Semiotics is the study of meaning within society. It deepens our understanding of culture, communication and philosophy, and provides us with a theoretical and practical framework for analyzing the world. The course will introduce and develop the semiotic approach, using literature, politics, film, TV, music, and our everyday surroundings and conversations.

Lecture, discussion, optional service learning project. The concerns, controversies, theoretical perspectives, and body of knowledge on the issue of media violence are examined. All students will work in groups to conceptualize and carry out a research project on the topic.

Key events and representative films that mark the history of motion pictures since 1950 worldwide. Emphasis on films made in the United States within the mainstream and at the margins during the last five decades.

Key events and representative films that mark the history of motion pictures since 1950 worldwide. Emphasis on films made in the United States within the mainstream and at the margins during the last five decades.

The technological developments that have influenced the growth and development of our electronic modes of communication. Forms of media including radio, television, telephones, videocassette recorders, satellites, cable TV, electronic mail, robotics, and computers. The basic approach to these forms is historical, with an examination of their social impact.

Description not available at this time

Description not available at this time

This course introduces non-majors to a variety of competing theories of interpersonal behavior and everyday social interaction and provides them with new ways of thinking about the social situations in which they participate and interact (and observe others doing so). Theoretical frameworks may include Cultural Discourse theory, models of Relational Communication, Coordinated Management of Meaning, Identity Management, and the Ethnography of Speaking. (Gen.Ed. SB)

This course introduces non-majors to a variety of competing theories of interpersonal behavior and everyday social interaction and provides them with new ways of thinking about the social situations in which they participate and interact (and observe others doing so). Theoretical frameworks may include Cultural Discourse theory, models of Relational Communication, Coordinated Management of Meaning, Identity Management, and the Ethnography of Speaking. (Gen.Ed. SB)

The nature and several functions of film, including narrative and nonnarrative approaches to film communication. Topics include: the components of film expression (composition, movement, editing, sound, setting, and acting); designs in screen narrative; film's relationship to other arts and media; and its role as an instrument of social reflection and change.