Advising Forms

• Fall 2024 Advising Guide
• Communication Studies MAJOR Advising Form
• ORGANIZATIONAL Communication Studies MINOR Advising Form
• Communication Studies MINOR Advising Form

View complete Communication Studies course descriptions >>

Any other questions regarding academic advisers can be directed to Jennifer Considine, Department Chair.

COMM 318: Intercultural Communication
TR  8:00-9:30 a.m. – Dr. Kvam

This course examines cultural influences on human interaction in a variety of contexts. Theoretical and practical aspects of intercultural communication are explored.

COMM 413: Communication in Nonprofit Organizations
M 3:00-6:00 p.m.  – Dr. Considine

Have you ever thought about a career in a nonprofit organization? Have you ever found yourself really frustrated by a problem in your community and wondered how you could organize a group of people to do something about it? This is the course for you. In this course, we will be talking about how you can organize to accomplish social change. We’ll talk about how to create an organizational mission statement and manage a board of directors. We’ll discuss challenges faced in nonprofit organizations including: fundraising, volunteer management, employee stress and burnout, and organizational change. During the semester, you will analyze existing scholarship on an important topic of your choice in nonprofit communication, conduct applied research, and prepare a final report detailing your research procedures and findings. You will have the opportunity to customize this project to your own interests.

COMM 422: History of US Public Address
Online 7W2  – Dr. Palmeri

An analysis of influential speeches, delivered between 1640 and modern times. Emphasis is placed on discovering the relationship between the speeches and the historical/rhetorical situations in which they were delivered.  At the end of the term, students compose and deliver their own “State of the American Union” speech.

COMM 427:  Rhetorical Criticism
TR 3:00-4:30 p.m. – Dr. Heider

This course focuses on the analysis and evaluation of public messages, including photography, speeches, artwork, newspaper commentaries, children’s books, songs and advertisements.  Through the exploration of nine approaches to rhetorical criticism, students will hone their writing, argumentation, and critical thinking skills. Student will also become more adept at analyzing persuasive messages.

Cancelled – COMM 436: Seminar in Speech Communication – Food, Communication and Culture
TR 1:20-2:50 p.m. – Dr. Brunette

In this course, students will be invited to go bananas discussing the ways in which people communicate about and through food. While this may sound half baked, food and its related activities carry significant cultural weight and are a useful sight to explore the human condition. This course will provide ample food for thought, introducing students to a variety of interdisciplinary texts on the communicative impact of food. In a nutshell, students in this course will be asked to read and think critically about their own and other’s relationships to food. Bon Appetit!

AF AM Studies 335: Blackness in American Visual Culture

This is a lecture-based course that will explore how American visual culture expressed multiple ideas about blackness for more than 400 years. This course will focus on how stereotypes and popular forms of visual culture have constructed black racial identity through satire, photographs, paintings, and iconic figures along with the emergence of television, film and social media, and activism. It will also expose students to the realities of new Black identity through the emergence of Black Cultural Expression and Black artistic liberty through various forms of visual art and digital media. This course is situated to create awareness while stimulating an interest in further research and study of the African American culture, rather than to attempt exhaustive coverage of material, or to present definitive analyses.

Oshkosh Campus Electives – Offered in Person

(Note: UWO+ Students need special permission to take these classes. See your advisor for details).

COMM 304: Business & Professional Speaking
MWF 9:10-10:10 a.m. – Elliott Fischer

This course will prepare you for many of the communication challenges you will face both in your job search and the early years of your career. We will talk about job interviews, salary negotiations, and preparing resumes. We will also discuss how to have “difficult conversations” at work – asking for a raise, negotiating maternity/paternity leave, managing workplace politics, dealing with difficult coworkers, and encountering discrimination or harassment. You will get experience in workplace presentations typical to careers in the field of communication. You will also have the opportunity to network with professionals in the community.

