Organizational and Strategic Communication

Illinois College’s online strategic communication bachelor’s degree provides the academic foundation and professional skills necessary for various careers in the field. The program requires 120 credit hours – 76 hours in general education courses and 44 hours in organizational and strategic communication courses.

Courses

General Education (78 hours)

Students must complete a total of 78 credit hours in a variety of areas. These include courses in writing, world languages, the arts, speech, science, social, spiritual and philosophical issues and more.

Organizational and Strategic Communication Major (44 hours)

Communication and Rhetorical Studies Core Courses (16 hours)

Course	Description	Credits
CO 204	Communication Theory This course allows students to understand both the humanistic and social scientific theories in communication. Areas of inquiry include the ethical implications of individual theories, the development of knowledge and appreciation of theory building in the communication discipline, the ability to discern roles that communication theories play in our daily lives and the examination and testing of communication theories using different methodological approaches. This course is a foundational requirement for all students majoring or minoring in Communication and Rhetorical Studies.	4
CO 230	Organizational Communication This class is broadly designed to explore communication processes and problems within the organizational context. To accomplish this, students will be exposed to managerial and communicative theories pertaining to organizations and relevant research covering a host of topics. Specifically, this course will examine organizational culture (and how to adapt one's communication successfully to one's culture), communication in the superior-subordinate relationship, the impact of organizational structure on communication and techniques for assessing and improving organizational and individual communication effectiveness. The course is designed to expose students to communication-related issues in contemporary organizations, emphasizing practical application.	4
CO 315	Communication Ethics This course examines the ethical issues surrounding the role of verbal and nonverbal communication in distinguishing human participation in society. Students are asked to think critically about the range of issues germane to communication from a variety of normative perspectives. Prerequisite: junior standing or consent of the instructor.	4
CO 415	Senior Seminar in Communication This course will serve as the capstone course for all Senior-level students majoring in Organizational and Strategic Communication (as well as those majoring in Communication & Rhetorical Studies). In addition, a strong emphasis will be placed on undergraduate research. Specifically, students will be asked to research relevant communication topics from either the social scientific or humanistic perspectives during the semester and formally present their scholarly findings. As part of the capstone experience in this course, students will also be asked to synthesize their previous coursework and critically reflect on their experiences in the Organizational and Strategic Communication program.	4

Organizational and Strategic Communication Courses: Choose two (8 hours)

Course	Description	Credits
CO 330	Developing Talent and Intercultural Competence Training employees in today’s increasingly diverse world requires a great deal of knowledge. This course will discuss intercultural competence in global organizations. Then, building upon that foundation, the course will discuss how to train and develop employees, giving perspective to working in different world cultures. Major topics include the ADDIE training model, training methods, and intercultural communication in the workplace.	4
CO 353	Communication and Leadership in Teams This course explores how communicating in small groups and teams is a significant part of the human experience. In this course, students will examine how the behavior of groups, leaders and followers is inherently communicative. Specifically, students will study small group communication theory, research and practice from several perspectives, focusing on how individual and group behavior "emerges" from group communication and interaction. In addition, students enrolled in this course will participate in small groups on a semester-long service-learning project connected to local community non-profit or charitable organizations.	4
CO 235	Strategic Communication and Social Media This course examines how recent advances in information technology and online social networking provide opportunities as well as challenges for those in the field of strategic communication. Issues covered in this course include ways that various organizations (corporate, governmental and non-profit) strategically identify key audiences, effectively create and share social media content, evaluate social media-based strategic communication initiatives and use social media to improve their image and brand. Students will also learn about the significant changes in strategic communication approaches brought about by the networked information society. This course combines theoretical and hands-on approaches to these issues. In conjunction with the theoretical understanding of social media, students will study and use different social media applications throughout the course.	4

Public Relations Course: Choose one (4 hours)

Course	Description	Credits
CO 325	Public Relations in Practice Public Relations (PR) helps to establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, cooperation, and mutually beneficial relationships between organizations or public personalities and their various publics. Among the topics this course will cover are the social function of public relations, its diverse forms (e.g. media and community relations, the management function of public relations, and the role of the practitioner in crisis communication). The students will also develop their skills in public relations by creating publicity products, such as press releases, feature stories, brochures, posters/flyers, photo essays, and speeches.	4
CO 214	Advertising and Public Relations This course is designed to give students an understanding of the advertising industry's "identity," an identity that mirrors and participates in creating a uniquely American identity. Significant historical, cultural, gender, aesthetic, ethical, legal and rhetorical perspectives are examined. Attention is paid to critiquing advertising images, applying the perspectives above, and exploring how these perspectives interface with social, political and policy issues. Students will also gain an understanding of the field of public relations and its interconnectedness with the advertising enterprise.	4

