric has also influenced culture/beliefs.
L6- Students will examine/analyze cultural artifacts and apply classical rhetorical theories to a contemporary rhetorical situation utilizing cultural artifacts; students will also extract rhetorical theories from contemporary artifacts to demonstrate understanding of the relationship between rhetorical theory and culture (Application papers)
L7-Appreciation for the depth and significance of the Communication discipline.
L8-Students will read a text and write a paper that applying theories from the discipline to illustrate the development of the discipline over time (Application papers).

CMP 4488 
L1- Develop awareness of the presence & influence of rhetoric in our lives.
L2- Students will demonstrate understanding of the presence and influence of rhetoric by selecting rhetorical artifacts for analysis from an array of settings/contexts to analyze (e.g., advertisements, music, movies, television, newspaper editorials, greeting cards, menus, pamphlets from organizations, businesses, and/or other public institutions, etc.). [Lectures, Critical Essays, Presentations, and Final Exam]
L3- Provide tools for interpreting & evaluating those messages.
L4- Students will demonstrate proficiency in using various tools to interpret and evaluate messages by applying them in three critical essays and presenting a group analytical project. [Critical Essays, Presentations, Final Exam]
L5- Provide an understanding of the various approaches you may use when evaluating the messages. The course will help you become “critical consumers of messages.” That is, to “uncover the wishes and schemes often hidden in public discourse” and to develop a capacity for asking insightful questions of rhetorical events to find important answers. 
L6- Students will demonstrate proficiency in understanding which approach works for which situations/artifacts selecting a particular aspect of a theory in the macro rhetorical critical tools [Presentations, Final exam]
L7- Develop students’ writing skills by teaching them to become clear writers, practiced editors, and effective readers/evaluators of others’ essays.
L8- Students will demonstrate practice and proficiency in writing skills by submitting drafts of their works and by reading peers’ drafts and providing concrete, meaningful, thoughtful feedback about the level of writing and thinking in the drafts.