COMM 336: Interpersonal Communication and Technology in the Information Age
W 3:00-6:00 p.m. – Dr. Ryan Allred

This course explores the intersection between interpersonal and computer-mediated communication theories. The central focus of the course is to examine ways in which new technologies change, enhance, and inhibit interpersonal communication. Students will critique, compare, and create communication theory. Special topics include phubbing, presence, cognitive attention, immediacy, and media multiplexity.

COMM 386: Ethnograpy of Communication
T/TH 8:00-9:30 a.m. – Dr. Dani Kvam

This course emphasizes the dual functionality of the ethnography of communication, approaching EOC as both a theory for explaining human communication and a method for generating and collecting situated cultural discourses. Students will read, discuss, and collectively analyze ethnographic accounts that theorize the uses and meanings of various communicative phenomena (terms for address, leave-taking practices, and “ways of speaking”), as well as explore and put into practice techniques for apprehending and analyzing communication phenomena (participant observation, interviewing, and collection of public documents).

Online Electives Open to All

COMM 338: Freedom of speech in the US

• On Campus Students – Register for online section 291 (7W2) – Dr. Tony Palmeri
• UWO+ Students – Register for online section 292C (7W2) – Dr. Tony Palmeri

In the United States, freedom of speech is restricted in a variety of ways. Government can legally place restrictions on communicators, the content of communication, and the medium of communication. Additionally, some scholars believe that large corporations restrict free speech more than the government. When speech restrictions are challenged in courts, a very narrow model of communication generally guides judges. This course examines the history and current condition of the First Amendment and challenges students to think critically about the meaning of “free and responsible” communication. Because of the sheer amount of “controversial” communication in our country today, there has never been a better time to take this course!

COMM 318: Intercultural Communication

• FDL Students – Register for online section 091C (14 W) – Dr. Kristi Wilkum
• Fox Cities Students – Register for online section 092C (14 W) – Dr. Kristi Wilkum
• Oshkosh On Campus Students – Register for online section 093C (14W) – Dr. Kristi Wilkum

This course examines cultural influences on human interaction in a variety of contexts. Theoretical and practical aspects of intercultural communication are explored.

UWO+ Electives – Offered 7-week online

(Note: Students NOT enrolled in the UWO+ program need special permission to take these classes. See your advisor for details).

COMM 318: Intercultural Communication

• OCE Students – Register for online section 291C – Ann Vogel
• UWO+ Students – Register for online section 292C – Ann Vogel

This course examines cultural influences on human interaction in a variety of contexts. Theoretical and practical aspects of intercultural communication are explored.

COMM 380: Organizational Communication Studies

• OCE Students – Register for online section 291C – Dr. Jessica Kahlow
• UWO+ Students – Register for online section 292C – Dr. Jessica Kahlow

The course explores the origins and usefulness of organizational communication theory through the examination and pragmatic application of those theories, concepts, and issues to adult learners’ organizational experiences. The course focuses on understanding and improving communication skills in a variety of settings by analyzing challenges commonly faced in today’s organizations. Topics may include socialization, difference, groups and teams, technology, organizational change, working online, decision making, organizational change, technology, emotion, assimilation, and other issues central to organizational communication.

Oshkosh Campus Electives – Offered in Person

COMM 325: Nonverbal Communication
T/TH 9:40-11:10 – Dr. Dani Kvam

This course explores the importance of nonverbal communication in creating shared meaning. Students will learn to apply theories of nonverbal communication to make sense of their everyday interactions.  Students will also gain skills in observing and interpreting naturally occurring nonverbal cues.  This course will focus on the embodied nature of nonverbal communication and ways that built environments may shape our interactions.

COMM 337: Foundations in Communication Studies
M 3-6:00 – Dr. Tony Palmeri

Why would anyone want to study the rhetorical theory of the ancient Greeks and Romans? Well, it turns out that almost everything the ancient writers thought about rhetoric still has relevance. In COMM 337 we learn not just the theories of ancient rhetoric, but how to put those theories into practice. By the end of the semester, students learn how to write well crafted speeches that feature appeals based on sound reasoning, strong character, and emotion.

