Undergraduate Course Descriptions and Offerings

To see what courses are currently being offered, view LSU's Course Offerings page.

The following abbreviations indicate the frequency with which each course is typically offered:
S = each regular semester
A = annually
P = periodically

General education courses are marked with a (*)

Courses 

*CMST 1061 Fundamentals of Communication. (3) This is a General Education course.  The practice of rhetoric, performance studies and communication theory; extensive practical and performance applications of communication skills in addition to lectures and readings.  S

CMST 1150 Introduction to Communication Studies (3) Not a substitute for CMST 1061, CMST 2010, CMST 2040, CMST 2060 or CMST 2064.  Fundamental principles and subject areas in the study of human communication. S

*CMST 2010 Interpersonal Communication. (3) This is a General Education course. Theories and research in human communication; one-to-one interactions. S

CMST 2012 Introduction to Film. (4) 3 hrs. lecture; 3 hrs. lab. Nature and function of film as a mode of communication; basic language of cinema; selected films screened and studied. S

*CMST 2040 Introduction to Performing Literature. (3) This is a General Education course. The study of literature through performance; reading, analysis and performance of prose, poetry and drama. S

*CMST 2060 Public Speaking. (3) This is a General Education course.    Theory and skills needed by the effective communicator and critical consumer of speech; analysis of other speakers and practice in speaking. S

CMST 2061 Communication for Business and the Professions. (3) For students in the professional colleges, particularly the E.J. Ourso College of Business.  Communication used in business and professional organizations; proposal presentations, group decision making, parliamentary procedure and interviewing. S

* CMST 2063 Argumentation and Debate. (3) This is a General Education course.    Principles of argumentation and debate; analysis, briefing, evidence, reasoning and refutation; debating on vital questions. S

CMST 2064 Small Group Communication. (3) Aspects of group leadership; group discussion and the problems of communication in human relations. S

CMST 2200 Practicum in Communication Studies. (1-3) Prereq.: consent of instructor. Pass-fail grading. May be taken for a max. of 3 sem. hrs.; however, no more than a total of 3 sem. hrs. in CMST 2200 and CMST 4200 may be taken for undergraduate credit.  Practical experience in major interdepartmental activities outside the classroom under direct faculty supervision. S

CMST 3012 History of Film. (4) 3 hrs. lecture; 3 hrs. lab. Historical, cultural, artistic and technological development of the film industry; selected films screened and studied. A

CMST 3013 Topics in Film Genres. (4) May be taken for a max. of 8 sem. hrs. of credit when topics vary. 3 hrs. lecture; 3 hrs. lab. Cultural history, structure, rhetoric and performance of particular film genres.  A

CMST 3040 Performance Composition. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2040.   Study of the rhetorical and aesthetic elements of solo and group performance, including performances of literature, cultural performances and experimental performances. S

CMST 3041 Performance in Everyday Life. (3) Communication-centered study of performance and theatricality in daily life. A

CMST 3060 Advanced Public Speaking. (3) Prereq.: grade of “B” or better in CMST 1061 or CMST 2060.   Refined development in platform speaking.  A

CMST 3106 Communication and Power. (3) How power is created, maintained and subverted through the strategic use of discourse.  P

CMST 3107 Rhetoric of the Contemporary Media (3) Various forms of media (television, pulp novels, pop music); their promotion of cultural values and modes of conduct; study of major rhetorical critics and theorists.  A

CMST 3112 Personal Relationships and Social Networks (3) How personal relationships exist within a web of other personal and social relationships; examining how third-parties (whether individuals or social groups) influence the initiation, maintenance, and deterioration of personal relationships and how our personal relationships influence our networks. A

CMST 3113 Conversation. (3) Analysis of verbal processes in conversation; emphasis on theory and research concerning language, messages and social interaction.  A

CMST 3114 Communication Research. Techniques and procedures in communication research; topic development, research design, data collection, data analysis; examination of recent research in communication.  A

CMST 3115 Communication and Gender. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2010 or equivalent.   Gender differences, sex roles and sexual stereotypes in communication. A

CMST 3118 Intercultural Communication. Prereq.: CMST 2010 or equivalent.   Theories and research of how people of different cultures communicate; emphasis on developing a critical sensitivity and foundations for increased effectiveness appropriate to a multicultural society. P

CMST 3167 Rhetoric and Civilization. (3) Role of oratory in the formation, mobilization and destruction of human communities from ancient to modern times. A

CMST 3168 Rhetoric of Propaganda (3) Prereq.: CMST 2060 or CMST 2063   Common persuasive strategies employed in propagandistic discourse. A

CMST 3169 Rhetoric of Social Movements (3) Prereq.: CMST 2063, CMST 3106, CMST 3107 or CMST 3167.   Persuasive strategies used to build social identities and collectively agitate for social change. A

CMST 3210 Computer Mediated Communication. Prereq.: CMST 2010.   Theories of communication as they apply to communication by computerized means. The effects of CMC on daily human activity, interpersonal relationships and work life.  P

