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Undergraduate Advising Handbook 1990-1999

Requirements in effect for those entering the program Fall 1990 through Spring 1999

Welcome to the undergraduate major in Speech Communication at the University of Maryland College Park. You are among approximately 200 majors in Speech Communication, one of the largest majors in the College of Arts and Humanities. Most of your preparation for the Bachelor of Arts degree will be in your courses. But you are invited to participate in the many opportunities beyond the curriculum, including the departmental honors program, Lambda Pi Eta honorary society, participation in faculty research projects, and the department's research colloquium. This handbook will introduce you to the major, the department, the faculty, the curriculum, the requirements, and the special opportunities in Speech Communication.

Speech Communication takes as its subject matter the history, processes, and effects of human communication through speech and its extensions. Faculty in the department carry on research and teach in many facets of human communication. The department provides an extensive program of lower-level performance courses in speaking and listening. You may have been first introduced to the department through these courses. As a major, you will acquire a more advanced knowledge of the complex process of human communication. When you graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication, you will have received a liberal education in the arts and sciences of human communication as well as preparation for career opportunities in business, government, education, and related fields of endeavor.

The Value of an Education in Speech Communication

As the 21st century approaches, little knowledge will be as crucial to the quality of your life as an understanding of communication. Those who can effectively and responsibly communicate with others exercise a power that enriches their lives. One important measure of the quality of life in our society will be the openness and richness of communication. Those educated in the powers of communication will make vital contributions to their own welfare and the welfare of others.

The strength of a Speech Communication major resides in an understanding of the place of communication in humanness and in a developed ability to participate effectively and responsibly in communicating with others. Your education in Speech Communication will go beyond performance courses that teach the skills of speaking into courses that explore our knowledge of communication in business, government, and other human institutions and relationships.

Although Speech Communication is not a professional degree, few choices of major afford such vital knowledge in preparing for a career. In many professions, employers praise the ability to communicate as central to an effective employee. As a result, our majors move rapidly into a broad range of careers. Effective preparation for a career in communication begins in the mastery of communication performance and matures in mastery of our extensive knowledge of strategies to improve the quality of communication throughout our society.

Over the years, Speech Communication has also served as an exceptional pre-professional major. Particularly those who proceed to study law, the helping professions, and governmental service have found the major critical to their later success. Many of our students remain in Speech Communication by pursuing graduate work.

A major in Speech Communication contributes to the quality of life far beyond the workplace. Those who seek to be good citizens or just good neighbors leave the major with experience and understanding that enriches their lives.

About the University of Maryland

From a regional Agricultural College of 35 students in 1859, the University of Maryland at College Park has developed into a national institution serving some 34,500 students in 14 colleges and professional schools. It has also become one of America's finest establishments for research, instruction, and public service.

The faculty of the University is widely recognized for its quality and achievement. In fact, College Park ranks twelfth among all U.S. universities for competitive research grants and ninth among public institutions for distinguished faculty awards. The local resources of the University include a library collection of two million volumes as well as 34 centers and institutes for research and study in specialized subject matters. Also, because of the University's unique location (just 10 miles from downtown Washington DC; 25 minutes by Metro subway) its extended resources include the Library of Congress, the National Archives (located on our campus), the National Library of Medicine, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Smithsonian Institution, and approximately 500 other libraries associated with educational, governmental, and private agencies in or near the nation's capital.

About Speech Communication at Maryland

The study of Speech Communication at College Park is as old as the institution itself. The first students in the Maryland Agricultural College faced requirements in rhetoric, elocution, and declamation throughout the course of their degree. By 1901 a Department of Public Speaking was in place and, for nearly four decades, the department emphasized public speaking and public address in its course offerings. Beginning in the late 1930s, however, courses were added in other subjects related to spoken discourse. For example, new courses were announced in radio speaking for 1938, in speech pathology for 1939, and in drama for 1941. By 1946 coursework had developed to the point that the department could offer its Bachelor of Arts degree in four areas of concentration: public speaking, drama, radio, and speech sciences.

The identification of these areas quickly gave rise to academic and administrative specialization within the department. One effect of this specialization was the formation of departmental divisions. The department maintained four such divisions until 1972, when the division of Speech and Hearing Sciences left the department for autonomous status in what is now the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. From that time until 1989 three divisions united in the Department of Communication Arts and Theatre: Speech Communication; Radio, Television, Film; and Theatre. In 1989 each division became a separate department in the College of Arts and Humanities.

