Communication Studies Major, B.A.
Overview
The study of communication is essential for participating in an increasingly complex and mediated global environment. The Department of Communication's mission is to advance communication for the public good. Through its teaching, research, and service, the department addresses the many ways communication functions to create, sustain, and transform personal life, social relations, political institutions, economic organizations, and cultural and aesthetic conventions in society; promotes competencies required for various modes of mediated and non-mediated communication; and develops skills for analyzing, interpreting, and critiquing communication problems and questions. The curriculum is designed to enable students to develop the capacities to be knowledgeable and responsible producers and consumers of communication through engagement, critique, and creativity. The programs of study offered by the department support a vision of citizen-scholars building a better North Carolina and world.
New Curriculum in 2024–2025
The new curriculum is intended to be more interdisciplinary, flexible, and student-centric. We are calling it a pathways approach to communication. We will continue to give students focused opportunities to engage with the department’s core areas of expertise — interpersonal and organizational communication, media arts, media and technology studies, new media, performance studies, rhetoric, and writing for screen and stage — but the new curriculum allows students to bring these areas together in new combinations.
The new curriculum offers students five pathways they can pursue:
- Communication and Everyday Life
- Media Arts, Performance, and Critical Practice
- Media Technologies and Public Culture
- Organization, Communication, and Work
- Rhetoric, Activism, and Advocacy
Details about the curriculum can be found on the Requirements tab.
Student Learning Outcomes
- An understanding of the major theories that define the field of communication and the relevance of these theories to sub-areas of the field. To demonstrate accomplishment of this objective, students should be able to
- identify and apply major theories of communication
- discuss the implications of selected communication theories for practice
- describe the relevance of appropriate communication theories to the students’ chosen areas of focus and show how theories can be applied productively to those areas
- An understanding of appropriate research methods in the field of communication and the relevance of these methods to their sub-areas of the field. Specifically, students should demonstrate that they can
- describe the fundamental procedures of research methods in communication
- critically assess research procedures used in communication research
- make a research argument
- utilize research skills, including finding library and electronic sources, citing and documenting research materials, synthesizing and drawing conclusions from research, and organizing and presenting original research
- describe how communication research methods may be used to answer research questions in the students’ chosen areas of specialization.
- A critical approach to the consumption and creation of communication in a communication rich and democratic environment. Specifically, students should demonstrate that they can
- analyze and evaluate the use and meaning of visual, audio, and other sensory information and the way it conveys information to a viewer, reader, or listener
- exhibit competence in oral, verbal, and written communication skills
- critique and engage in performative and mediated forms of communication in “real world” contexts
- demonstrate knowledge of how communication practices may be used to transform and redefine specific communication situations (e.g., the use of communication strategies to resolve conflict in interpersonal, group, and organizational contexts).
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must
- earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
- complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
- take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| COMM 100 | Communication and Social Process | 3 |
| Three COMM courses at the 050-300 level within a chosen pathway (including a minimum of 2 starting point courses) 1 | 9 | |
| Three COMM courses at the 400-600 level within a chosen pathway | 9 | |
| Three COMM electives (at any level and within any pathway) | 9 | |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| The 10 courses (30 hours) should also be apportioned in the following ways: | ||
At least one Modes of Inquiry course (see options below). | ||
At least one Representation, Identity, and Difference course (see options below). | ||
At least one COMM Experience course (see options below). 2 | ||
At least six courses from a single Pathway. | ||
| A minimum of 10 COMM courses, except for those students pursuing the new media option described below. | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
- 1
Students can substitute a COMM FY-Seminar for a lower-level course in the Pathway.
- 2
This is typically completed in the junior or senior year.
A maximum of 15 COMM courses (45 hours) may be applied toward the B.A. degree.
Students are invited to work closely with faculty members in courses and through independent study, co-curricular programs, and research projects. Many courses are also open to non-majors whose personal and professional goals require an understanding of human communication (consult course descriptions for restrictions).
Communication Studies (COMM) course descriptions.
The major is organized according to five interdisciplinary pathways that guide students toward developing critical competencies and expertise in different facets of communication. Pathways are designed to be flexible, meaning that students have multiple options within each pathway and that pathways intersect with one another, allowing students to shift from one pathway to another without needing to restart their journey. All pathways bring together the Department of Communication's disciplinary strength areas in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, Media Arts, Media and Technology Studies, Performance Studies, and Rhetoric.
