Independent study in special subjects.

Critical pedagogy uses critique of traditional modes of education in the US as a starting point for theoretical and practical resistance in schools. Most work on critical pedagogy has emphasized the ideological consequences of power, authority, identity and disabling effects on students, teachers and societies--and has identified points of struggle, failure and performing other-wise as opportunities for learning.

We will discuss the concepts of public and communication in the participation of ordinary people in public activities, stressing on participation in the media but not limited to it. We take a two-fold approach: we discuss various theories regarding participation and the public; and we discuss and learn discursive methodologies to study such participation.

This course introduces students to network theory and analysis across the social sciences. Students will learn key concepts such as social capital, weak ties, homophily, and opinion leadership by exploring their applications in contemporary literature in communication and related fields. The course emphasizes both theoretical foundations and hands-on skills for collecting and analyzing network data through no-code software. Students will study digital networks like hyperlinks, retweets, and hashtags to examine topics like information spread, organization, politics, and identities.

Media literacy is defined and discussed in this graduate seminar, with a focus on children and teens and an inter- and intra-disciplinary, praxis-based approach. We will begin by asking the surprisingly complicated questions of what media literacy is and what its goals entail, attending to its multiple theoretical foundations. Then we will briefly examine the state of media literacy (and the policies to support it) in the U.S. and in various global locations.

This course provides a historical and critical framework for understanding the literature and research traditions within the field of media studies. Starting from the history of "mass society" as a concept in social thought, we will examine media as institutional actors, technological artifacts, systems of representation, and meaningful cultural objects. We will discuss the links between media, culture, and power from a broad range of perspectives, including political economy, media effects, cultural studies, racial capitalism, postcolonialism, and technology studies.

Qualitative approaches to research, conceptualizations of problems, questions, and methodologies for the field of communication. Emphasis on, interpretive, feminist, critical, and cultural approaches. Introduction to methodological specialties of departmental faculty. Required of all Communication graduate students.

Process of theory construction, theory testing, and paradigmatic change in communication. Theory relationships among normative and scientific studies. Theory types and their causal mechanisms, units of analysis, and research methodologies. Major theories compared in terms of their theoretical and metatheoret-ical bases. Required of all Communication graduate students; taught in fall.

Honors Project expectations are high. The intended end-product is a traditional project manuscript with accompanying artifact(s), all projects: - are 6 credits or more of sustained research on a single topic, typically conducted over two semesters. - begin with creative inquiry and systematic research. - include documentation of substantive scholarly endeavor. - culminate in an oral defense or other form of public presentation.

In this Honors capstone class, students will theorize and read about media influence on individuals as well as conceptualize and carry out an original research study on a specific topic of their choosing within the broad research tradition known as "media effects." The first semester of this two-semester, 6-credit experience will feature the introduction of theories and relevant research findings on the ways in which television, video games, the Internet and/or social media, print media and other media forms shape the thoughts, attitudes, emotions, values, and/or behavior of individuals of var