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: 

  1. Communication and Everyday Life
  2. Media Arts, Performance, and Critical Practice
  3. Media Technologies and Public Culture
  4. Organization, Communication, and Work
  5. 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.

Core Requirements
COMM 100Communication and Social Process3
Three COMM courses at the 050-300 level within a chosen pathway (including a minimum of 2 starting point courses) 19
Three COMM courses at the 400-600 level within a chosen pathway9
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 Hours30
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:

  1. Communication and Everyday Life
  2. Media Arts, Performance, and Critical Practice
  3. Media Technologies and Public Culture
  4. Organization, Communication, and Work
  5. 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.

Pathway Starting Point Courses
Students should select a minimum of two courses from the following list:
COMM 113IDEAs in Action General Education logo Public Speaking3
COMM 120IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Interpersonal and Organizational Communication H, F3
COMM 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media Production 13
COMM 140IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F3
COMM 160IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Performance Studies H3
COMM 171IDEAs in Action General Education logo Argumentation and Debate3
COMM/WGST 224Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H3
COMM 249Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society3
COMM 260Introduction to Performance and Social Change 23
COMM/MNGT 325IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Organizational Communication H3
Additional Lower-Level Courses
COMM 57IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Is There Life after College?: The Meaning of Work in Contemporary Life3
COMM 73IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric 13
COMM 75IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 13
COMM 85IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Think, Speak, Argue3
COMM 86IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society 23
COMM 89IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H3
COMM/MNGT 223IDEAs in Action General Education logo Small Group Communication3
COMM 262Introduction to the Performance of Culture 1, H3
COMM 312Persuasion3
COMM 318IDEAs in Action General Education logo Cultural Diversity 1,23
COMM 340IDEAs in Action General Education logo The Social Life of Things3
COMM 348IDEAs in Action General Education logo Algorithms and Society 23
COMM 349IDEAs in Action General Education logo Technology and Social Justice 1,23
COMM 360IDEAs in Action General Education logo Social Media and Society 1,23
COMM 371Argumentation3
COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 43
COMM 393IDEAs in Action General Education logo Internships 31-3
COMM 396Independent Study and Directed Research1-3
Upper-Level Courses
COMM 422IDEAs in Action General Education logo Family Communication 1, H3
COMM 432Visual Culture 1,23
COMM 435Memory Acts H3
COMM 437IDEAs in Action General Education logo United States Black Culture and Performance 23
COMM 450IDEAs in Action General Education logo Media and Popular Culture3
COMM 453IDEAs in Action General Education logo The History of New Media Technology in Everyday Life3
COMM 455IDEAs in Action General Education logo Sound Studies 13
COMM 471Rhetorics of Public Memory 13
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 43
COMM 499IDEAs in Action General Education logo The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication3
COMM/WGST 524IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender, Communication, and Culture 23
COMM 562IDEAs in Action General Education logo Oral History and Performance 2, H3
COMM 573The American Experience in Rhetoric3
COMM 596Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading1-3
COMM 620Theories of Interpersonal Communication 13
COMM 624IDEAs in Action General Education logo Hate Speech 23
COMM 655Television Culture3
COMM 658Surveillance Cultures3
COMM 661IDEAs in Action General Education logo Race and Ethnicity 23
COMM 665IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performance, Politics, and Culture 23
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H3
COMM 693HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 694HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 695Field Methods 13
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.  

