Degree: B.A., Communication and Digital Studies
Department of Communication and Digital Studies
Communication courses enhance understanding of and skill in oral communication by introducing students to communication theories and by providing opportunities to practice communication in a variety of settings. Courses on the 200-level are performance courses, kept small to allow for individualized instruction.
Courses on the 300-level offer a historical and theoretical approach to the study of human communication behavior and examine how communication activities affect society. Students interested in more intensive training in persuasive speaking can join the University debate team and receive academic credit for participating in regional and national tournaments.
Students who pursue the Communication and Digital Studies major will develop the critical tools to study and use digital technology to effectively communicate in a dynamic new media environment. The interdisciplinary major, which leads to a general liberal arts and studies degree (Bachelor of Arts), provides students with the means to navigate the rapidly changing nature of both communication networks and the world they live in. The course work in this major focuses on new theoretical directions in the field of digital studies, and provides students with a dynamic understanding of how communication practices currently work through digital means and how those practices can be adapted to meet their future needs.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Students will apply communication theories, perspectives, principles, and concepts.
2. Students will articulate personal beliefs about abilities to accomplish communication goals and evaluate personal communication strengths and weaknesses.
3. Students will engage in communication scholarship using the research traditions of the discipline; formulate questions appropriate for communication scholarship.
4. Students will analyze, critique, and respond to issues in contemporary digital culture and use digital tools and platforms to articulate a thoughtful, critical, digital identity.
5. Students will understand how individual liberty, self-determination, and privacy are affected by and subject to data surveillance and algorithmic influences.
6. Students will demonstrate current best practices in digital research methodologies for analyzing cultural artifacts, human society, or natural phenomena.
7. Students will adapt messages to the diverse needs of individuals, groups and contexts.
8. Students will present messages in multiple communication modalities and contexts including the use of software or code to synthesize different ideas into new, original work.
9. Students will articulate characteristics of mediated and non-mediated messages.
10. Students will select creative and appropriate modalities and technologies, including digital platforms to accomplish communicative goals.
11. Students will demonstrate awareness of the conventions and best practices in the platforms and skills used for creative digital work.
12. Students will articulate and evaluate the ethical dimensions of a communication situation.
13. Students will consume and produce digital knowledge critically, ethically, and responsibly, as well as creatively adapt to emerging technology.
14. Students will respect diverse perspectives and the ways they influence communication.
15. Students will articulate one’s own cultural standpoint and how it affects communication and world view.
16. Students will explain the importance of communication in civic life and identify the challenges facing communities and the role of communication in resolving those challenges.
17. Students will empower individuals to promote human rights, human dignity and human freedom.
18. Students will understand how digital tools and technologies have changed human society and behavior, and how those tools have affected and enabled human political organization and action.