The five pathways students may pursue are:
- Communication and Everyday Life
- Media Arts, Performance, and Critical Practice
- Media Technologies and Public Culture
- Organization, Communication, and Work
- Rhetoric, Activism, and Advocacy
Communication and Everyday Life
Students will explore the diversity of communicative experiences, practices and processes that permeate our daily lives. Here, the focus is on the practices of everyday life, interpersonal and small group interactions, the ubiquity of our engagement with popular culture, and increasingly our documentation of the seemingly mundane aspects of daily interactions and rituals on social media platforms, quotidian discourses and practices of identity, belonging and exclusion; the performativity of race, gender, and sexuality, citizenship, friendship, and family member, individualism and community membership; the significance of oral history and personal narrative. By focusing on the “everyday,” students will focus on how communication is lived, and how it is also conditioned, structured and disciplined by structures of power, technological affordances, formations of community and learned aspects of cultural identity.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pathway Starting Point Courses | ||
| Students should select a minimum of two courses from the following list: | ||
| COMM 113 |  Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMM 120 | Introduction to Interpersonal and Organizational Communication H, F | 3 |
| COMM 130 | Introduction to Media Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 140 | Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F | 3 |
| COMM 160 | Introduction to Performance Studies H | 3 |
| COMM 171 | Argumentation and Debate | 3 |
| COMM/WGST 224 | Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H | 3 |
| COMM 249 | Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society | 3 |
| COMM 260 | Introduction to Performance and Social Change 2 | 3 |
| COMM/MNGT 325 | Introduction to Organizational Communication H | 3 |
| Additional Lower-Level Courses | ||
| COMM 57 | First-Year Seminar: Is There Life after College?: The Meaning of Work in Contemporary Life | 3 |
| COMM 73 | First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric 1 | 3 |
| COMM 75 | First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 1 | 3 |
| COMM 85 | First-Year Seminar: Think, Speak, Argue | 3 |
| COMM 86 | First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society 2 | 3 |
| COMM 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H | 3 |
| COMM/MNGT 223 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| COMM 262 | Introduction to the Performance of Culture 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 312 | Persuasion | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Cultural Diversity 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 340 | The Social Life of Things | 3 |
| COMM 348 | Algorithms and Society 2 | 3 |
| COMM 349 | Technology and Social Justice 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 360 | Social Media and Society 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 371 | Argumentation | 3 |
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 4 | 3 |
| COMM 393 | Internships 3 | 1-3 |
| COMM 396 | Independent Study and Directed Research | 1-3 |
| Upper-Level Courses | ||
| COMM 422 | Family Communication 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 432 | Visual Culture 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 435 | Memory Acts H | 3 |
| COMM 437 | United States Black Culture and Performance 2 | 3 |
| COMM 450 | Media and Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 453 | The History of New Media Technology in Everyday Life | 3 |
| COMM 455 | Sound Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 471 | Rhetorics of Public Memory 1 | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 4 | 3 |
| COMM 499 | The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM/WGST 524 | Gender, Communication, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 562 | Oral History and Performance 2, H | 3 |
| COMM 573 | The American Experience in Rhetoric | 3 |
| COMM 596 | Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading | 1-3 |
| COMM 620 | Theories of Interpersonal Communication 1 | 3 |
| COMM 624 | Hate Speech 2 | 3 |
| COMM 655 | Television Culture | 3 |
| COMM 658 | Surveillance Cultures | 3 |
| COMM 661 | Race and Ethnicity 2 | 3 |
| COMM 665 | Performance, Politics, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 693H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 694H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 695 | Field Methods 1 | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
- 1
Fulfills Modes of Inquiry requirement.
- 2
Fulfills Representation, Identity, and Difference requirement.
- 3
Approved COMM Experience course.
- 4
With approval, based on topic.
Media Arts, Performance, and Critical Practice
This pathway brings together a focused depth of study in the craft and aesthetics of artistic practice in Media Art, New Media, and Performance with a focus on the critical interventions the arts, storytelling, performance and media making have on society. It highlights the integral role that media art and performance play in our world – one that is committed to critical practice and formal experimentation. Courses in this pathway facilitate intellectual exchange and create community across artistic practices and with other forms of research and inquiry in the major. It centers this work as fundamental to the department’s conceptualization of communication as engagement, creativity, and critique.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pathway Starting Point Courses | ||
| Students should select a minimum of two courses from the following list: | ||
| COMM 130 | Introduction to Media Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 140 | Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F | 3 |
| COMM 150 | Introduction to New Media 1 | 3 |
| COMM 160 | Introduction to Performance Studies H | 3 |
| COMM 224 | Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H | 3 |
| COMM 260 | Introduction to Performance and Social Change 2 | 3 |