Pathway Starting Point Courses
Students should select a minimum of two courses from the following list:
COMM 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media Production 13
COMM 140IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F3
COMM 150IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to New Media 13
COMM 160IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Performance Studies H3
COMM 224Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H3
COMM 260Introduction to Performance and Social Change 23
COMM 263IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performing Literature 1, H3
COMM 330IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Writing for Film and Television3
Additional Lower-Level courses
COMM 61IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: The Politics of Performance 23
COMM 62IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: African American Literature and Performance 23
COMM 63IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: The Creative Process in Performance3
COMM 84IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Make A Zine! Do-It-Yourself Writing, Publishing, and Distribution 13
COMM 88IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Technologies of Popular Culture3
COMM 89IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H3
COMM 142IDEAs in Action General Education logo Popular Music3
COMM 230Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing 13
COMM 251Introduction to American Film and Culture, 1965-Present3
COMM 262Introduction to the Performance of Culture 1, H3
COMM 318IDEAs in Action General Education logo Cultural Diversity 1,23
COMM 331Writing the Short Film3
COMM 334Writing the One-Hour TV Drama3
COMM 335IDEAs in Action General Education logo Film Story Analysis3
COMM 337IDEAs in Action General Education logo Visual Storytelling for Screenwriters3
COMM/WGST 345IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender and Film 1,23
COMM 350IDEAs in Action General Education logo Practices of Cultural Studies 1,23
COMM 378IDEAs in Action General Education logo Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact 23
COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 43
COMM 393IDEAs in Action General Education logo Internships 31-3
COMM 396Independent Study and Directed Research1-3
Upper-Level courses
COMM 412IDEAs in Action General Education logo Critical Theory3
COMM 430IDEAs in Action General Education logo History of American Screenwriting3
COMM 431IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Audio Production 13
COMM 432Visual Culture 1,23
COMM 435Memory Acts H3
COMM 437IDEAs in Action General Education logo United States Black Culture and Performance 23
COMM 450IDEAs in Action General Education logo Media and Popular Culture3
COMM 455IDEAs in Action General Education logo Sound Studies 13
COMM 463Creating the Solo Performance 23
COMM 464IDEAs in Action General Education logo Collaborative Performance 1, H3
COMM 466IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Study in Performing Literature3
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 43
COMM 500Visual and Material Rhetoric 13
COMM 524IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender, Communication, and Culture 23
COMM 534IDEAs in Action General Education logo Aesthetic and Technical Considerations in Making Short Videos 23
COMM 549Sexuality and Visual Culture 23
COMM 561IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performance of Women of Color 2, H3
COMM 562IDEAs in Action General Education logo Oral History and Performance 2, H3
COMM 564Performance and Popular Culture3
COMM 568Adapting and Directing for the Stage3
COMM 576Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States 23
COMM 596Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading1-3
COMM 635IDEAs in Action General Education logo Documentary Production 1,23
COMM 636Interactive Media3
COMM 638IDEAs in Action General Education logo Game Design 13
COMM 640IDEAs in Action General Education logo Game Studio3
COMM 644IDEAs in Action General Education logo Documentary Production: First Person Filmmaking 23
COMM 645The Documentary Idea3
COMM 646Introduction to the Art and Mechanics of Two-Dimensional Digital Animation3
COMM 647IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Projects in Media Production3
COMM 650Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies 23
COMM 652Media and Difference 23
COMM 653IDEAs in Action General Education logo Experimental Video3
COMM 654IDEAs in Action General Education logo Motion Graphics, Special Effects, and Compositing3
COMM 656IDEAs in Action General Education logo Sound for Film and Video: Theory and Practice for Motion Picture Sound Design3
COMM 660Advanced Projects in Performance Studies 13
COMM 661IDEAs in Action General Education logo Race and Ethnicity3
COMM 662IDEAs in Action General Education logo Black/African Diaspora Performance 23
COMM 665IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performance, Politics, and Culture 23
COMM 666IDEAs in Action General Education logo Media in Performance 13
COMM 667Performance Activism 23
COMM 676Digital Media and Live Performance3
COMM 681IDEAs in Action General Education logo Contemporary Film Theory3
COMM 682History of the Moving Image: Pasts, Presents, Futures3
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H3
COMM 693HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 694HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 695Field Methods 13
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: 

  • COMM 140 Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism
  • COMM 150 Introduction to New Media

Students must also select three upper-level COMM classes from the following list: 

COMM 431IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Audio Production3
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies (based on topic, prior approval required)3
COMM 636Interactive Media3
COMM 638IDEAs in Action General Education logo Game Design3
COMM 646Introduction to the Art and Mechanics of Two-Dimensional Digital Animation3
COMM 650Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies3
COMM 654IDEAs in Action General Education logo Motion Graphics, Special Effects, and Compositing3
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies (based on topic, prior approval required) H3
COMM 693HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors3
COMM 694HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors3
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:

COMP 180IDEAs in Action General Education logo Enabling Technologies H3
COMP 185Serious Games H3
INLS 151IDEAs in Action General Education logo Retrieving and Analyzing Information3
INLS 161Tools for Information Literacy3
INLS 201IDEAs in Action General Education logo Foundations of Information Science3
INLS 318Human Computer Interaction3
INLS 560Programming for Information Science3
INLS 572Web Development I3
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.