Of these new departments, Speech Communication maintains the disciplinary interest, goals, and subject matters that have animated speech instruction at Maryland from its beginnings. The department sustains a long standing commitment to research and teaching in the history, processes, and effects of communication through speech and its extensions. Within the department, students may do graduate work in Speech Communication in programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees and undergraduate work culminating in the B.A.

The Speech Communication Faculty

[Please consult the current Undergraduate Handbook]

The Speech Communication Curriculum

The curriculum in Speech Communication contains four types of courses.

• Performance courses feature the opportunity for you to practice and master the art of effective communication. These courses include SPCH 100, 107, 125, 170, 200, 220, and 230. Typically, you will take these courses prior to your declaration of a major in Speech Communication or early in your program since they are taught at the freshman and sophomore level. A mastery of effective communication will ground your more thorough knowledge developed in the major.
• Courses in the theory of communication provide you practical knowledge about communication at work in society, on the job, or in interpersonal relationships. These courses include SPCH 250, 324, 330, 383, 400, 401, 402, 420, 423, 424, 435, 450, 451, 453, 455, 470, 471, 472, 475, 476, 477, and 482. These courses provide a different ability than the performance courses Ñ an ability to bring knowledge to bear in analyzing and responding to the quality of communication in your life.
• Courses that study communication in the tradition of the humanities teach you an appreciation for the place of communication in the making of our society. These courses include 324, 330, 360, 401, 450, 451, 453, 460, and 461. These courses provide a third ability Ñ an ability to bring a critical and historical understanding to your participation in public communication.
• Special opportunities are available to complete your education. These courses include independent study or research projects (SPCH 489) that provide opportunities for more detailed study with faculty from the department; honors study (SPCH 399) for outstanding students seeking a special degree; and the Speech Communication Colloquium (SPCH 478) that provides you the chance to hear leaders in the study of human communication from throughout the country present their work at College Park.

Your major will mix these various types of courses. In fact, the major requirements limit the number of courses of each type that you can apply toward the major. You should be certain that you seek advising upon entering the major to locate a program of courses that will satisfy the requirements.

[Please consult the current Undergraduate Handbook for a detailed listing of courses]

Constructing Your Major in Speech Communication

The key to the quality of your education in Speech Communication will be your planning of the courses to satisfy the requirements for the major. The major requirements are designed to provide multiple levels of knowledge of communication:

• Speech Communication performance. You will take either one or two courses that develop your performance abilities.
• Introduction to the study of Speech Communication. You will take SPCH 250 which will set the grounding for your later study of the discipline.
• Advanced basic methods for studying communication. You will take nine hours including SPCH 400, 401, and 402 that provide advanced skills useful in analyzing communication practice.
• Advanced specialized knowledge. You should select fifteen additional hours that provide a coherent specialty within Speech Communication. Twelve of these hours must be in upper-level courses that provide an advanced understanding of communication. Since you have great freedom in selecting these courses, discuss your choices with the Undergraduate Advisor. There are a number of factors you should consider in your choice of courses. First, you need to identify your specific interest within the major and select courses related to it. Second, you need to identify faculty members in the department with whom you wish to study and the courses they teach. These contacts will provide a mentor in times when you have questions about your chosen study and important contacts later when you need letters recommending your work. Third, you need to develop a coherent program in which the courses you choose prepare you to achieve you goals. Fourth, you may need to take into account the courses that are to be offered during the semesters when you are taking advanced work. Courses in the Speech Communication curriculum are generally taught at least once every other year, but if you come to the major late you may find some courses unavailable. In addition to these levels of knowledge in Speech Communication, the major also requires that you acquire eighteen hours outside the major which supplement and deepen your major program within the discipline. Nine of these hours are in courses that develop essential intellectual skills Ñ statistical, critical, and structural Ñ and nine hours are in a coherent cognate that supplements your specialty in Speech Communication.

A copy of the two forms that you will use in planning your major program Ñ Speech Communication Major Requirement Tally and Cognate Course Sequence Proposal Form Ñ are included in the back of this book. Copies of these forms may be acquired from the Speech Communication Undergraduate Advisor.

