Communication & Rhetoric

Introduction | The Curriculum | Career Opportunities | Sample Course Selection
Major Requirements

 

New Major in Communication and Rhetoric

The English Department at Nazareth College is pleased to announce the creation of a new major in Communication and Rhetoric. Approved by the College's Faculty in 2004 and the New York State Department of Education in 2005, the new major will be offered beginning in the fall of 2006. Building on the English Department's strong, existing technical communication program (PIPCID), the new major will broaden the focus to other forms of written communication, adding curricula and pre-professional opportunities in mass communication, media, journalism, and graphic design.

 

The Curriculum

The major in Communication and Rhetoric will begin with a foundation in Classical and Modern Rhetoric, both textual and visual. Our two-semester Rhetoric course sequence, which is also foundational to the college-wide Honors and Pre-Law Programs, grounds students' future study in rhetorical theory, and links it to the College's broader Liberal Arts and Sciences core curriculum. The Rhetoric courses, along with required courses in Mass Communication, and Communication Ethics and Law, will prepare students for specialized courses and internship opportunities in either journalism and writing for other publications, or in technical communication. Communication and Rhetoric graduates will not only be skilled writers, able to assess rhetorical situations and intervene effectively, they will also be savvy analysts, able to read and interpret the mediascape.

 

Career Opportunities

Nazareth College's new major in Communication and Rhetoric prepares students to become versatile communicators in spoken, written and visual forms. Building on the College's Liberal Arts core, and housed within the English Department, the Communication and Rhetoric major will produce pro-active learners and efficient and effective problem-solvers, proficient in the analysis of their own and others' communication, both visual and verbal. Students also will become versed in the technologies and design of visual and graphic information, in print and in digital media. Graduates will be well-positioned for a variety of careers, not only in typical Communication-related fields like journalism, media, advertising and public relations, but also in the wide range of other fields that require excellent reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.

In addition to classroom instruction, all students will receive direct pre-professional training in the form of internships and seminar projects conducted in consultation with local businesses and communications professionals. The Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Rhetoric is a unique, exciting program, building versatile, real-world skills on a solid academic foundation.

 

Sample Four-Year Course Selection
Red denotes major courses

Freshman Year	Sophomore Year
Introduction to Mass Communication Rhetoric I Rhetoric II Arts & Sciences Level I: four courses Freshman Seminar Modern Foreign Language: two courses	Communication Ethics & Law ONE or TWO of the following: Journalism + Practicum Fundamentals of Multimedia Editing ONE of the following Advanced Journalism + Practicum Technical Writing + Lab All of the following: Literature Survey: two courses Arts & Sciences Level I: three courses Arts & Sciences Level II Elective
Junior Year	Senior Year
ONE of the following: Principles of Graphic Design Scriptwriting/Videography + Lab Prose Fiction Playwriting ONE or TWO of the following: Principles of Marketing Public Relations Writing Feature Writing Poetry Professional Communication: Oral All of the following: English Language Literature Survey Literature 300-400 Elective Arts & Sciences Level II: three courses Electives: two courses	ONE or TWO of the following: Principles of Graphic Design Scriptwriting/Videography + Lab Prose Fiction Playwriting ONE or TWO of the following: Principles of Marketing Public Relations Writing Feature Writing Poetry Professional Communication: Oral All of the following: Literature 300-400 Elective: two courses Senior Seminar Internship Electives: two to four courses