| COMM 263 | Performing Literature 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 330 | Introduction to Writing for Film and Television | 3 |
| Additional Lower-Level courses | ||
| COMM 61 | First-Year Seminar: The Politics of Performance 2 | 3 |
| COMM 62 | First-Year Seminar: African American Literature and Performance 2 | 3 |
| COMM 63 | First-Year Seminar: The Creative Process in Performance | 3 |
| COMM 84 | First-Year Seminar: Make A Zine! Do-It-Yourself Writing, Publishing, and Distribution 1 | 3 |
| COMM 88 | First-Year Seminar: Technologies of Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 142 | Popular Music | 3 |
| COMM 230 | Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing 1 | 3 |
| COMM 251 | Introduction to American Film and Culture, 1965-Present | 3 |
| COMM 262 | Introduction to the Performance of Culture 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Cultural Diversity 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 331 | Writing the Short Film | 3 |
| COMM 334 | Writing the One-Hour TV Drama | 3 |
| COMM 335 | Film Story Analysis | 3 |
| COMM 337 | Visual Storytelling for Screenwriters | 3 |
| COMM/WGST 345 | Gender and Film 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 350 | Practices of Cultural Studies 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 378 | Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact 2 | 3 |
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 4 | 3 |
| COMM 393 | Internships 3 | 1-3 |
| COMM 396 | Independent Study and Directed Research | 1-3 |
| Upper-Level courses | ||
| COMM 412 | Critical Theory | 3 |
| COMM 430 | History of American Screenwriting | 3 |
| COMM 431 | Advanced Audio Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 432 | Visual Culture 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 435 | Memory Acts H | 3 |
| COMM 437 | United States Black Culture and Performance 2 | 3 |
| COMM 450 | Media and Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 455 | Sound Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 463 | Creating the Solo Performance 2 | 3 |
| COMM 464 | Collaborative Performance 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 466 | Advanced Study in Performing Literature | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 4 | 3 |
| COMM 500 | Visual and Material Rhetoric 1 | 3 |
| COMM 524 | Gender, Communication, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 534 | Aesthetic and Technical Considerations in Making Short Videos 2 | 3 |
| COMM 549 | Sexuality and Visual Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 561 | Performance of Women of Color 2, H | 3 |
| COMM 562 | Oral History and Performance 2, H | 3 |
| COMM 564 | Performance and Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 568 | Adapting and Directing for the Stage | 3 |
| COMM 576 | Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States 2 | 3 |
| COMM 596 | Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading | 1-3 |
| COMM 635 | Documentary Production 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 636 | Interactive Media | 3 |
| COMM 638 | Game Design 1 | 3 |
| COMM 640 | Game Studio | 3 |
| COMM 644 | Documentary Production: First Person Filmmaking 2 | 3 |
| COMM 645 | The Documentary Idea | 3 |
| COMM 646 | Introduction to the Art and Mechanics of Two-Dimensional Digital Animation | 3 |
| COMM 647 | Advanced Projects in Media Production | 3 |
| COMM 650 | Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies 2 | 3 |
| COMM 652 | Media and Difference 2 | 3 |
| COMM 653 | Experimental Video | 3 |
| COMM 654 | Motion Graphics, Special Effects, and Compositing | 3 |
| COMM 656 | Sound for Film and Video: Theory and Practice for Motion Picture Sound Design | 3 |
| COMM 660 | Advanced Projects in Performance Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 661 | Race and Ethnicity | 3 |
| COMM 662 | Black/African Diaspora Performance 2 | 3 |
| COMM 665 | Performance, Politics, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 666 | Media in Performance 1 | 3 |
| COMM 667 | Performance Activism 2 | 3 |
| COMM 676 | Digital Media and Live Performance | 3 |
| COMM 681 | Contemporary Film Theory | 3 |
| COMM 682 | History of the Moving Image: Pasts, Presents, Futures | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 693H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 694H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 695 | Field Methods 1 | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
- 1
Fulfills Modes of Inquiry requirement.
- 2
Fulfills Representation, Identity, and Difference requirement.
- 3
Approved COMM Experience course.
- 4
With approval, based on topic.
Please note that enrollment in advanced media arts production classes, performance classes and screenwriting is limited, and many classes have prerequisites.
New Media
Students wishing to pursue the new media option should consult the departmental advisor.
To fulfill the New Media option, communication studies majors must be pursuing the Media Arts, Performance, and Critical Practice pathway. While fulfilling all major and pathway requirements (described above), students must take the following starting point classes in the pathway:
Students must also select three upper-level COMM classes from the following list:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 431 | Advanced Audio Production | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies (based on topic, prior approval required) | 3 |
| COMM 636 | Interactive Media | 3 |
| COMM 638 | Game Design | 3 |
| COMM 646 | Introduction to the Art and Mechanics of Two-Dimensional Digital Animation | 3 |
| COMM 650 | Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies | 3 |
| COMM 654 | Motion Graphics, Special Effects, and Compositing | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies (based on topic, prior approval required) H | 3 |
| COMM 693H | Honors | 3 |
| COMM 694H | Honors | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
Additionally, the New Media option requires that students take three courses beyond the 10 COMM courses for the major:
- COMP 110 Introduction to Programming and Data Science
- Two approved courses from the Department of Computer Science (COMP) or the School of Information and Library Science (INLS), see course recommendations below.