Policy on Advising of Speech Communication Majors

The main objective of academic advising in Speech Communication is to assist you in understanding, planning, and successfully completing the Speech Communication major (for advising regarding University and College requirements, consult the Arts and Humanities Office of Student Affairs in 1111 Francis Scott Key). Pursuant to this objective, Speech Communication has established a major advising program and appointed an Undergraduate Advisor. You are especially encouraged to consult with the Undergraduate Advisor for general information regarding the Speech Communication major or to establish, revise, or review a program of study which satisfies the major requirements in Speech Communication. As you prepare your final thirty hours, it is critical that you work with the departmental advisor.

You are reminded, however, that University policy stipulates that the responsibility for knowing and meeting all degree requirements for graduation in any curriculum rests with the student. Accordingly, you have the responsibility to: (1) familiarize yourself with the requirements of the Speech Communication major, (2) select and secure enrollment in courses which satisfy the Speech Communication major requirements, and (3) monitor your own progress toward completion of the Speech Communication major.

The Undergraduate advisor will maintain a regular schedule of appointment hours during each academic term. You must schedule a meeting within the appointment hours. The Undergraduate Advisor is not obligated to consult with any student outside of the regular schedule.

Major Requirements

Completion of thirty semester hours in Speech Communication and eighteen semester hours in supporting courses. No course with a grade less than C may be used to satisfy major or supporting course requirements.

Required Major Courses (total of thirty semester hours): SPCH 200 or SPCH 230, SPCH 250, 400, 401, and 402. Fifteen semester hours in SPCH courses, at least twelve of which must be at the 300-400 level.

Required Supporting Courses (total of eighteen semester hours):

1. Nine semester hours of cognate courses selected from another discipline complementary to the major (selection of cognate courses must be in accordance with guidelines available in the departmental office).

2. Nine semester hours to develop essential intellectual skills: Three credits in statistical analysis, selected from STAT 100, PSYC 200, SOCY 201, BMGT 230, or EDMS 451. Three credits in critical analysis, selected from ENGL 453 or CMLT 488. Three credits in structural analysis of language, selected from HESP 120, LING 200, ANTH 380, ENGL 384, or ENGL 385. Courses taken to fulfill the supporting course requirement can also be used to satisfy CORE requirements.

Cognate Course Selection Guidelines

Undergraduate majors in Speech Communication are required to complete eighteen semester hours in supporting courses. Nine of these semester hours must be completed in cognate courses selected from a discipline complementary to the major. These guidelines are designed to direct you in the cognate course selection process.

Cognate courses are those taken outside a student's major department which nevertheless contribute to the student's knowledge of matters germane to the major. As regards Speech Communication, cognate courses are those concerned with the theory or practice of communication, broadly conceived, or those related to the contexts within which communication theory or practice arises or has arisen in the past.

To ensure that cognate courses are coherent with one another as well as with Speech Communication, the department specifies that cognate courses must be selected from a single discipline. In general practice, students select courses from one department to satisfy this specification. However, it is conceivable that courses from several departments could be justified as cognates, provided that the subject of the courses were coherent within a definable discipline.

There are three ways in which you can satisfy the Speech Communication cognate course requirement. First, you may select courses from a General List of unconditionally approved cognate course sequences. Selections from the General List are appropriate for all Speech Communication students, no matter what configurations of courses the students choose in the major. Second, you may select courses from a Special List of provisionally approved cognate course sequences. Selections from the Special List are appropriate for students who have taken Speech Communication coursework which makes sequences from the Special List pertinent to their academic program. Third, you may propose cognate course sequences of their own devising. If you select this third option, seek approval by the Undergraduate Advisor early in the sequence. Courses taken prior to receiving such approval may or may not count toward the major. (Cognate Course Sequence Proposal Forms may be obtained from the Undergraduate Advisor.)

General List

All cognate course sequences in this list are unconditionally approved. Therefore, completion of the courses in any sequence with a grade of ÒCÓ or better in each course automatically satisfies the cognate course requirement.

AMST 203
AMST 204
AMST 418
EDUC 300
EDUC 420
EDUC 460
LING 200
LING 240
LING 430
LING 200
LING 240
LING 457
PHIL 100
PHIL 170
PHIL 360
PHIL 170
PHIL 360
PHIL 461
PHIL 173
PHIL 360
PHIL 461
PHIL 173
PHIL 174
PHIL 466
PSYC 100
PSYC 221
PSYC 424
WMST 200
WMST 351
WMST 400

Special List

Cognate course sequences in this list are provisionally approved. In order for the courses in any sequence to satisfy the cognate course requirement, a student must successfully undertake the related courses in Speech Communication which heads up the sequence. As usual, courses in each sequence must be completed with a grade of ÒCÓ or better to be counted toward the cognate course requirement.

