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This archived information is dated to the 2009-10 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Minor in Communication

Up one level:

Communication

PREPARATION

Before declaring the minor, students must have completed or be concurrently enrolled in one of the following:

COMM 1A or COMM 1B

COMM 106

COMM 108

Students interested in declaring the minor should do so no later than Spring Quarter of their junior year by applying via Axess and meeting with the student services administrator in Building 120, Room 110A, during scheduled office hours.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

The minor is structured to provide a foundation for advanced course work in communication through a broad-based understanding of communication theory and research.

Students are required to take 35 units (approximately 7 courses), not counting statistics, to complete the minor. The curriculum consists of three introductory communication core courses that include COMM 1A (formerly COMM 1), Media Technologies, People, and Society (5 units), or COMM 1B, Media, Culture, and Society (5 units); COMM 106, Communication Research Methods (5 units); and COMM 108, Media Processes and Effects (5 units). The department also requires completion of or concurrent registration in an introductory statistics course (STATS 60 or PSYCH 10) prior to registration in COMM 106, Communication Research Methods, in preparation for courses in methodology and advanced courses in communication processes and effects. It is recommended that this be done as soon as possible so as not to prevent registration in a course requiring statistical understanding. The statistics course does not count toward the 35 units to complete the Communication minor.

The remainder of the 35 required units may be fulfilled with any intermediate-level elective Communication courses or crosslisted courses in other departments. No more than 5 units of course work outside of the department, transfer credit, or Summer Session credit may be applied to meet department requirements. Communication minors must receive a letter grade for all Communication courses unless they are offered only for satisfactory/no credit (S/NC), and must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 (C) in courses towards the minor. Only courses with a grade of C- or above count towards the minor. Some courses are not given every year. Refer to the Time Schedule for details.

Core courses are usually offered only once annually:

Prerequisite—introductory statistics course (for example, PSYCH 10)

Core Courses—COMM 1A or 1B, 106, 108

Area I: Communication Processes and Effects—a minimum of one course from COMM 160, 162, 166, 168, 169, 172

Area II: Communication Systems/Institutions—a minimum of one course from COMM 104, 116, 117, 120, 125, 131, 136, 140, 147, 182

Elective courses—totaling 10 units.

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