Recommended cross-disciplinary classes include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMP 180 | Enabling Technologies H | 3 |
| COMP 185 | Serious Games H | 3 |
| INLS 151 | Retrieving and Analyzing Information | 3 |
| INLS 161 | Tools for Information Literacy | 3 |
| INLS 201 | Foundations of Information Science | 3 |
| INLS 318 | Human Computer Interaction | 3 |
| INLS 560 | Programming for Information Science | 3 |
| INLS 572 | Web Development I | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
Media Technologies and Public Culture
By following this pathway, students will hone their critical digital literacy skills by exploring the myriad ways that technological systems shape social relations and experiences. Students will develop capacities focused on critical understandings of the economic, political, aesthetic, and cultural factors that shape media and technology's affordances, its uses, and its potential. This pathway will also invite inquiry into the production, negotiation, and contestation of cultural meanings and identities within media spaces. Students pursuing this pathway might seek out careers as media analysts, critics or producers working in the technology industry, or at think tanks, foundations, or in governmental organizations focusing on media law, policy, regulation, and user rights.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pathway Starting Point Courses | ||
| Students should select a minimum of two courses from the list below: | ||
| COMM 130 | Introduction to Media Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 140 | Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F | 3 |
| COMM 150 | Introduction to New Media 1 | 3 |
| COMM 224 | Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H | 3 |
| COMM 249 | Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society | 3 |
| COMM 330 | Introduction to Writing for Film and Television | 3 |
| Additional Lower-Level courses | ||
| COMM 75 | First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 1 | 3 |
| COMM 83 | First-Year Seminar: Networked Societies 2 | 3 |
| COMM 86 | First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society 2 | 3 |
| COMM 88 | First-Year Seminar: Technologies of Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 142 | Popular Music | 3 |
| COMM 230 | Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing 1 | 3 |
| COMM 251 | Introduction to American Film and Culture, 1965-Present | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Cultural Diversity 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 335 | Film Story Analysis | 3 |
| COMM 337 | Visual Storytelling for Screenwriters | 3 |
| COMM 340 | The Social Life of Things | 3 |
| COMM 345 | Gender and Film 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 348 | Algorithms and Society 2 | 3 |
| COMM 349 | Technology and Social Justice 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 350 | Practices of Cultural Studies 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 355 | Terrorism and Political Violence 1 | 3 |
| COMM 360 | Social Media and Society 1 | 3 |
| COMM 372 | The Rhetoric of Social Movements 2 | 3 |
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 4 | 3 |
| COMM 393 | Internships 3 | 1-3 |
| COMM 396 | Independent Study and Directed Research | 1-3 |
| Upper-Level courses | ||
| COMM 412 | Critical Theory | 3 |
| COMM 430 | History of American Screenwriting | 3 |
| COMM 431 | Advanced Audio Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 432 | Visual Culture 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 450 | Media and Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 453 | The History of New Media Technology in Everyday Life | 3 |
| COMM 454 | Media and Activism 2 | 3 |
| COMM 455 | Sound Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 470 | Political Communication and the Public Sphere | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 4 | 3 |
| COMM 499 | The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 524 | Gender, Communication, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 532 | Performing the Screenplay | 3 |
| COMM 534 | Aesthetic and Technical Considerations in Making Short Videos | 3 |
| COMM 549 | Sexuality and Visual Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 564 | Performance and Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 574 | War and Culture | 3 |
| COMM 576 | Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States 2 | 3 |
| COMM 596 | Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading | 1-3 |
| COMM 624 | Hate Speech 2 | 3 |
| COMM 635 | Documentary Production 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 636 | Interactive Media | 3 |
| COMM 638 | Game Design 1 | 3 |
| COMM 640 | Game Studio | 3 |
| COMM 644 | Documentary Production: First Person Filmmaking 2 | 3 |
| COMM 645 | The Documentary Idea | 3 |
| COMM 650 | Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies 2 | 3 |
| COMM 652 | Media and Difference 2 | 3 |
| COMM 655 | Television Culture | 3 |
| COMM 656 | Sound for Film and Video: Theory and Practice for Motion Picture Sound Design | 3 |
| COMM 658 | Surveillance Cultures | 3 |
| COMM 661 | Race and Ethnicity 2 | 3 |
| COMM/DRAM 666 | Media in Performance 1 | 3 |
| COMM 676 | Digital Media and Live Performance | 3 |
| COMM 682 | History of the Moving Image: Pasts, Presents, Futures | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 693H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 694H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 695 | Field Methods 1 | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
- 1
Fulfills Modes of Inquiry requirement.
- 2
Fulfills Representation, Identity, and Difference requirement.
- 3
Approved COMM Experience course.
- 4
With approval, based on topic.
