Bulletin--Speech & Communication Studies Program

Speech Communication

College of Humanities
Dean: Nancy McDermid

Department of Speech and Communication Studies
HUM 282
415-338-1597
Chair: Carol Wilder
Graduate Coordinator: R. Busby

Faculty

Professors—Busby, Chaney, Folb, Hunt, Jenkins, McDermid, Medcalf, Rebstock, Shimanoff, Terris, Wilder

Associate Professor—Imahori

Assistant Professor—Chung, Johnson, Tuman

Programs

B.A. in Speech Communication: Concentration in Individual Major

B.A. in Speech Communication: Concentration in Intercultural Communication

B.A. in Speech Communication: Organizational Communication

M.A. in Speech Communication

Program Scope

Special Programs

The Speech and Communication Studies Department offers several special activities and related programs including the forensics program for those interested in debate, oral interpretation, readers' theatre, and persuasive speaking; courses for the interdisciplinary Liberal Studies major leading to the Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential; and special advising and courses for pre-law students, special majors and women studies majors with an emphasis in speech communication. Students who are interested in teaching secondary school (Single Subjects Teaching Credential) English Language Arts, including speech communication, should consult with an adviser before planning their majors. Specific courses and a competency assessment are required for admission to the credential program. Contact the department for the name of an appropriate adviser.

In conjunction with the Communicative Disorders Program (Special Education), the Speech and Communication Studies Department offers specialist training in Speech Science required for California state licensing and ASHA certification.

Advising

Students must work with an adviser in designing their academic programs for the major in Speech and Communication Studies. Every student's Application for Graduation must be signed by an adviser who has worked with that student and has approved the Speech Communication major. Each student should choose an adviser or contact the Speech and Communication Studies Department secretary or chairperson for assignment to an adviser.

Purposes of the Major

The departmental program in Speech and Communication Studies focuses on two major themes: the basic processes of communication and the contexts in which people communicate. The first of these themes deals with how we perceive events, how we encode and decode signals, how we express ourselves verbally and nonverbally, how symbols influence human behavior. The courses that probe these processes range from semantics to phonetics, from contemporary rhetoric to communication theory, from verbal to nonverbal analysis, from sex roles in communication to decision-making in groups. Special attention is paid to such areas as intercultural communication, interpersonal communication, organizational communication, performance studies, political communication, rhetoric and public address, and symbol systems.

The second major theme in the department is the context in which this communication occurs. People talk in a variety of settings and for a variety of purposes: interpersonally between friends, within decision-making groups, in the framework of larger organizations, before large audiences, between cultures and nations. Although the same symbolic codes operate in all of these settings, there are distinctive factors that affect success or failure in each of them. The courses which focus on the contexts in which people communicate include interpersonal communication, group discussion, debate, women and words, organizational communication, persuasion and social control, public speaking and oral interpretation, and inter/intracultural communication.

Graduate Program

The M.A. offers a core of Speech Communication courses coupled with an area of concentration chosen by the student. Individual programs may be worked out with a graduate adviser.

The Master of Arts in Speech Communication is offered with courses in the following areas: rhetoric and communication theory, communication and social criticism, interpersonal communication, group and organizational communication, gender communication, inter/intracultural communication, public communication skills.

More detailed information about the program may be found in the Graduate Handbook, which is available from the Department of Speech and Communication Studies upon request.

Career Outlook

Students completing the major are qualified for graduate studies in Speech and Communication Studies and related fields. Students with the appropriate credential or graduate degree in Speech and Communication Studies may teach in elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, or universities.

The major is also pursued by many students who plan careers as communication consultants with government or social agencies resolving interpersonal conflicts or doing crisis intervention work; communication analysts; communication arbitrators and negotiators; public communication specialists with careers in speech writing, sales, personnel, and public relations; inter/intracultural communication experts serving as communication liaisons between cultures for private or governmental organizations, including overseas assignments.

The graduate program prepares students who seek teaching credentials which require the master's degree or who plan to pursue further study.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION

Requirements for the Major

Students pursuing a B.A. in Speech Communication must complete a 44-unit program consisting of sixteen units of core requirements and additional requirements within one of three concentrations. The core requirements include four core courses from four core areas: Communication Theory and Human Interaction, Symbol Systems, Rhetorical Theory and Criticism, and Public Communication Skills.

No more than eight units outside of Speech and Communication Studies may be counted toward the major and these units must be approved by a major adviser.

No more than eight units of 685, 695, or 699 may be counted toward the major.

Courses used to fulfill Segment I, General Education requirements, cannot be used to fulfill major requirements. With consent of an adviser, up to twelve units of other lower division units may be counted toward the major.

Courses for this discipline are listed in alphabetical sequence (see Speech and Communication Studies discipline in the Announcement of Courses section).

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION

For general information, see "Undergraduate Programs in Speech Communication."

Upon the recommendation of a major adviser and approval of the department chair, students may substitute a course in a core area to satisfy the respective core requirements.