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Core | ||
| COMM 205 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| COMM 206 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| COMM 340 | Introduction to Rhetoric and Communication | 3 |
| COMM 341 | Communication Research Methods | 3 |
| Digital Studies Core | ||
| DGST 101 | Introduction to Digital Studies | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Digital Art Foundations | ||
| Digital Storytelling | ||
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Any 300- or 400-level DGST course 1 | 3 | |
| Capstone | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Seminar in Digital Rhetoric | ||
| Digital Studies Seminar 2 | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select four of the following, with at least two at the 300 or 400 level: | 12 | |
| Digital Art Foundations 2 | ||
| Intro to Video Art | ||
| Animation | ||
| Experimental Documentary | ||
| Multiple Imaging | ||
| Approaches to Video Art | ||
| Argumentation | ||
| Visual Rhetoric | ||
| Social Media | ||
| Topics in Speech Communication | ||
| Not-For-Profit Communication Campaigns | ||
| Gender and Communication | ||
| Pop Culture | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Professional Communication | ||
| Sports & Digital Media | ||
| Hip-Hop Culture | ||
| Digital Storytelling 2 | ||
| Introduction to Computer Science 2 | ||
| Applications of Databases | ||
| Game Programming | ||
| 3D Computer Graphics | ||
| Advanced Web Application Development | ||
| Human-Computer Interaction | ||
| Tinkering, Hacking, and Making | ||
| Special Topics in Digital Studies 2 | ||
| Creative Coding 2 | ||
| Digital Media Studio 2 | ||
| Introduction to Video Production | ||
| Media Production for Social Change | ||
| Virtual and Augmented Reality | ||
| Applied Digital Studies | ||
| Writing with Digital Media | ||
| Introduction to Cinema Studies | ||
| Games and Culture | ||
| The Literary Journal: Professional Practice in Publishing and Editing | ||
| Writing & Literacy in the Digital Age | ||
| Film, Text, and Culture | ||
| Electronic Literature | ||
| The Graphic Novel | ||
| Seminar in New Media | ||
| Archives and Society | ||
| History of American Technology and Culture | ||
| History of the Information Age | ||
| Digital History | ||
| News Journalism | ||
| Investigative Journalism | ||
| Magazine Journalism | ||
| Practicum in Journalism (for up to 3 credits) | ||
| Technology for Musicians | ||
| Principles of Marketing | ||
| Digital Marketing | ||
| MIDI Composition | ||
| Audio Recording | ||
| Audio Production | ||
| Electroacoustic Techniques | ||
| Mass Media Politics | ||
| US Political Film | ||
| Podcasting Religious Studies | ||
Individual Study | ||
Internship | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
- 1
May not include DGST 499 Internship.
- 2
May be taken as electives if not used in the Digital Studies Core or Capstone.
General Education Requirements
The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.
Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of BLS general education requirements.
Electives
Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the BLS degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits
Plan of Study
This suggested plan of study should serve as a guide to assist students when planning their course selections. It is not a substitute for a student's Degree Evaluation or the Program Requirements listed for this major in the catalog. Academic planning is the student's responsibility, and course selections should be finalized only after speaking with an advisor. Students should familiarize themselves with the catalog in effect at the time they matriculated at the University of Mary Washington. Students should also familiarize themselves with general education requirements which can be fulfilled through general electives as well as major/minor course requirements. Course requirements and sequencing may vary with AP, IB, CLEP, Cambridge or previous coursework, transfer courses, or other conditions. To be considered full-time, an undergraduate student must be enrolled in 12 or more credits for the semester.
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| DGST 101 | Introduction to Digital Studies | 3 |
| FSEM 100 | First-Year Seminar | 3 |
| General Education Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| COMM 205 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| General Education Courses | 12 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| ARTS 104 |
Digital Approaches to Fine Art or Digital Storytelling or Introduction to Computer Science |
3 |
| COMM 206 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| General Education Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| 300 or 400-Level DGST Course | 3 | |
| General Education Courses | 12 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| COMM 340 | Introduction to Rhetoric and Communication | 3 |
| Elective for Major 1 | 3 | |
| General Electives | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| COMM 341 | Communication Research Methods | 3 |
| Elective for Major 1 | 3 | |
| General Electives | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| Two Electives for Major 1 | 6 | |
| General Electives | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| COMM 460 or DGST 460 |
Seminar in Digital Rhetoric or Digital Studies Seminar |
3 |
| COMM 499 | Internship | 3 |
| General Electives | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
- 1
At least two of the four required electives for the major must be at the 300 or 400 level. See Requirements for a complete list of elective options.
Communication and Digital Studies Faculty
Zachary N. Whalen, Chair and Career Advisor (Digital Studies)
P. Anand Rao, Career Advisor (Communication)
Sushma Subramanian, Career Advisor (Journalism)
Professors
P. Anand Rao
Associate Professors
Emily D. Crosby
Adria Y. Goldman
Elizabeth A. Johnson-Young
Sushma Subramanian
Zachary N. Whalen
Assistant Professors
James [J.D.] D. Swerzenski