Organization, Communication, and Work
Students will explore how communicative practices construct cultural understandings of work, both currently and historically, and how work is conducted in a range of organizations. Students will develop capacities to use multi-level, multi-method analyses of organizing across work, community, and social change contexts, with a sustained focus on communication as constitutive of organizing. Students will explore topics such as globalization, work and identity, power and resistance, ethics, leadership, teamwork, democracy and citizenship, gender, race and class, and community-based organizing to produce responsible, ethical, and sustainable organizations. Students may pursue careers in public relations, strategic and corporate communication, consulting, social media, marketing, management, training and development, sales, and human resource management, among others.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pathway Starting Point Courses | ||
| Students should select a minimum of two courses from the list below: | ||
| COMM 113 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMM 120 | Introduction to Interpersonal and Organizational Communication H, F | 3 |
| COMM 130 | Introduction to Media Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 140 | Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F | 3 |
| COMM 170 | Rhetoric and Public Issues | 3 |
| COMM 224 | Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H | 3 |
| COMM 249 | Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society | 3 |
| COMM 325 | Introduction to Organizational Communication H | 3 |
| Additional Lower-Level courses | ||
| COMM 51 | First-Year Seminar: Organizing and Communicating for Social Entrepreneurs | 3 |
| COMM 53 | First-Year Seminar: Collective Leadership Models for Community Change | 3 |
| COMM 57 | First-Year Seminar: Is There Life after College?: The Meaning of Work in Contemporary Life | 3 |
| COMM 73 | First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric 1 | 3 |
| COMM 75 | First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 1 | 3 |
| COMM 82 | First-Year Seminar: Food Politics from an Organizational Communication Perspective | 3 |
| COMM 83 | First-Year Seminar: Networked Societies | 3 |
| COMM 86 | First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society | 3 |
| COMM 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 223 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| COMM 262 | Introduction to the Performance of Culture 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 312 | Persuasion | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Cultural Diversity 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 360 | Social Media and Society | 3 |
| COMM/ENEC 375 | Environmental Advocacy | 3 |
| COMM 378 | Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact | 3 |
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 4 | 3 |
| COMM 393 | Internships 3 | 1-3 |
| Upper-Level courses | ||
| COMM 412 | Critical Theory | 3 |
| COMM 422 | Family Communication 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 423 | Critical Perspectives on Work, Labor, and Professional Life 2 | 3 |
| COMM 470 | Political Communication and the Public Sphere | 3 |
| COMM 471 | Rhetorics of Public Memory 1 | 3 |
| COMM 472 | Rhetorical Criticism 1 | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 4 | 3 |
| COMM 499 | The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 521 | Communication and Social Memory | 3 |
| COMM 523 | Communication and Leadership | 3 |
| COMM 524 | Gender, Communication, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 525 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| COMM 526 | Critical-Cultural Approaches to Organizational Communication 2 | 3 |
| COMM 527 | Organizational Ethics | 3 |
| COMM 571 | Rhetorical Theory and Practice | 3 |
| COMM 572 | Public Policy Argument | 3 |
| COMM 573 | The American Experience in Rhetoric | 3 |
| COMM 596 | Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading | 1-3 |
| COMM 620 | Theories of Interpersonal Communication 1 | 3 |
| COMM 624 | Hate Speech | 3 |
| COMM 625 | Communication and Nonprofits in the Global Context | 3 |
| COMM 650 | Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies 2 | 3 |
| COMM 658 | Surveillance Cultures | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 693H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 694H | Honors 3 | 3 |
| COMM 695 | Field Methods 1 | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
- 1
Fulfills Modes of Inquiry requirement.
- 2
Fulfills Representation, Identity, and Difference requirement.
- 3
Approved COMM Experience course.
- 4
With approval, based on topic.
Rhetoric, Activism, and Advocacy
Students will develop capacities focused on the role of communication to address current social, political, economic, technological, and environmental issues both locally and globally. Students will learn how to engage, critique, and create change in/through communication practices based on stakeholder engagement, deliberation and debate, facilitation and negotiation, dialogic communication, performativity, and rhetorical strategies using interpersonal, small-group, and mediated forms of communication. Students may pursue careers as mediators, negotiators, community organizers, communication experts, political strategists, and policy makers, among others, in non-profit organizations, think tanks, government agencies, and businesses.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pathway Starting Point Courses | ||
| Students should select a minimum of two courses from the list below: | ||
| COMM 113 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMM 130 | Introduction to Media Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 140 | Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F | 3 |
| COMM 170 | Rhetoric and Public Issues | 3 |
| COMM 171 | Argumentation and Debate | 3 |
| COMM 224 | Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H | 3 |
| COMM 249 | Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society | 3 |
| COMM 260 | Introduction to Performance and Social Change | 3 |
| Additional Lower-Level Courses | ||
| COMM 51 | First-Year Seminar: Organizing and Communicating for Social Entrepreneurs | 3 |
| COMM 53 | First-Year Seminar: Collective Leadership Models for Community Change 1 | 3 |
| COMM 61 | First-Year Seminar: The Politics of Performance | 3 |
| COMM 62 | First-Year Seminar: African American Literature and Performance | 3 |
| COMM 73 | First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric 1 | 3 |