Pathway Starting Point Courses
Students should select a minimum of two courses from the list below:
COMM 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media Production 13
COMM 140IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F3
COMM 150IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to New Media 13
COMM 224Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H3
COMM 249Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society3
COMM 330IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Writing for Film and Television3
Additional Lower-Level courses
COMM 75IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 13
COMM 83IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Networked Societies 23
COMM 86IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society 23
COMM 88IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Technologies of Popular Culture3
COMM 89IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H3
COMM 142IDEAs in Action General Education logo Popular Music3
COMM 230Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing 13
COMM 251Introduction to American Film and Culture, 1965-Present3
COMM 318IDEAs in Action General Education logo Cultural Diversity 1,23
COMM 335IDEAs in Action General Education logo Film Story Analysis3
COMM 337IDEAs in Action General Education logo Visual Storytelling for Screenwriters3
COMM 340IDEAs in Action General Education logo The Social Life of Things3
COMM 345IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender and Film 1,23
COMM 348IDEAs in Action General Education logo Algorithms and Society 23
COMM 349IDEAs in Action General Education logo Technology and Social Justice 1,23
COMM 350IDEAs in Action General Education logo Practices of Cultural Studies 1,23
COMM 355Terrorism and Political Violence 13
COMM 360IDEAs in Action General Education logo Social Media and Society 13
COMM 372The Rhetoric of Social Movements 23
COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 43
COMM 393IDEAs in Action General Education logo Internships 31-3
COMM 396Independent Study and Directed Research1-3
Upper-Level courses
COMM 412IDEAs in Action General Education logo Critical Theory3
COMM 430IDEAs in Action General Education logo History of American Screenwriting3
COMM 431IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Audio Production 13
COMM 432Visual Culture 1,23
COMM 450IDEAs in Action General Education logo Media and Popular Culture3
COMM 453IDEAs in Action General Education logo The History of New Media Technology in Everyday Life3
COMM 454Media and Activism 23
COMM 455IDEAs in Action General Education logo Sound Studies 13
COMM 470Political Communication and the Public Sphere3
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 43
COMM 499IDEAs in Action General Education logo The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication3
COMM 524IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender, Communication, and Culture 23
COMM 532Performing the Screenplay3
COMM 534IDEAs in Action General Education logo Aesthetic and Technical Considerations in Making Short Videos3
COMM 549Sexuality and Visual Culture 23
COMM 564Performance and Popular Culture3
COMM 574War and Culture3
COMM 576Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States 23
COMM 596Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading1-3
COMM 624IDEAs in Action General Education logo Hate Speech 23
COMM 635IDEAs in Action General Education logo Documentary Production 1,23
COMM 636Interactive Media3
COMM 638IDEAs in Action General Education logo Game Design 13
COMM 640IDEAs in Action General Education logo Game Studio3
COMM 644IDEAs in Action General Education logo Documentary Production: First Person Filmmaking 23
COMM 645The Documentary Idea3
COMM 650Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies 23
COMM 652Media and Difference 23
COMM 655Television Culture3
COMM 656IDEAs in Action General Education logo Sound for Film and Video: Theory and Practice for Motion Picture Sound Design3
COMM 658Surveillance Cultures3
COMM 661IDEAs in Action General Education logo Race and Ethnicity 23
COMM/DRAM 666IDEAs in Action General Education logo Media in Performance 13
COMM 676Digital Media and Live Performance3
COMM 682History of the Moving Image: Pasts, Presents, Futures3
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H3
COMM 693HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 694HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 695Field Methods 13
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.

