Communications (COM)
A study of the use of writing, reading, and discussion as a means of discovering, questioning, and analyzing ideas, with an emphasis on audience, context and the use of revision. This course satisfies the Basic Writing Proficiency Requirement. It does not satisfy a general education requirement in the Humanities and Social or Behavioral Sciences.
This course is designed to help international students develop skills in writing, reading and discussion as a means of discovering, questioning and analyzing ideas. Students will engage in reading a variety of texts on a theme, extrapolating key ideas, and developing their own claims through discussion, research writing, and presentation. Additionally, this course will provide support to address common writing issues for multilingual speakers of English as well as build intercultural competence in communication. Placement in this course is based on TOEFL/IELTS and/or placement exam results. Equivalent to COM 101. This course satisfies IIT's Basic Writing Proficiency Requirement. It does not satisfy a general education requirement in the humanities and social or behavioral sciences.
This English communication course will give international students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of Chicago’s history and culture while developing their voice through advanced conversation, presentation, and discussion skills. Through a storytelling and experiential lens, students will focus on articulating and responding to in-depth questions, applying advanced presentation skills, and using cultural and communicative skills to collaborate in dynamic city-focused discussions. Placement in this course is based on TOEFL/IELTS and/or placement exam results.
The first of a two-semester sequence, this course and its sequel will introduce students to a particular language and culture, which will change annually. May be repeated for different languages. This course does not satisfy the HUM 102, 104, or 106 general education requirement.
The second of a two-semester sequence, this course and its predecessor will introduce students to a particular language and culture, which will change annually. May be repeated for different languages. This course does not satisfy the HUM 102, 104, or 106 general education requirement.
The rhetorical theory and applied practice of digital writing. Topics include word processor alternatives, social media for professional development, multimedia writing, and collaboration and project management.
This course focuses on the most important topic of all: YOU! You have a unique story to tell – whether in an interview, a discussion, or a professional presentation – and this course will give students the opportunity to develop advanced language skills around each student’s field of study and interests. Through engaging with audio and video materials, active reading, and intensive speaking practice, students will work to develop personalized responses to a variety of behavioral interview questions, research and contribute information from their individual fields into a group discussion, as well as write and present on a technical topic to a general audience of students. Placement in this course is based on TOEFL/IELTS and/or placement exam results.
Third-semester generic language and culture course designed to be applicable to various languages. Students should have already taken COM 126 in same language.
Fourth-semester generic language and culture course designed to be applicable to various languages. Students should have already taken COM 225 in the same language.
An introduction to the art of public speaking with assignments designed to promote competency in the delivery of speeches, organization of ideas, methods of argumentation, application of evidence and use of visual aids.
An introduction to the systematic study of language. Focus on the core areas of linguistics, such as sound patterns of language (phonology), form (syntax, morphology), and meaning (semantics, pragmatics), as well as applied areas, such as language, variation, language acquisition, psychology of language, and the origin of language.
This course surveys dialects of English around the world, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, India, Africa, and the Caribbean, focusing on vocabulary, word and sentence formation, and sound patterning.
Explores the constructed nature of the self in literature and non-fiction prose. Special focus on the role of language in determining one's identity.
This course examines the structure of the English language from four different approaches: traditional-prescriptive, descriptive, generative, and contextual.
Beginning with basic concepts in language development, this course traces the evolution of modern English, from its Indo-European roots, through Germanic, Anglo-Saxon, Middle English and Early Modern English.
Analysis of human and synthetic speech intended for technology mediated environments and devices. Focus on talker characteristics that affect speech intelligibility and social factors that affect talker characteristics. Attention to design characteristics of technology-mediated speech and how humans react to it.
This course examines linguistic theory as it relates to everyday problems. The course is divided into four sections, each of which exposes students to an application of these topics to broader issues. Topics include sound patterns of speech, sentence structure, meaning and language and society.
The analysis of language "flow" beyond sentence boundaries. Working with both spoken and written discourse, students will consider culture and gender-related patterns, and will apply findings from discourse analysis to communication problems in politics, education, healthcare, and the law.
This course focuses on strategies for communicating scientific information in professional and general settings. Students develop genre documents, learn how to adapt scientific information to various audiences, and complete exercises on style, grammar, and other elements of effective professional communication. Emphasis on usability, cohesion, and style in all assignments.
This course introduces the theory and practice of standards-based web design and development. The course focuses on an agile, incremental approach to building accessible, usable, and sustainable web pages that work across all modern browsers and web-enabled mobile devices. The course also provides a rhetorical and technological foundations for quickly establishing competencies in other areas of digital communication such as web application development.