| COMM 75 | First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 1 | 3 |
| COMM 82 | First-Year Seminar: Food Politics from an Organizational Communication Perspective | 3 |
| COMM 84 | First-Year Seminar: Make A Zine! Do-It-Yourself Writing, Publishing, and Distribution 1 | 3 |
| COMM 85 | First-Year Seminar: Think, Speak, Argue | 3 |
| COMM 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 142 | Popular Music | 3 |
| COMM 223 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| COMM 312 | Persuasion | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Cultural Diversity 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 349 | Technology and Social Justice 2 | 3 |
| COMM 350 | Practices of Cultural Studies 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 355 | Terrorism and Political Violence 1 | 3 |
| COMM 360 | Social Media and Society 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 371 | Argumentation | 3 |
| COMM 372 | The Rhetoric of Social Movements 2 | 3 |
| COMM 374 | The Southern Experience in Rhetoric | 3 |
| COMM 375 | Environmental Advocacy | 3 |
| COMM 378 | Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact | 3 |
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 4 | 3 |
| COMM 393 | Internships 3 | 1-3 |
| COMM 396 | Independent Study and Directed Research | 1-3 |
| Upper-Level Courses | ||
| COMM 412 | Critical Theory | 3 |
| COMM 423 | Critical Perspectives on Work, Labor, and Professional Life 2 | 3 |
| COMM 432 | Visual Culture 1,2 | 3 |
| COMM 435 | Memory Acts H | 3 |
| COMM 437 | United States Black Culture and Performance 2 | 3 |
| COMM 450 | Media and Popular Culture | 3 |
| COMM 453 | The History of New Media Technology in Everyday Life | 3 |
| COMM 454 | Media and Activism 2 | 3 |
| COMM 470 | Political Communication and the Public Sphere | 3 |
| COMM 471 | Rhetorics of Public Memory 1 | 3 |
| COMM 472 | Rhetorical Criticism 1 | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 4 | 3 |
| COMM 499 | The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 500 | Visual and Material Rhetoric 1 | 3 |
| COMM 521 | Communication and Social Memory | 3 |
| COMM 523 | Communication and Leadership | 3 |
| COMM 524 | Gender, Communication, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 527 | Organizational Ethics | 3 |
| COMM 549 | Sexuality and Visual Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 562 | Oral History and Performance 2, H | 3 |
| COMM 571 | Rhetorical Theory and Practice | 3 |
| COMM 572 | Public Policy Argument | 3 |
| COMM 573 | The American Experience in Rhetoric | 3 |
| COMM 574 | War and Culture | 3 |
| COMM 575 | Presidential Rhetoric | 3 |
| COMM 576 | Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States 2 | 3 |
| COMM 577 | Rhetoric and Black Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 596 | Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading | 1-3 |
| COMM 624 | Hate Speech 2 | 3 |
| COMM 625 | Communication and Nonprofits in the Global Context | 3 |
| COMM 652 | Media and Difference 2 | 3 |
| COMM 658 | Surveillance Cultures 2 | 3 |
| COMM 661 | Race and Ethnicity 2 | 3 |
| COMM 665 | Performance, Politics, and Culture 2 | 3 |
| COMM 667 | Performance Activism 2 | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H | 3 |
| COMM 695 | Field Methods 1 | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
- 1
Fulfills Modes of Inquiry requirement.
- 2
Fulfills Representation, Identity, and Difference requirement.
- 3
Approved COMM Experience course.
- 4
With approval, based on topic.
Specialized Pathway in Communication Studies
Students may create their own pathways by selecting at least four courses that constitute a coherent program of study. The courses selected in this pathway must be justified by the student and must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies. Students creating their own pathway will still be required to complete all other degree requirements for Communication Majors.
Modes Of Inquiry Courses
All Communication Majors must take a minimum of one Modes of Inquiry course in fulfillment of their degree. Students may take more than one such course (and depending on the pathway they pursue, may be required to take more than one). Modes of Inquiry courses exist at all levels of the Communication curriculum and across all pathways. A Mode of Inquiry course has a significant research methods and/or original research component built into the class. In Media Arts, New Media and Performance areas, this can also include a focus on learning how to use technology for the purposes of creative expression. Below is a list of Modes of Inquiry courses in Communication.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 53 | First-Year Seminar: Collective Leadership Models for Community Change | 3 |
| COMM 73 | First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric | 3 |
| COMM 75 | First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture | 3 |
| COMM 84 | First-Year Seminar: Make A Zine! Do-It-Yourself Writing, Publishing, and Distribution | 3 |
| COMM 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 130 | Introduction to Media Production | 3 |
| COMM 150 | Introduction to New Media | 3 |
| COMM 224 | Introduction to Gender and Communication H | 3 |
| COMM 230 | Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing | 3 |
| COMM 262 | Introduction to the Performance of Culture H | 3 |
| COMM 263 | Performing Literature H | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Cultural Diversity | 3 |
| COMM 345 | Gender and Film | 3 |
| COMM 348 | Algorithms and Society | 3 |
| COMM 349 | Technology and Social Justice | 3 |
| COMM 350 | Practices of Cultural Studies | 3 |
| COMM 355 | Terrorism and Political Violence | 3 |
| COMM 360 | Social Media and Society | 3 |
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 1 | 3 |
| COMM 422 | Family Communication H | 3 |
| COMM 431 | Advanced Audio Production | 3 |
| COMM 432 | Visual Culture | 3 |
| COMM 464 | Collaborative Performance H | 3 |
| COMM 455 | Sound Studies | 3 |
| COMM 471 | Rhetorics of Public Memory | 3 |
| COMM 472 | Rhetorical Criticism | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 500 | Visual and Material Rhetoric | 3 |
| COMM 620 | Theories of Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 635 | Documentary Production | 3 |
| COMM 638 | Game Design | 3 |
| COMM 660 | Advanced Projects in Performance Studies | 3 |
| COMM 666 | Media in Performance | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 695 | Field Methods | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
- 1
With approval, based on topic.
