I have signed up for COM100… now what? Often times, we sign up for classes and then have a million and one questions about it. What will it be like? What will we learn? What does Introduction to Communication Studies even mean? Not only do you have these questions, but everyone in your life does too. They often say: so, you\’re going to learn how to talk? If you have not received this question yet, by the end of your academic career, you will… so I’m here to help.
My name is Rikishi Rey (everyone just calls me Kishi though), and I am one of the instructors for our Introduction to Communication Studies courses offered in the School of Communication. It is my hope that this blog post will answer some of the questions you may have as you become a student in this course. Although I can’t read your minds, I can answer questions that not only I had as a student, but questions that I have heard my students say they had before starting this course.
First, let’s break down what this course is. COM100, or Introduction to Communication Studies, is a class designed to help you build the foundation you will use moving forward in your major. In this course you will learn about the many different facets of the human communication discipline. However, before I list out all of the different topics we will cover (and you simultaneously jot them down to look up after reading this post) I want to ask you a couple of questions:
Have you ever thought: hmmm I wonder when [insert name here] and I become so close, I can tell them anything; woah, I would never speak to my parents the way some of my friends do; what is the best way to reach out to my boss, I have their cellphone number, but is that appropriate?; or have you ever got into a fight with a sibling, parent, or significant other not because of what they said, but how they said it?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions or if you have ever had questions like these, you have already thought in great depth about communication in our everyday lives… and you may have not even known it. These are conversations and topics the course will go over as we break down and understand the role communication has in these situations. Specifically, the course will focus on topics such as relationships, intercultural, digital communication, intrapersonal, interpersonal, verbal and nonverbal communication, conflict, organizations, groups, as well as cover how communication is studied and measured as we go over research methods.
By the end of this class you should have an understanding of the multiple avenues you can take within the major, career options, and a greater confidence in being able to answer what it is you study. It is an exciting course, filled with real life situations, assignments that ask you to apply these topics to your everyday life, and lessons that will last you a lifetime.
If you are joining us for the first time, or a returning student, please know how excited we are to be with all of you this coming fall. My colleagues and I have a wonderful upcoming semester planned for the School of Communication and are looking forward to being back with all of you whether that be online or in person. We wish you all well, hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy, and look forward to working together to create an amazing Fall semester.
GO PANTHERS 🐾