Pathway Starting Point Courses
Students should select a minimum of two courses from the list below:
COMM 113IDEAs in Action General Education logo Public Speaking3
COMM 120IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Interpersonal and Organizational Communication H, F3
COMM 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media Production 13
COMM 140IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F3
COMM 170IDEAs in Action General Education logo Rhetoric and Public Issues3
COMM 224Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H3
COMM 249Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society3
COMM 325IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Organizational Communication H3
Additional Lower-Level courses
COMM 51IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Organizing and Communicating for Social Entrepreneurs3
COMM 53IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Collective Leadership Models for Community Change3
COMM 57IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Is There Life after College?: The Meaning of Work in Contemporary Life3
COMM 73IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric 13
COMM 75IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 13
COMM 82IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Food Politics from an Organizational Communication Perspective3
COMM 83IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Networked Societies3
COMM 86IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society3
COMM 89IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H3
COMM 223IDEAs in Action General Education logo Small Group Communication3
COMM 262Introduction to the Performance of Culture 1, H3
COMM 312Persuasion3
COMM 318IDEAs in Action General Education logo Cultural Diversity 1,23
COMM 360IDEAs in Action General Education logo Social Media and Society3
COMM/ENEC 375Environmental Advocacy3
COMM 378IDEAs in Action General Education logo Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact3
COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 43
COMM 393IDEAs in Action General Education logo Internships 31-3
Upper-Level courses
COMM 412IDEAs in Action General Education logo Critical Theory3
COMM 422IDEAs in Action General Education logo Family Communication 1, H3
COMM 423Critical Perspectives on Work, Labor, and Professional Life 23
COMM 470Political Communication and the Public Sphere3
COMM 471Rhetorics of Public Memory 13
COMM 472Rhetorical Criticism 13
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 43
COMM 499IDEAs in Action General Education logo The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication3
COMM 521Communication and Social Memory3
COMM 523Communication and Leadership3
COMM 524IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender, Communication, and Culture 23
COMM 525Organizational Communication3
COMM 526IDEAs in Action General Education logo Critical-Cultural Approaches to Organizational Communication 23
COMM 527IDEAs in Action General Education logo Organizational Ethics3
COMM 571Rhetorical Theory and Practice3
COMM 572IDEAs in Action General Education logo Public Policy Argument3
COMM 573The American Experience in Rhetoric3
COMM 596Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading1-3
COMM 620Theories of Interpersonal Communication 13
COMM 624IDEAs in Action General Education logo Hate Speech3
COMM 625IDEAs in Action General Education logo Communication and Nonprofits in the Global Context3
COMM 650Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies 23
COMM 658Surveillance Cultures3
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H3
COMM 693HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 694HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors 33
COMM 695Field Methods 13
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. 