Marketing Course: Choose one (4 hours)

Course	Description	Credits
MG 354	Marketing Emphasizes the concepts of planning, organizing, controlling, and decision making as they are applied to management of the marketing function. Attention is given to the marketing environment, consumer behavior, marketing research, product management, distribution, promotion and pricing policies. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. (BLUEprint: Global Awareness, Information Literacy)	4
MG 356	Integrated Marketing Communications This course examines how to integrate all of the available marketing communication tools into one clear voice that breaks through today’s communication clutter. Students will study and create various forms of communication materials that are used in the promotions mix. These items will include advertisements for print media, radio, television, social media, websites and YouTube. In addition, product demonstrations, sales promotions, personal selling and public relations will be examined. Students will gain understanding of how to coordinate these elements to achieve an organization’s objectives.	4

Professional Writing and Digital Media Courses: Choose two (8 hours)

Course	Description	Credits
EN 208	Persuasive Writing Persuasive writing is the study and practice of writing persuasively and logically. The course relies on concepts from classical rhetoric and modern argumentation theory to teach students how to write compelling arguments for specific audiences. The course fulfills Illinois College's BLUEprint general-education requirements for Creative Expressions: Studio, Writing Extensive, and Information Literacy.	4
EN 280	Editing and Publishing I Wherever there are words, there are writers and jobs for writers. The internet has created a staggering array of platforms through which writers seek to reach readers. This course will offer students the opportunity to study these new writing landscapes, participate and publish their thinking and writing, and learn how to protect against the various hazards of such activity. This is an introductory course appropriate for first-year students.	4
EN 281	Professional Writing This course studies the types of professional writing, with particular attention to factual, analytical and evaluative, and proposal arguments. Topic selection within the assignment sequence is flexible to allow students to shape more focused study into the themes and conventions of business writing, journalism, science and technical writing, writing for the internet and social media and writing about health and medicine.	4
EN 380	Editing and Publishing II This course covers the basic procedures of editing and publishing texts. It will use the Chicago Manual of Style as a primary textbook and enable students to acquire the knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to work effectively as an editorial assistant, editor, new-media writer or professional writer.	4
AR 204	Visual Communication and Digital Design Examine basic graphic design techniques with an emphasis on color, typography, ideation, visual hierarchy, grid systems and basic layouts. These techniques will be applied to information design using research and analysis of discipline-specific topics encountered in a liberal arts education. Students will gain a working knowledge of InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. This course is an introduction to the creative skills and software tools employed when working with digital media and will focus on the fundamentals of design utilizing Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign. Students will also be exposed to the work and ideas of artists working in graphic design and digital arts. Through demonstrations, tutorials, lectures, hands-on projects, group critiques and individual assistance, each student will gain the skills necessary for completing projects of artistic merit using various digital software.	4
AR 361	New Media A studio-based course focused on a range of topics that may include materiality, interactivity, time, social media and exploring forms and technologies identified as new or emerging. Through practice, research, discussion and lecture, this course introduces students to the changing new media landscape transforming how we think about the intersection of disciplines. These include art, technology, humanities and social sciences. Students will be encouraged to integrate their disciplines into creative projects.	4

Elective Course: Choose one (4 hours): Organizational and Strategic Communication students are required to complete one additional 4-credit hour course at either the 200-level or 300-level that is either a Communication & Rhetorical Studies course or any elective course listed in the Organizational & Strategic Communication major; a 4-credit hour internship may count for this elective requirement.

Course	Description	Credits
CO 210	Business Communication This course is designed to enhance one’s understanding of the skills, principles and contexts of communication in business and organizational settings. Oral presentations and written assignments are utilized to evaluate competencies in verbal and nonverbal communication efforts. A framework of strategic communication is introduced for the planning and implementation of various interpersonal and presentational principles and skills along with an examination of important theories of organizational communication. This course exposes students to compelling communication-related issues in contemporary business and professional settings.	4
CO 225	Interpersonal Communication This course explores the motivations, characteristics, and consequences of interpersonal communication. Over the semester, students will learn the various theories, models, and vocabulary of the interpersonal communication field. Attention is paid to topics such as self-concept, perception, and disclosure as well as uncertainty, affection, maintenance, and conflict across a variety of relational contexts. Students reflect on and improve their own interpersonal skills while learning to apply various interpersonal communication theories toward the end of developing more positive relationships in their personal and professional lives.	4

How to Apply

Candidates must submit:

• An online application
  Apply for free at admission.ic.edu/apply
• Official transcripts of all high school and/or college work completed

Tuition

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