Mar 29, 2024  
2007-08 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2007-08 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Communication and Rhetoric Major with Adolescence Education


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Communication and Rhetoric prepares students to become versatile communicators in spoken, written and visual forms.  Building on the College’s Liberal Arts core, and housed within the English Department, the Communication and Rhetoric major will produce pro-active learners and efficient and effective problem-solvers, proficient in the analysis of their own and others’ communication, both visual and graphic information, in print and in digital media.  Graduates will be well-positioned for a variety  of careers, not only in typical communication-related fields like journalism, media, advertising and public relations, but also in the wide range of other fields that require excellent reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.  In addition to classroom instruction, all students will receive direct pre-professional training in the form of internships and seminar projects conducted in consultation with local businesses and communication professionals.

Students who elect to pursue teacher certification through our English Education Program also receive special instruction in teaching methods and philosophy through the English Department (in addition to their required coursework in the Education Department).  In order to be eligible for the Professional Semester (student teaching), students must maintain a grade point average above 2.7.

Communication and Rhetoric Major Requirements


All Communication and Rhetoric Majors are required to take the following:

Required Colloquium


Required attendance at a monthly Colloquium for students will receive zero credit.  Colloquia will have speakers addressing such issues as the Media and ethics, technology and a changing society, the future of the writing field, among others.

Additional Requirements for Communication and Rhetoric Major with Adolescence Education


In addition to the courses and colloquia listed above, Communication and Rhetoric majors with Adolescence Education take one course in grammar and composition theory, and substitute their Professional Semester (student teaching) for the program’s required internship.  They then select a senior seminar, depending on the direction of the electives they have chosen to pursue:

Communication and Rhetoric Major Electives


Each student chooses three courses (9 credits) from the following:

Communication and Rhetoric Major Literature Requirements


All Communication and Rhetoric Majors are required to complete the following Literature requirements:

  • One upper division literature course

And two courses from the following:

Required Courses for Adolescence Education


The following courses are required for Adolescence Education for majors in Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Mathematics, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.

In addition to these courses, each student takes a department course numbered DEPT 457, Curriculum Methodology: Middle School and Senior High  in their area of certification (These courses have a total of 100 hours of fieldwork required).


Additional Program Option: Teaching students with Disabilities at the Adolescence level


Additional Program Option: Teaching students with Disabilities at the Adolescence level (Grades 7 - 12) (Dual Certification)

Students also have the option of completing required coursework and field experiences that would lead to another certification in Teaching Students with Disabilities at the Adolescence level. This dual certification option is designed to provide the knowledge base to support student learning in content areas at the adolescence level, as well as to specifically meet the needs of students with disabilities in secondary classrooms by means of differentiated instruction and collaborative teaching.

Students who elect to pursue this option must complete the following courses in addition to the required courses for Adolescence Education listed above:

Communication and Rhetoric Major Senior Experience



The Communication and Rhetoric Senior Experience allows students to design and present a project/portfolio of work that bridges the academic and professional worlds. Students are expected to design a project that will apply what they have learned over the course of their study. Students following the Technical Writing path will design a packet of materials reflecting both written and visual texts. Students following other paths (e.g. magazine writing, journalism, creative writing) will design a portfolio of their work and polish one piece of text to be submitted to a professional publication. Projects are presented in an hour-long oral presentation to the Director of Writing Programs and a committee of professionals.

Sample Program for Communication and Rhetoric Major with Adolescence Education


Freshman Year


  • Arts & Sciences Perspectives I Credits: 9
  • Modern Foreign Language Credits: 6

As well as:

Sophomore Year


  • Literature Survey Credits: 3
  • Arts & Sciences Perspectives I Credits: 15
  • EDU 204

As well as:

  • ENGW 251 Rhetoric I Credits: 3
  • ENGW 252 Rhetoric II Credits: 3 

And one of the following:

Junior Year


  • Literature Survey Credits: 3
  • Arts & Sciences Perspectives II Credits: 9

As well as:

  • COMM 352 The English Language Credits: 3
  • ADOL 030 - Orientation for Professional Semester Credits: 0 (Fall Only)
  • ADOL 410 - Principles of Teaching, Learning, & Assessment for Diverse Secondary Learners Credits: 3 (Fall Only)
  • EDU 090 - Orientation to the Personal Electronic Portfolio Credits: 0 (Fall Only)
  • EDU 475 - Health Education, Child Abuse, and Violence Prevention Workshop Credits: 0
  • ENGE 357 - Theories of Grammar and the Composing Process Credits: 3
  • ENGE 457 - Curriculum Methodology Middle School and Senior High Credits: 3 (Spring Only)
  • LST 301 - PII Language and Literacy Development Credits: 3

    and one of the following:

Senior Year


  • Arts and Sciences PII Credits: 3
  • One upper division literature course Credits: 3


As well as:

  • COMM 450 Senior Seminar Credits: 3
    or COMM 451 Senior Seminar Credits: 3
  • COMM 499 Senior Comprehensives Credits: 0
  • ADOL 476 - Motivation and Management Credits: 2 (Fall Only)
  • ADOL 477 - Literacy Instruction for Diverse Secondary Learners Credits: 3 (Fall Only)
  • ADOL 478 - Reflective Seminar Credits: 2 (Fall Only)
  • ADOL 480 - Psychology of Adolescence in School and Community Credits: 3 (Spring Only)
  • ENGE 479 - Student Teaching Middle School and Senior High Credits: 6 (Fall Only)

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