Pathway Starting Point Courses
Students should select a minimum of two courses from the list below:
COMM 113IDEAs in Action General Education logo Public Speaking3
COMM 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media Production 13
COMM 140IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media History, Theory, and Criticism H, F3
COMM 170IDEAs in Action General Education logo Rhetoric and Public Issues3
COMM 171IDEAs in Action General Education logo Argumentation and Debate3
COMM 224Introduction to Gender and Communication 1,2, H3
COMM 249Introduction to Communication Technology, Culture, and Society3
COMM 260Introduction to Performance and Social Change3
Additional Lower-Level Courses
COMM 51IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Organizing and Communicating for Social Entrepreneurs3
COMM 53IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Collective Leadership Models for Community Change 13
COMM 61IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: The Politics of Performance3
COMM 62IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: African American Literature and Performance3
COMM 73IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric 13
COMM 75IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture 13
COMM 82IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Food Politics from an Organizational Communication Perspective3
COMM 84IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Make A Zine! Do-It-Yourself Writing, Publishing, and Distribution 13
COMM 85IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Think, Speak, Argue3
COMM 89IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 4, H3
COMM 142IDEAs in Action General Education logo Popular Music3
COMM 223IDEAs in Action General Education logo Small Group Communication3
COMM 312Persuasion3
COMM 318IDEAs in Action General Education logo Cultural Diversity 1,23
COMM 349IDEAs in Action General Education logo Technology and Social Justice 23
COMM 350IDEAs in Action General Education logo Practices of Cultural Studies 1,23
COMM 355Terrorism and Political Violence 13
COMM 360IDEAs in Action General Education logo Social Media and Society 1,23
COMM 371Argumentation3
COMM 372The Rhetoric of Social Movements 23
COMM 374The Southern Experience in Rhetoric3
COMM 375Environmental Advocacy3
COMM 378IDEAs in Action General Education logo Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact3
COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 43
COMM 393IDEAs in Action General Education logo Internships 31-3
COMM 396Independent Study and Directed Research1-3
Upper-Level Courses
COMM 412IDEAs in Action General Education logo Critical Theory3
COMM 423Critical Perspectives on Work, Labor, and Professional Life 23
COMM 432Visual Culture 1,23
COMM 435Memory Acts H3
COMM 437IDEAs in Action General Education logo United States Black Culture and Performance 23
COMM 450IDEAs in Action General Education logo Media and Popular Culture3
COMM 453IDEAs in Action General Education logo The History of New Media Technology in Everyday Life3
COMM 454Media and Activism 23
COMM 470Political Communication and the Public Sphere3
COMM 471Rhetorics of Public Memory 13
COMM 472Rhetorical Criticism 13
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 43
COMM 499IDEAs in Action General Education logo The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication3
COMM 500Visual and Material Rhetoric 13
COMM 521Communication and Social Memory3
COMM 523Communication and Leadership3
COMM 524IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender, Communication, and Culture 23
COMM 527IDEAs in Action General Education logo Organizational Ethics3
COMM 549Sexuality and Visual Culture 23
COMM 562IDEAs in Action General Education logo Oral History and Performance 2, H3
COMM 571Rhetorical Theory and Practice3
COMM 572IDEAs in Action General Education logo Public Policy Argument3
COMM 573The American Experience in Rhetoric3
COMM 574War and Culture3
COMM 575Presidential Rhetoric3
COMM 576Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States 23
COMM 577Rhetoric and Black Culture 23
COMM 596Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading1-3
COMM 624IDEAs in Action General Education logo Hate Speech 23
COMM 625IDEAs in Action General Education logo Communication and Nonprofits in the Global Context3
COMM 652Media and Difference 23
COMM 658Surveillance Cultures 23
COMM 661IDEAs in Action General Education logo Race and Ethnicity 23
COMM 665IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performance, Politics, and Culture 23
COMM 667Performance Activism 23
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 4, H3
COMM 695Field Methods 13
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.

COMM 53IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Collective Leadership Models for Community Change3
COMM 73IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Understanding Place through Rhetoric3
COMM 75IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Researching Society and Culture3
COMM 84IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Make A Zine! Do-It-Yourself Writing, Publishing, and Distribution3
COMM 89IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 1, H3
COMM 130IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media Production3
COMM 150IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to New Media3
COMM 224Introduction to Gender and Communication H3
COMM 230Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing3
COMM 262Introduction to the Performance of Culture H3
COMM 263IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performing Literature H3
COMM 318IDEAs in Action General Education logo Cultural Diversity3
COMM 345IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender and Film3
COMM 348IDEAs in Action General Education logo Algorithms and Society3
COMM 349IDEAs in Action General Education logo Technology and Social Justice3
COMM 350IDEAs in Action General Education logo Practices of Cultural Studies3
COMM 355Terrorism and Political Violence3
COMM 360IDEAs in Action General Education logo Social Media and Society3
COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 13
COMM 422IDEAs in Action General Education logo Family Communication H3
COMM 431IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Audio Production3
COMM 432Visual Culture3
COMM 464IDEAs in Action General Education logo Collaborative Performance H3
COMM 455IDEAs in Action General Education logo Sound Studies3
COMM 471Rhetorics of Public Memory3
COMM 472Rhetorical Criticism3
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 13
COMM 500Visual and Material Rhetoric3
COMM 620Theories of Interpersonal Communication3
COMM 635IDEAs in Action General Education logo Documentary Production3
COMM 638IDEAs in Action General Education logo Game Design3
COMM 660Advanced Projects in Performance Studies3
COMM 666IDEAs in Action General Education logo Media in Performance3
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 1, H3
COMM 695Field Methods3
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.  

