Senior Seminar

The integrated conclusion of the departmental curriculum with emphasis on research methodology and writing. Prerequisite: permission of the department. Not open for pass/fail credit.

Current Semester Information

450A: Sem:Violence

Senior Seminar: Violence: Language, Media and Performance

This seminar is designed to examine the relationship of violence and communication. We will consider violence as communication and the various ways violence shapes/effects human communication. Sample inquiries include the rhetoric of violence (or can sticks and stones break my bones?) and "non-violent" communication, violence in the media, and the ethics of staged representations of violence. Seminar sessions will include discussion, film/television screenings, and performance exploration exercises (although acting experience is not required). The seminar is designed to provide maximum flexibility for student interest and inquiry regardless of that student's communication or theatre track.

450B: Sem:Irony,Satire&Dissent

Senior Seminar: Irony, Satire & Dissent

This course considers the prominence of irony, satire, and parody in public discourse. From The Daily Show and 30 Rock to The Book of Mormon and The Onion, cultural production in the satiric register has transformed the way we think about news and entertainment, politics and religion, citizenship and activism. Drawing on recent scholarship in political communication, media and cultural studies, the course invites students to examine the relationship between satire and dissent in literature, theater, and popular culture. A writing, speaking and listening intensive, this seminar guides students through the process of developing an original research project.

450C: Sem:Quali Approach Comm

Senior Seminar: Qualitative Approaches to Communication

In this course, we will explore the philosophical and theoretical perspectives taken by communication researchers who embrace the "qualitative turn." For many scholars who work in Communication, divisions between qualitative (narrative) and quantitative (statistical) modes of inquiry speak to differences in our notions of human beings, ways of knowing, and what counts as ethical research. We will explore the historical roots of this distinction, the current battle between qualitative and quantitative research methods in communication, and ways in which some researchers have tried to bridge the two modes of research. We will also be learning and critiquing several models of qualitative research including ethnography, focus groups, interviews, relational dialectics, rhetorical criticism and others. Students interested in interpersonal communication, rhetoric, or media studies will all be able to engage their personal interests while exploring qualitative modes of epistemology.