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Political Communication

The program in political communication is designed for those students wishing to supplement their major programs with an emphasis on communication skills, knowledge and abilities specifically relevant to participation in political environments. Students must complete a core set of courses, an internship in the field of political communication and a selection of electives.

All political communication minors are required to take a PCOM internship in the Department of Political Science or the Department of Communication Studies. Before enrolling for a PCOM internship, students should have attained junior status, completed the PCOM core requirements and taken at least one upper level PCOM course. Some academic units may have additional prerequisites for their internship course. All SCOM majors with a minor in PCOM are required to take SCOM 495 for their PCOM internship requirement (and to have met the prerequisites for this course). POSC, INTA and PPA majors minoring in PCOM must complete POSC 493 to fulfill the internship requirement. All other majors may take either POSC 493 or SCOM 318 as a means of satisfying their internship. Before pursuing any internship, students must consult with the PCOM coordinator to ensure that the internship is suitable for the minor.

For majors in SCOM who minor in PCOM, a maximum of six credits of course work from the minor can be counted toward the requirements for the major. For SMAD majors, only three credits from the minor may be counted toward the major.

There is no limit on double counting between the POSC major and the PCOM minor. All students must complete 25-26 credit hours for the minor.

Required Courses              

Credit Hours

POSC 225. U.S. Government

            4

POSC/SCOM/SMAD 472. Media and Politics1

            3

SCOM 353. American Political Culture and Communication

            3

Choose one of the following:

            3–4

POSC, PPA and INTA majors:

           

POSC 493. Internship (4 credits)

           

SCOM majors:

           

SCOM 495. Internship (3 credits)

           

Non–POSC and Non–SCOM majors:

           

POSC 493. Internship (4 credits) or

           

SCOM 318. Practicum in Communication Studies (4 credits)

           

Choose one of the following:2

            3

POSC 365. American Political Campaigning

           

POSC 369. Parties and Elections

           

Choose one of the following:3

            3

SCOM 352. Communication and Social Movements

           

SCOM 453. Political Campaign Communication

           

Choose two of the following:

            6

POSC 300. Film and Politics

           

POSC 362. Political Behavior

           

POSC 368. Interest Groups and Public Policy

           

POSC 382. The Role of Religion in American Politics

           

POSC 383. Women and Politics

           

POSC 384. Minority Group Politics

           

POSC 385. The U.S. Congress

           

SCOM 342. Argument and Advocacy

           

SCOM 346. Free Speech in America

           

SCOM 354. Communication, Environment and Environmentalism

           

SCOM/WRTC/WGS 420. Feminist Rhetoric

           

SCOM 431. Legal Communication

           

            25–26

1 POSC 472 will not count toward this requirement.

2 If both POSC 365 and POSC 369 are taken, one may be counted as an elective.

3 If both SCOM 352 and SCOM 453 are taken, one may be counted as an elective.