COMM 436: Seminar in Speech Communication
T/TH 3-4:30 – Dr. Tyler Brunette

In this course, students will be invited to go bananas discussing the ways in which people communicate about and through food. While this may sound half baked, food and its related activities carry significant cultural weight and are a useful sight to explore the human condition. This course will provide ample food for thought, introducing students to a variety of interdisciplinary texts on the communicative impact of food. In a nutshell, students in this course will be asked to read and think critically about their own and other’s relationships to food. Bon Appetit!

Online Electives Open to All

COMM 218: Popular Culture and Communication
Online 7W1 – Dr. Kristi Wilkum

This course uses rhetorical theories and self-reflective strategies to examine Popular Culture as an academic discipline. Students will engage with, analyze, interpret and ultimately argue about the significance of texts that are largely seen as forms of entertainment. The course the persuasion and influence in forms of advertising, print media, film, television, celebrity, music, social media, and video games.

COMM 304: Business and Professional Communication
Online 7W1 – Dr. Jessica Kahlow

This course gives you the opportunity to design, deliver, and critique presentations in your career field. We will also discuss job interview strategies, resume and cover letter preparation, and work-life balance. The focus of the course allows adult learners to draw on past experiences in business and the professions. Assignments allow adult learners to focus on their field of interest and require presentations and participation in an online environment.

The following Graduate level course will be offered for the Summer 2024 semester.

COMM 576: Special Topics in Communication Education
Topic: The Rhetoric of Rock Music
100% Online Asynchronous 1st 4 week term (6/17/2024-7/12/2024)
Course Instructor: Dr. Tony Palmeri

Course Description:
The Rhetoric of Rock Music examines the history, cultural significance, and rhetorical features of rock. Students are exposed to groundbreaking artists and songs, and learn how to approach them critically. A rock critic makes arguments about how rock songs challenge our thinking about race, class, gender, sexual orientation and other aspects of identity. The course is fun and challenging—like a great rock song!

Special Note: There are 3 sections of this course offering. Students must be currently enrolled at UWO in the Graduate Studies Program to be entered into this course.

Section 191C is open to any eligible graduate student currently enrolled at UWO. Distance Education fees apply ($50/per credit). This course is outside of the plateau policy.

Section 192C is for CAPP adjuncts, NEW ERA adjuncts, and Elmbrook teachers only. This course is outside of the plateau policy.

Section 193C is for those in CESA 3 district. This course is outside of the plateau policy.

COMM 304: Business & Professional Speaking

This course will prepare you for many of the communication challenges you will face both in your job search and the early years of your career. We will talk about job interviews, salary negotiations, and preparing resumes. We will also discuss how to have “difficult conversations” at work – asking for a raise, negotiating maternity/paternity leave, managing workplace politics, dealing with difficult coworkers and encountering discrimination or harassment. You will get experience in workplace presentations typical to careers in the field of communication such as elevators pitches, sales presentations, and crisis briefings. You will also have the opportunity to network with professionals in the community both inside and outside of class.

COMM 316: Gender and Discourse

How do we come to understand and know the world? What role do symbols play in this process? This course explores how language and images shape and direct our thinking and actions. More specifically, this class focuses on how symbols help us to understand and act in a gendered world through the exploration of contemporary topics such as advertising, health, and sports.

COMM 318: Intercultural Communication

This course examines cultural influences on human interaction in a variety of contexts. Theoretical and practical aspects of intercultural communication are explored.

COMM 325: Nonverbal Communication

This course explores the importance of nonverbal communication in creating shared meaning. Students will learn to apply theories of nonverbal communication to make sense of their everyday interactions.  Students will also gain skills in observing and interpreting naturally occurring nonverbal cues.  This course will focus on the embodied nature of nonverbal communication and ways that built environments may shape our interactions.

COMM 326: Communication and Conflict

An exploration of research and practice regarding human conflict as an ongoing component of interpersonal relationships and community engagement. To better understand the role of conflict in building and maintaining meaningful relationships, students will examine healthy approaches to conflict and best practices for conflict resolution. Communication theories and concepts related to interpersonal conflict, formal mediation, and social justice advocacy are examined and practiced.

COMM 337: Foundations of Communication

Why would anyone want to study the rhetorical theory of the ancient Greeks and Romans? Well, it turns out that almost everything the ancient writers thought about rhetoric still has relevance. In COMM 337 we learn not just the theories of ancient rhetoric, but how to put those theories into practice. By the end of the semester, students learn how to write well crafted speeches that feature appeals based on sound reasoning, strong character, and emotion.

COMM 403: Visual Communication

This course examines the role of visual communication in contemporary society. We will explore theoretical and methodological questions surrounding visual artifacts and practices in a variety of contexts. From photography to social protest, consumer culture to museum displays, and more, students will be asked to think critically about how visuals and practices of looking in a variety of media constitute and persuade us a spectators, consumers, and citizens. Over the course of the semester, we will read numerous critical analyses of visual rhetoric, as well as perform such analyses on a variety of visual artifacts.

COMM 413: Communication in Nonprofit Organizations

Have you ever thought about a career in a nonprofit organization? Have you ever found yourself really frustrated by a problem in your community and wondered how you could organize a group of people to do something about it? This is the course for you. In this course, we will be talking about how you can organize to accomplish social change. We’ll talk about how to create an organizational mission statement and manage a board of directors. We’ll discuss challenges faced in nonprofit organizations including: fundraising, volunteer management, employee stress and burnout, and organizational change. During the semester, you will analyze existing scholarship on an important topic of your choice in nonprofit communication, conduct applied research, and prepare a final report detailing your research procedures and findings. You will have the opportunity to customize this project to your own interests.

COMM 415: Organizational Rhetoric 

In this course. we will study organizational communication using a rhetorical approach.  We will begin with an investigation of the communication processes through which formal organizations influence popular attitudes and individual identities.  We will also study how people in particular organizations use language to “do” things such as manage organizational crises, institute organizational change, and create public relations and marketing campaigns.  Through a case study approach, students will learn to critique examples of organizational rhetoric and develop communication materials to address challenges and crises in organizational communication.

COMM 416: Managerial Communication

This course explores the complexity of working in management by exploring both what a management role entails, and a variety of challenges managers encounter.  We will investigate several real-world challenges shared by local managers from their professional experience through a series of live ‘storytelling’ sessions.  Working in teams with the manager, the class will diagnose the underlying problems contributing to the challenge, then explore communication-based solutions to address those issues.  You will also learn the central role that communication plays in effective work process through a group project using a popular management tool (Process Mapping) to improve a faulty work process in an on-campus or off-campus organization.  Through this blend of traditional and hands-on learning, you will set yourself apart by developing your knowledge and gaining practical experience to enhance your ability to work with management and/or prepare yourself for a management role.

COMM 418: Applied Project in Organizational Communication

Leaders from a wide range of industries and many educational researchers advocate for the importance of moving student learning into the ‘real’ world.  Action learning projects engage students in partnerships with clients to address real-world challenges through students’ concurrent learning and application of course content.  In this class, you will work in teams within a project management structure to complete an applied project focused on a complex, urgent problem faced by a local organization.  Class members will use our course content to achieve project goal(s) and reflect on experiences related to the core functions, processes, and conditions influencing their team performance and project progress.  NOTE: This course may serve as the foundation for the project(s) in COMM 414: Communication Training & Development during Spring 2020. (Students may sign up for COMM 418 and COMM 414 OR may choose to take only one of these courses.)

COMM 422: History of US Public Address 

An analysis of influential speeches, delivered between 1640 and modern times.  Emphasis is placed on discovering the relationship between the speeches and the historical/rhetorical situations in which they were delivered.  At the end of the term, students compose and deliver their own ‘State of the American Union’ speech.

