(Jump to Major & Minor Requirements)

No discipline taught in the academy remains unaffected by the convergence of older oral and print cultures with the burgeoning world of digital communication. New literacies have become essential for the education of free men and women as envisioned by the Carthage College mission statement. Media literacy and visual literacy are increasingly as foundational for an educated citizenry as reading, writing, and speaking have long been acknowledged to be. The department offers general education courses and academic majors that develop competencies in, as well as sophisticated critical understanding of, an increasingly mediated world.

Our goals for our students involve more than technical proficiency. The curricula of the department have been developed in conversation with the wisdom of the ages, the insights of neighboring disciplines, the riches of world cultures, and the ethical challenges of a complex world. In our pedagogy, we actively seek opportunities to engage and affirm the relevance of other discourses and disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences.

The faculty of the department actively support students in the identification and fulfillment of appropriate internships that challenge and extend their classroom learning. All students majoring in Communication, Graphic Design, or Public Relations are expected to demonstrate their intellectual grasp of the discipline, as well as their own artistic and communicative competencies, by successfully completing the senior capstone seminar, which involves a major thesis, project, or exhibition.

Recent graduates have gained employment or pursued graduate study in graphic design, public relations, media, journalism, sales, education, and law.

These four courses are required for the Communication Major, the Graphic Design major, and the Communication Minor. Students are encouraged to complete these courses early in their studies in the department.

Requirements for the Communication Major
- - check-off sheet - -

(40 credits total, including...)

1. Departmental Core (16 credits)

2. Communication Major Core (12 credits):
CDM 300 Rhetoric and Persuasion
CDM 345 Mass Communication
CDM 401 Senior Seminar for Communication Majors

3. Plus 12 credits from the following:
CDM 210 Communication & Community
CDM 220 Principles of Public Relations
CDM 330 Writing for Media
CDM 340 Communication & Technology
CDM 355 CDM Internship (4 credits maximum)
CDM 271/471 CDM Topics

Requirements for the Graphic Design Major
- - check-off sheet - -

(44 credits total, including...)

1. Departmental Core (16 credits)

2. Graphic Design Major Core (20 credits):
ART 153 Introduction to Studio (2D)
CDM 200 Graphic Design I
CDM 365 Image
CDM 385 Typography
CDM 402 Senior Seminar for Graphic Design Majors

3. Plus 8 credits from the following:
CDM 315 History of Graphic Design
CDM 340 Communication & Technology
CDM 353 Digital Media - Web Design (2 credits)
CDM 354 Digital Media - Time Based (2 credits)
CDM 355 CDM Internship (up to 4 credits)
CDM 375 Graphic Design II

Requirements for the Public Relations Major

(56 credits total including...)

1. Departmental Core (16 credits)

2. Public Relations Major Core (28 credits):
MGMT 111 Introduction to Business Technology
ACCT 200 Survey of Accounting, OR
   ACCT 202 Managerial Accounting
CDM 220 Principles of Public Relations
MGMT 312 Principles of Management
MKRT 313 Principles of Marketing
MKRT 410 Marketing Communication
CDM 401 Senior Seminar for Communication Majors (OR other appropriate senior seminar)

3. Choose three courses (12 credits) from the following:
ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics OR
   ECON 103 Issues in Economics
ENG 305 Expository Composition
GEOG 151 Introduction to Human Geography
PHIL 110 Contemporary Ethical Issues
PHIL 211 Business Ethics
PSY 220 Social Psychology
MGMT 360 Legal Environment of Business
CDM 300 Rhetoric and Persuasion
CDM 330 Writing for Media
CDM 345 Mass Communication (CDM 115 is prerequisite)

Communication Minor

(24 credits)

Students pursuing the Communication Minor must complete the 16-credit Departmental Core, plus eight additional credits at the 200 level or above, selected in consultation with their departmental advisor.

Public Relations Minor

(24 credits - 6 courses)

MGMT 111 Introduction to Business Technology
CDM 115 Introduction to Human Symbolic Activity
CDM 120 Public Speaking
CDM 220 Principles of Public Relations
CDM 330 Writing for Media
Any course from the #2 or #3 categories for the major

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Carthage College, Kenosha, WI 53140-1994, 262-551-5850