Representation, Identity, and Difference Courses
All Communication Majors must take a minimum of one Representation, Identity, and Difference course in fulfillment of their degree. Students may take more than one such course (and depending on the pathway they pursue, may be required to take more than one). Representation, Identity, and Difference courses exist at all levels of the Communication curriculum and across all pathways. A Representation, Identity, and Difference course focuses primarily on communication practices and challenges as they intersect with concerns over equity, marginalization, and efforts to recognize, appreciate and attempt to bridge cross-cultural differences. This requirement prepares Communication Majors to be able to effectively engage with questions of representation, identity, and difference as these become increasingly central to interpersonal, cultural, political, social, and work interactions.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 61 | First-Year Seminar: The Politics of Performance | 3 |
| COMM 62 | First-Year Seminar: African American Literature and Performance | 3 |
| COMM 82 | First-Year Seminar: Food Politics from an Organizational Communication Perspective | 3 |
| COMM 83 | First-Year Seminar: Networked Societies | 3 |
| COMM 86 | First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society | 3 |
| COMM 89 | First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 224 | Introduction to Gender and Communication H | 3 |
| COMM 260 | Introduction to Performance and Social Change | 3 |
| COMM 318 | Cultural Diversity | 3 |
| COMM 345 | Gender and Film | 3 |
| COMM 348 | Algorithms and Society | 3 |
| COMM 349 | Technology and Social Justice | 3 |
| COMM 350 | Practices of Cultural Studies | 3 |
| COMM 360 | Social Media and Society | 3 |
| COMM 372 | The Rhetoric of Social Movements | 3 |
| COMM 378 | Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact | 3 |
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 1 | 3 |
| COMM 423 | Critical Perspectives on Work, Labor, and Professional Life | 3 |
| COMM 432 | Visual Culture | 3 |
| COMM 437 | United States Black Culture and Performance | 3 |
| COMM 454 | Media and Activism | 3 |
| COMM 463 | Creating the Solo Performance | 3 |
| COMM 471 | Rhetorics of Public Memory | 3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 524 | Gender, Communication, and Culture | 3 |
| COMM 526 | Critical-Cultural Approaches to Organizational Communication | 3 |
| COMM 534 | Aesthetic and Technical Considerations in Making Short Videos | 3 |
| COMM 549 | Sexuality and Visual Culture | 3 |
| COMM 561 | Performance of Women of Color H | 3 |
| COMM 562 | Oral History and Performance H | 3 |
| COMM 576 | Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States | 3 |
| COMM 577 | Rhetoric and Black Culture | 3 |
| COMM 624 | Hate Speech | 3 |
| COMM 635 | Documentary Production | 3 |
| COMM 644 | Documentary Production: First Person Filmmaking | 3 |
| COMM 650 | Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies | 3 |
| COMM 658 | Surveillance Cultures | 3 |
| COMM 661 | Race and Ethnicity | 3 |
| COMM 662 | Black/African Diaspora Performance | 3 |
| COMM 665 | Performance, Politics, and Culture | 3 |
| COMM 667 | Performance Activism | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 1, H | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
- 1
With approval, based on topic.
COMM Experience Courses
All Communication Majors must take one COMM Experience course in fulfillment of their degree. Students may take more than one such course. This course is intended to provide an opportunity to apply concepts learned in classes in real-world contexts through internships (including the Hollywood Internship Program), service learning courses, and independent study projects with community engaged focus, or through conducting original research in a capstone course or for an Honors thesis, or by creating original media and performance work through specialized classes or Honors theses. Students typically will fulfill this requirement in their Junior or Senior years. While the list below is not exhaustive, the COMM Experience requirement is typically fulfilled through one of the following options.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 390 | Special Topics in Communication Study 1 | 3 |
| COMM 393 | Internships | 1-3 |
| COMM 396 | Independent Study and Directed Research 1 | 1-3 |
| COMM 490 | Special Topics in Communication Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 596 | Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading 1 | 1-3 |
| COMM 647 | Advanced Projects in Media Production 1 | 3 |
| COMM 660 | Advanced Projects in Performance Studies 1 | 3 |
| COMM 690 | Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 1, H | 3 |
| COMM 693H | Honors | 3 |
| COMM 694H | Honors | 3 |
| COMM 695 | Field Methods 1 | 3 |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
- 1
With approval, based on topic.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans can be used as a guide to identify the courses required to complete the major and other requirements needed for degree completion within the expected eight semesters. The actual degree plan may differ depending on the course of study selected (second major, minor, etc.). Students should meet with their academic advisor to create a degree plan that is specific and unique to their interests. The sample plans represented in this catalog are intended for first-year students entering UNC–Chapel Hill in the fall term. Some courses may not be offered every term.
