Communication Studies Major, B.A. (Storytelling Concentration)

Program Overview

The Communication Studies major, with concentrations in Communication Studies and Storytelling, equips students with essential career competencies such as conflict management, teamwork, diversity awareness, ethical communication, and professional communication skills. The Storytelling concentration adds creative elements, enabling students to craft persuasive and engaging narratives for various fields, including strategic communication, ministry, performance, and social justice initiatives.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Communication Studies major, with concentrations in Communication Studies and Storytelling, prepares students with the essential career competencies that employers seek most often:

• Managing conflict
• Working in and leading teams
• Embracing diversity
• Communicating ethically
• Communicating like a professional
The skills garnered in the Storytelling concentration adds creative elements to these skill sets, teaching you to perform narratives and how narratives are used in workplace settings. Storytelling concentration students can move into a variety of fields where there is a need to craft messages that persuade, engage, and even entertain audiences:
• Strategic communication and web marketing
• Ministry and celebrancy
• Work as a performer and performance coach
Communication Studies majors are natural candidates for work in social justice, civic engagement, and diversity/equality efforts.

Outline:

Communication Studies Core Requirements (15 credits):

• COMM 2090 - Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 2330 - Communication Theory (3 credits)
• COMM 4346 - Business and Professional Communication (3 credits)

Primary Skills Elective (3 credits):

• Choose three credits from the following:
• COMM 2025 - Fundamentals of Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 2045 - Public Speaking (3 credits)
• COMM 2055 - Argumentation and Debate (3 credits)

Professional Development Elective (3 credits):

• Choose three credits from the following:
• COMM 2700 - Professional Communication and Technology (3 credits)
• COMM 3045 - Advanced Public Speaking (3 credits)
• COMM 3346 - Speaking for Social Change (3 credits)
• COMM 3380 - Communicating in Groups (3 credits)
• COMM 4350 - Organizational Communication (3 credits)

Storytelling Concentration Requirements (21 credits):

• STOR 2500 - Introduction to Storytelling (3 credits)
• STOR 3510 - Storytelling II: Storytelling in Oral Traditions (3 credits)
• STOR 4510 - Storytelling III: Telling Personal Stories (3 credits)
• STOR 4647 - Applied Storytelling: Storytelling for a Purpose (3 credits)

Cultural Narrative Elective (3 credits):

• Choose three credits from the following:
• COMM 4200 - Gender and Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 4327 - Popular Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 4356 - Intercultural Communication (3 credits)
• HIST 3902 - The Great Debates in African American History (3 credits)
• SOCI 3110 - Minorities (3 credits)
• SOCI 3600 - Fads, Panics and Riots (3 credits)
• SOCI 4337 - Symbolic Interaction and Social Identities (3 credits)
• WGSS 2020 - Women in Global Perspective (3 credits)
• WGSS 2110 - Sex, Gender, and the Body (3 credits)

Advisor Approved Electives (6 credits):

• Choose six credits from the following:
• APST 2060 - Introduction to Appalachian Studies (3 credits)
• COMM 3300 - Qualitative Communication Research Methods (3 credits)
• COMM 3340 - Rhetorical Criticism (3 credits)
• COMM 3346 - Speaking for Social Change (3 credits)
• COMM 3350 - Relational Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 3380 - Communicating in Groups (3 credits)
• COMM 3390 - Persuasion (3 credits)
• COMM 4200 - Gender and Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 4210 - Family Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 4317 - Rhetoric of Diversity & Identity (3 credits)
• COMM 4327 - Popular Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 4350 - Organizational Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 4356 - Intercultural Communication (3 credits)
• COMM 4366 - Communication Ethics (3 credits)
• COMM 4377 - Health Communication (3 credits)
• ENGL 3270 - Literature of Popular Culture (3 credits)
• ENGL 3280 - Mythology (3 credits)
• ENGL 4217 - Irish/Scottish Literature (3 credits)
• ENGL 4700 - Chaucer and Medieval Literature (3 credits)
• SOCI 3110 - Minorities (3 credits)
• SOCI 3600 - Fads, Panics and Riots (3 credits)
• SOCI 4337 - Symbolic Interaction and Social Identities (3 credits)
• STOR 4817 - Practical Applications of Storytelling: National Storytelling Festival Experience (1 credit)
• STOR 4957 - Topics in Storytelling (1-6 credits)
• THEA 2510 - Acting I (3 credits)
• THEA 2520 - Voice and Diction (3 credits)
• WGSS 2020 - Women in Global Perspective (3 credits)
• WGSS 2110 - Sex, Gender, and the Body (3 credits)

Assessment:

Teaching:

Careers:

• Strategic communication and web marketing
• Ministry and celebrancy
• Work as a performer and performance coach
• Social justice
• Civic engagement
• Diversity/equality efforts