SPCH 420
PSYC 100
PSYC 221
PSYC 443

SPCH 420
SOCY 100
SOCY 203
SOCY 447

SPCH 424
PSYC 361
BMGT 364
BMGT 464

SPCH 424
SOCY 331
SOCY 431
SOCY 462

SPCH 424
PSYC 100
PSYC 361
PSYC 463

SPCH 424
PSYC 100
PSYC 361
PSYC 464

SPCH 424
PSYC 100
PSYC 361
PSYC 465

SPCH 435
FMCD 260
FMCD 370
FMCD 430

SPCH 435
PSYC 100
PSYC 221
PSYC 334

SPCH 435
SOCY 105
SOCY 324
SOCY 341

SPCH 435
SOCY 105
SOCY 325
SOCY 425

SPCH 450
HIST 324
HIST 325
HIST 326

SPCH 450
HIST 325
HIST 326
HIST 327

SPCH 450
HIST 327
HIST 330
HIST 331

SPCH 450
PHIL 100
PHIL 110
PHIL 310

SPCH 450
PHIL 100
PHIL 110
PHIL 412

SPCH 450
PHIL 100
PHIL 110
PHIL 414

SPCH 450
PHIL 100
PHIL 236
PHIL 416

SPCH 451
HIST 332
HIST 333
HIST 334

SPCH 451
HIST 334
HIST 335
HIST 336

SPCH 451
PHIL 100
PHIL 250
PHIL 320

SPCH 451
PHIL 100
PHIL 250
PHIL 421

SPCH 451
PHIL 100
PHIL 250
PHIL 422

SPCH 453
PHIL 100
PHIL 245
PHIL 445

SPCH 453
SOCY 100
SOCY 203
SOCY 300

SPCH 453
SOCY 100
SOCY 230
SOCY 300

SPCH 453
SOCY 100
SOCY 230
SOCY 432

SPCH 460
HIST 264
HIST 265
HIST 310

SPCH 460
HIST 360
HIST 361
HIST 362

SPCH 460
HIST 361
HIST 362
HIST 363

SPCH 460
HIST 362
HIST 363
HIST 364

SPCH 460
SOCY 105
SOCY 230
SOCY 300

SPCH 460
SOCY 105
SOCY 230
SOCY 430

SPCH 460
SOCY 105
SOCY 300
SOCY 430

SPCH 461
HIST 264
HIST 265
HIST 310

SPCH 461
HIST 365
HIST 366
HIST 367

SPCH 461
SOCY 105
SOCY 230
SOCY 300

SPCH 461
SOCY 105
SOCY 230
SOCY 430

SPCH 461
SOCY 105
SOCY 300
SOCY 430

SPCH 470
PSYC 100
PSYC 310
PSYC 341

SPCH 471
HLTH 105
HLTH 230
HLTH 371

SPCH 471
HLTH 230
HLTH 420
HLTH 430

SPCH 475
BMGT 350
BMGT 354
BMGT 463

SPCH 475
PHIL 100
PHIL 340
PHIL 462

SPCH 475
PSYC 100
PSYC 221
PSYC 424

SPCH 482
ANTH 101
ANTH 271
ANTH 371

SPCH 482
ANTH 102
ANTH 271
ANTH 371

SPCH 482
SOCY 105
SOCY 120
SOCY 341

SPCH 482
SOCY 105
SOCY 324
SOCY 341

SPCH 482
SOCY 105
SOCY 324
SOCY 423

Special Opportunities for Speech Communication Majors

The Honors Program

The Honors Program provides superior students with the utmost opportunity for intensive study of speech communication at an advanced level. Pursuant to this end, the program provides participants with opportunities to deepen their understanding of the discipline through graduate level coursework and to enrich this understanding through closely supervised research and intimate involvement in the intellectual life of the department.

Students interested in the Honors Program apply for the program, ordinarily during the second semester of the sophomore year or the first semester of the junior year. Application is filed with the Honors Director who presents the proposal for admission to the Honors Committee. Generally, you should have the following qualifications: