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Courses

Taking communication courses at Hope can mean working closely alongside our faculty on a research project, producing media in our television studio or designing a public relations solution.

Communication is a broad field of study. To help you narrow your focus, our courses are organized into seven areas of study:

Corporate Communication
Global Communication and Peace Studies
Journalism and Writing for Media
Media Production and Criticism
Organizational Communication and Leadership
Relational Communication
Rhetoric and Public Advocacy

Through research, experiential learning, and civic engagement, you will gain a deep understanding of how communication plays an integral role in social life.

Here are some examples:

Abigail Krueger vlogs about good arguments

Stacia Tibbetts vlogs about how to have a good conversation

Lauren Myers vlogs about the Communication Model

Anna Raisch vlogs about Media Logics

As a communication major, you’re required to take specific 100-level introductory courses and 200-level research courses. After that, you get to decide what you’d like your major to look like. Communication majors have considerable flexibility when choosing upper-level electives.

SAMPLE COURSE PLANS

Effective fall semester 2023, a minimum of 33 credit hours in communication is required for a major. See how to complete a major or minor in 2-, 3- or 4-years. Use our checklist to make sure you are on track for your communication major or minor.

Official degree completion requirements can be found on degree audit in plus.hope.edu.

INTERNSHIPS

Internships are an important part of our curriculum — they offer critical thinking, problem solving, and diversity education while giving you the chance to use your skills in a real-world setting. Majors (with a GPA of 2.0 or above) receive academic credit for an approved internship by enrolling in COMM 399.

LOWER-LEVEL COURSES FULFILLING ANCHOR PLAN REQUIREMENTS

COMM 101: The Communication Process and COMM 151: Media and Society (offered in Fall and Spring) Both COMM101 and COMM151 satisfy the Social Science Anchor Plan requirement.

UPCOMING UPPER-LEVEL COURSES

If you like to plan ahead, read on to learn about our upcoming courses.* View additional information at schedule.hope.edu.

Spring 2024

COMM 320: Family Communication
COMM 330: Organizational Communication
COMM 354: Digital Cinema
COMM 358: Advanced PR & Strategic Communication
COMM 360: Persuasion
COMM 372: Gender Communication
COMM 395: TV Studio Production
COMM 463: Rhetorical Theory
COMM 470: Cultural Communication Theory

COMMUNICATION HONORS

If you’re a declared communication major, you may be eligible to enroll in the Communication Honors course. In addition, students with a 3.25 GPA in the major are eligible to join the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Honor Society.

COMM 480: Communication Honors Course
In this course, offered periodically, members of the Communication Honors Program explore a contemporary topic with other honors students, culminating in a submission to NCUR’s annual conference. Examples of previous topics explored include the transhumanist movement, cross-cultural happiness and organizational culture. View the full course description in the catalog.

INDEPENDENT STUDIES

We offer two independent study courses, COMM 290: Independent Media Project and COMM 390: Independent Study. Apply for COMM 290 or COMM 390.

NOTE: Only 100- and 200-level courses can transfer to Hope and be counted toward the communication major; 300-level courses may be accepted but will only be credited at the 200-level. All 300-level courses must be taken in the Department of Communication, with the exception of COMM 399, which can be taken as a work experience or as part of an eligible off-campus study program.