Core Area Requirements				Units
Communication Theory and Human Interaction Area	 4
	SPCH 321	Communication Theory
Symbol Systems Area				 4
	SPCH 400	Verbal and Nonverbal 
			Symbols
Rhetorical Theory and Criticism Area		 4
	SPCH 341	Rhetorical Theory
Public Communication Skills Area		 4
	SPCH 351	Public Speaking 
		Total for core			16
Concentration (see below) 			24
Electives (related to Speech and Communication 
	Studies)				 4
		Total for major			44

Individual Major Concentration

Courses in Speech and Communication Studies 
selected with the approval of an adviser. The 
courses should have a coherent focus and one of 
them must concentrate on methodological skills. 
Sample individual majors with special emphases 
are available from the department office or 
advisers. Courses for the individual major 
concentration may not be used to fulfill the 
core area.					24
		Total for concentration		24

Concentration in Organizational Communication

SPCH 522	Communication Analysis of 
		Organizations			 4
SPCH 661	Communication Research 
		Strategies			 4
SPCH 695	Speech Communication/Humanities 
		Internship			 4
Units related to Organizational Communication 
	selected with consent of a major adviser 
	(may include up to eight units from 
	allied departments)			12
		Total for concentration		24

Concentration in Intercultural Communication

SPCH 541	Intercultural Communication	 4
SPCH 542	Intracultural Communication	 4
SPCH 661	Communication Research 
		Strategies			 4
Additional units related to Intercultural 
	Communication with consent of a major 
	adviser (may include up to eight units 
	from allied departments)		12
		Total for concentration		24

MINOR IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION

Three courses (twelve units), each of which is from a different one of the following core areas and eight units selected with approval of an adviser in Speech and Communication Studies. Upon the recommendation of a minor adviser and approval of the department chair, students may substitute a course in a core area to satisfy the respective core requirements. Courses used to fulfill Segment I, General Education requirements, cannot be used to fulfill minor requirements. With consent of an adviser, up to eight units of other lower division units in speech communication may be counted toward the minor.

						Units
One course selected from three of the following 
	core areas				12
Communication Theory and Human Interaction Area
	SPCH 321	Communication Theory (4)
Symbol Systems Area
	SPCH 400	Verbal and Nonverbal 
			Symbols (4)
Rhetorical Theory and Criticism Area
	SPCH 341	Rhetorical Theory (4)
Public Communication Skills Area
	SPCH 351	Public Speaking
Additional units on advisement in speech 
	communication				 8
		Total for minor			20

MASTER OF ARTS IN SPEECH COMMUNICATION

Admission to Program

The requirements for admission are an undergraduate major in Speech Communication and a 3.0 or better upper division grade point average. Applicants not meeting these criteria are eligible for conditional admission. Conditions may vary from completing four to twelve units of approved undergraduate courses in Speech Communication to earning a B or better in the initial three graduate courses including Speech 700, Introduction to Graduate Study. The Graduate Record Examination and two letters of reference are required.

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: satisfactory completion within the first year of graduate work of a diagnostic paper assignment in SPCH 700. Level Two: satisfactory completion of master's thesis or written comprehensive examination or creative project.

Courses for this discipline are listed in alphabetical sequence (see Speech and Communication Studies discipline in the Announcement of Courses section). Upper division courses offered by the department may be considered, upon approval of the graduate adviser, except public performance courses.

Core Requirements				Units
SPCH 700	Introduction to Graduate Study	    4
SPCH 771	Communication Research 
		Strategies or
	SPCH 772	Field Research Methods	    4
SPCH 890	Integrative Seminar in Speech 
		and Communication Studies	    4
Three additional graduate seminars in Speech and 
	Communication Studies upon advisement	   12
Electives on advisement				    8
One of the following:				  3-4
	SPCH 894	Creative Work Project
	SPCH 898	Master's Thesis
	One additional upper division or 
		graduate course in Speech and 
		Communication Studies (4) and 
		Master's Written Comprehensive 
		Examination
		Minimum total			35-36

NOTE: A maximum of eight units of upper division course work may be counted toward the M.A. degree.

Master's Thesis or Creative Work Project

Each candidate who selects the option of a Master's Thesis or Creative Work Project must complete a satisfactory draft proposal. After the draft is approved by a committee, composed of a minimum of two faculty members, the Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement form is signed and filed in the Graduate Division office. A final conference for approval of the completed thesis or creative work project is held with the candidate and his/her committee.

Master's Written Comprehensive Examination

Each candidate who selects the option of Master's Written Comprehensive Examination must complete a satisfactory proposal for three comprehensive essays. After the proposal is approved by a committee, composed of a minimum of two faculty members, the candidate has one regular semester in which to complete the essays. A final approval conference is held with the candidate and the committee.

Bulletin 1994-96 Table of Contents, SFSU Home Page

last modified July 26, 1995