Rhetoric, Activism, and Advocacy Pathway
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| First-Year Foundation Courses | ||
| IDST 101 | College Thriving | 1 |
| COMM 100 | Communication and Social Process | 3 |
| ENGL 105 or ENGL 105I | English Composition and Rhetoric or English Composition and Rhetoric (Interdisciplinary) | 3 |
| First-Year Seminar or First-Year Launch F | 3 | |
| Triple-I and Data Literacy | 4 | |
| Global Language through level 3 | varies | |
| Major Courses | ||
| COMM 171 | Argumentation and Debate (Fulfills Communication Beyond Carolina General Education requirement) | 3 |
| COMM 260 | Introduction to Performance and Social Change | 3 |
| Hours | 20 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| COMM 349 | Technology and Social Justice | 3 |
| COMM 372 | The Rhetoric of Social Movements | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| COMM 454 | Media and Activism | 3 |
| COMM 573 | The American Experience in Rhetoric 1 | 3 |
| COMM 665 | Performance, Politics, and Culture | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| COMM 393 | Internships | 1-3 |
| COMM 624 | Hate Speech 1 | 3 |
| COMM 652 | Media and Difference | 3 |
| COMM 667 | Performance Activism | 3 |
| Hours | 10-12 | |
| Total Hours | 45-47 | |
- 1
Three COMM courses must be numbered 400 or higher.
Media Art, Performance, and Critical Practice Pathway
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| First-Year Foundation Courses | ||
| IDST 101 | College Thriving | 1 |
| COMM 100 | Communication and Social Process | 3 |
| ENGL 105 or ENGL 105I | English Composition and Rhetoric or English Composition and Rhetoric (Interdisciplinary) | 3 |
| First-Year Seminar or First-Year Launch F | 3 | |
| Triple-I and Data Literacy | 4 | |
| Global Language through level 3 | varies | |
| Major Courses | ||
| COMM 130 | Introduction to Media Production | 3 |
| COMM 150 | Introduction to New Media | 3 |
| COMM 330 | Introduction to Writing for Film and Television | 3 |
| Hours | 23 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| COMM 230 | Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing | 3 |
| COMM 263 | Performing Literature H | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| COMM 335 | Film Story Analysis | 3 |
| COMM 378 | Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact | 3 |
| COMM 455 | Sound Studies | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| COMM 431 | Advanced Audio Production | 3 |
| COMM 638 | Game Design | 3 |
| COMM 660 | Advanced Projects in Performance Studies | 3 |
| Hours | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 47 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
Special Opportunities in Communication
Honors in Communication Studies
The department participates in the University’s Honors Program. Students eligible for the program (see University requirements) may consult with the departmental honors advisor about enrolling in COMM 693H and COMM 694H, or COMM 691H and COMM 692H for honors students in cultural studies. These courses can be used for elective credit in the major but not for satisfying core course or concentration requirements. Additional information can be found on the department website.
Independent Study
The opportunity for independent study is available through enrollment in COMM 396 or COMM 596. Interested students should consult a faculty advisor in the department. Please see the department website for details.
Internships
The department has an extensive internship program in media-related industries, business, public service, and other organizations. Internships allow students to explore the relationship between communication theory and its practice in everyday life. Credit can be obtained through consultation with the internship advisor and enrollment in COMM 393. More than 100 organizations have participated in the program. The department also offers the Hollywood Internship Program, a summer study and work opportunity for selected students interested in pursuing careers in the film industry. Note: Internship credit counts as elective hours and does not count toward the 30 credit hours required for the major.
WUNC Radio and WUNC-TV
Limited opportunities exist for internships and employment with the public radio and television stations in Chapel Hill and in the Research Triangle Park.
Performance Opportunities
Students are involved in writing and adapting plays and screenplays, directing, and participating in staged productions for the public. Additionally, students often appear in regular performances sponsored by graduate students in the Department of Communication and in productions directed by faculty members.
Student Television (STV)
STV is a student-run video production operation that provides hands-on opportunities in a variety of programming assignments.
Carolina Film Association (CFA)
About
This association is committed to enabling students in developing their cinematic craft. It accomplishes its mission by offering resources and guidance to students pursuing cinematic projects through self-contained or episodic forms.
Study Abroad
Students may take coursework toward the major through the University’s study abroad program. Departmental approval for major credit is required.
Undergraduate Awards
The department offers a number of awards for leadership and contributions to the field, in all areas of specialization. Awards are presented at a department ceremony in the spring semester.
Department Programs
Majors
Minor
Graduate Programs
Department of Communication
CB 3285, 308 Bynum Hall, 222 East Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599
(919) 962-2311
Director of Undergraduate Studies and Teaching Professor Advisor
Kristin Hondros