COMM 61IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: The Politics of Performance3
COMM 62IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: African American Literature and Performance3
COMM 82IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Food Politics from an Organizational Communication Perspective3
COMM 83IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Networked Societies3
COMM 86IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Surveillance and Society3
COMM 89IDEAs in Action General Education logo First-Year Seminar: Special Topics 1, H3
COMM 224Introduction to Gender and Communication H3
COMM 260Introduction to Performance and Social Change3
COMM 318IDEAs in Action General Education logo Cultural Diversity3
COMM 345IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender and Film3
COMM 348IDEAs in Action General Education logo Algorithms and Society3
COMM 349IDEAs in Action General Education logo Technology and Social Justice3
COMM 350IDEAs in Action General Education logo Practices of Cultural Studies3
COMM 360IDEAs in Action General Education logo Social Media and Society3
COMM 372The Rhetoric of Social Movements3
COMM 378IDEAs in Action General Education logo Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact3
COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 13
COMM 423Critical Perspectives on Work, Labor, and Professional Life3
COMM 432Visual Culture3
COMM 437IDEAs in Action General Education logo United States Black Culture and Performance3
COMM 454Media and Activism3
COMM 463Creating the Solo Performance3
COMM 471Rhetorics of Public Memory3
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 13
COMM 524IDEAs in Action General Education logo Gender, Communication, and Culture3
COMM 526IDEAs in Action General Education logo Critical-Cultural Approaches to Organizational Communication3
COMM 534IDEAs in Action General Education logo Aesthetic and Technical Considerations in Making Short Videos3
COMM 549Sexuality and Visual Culture3
COMM 561IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performance of Women of Color H3
COMM 562IDEAs in Action General Education logo Oral History and Performance H3
COMM 576Making and Manipulating "Race" in the United States3
COMM 577Rhetoric and Black Culture3
COMM 624IDEAs in Action General Education logo Hate Speech3
COMM 635IDEAs in Action General Education logo Documentary Production3
COMM 644IDEAs in Action General Education logo Documentary Production: First Person Filmmaking3
COMM 650Cultural Politics of Global Media Economies3
COMM 658Surveillance Cultures3
COMM 661IDEAs in Action General Education logo Race and Ethnicity3
COMM 662IDEAs in Action General Education logo Black/African Diaspora Performance3
COMM 665IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performance, Politics, and Culture3
COMM 667Performance Activism3
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 1, H3
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. 

COMM 390Special Topics in Communication Study 13
COMM 393IDEAs in Action General Education logo Internships1-3
COMM 396Independent Study and Directed Research 11-3
COMM 490Special Topics in Communication Studies 13
COMM 596Advanced Independent Study/Directed Reading 11-3
COMM 647IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Projects in Media Production 13
COMM 660Advanced Projects in Performance Studies 13
COMM 690Advanced Topics in Communication Studies 1, H3
COMM 693HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors3
COMM 694HIDEAs in Action General Education logo Honors3
COMM 695Field Methods 13
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

Plan of Study Grid
First YearHours
First-Year Foundation Courses
IDST 101 IDEAs in Action General Education logo College Thriving 1
COMM 100 Communication and Social Process 3
ENGL 105
IDEAs in Action General Education logo English Composition and Rhetoric
or IDEAs in Action General Education logo 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 IDEAs in Action General Education logo 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 IDEAs in Action General Education logo 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 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performance, Politics, and Culture 3
Hours 9
Senior Year
COMM 393 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Internships 1-3
COMM 624 IDEAs in Action General Education logo 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

 
Plan of Study Grid
First YearHours
First-Year Foundation Courses
IDST 101 IDEAs in Action General Education logo College Thriving 1
COMM 100 Communication and Social Process 3
ENGL 105
IDEAs in Action General Education logo English Composition and Rhetoric
or IDEAs in Action General Education logo 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 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Media Production 3
COMM 150 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to New Media 3
COMM 330 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Introduction to Writing for Film and Television 3
Hours 23
Sophomore Year
COMM 230 Audio/Video/Film Production and Writing 3
COMM 263 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Performing Literature H 3
Hours 6
Junior Year
COMM 335 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Film Story Analysis 3
COMM 378 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Environmental Filmmaking: Creative Production and Social Impact 3
COMM 455 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Sound Studies 3
Hours 9
Senior Year
COMM 431 IDEAs in Action General Education logo Advanced Audio Production 3
COMM 638 IDEAs in Action General Education logo 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 of Communication

Visit Program Website

CB 3285, 308 Bynum Hall, 222 East Cameron Ave., Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599

(919) 962-2311

Chair

Avi Santo

asanto@unc.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies and Teaching Professor Advisor

Kristin Hondros

hondros@email.unc.edu