A production-intensive course in applied theory and practice of developing web-based applications emphasizing interface and experience design using emerging Web standards and backend development using Ruby-based web application frameworks.
A production-intensive course in the theory and applied practice of working with application programming interfaces (APIs), especially Web-available APIs for exchanging and mashing up content and data.
A study of the literature of science from the Renaissance to modern times.
This course covers the social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of globalization and explores the role that communication and media technologies (newspapers, magazines, film, television, and digital media) play in shaping an interconnected, interdependent globalized world and in constituting our identities as global audiences, citizens, workers, consumers, and activists.
The study of covert and overt persuasion and their influences on society and individuals.
The history and structure of mass media, from print through film and broadcasting to the Internet, and their influences on American society.
This course introduces students to the general theories and practices of political campaign communication today. It investigates how those rules and types apply in the current presidential campaign. More generally, the course teaches students to produce written and oral discourse appropriate to the humanities.
Explores ethical and legal issues concerning communication in diverse contexts, such as: the mass media - e.g. print, broadcast, and electronic; government and politics; organizational hierarchies - e.g. public and private sector workplaces; academic life - e.g. the classroom, student, and faculty affairs; and interpersonal relations - e.g. love, friendship, marriage.
An investigation into a topic of current interest in communication, which will be announced by the instructor when the course is scheduled.
An investigation into a topic of current interest in communication, which will be announced by the instructor when the course is scheduled.
This course will discuss the development and trends of social media as well as their impacts on individuals and society. It will draw from a broad range of studies related to social media to learn how social media have impacts on interpersonal relationships, psychological well-being, privacy, politics, entertainment, and so on.
This course will discuss a variety of measures and properties of networks, identify various types of social networks, describe how position within and the structure of networks matter, use software tools to analyze social network data, and apply social network analysis to areas such as information retrieval, social media and organizational behavior.
This course will investigate and experiment with both conceptual and applied efforts to humanize technology. We will question the goals of humanization and its relationships to concepts such as design ethics and user-centered and emotional design. While the focus of the class will be on computer technology and programming languages, we will also look at humanization with regard to industrial design, engineering, architecture and nanotechnologies.
Critical analysis of various types of prose, with stress on the art as well as the craft of writing. The student is required to write several critical papers.
Principles and practice in the communication of technical materials. Students work on the design, writing, and revising of reports, articles, manuals, procedures, proposals, including the use of graphics. Works by modern writers are analyzed.
A study of communications relating to scientific, technological, and corporate structures. This course will help students develop workplace communication skills, including the ability to analyze situations, determine appropriate communications forms, write and revise work-related documents, and give oral presentations.
Principles and strategies for effective document and information design, focusing on print media. Students design, produce, and evaluate documents for a variety of applications, such as instructional materials, brochures, newsletters, graphics, and tables.
Principles and practical applications of editing at all levels, working with both hard and soft copy and including copymarking, copyediting, proofreading, grammar and style, and comprehensive editing. Attention primarily to documents from science, technology, and business.
Introduces students to the issues, strategies, and ethics of technical and professional presentations, and provides students with opportunities to engage in public address, video presentations and conferencing, and group presentations. Analysis of audience types and presentation situations, group dynamics, persuasive theories, language, and mass media.
Presupposing only that students know how to use a Web browser, this course teaches beginning HTML, basic page layout and design principles, basic multimedia, and the structure of Websites, and also introduces students to WYSIWYG Web page generation software and FTP software.
A continuation of COM 430, this course goes more deeply into HTML, multimedia, and some of the advanced features of WYSIWYG editors.
An introduction to the problems of communication across cultures, with emphasis on the interplay of American civilization with those of other cultural areas.
Planning and managing digital-video projects to document concepts and procedures in technology, science, business, and education. Attention to scripting, shooting, editing, and distribution media. Students will work on individual activities and collaborate on a community-service or other client-centered project.
Planning and managing informative and instructional exhibits in technical, scientific, and business contexts. Attention to characteristics and constraints of space, multimedia, and other resources, along with principles and goals of viewer access and flow. Students will work on individual activities and collaborate on a community-service or other client-centered project. Instruction will incorporate Chicago-area resources such as the Museum of Science and Industry.
Introduction to the principles and practices of modern American journalism. Students will analyze news stories and media, and will cover and report on campus area events. Student-generated news stories will be discussed, analyzed and evaluated.
A cooperative arrangement between IIT and industry, the internship provides students with hands-on experience in the field of technical communication.
Consent of department. For advanced students. Based on the selected topic, this course may or may not be applied to the humanities general education requirement. Consult the course instructor.
Special project. Based on the selected topic, this course may or may not be applied to the humanities general education requirement. Consult the course instructor.