COMM 427: Rhetorical Criticism 

This course focuses on the analysis and evaluation of public messages, including photography, speeches, artwork, newspaper commentaries, children’s books, songs, and advertisements.  Through the exploration of nine approaches to rhetorical criticism, students will hone their writing, argumentation, and critical thinking skills.  Students will also become more adept at analyzing persuasive messages.

COMM 428: The Rhetoric of Rock Music 

The Rhetoric of Rock Music examines the history, cultural significance, and rhetorical features of rock music.  The course will require that we move from rock “fan” to rock “critics”.  For our purpose a “rock critic” is someone able to shed light on how rock music simultaneously mirrors and influences the society in which we live.  The rock music critic listens closely to the expressed message of a rhetorical act (in this case rock-and-roll) for the purpose of  trying to discover what is unexpressed.  If you like listening to music you will enjoy this course.

COMM 436: Seminar in Speech Communication – Food, Communication and Culture

In this course, students will be invited to go bananas discussing the ways in which people communicate about and through food. While this may sound half baked, food and its related activities carry significant cultural weight and are a useful sight to explore the human condition. This course will provide ample food for thought, introducing students to a variety of interdisciplinary texts on the communicative impact of food. In a nutshell, students in this course will be asked to read and think critically about their own and other’s relationships to food. Bon Appetit!

COMM 450: Rhetoric of the U.S. Women’s Rights Movement 1848-1920

Did you know that 2020 marked the 100^th anniversary of women being guaranteed the right to vote?  The 19^th Amendment, ratified in August 1920, permanently protects this opportunity to cast a ballot. How did women gain the right to vote, the right to own property, the right to divorce, and the right to legal guardianship of their children?  Who opposed these rights and why? This course addresses these questions by exploring primary rhetorical texts (speeches, flyers, and suffrage newspapers) of the women’s rights movement from 1792 to 1920.  We will analyze the major arguments, appeals, and ideas of the movement and ask interpretive and evaluative questions. Specifically, we will critically assess the connections and distinctions between past and present (including current issues in the news); examine points of contention within the movement; and explore the ways in which the arguments and appeals can be understood through an intersectional framework.  Students will also have the opportunity to study Wisconsin women’s rights activism through archival work at the Polk Library.

COMM 451:  Feminist Rhetorics and Social Change

This course explores feminist activism in a variety of forms and contexts.  Integrated throughout the course is an analysis of iconic images, speeches, marches, and legal documents from a range of time periods. Throughout the course, we will also explore intersectionality and the ways in which ideas about gender have shifted and changed.  Specific artifacts include the World War II image of Rose the Riveter, images and texts related to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, debates about the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, and the Women’s Marches in Washington in 1963 and 2017.

COMM 455: Environmental Rhetoric

Environmental Rhetoric is an exploration into the ways our language use constitutes the environments which we inhabit and, in turn, how the ways we talk about the environments influence our interactions with them. The exploration will encourage us to examine how news coverage, public policy debates, and pop culture texts (including songs, films, and board games) invite us to understand and interact with the natural world.

COMM 478: Special Topics in Interpersonal Communication

This course explores the intersection between interpersonal and computer-mediated communication theories. The central focus of the course is to examine ways in which new technologies change, enhance, and inhibit interpersonal communication. Students will critique, compare, and create communication theory. Special topics include phubbing, presence, cognitive attention, immediacy, and media multiplexity.

What should you do if a class is closed?

Paired USP Courses:

• Comm 111
  • Contact USP

• Comm USP disciplinary courses (213, 219, 254, 280)
  • Contact USP

Unpaired Comm 111 courses:

• During the academic year:
  • Check TitanWeb daily to see whether a seat opens up
  • Contact the Director of Public Speaking
    • Stephanie Rolain-Jacobs (rolainja@uwosh.edu)

• During the summer months:
  • Check TitanWeb daily to see whether a seat opens up
  • Contact the Communication Studies Chair
    • Jennifer Considine (considij@uwosh.edu)

Required and elective courses in the Communication Studies major:

• Contact the course instructor
• Check TitanWeb daily to see whether a seat opens up