CMST 3300 Rhetorical Criticism (3) Prereq.: CMST 2060.   History and practice of criticism as a means of inquiry in rhetorical studies. Theoretical and methodological underpinnings of major schools of criticism examined. A 

CMST 3810 Independent Study. (1-3) May be taken for a max. of 3 hrs. of credit on a communication topic not duplicated in regular course offerings. Course may be taken for a max. of 6 hrs. of credit in the major.  S

CMST 3900 Selected Topics in Communication. (3) Prereq.: consent of instructor.  May be taken for a max. of 6 hrs. of credit when topics vary. Consult Schedule of Classes for current offering. A

CMST 4012 Communication and Relationships. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2010 or equivalent.   Survey of theories of interpersonal communication and misunderstandings in relational development and deterioration; more effective communication. A

CMST 4100 Political Communication. (3) Factors and strategies in contemporary political communication in the U.S.; emphasis on electronic communication, candidates and images, campaign management, speech making and advertising; study of recent and current elections. A

CMST 4101 Organizational Communication. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2010.   Theories surrounding how people communicate within the organizational setting, as well as how communication relates to the process of organizing; examines relevant theories and research. A

CMST 4102 Communication and Careers. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2010 or equivalent.   Examines theoretical and practical discourses surrounding careers on individual and group levels; includes key career issues: meanings of work, work/life balance, mentorship, career analogies. A

CMST 4107 Communication as Culture. (3) Prereq.: CMST 3106, CMST 3107 or CMST 3167.   Creation, maintenance and alteration of cultural norms, institutions and values through both mass mediated spectacle and intimate communication ritual. P

CMST 4111 Intrapersonal Communication (3) Prereq.: CMST 2010.   Examination of mental imagery, imagined interaction and listening across a variety of contexts. A

CMST 4112 Health Communication. (3) Communication in the health care context; application to pragmatic problems in the healthcare industry; critical examination of health messages in popular culture.  A

CMST 4113 Communication and Leadership in Teams (3) Analysis of communication processes in groups and teams; includes examination of theories and research findings; addresses individual and team participation, leadership and decision-making skills.  A

CMST 4114 Contemporary Theories of Communication. (3) Current methods and theories of human communication; research literature; behavioral antecedents and consequences of messages and their variations; how messages interact with communicators to produce behavioral outcomes. A

CMST 4115 Listening (3) Prereq: CMST 2010 or equivalent.  Explores affective, cognitive, and behavioral facets of listening as central to successful human communication and interpersonal relationship functioning.

CMST 4118 / SOC 4402 - Modeling Communication within Marital and Family Relationships. (3) Also offered as SOCL 4402. Prereq.: CMST 2010.   Role of communication within marriages and other family arrangements. A

CMST 4119 Nonverbal Communication. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2010 or equivalent.   Nonverbal message systems such as kinesics and proxemics; relationship between nonverbal and verbal communication. A

CMST 4130 Communication Skills Training and Assessment (3)  Provides students with a theoretically-based understanding of training communication skills.  P

CMST 4141 Analysis and Performance of Narrative (3) Prereq.: CMST 2040.   Advanced study of selected novels, short stories and oral narratives through solo and group performance; stylistic and rhetorical analyses. P

CMST 4142 Selected Topics in Performance Studies (3) Prereq.: CMST 2040 and CMST 3040 or equivalent.  May be taken for a max. of 6 hrs. of credit when topics vary.   A

CMST 4143 Performance of Southern Fiction. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2040 or equivalent.   Study of selected texts of contemporary southern fiction through solo and group performance; literary criticism of texts performed; relevant narrative and performance theory. P

CMST 4144 Performance Art (3) Also offered as THTR 4144. Prereq.: CMST 2040 and CMST 3040 or equivalent.   History, theory, criticism and practice of 20th century avant-garde performance and performance art.  P

CMST 4145 Group Performance (3) Prereq.: CMST 2040 and CMST 3040 or equivalent.   Theory and techniques of adapting and staging nondramatic literature and other materials for group performance; directing for Reader’s Theatre, Chamber Theatre, Story Theatre and other forms. P

CMST 4147 Body Performance Culture (3) Prereq.: CMST 2040 and CMST 3040 or equivalent.   Theories and uses of the body as a site of cultural production and communication in everyday life and more formal performance events. P

CMST 4150 Tourism as Communication and Performance (3) Communication and performance-centered study of contemporary tourism and travel. A

CMST 4160 Persuasive Communication. (3) Prereq.: CMST 1061, CMST 2060, CMST 2063 or equivalent.   Nature of persuasive communication; the role of message, source and recipient factors in persuasive impact. P

CMST 4162 Crime, Communication & Culture. (3)  Explores rhetorical dimensions of crime and incarceration in the United States; special attention to historical and contemporary expressions of race, class, gender, sexuality, national identity, etc. in and around criminal justice system. P

CMST 4165 History and Criticism of American Public Address. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2060 or CMST 2063 or CMST 4160.   American public address from colonial times to the present; speeches of outstanding American statesmen, lawyers and clergymen and sources of their effectiveness.  A

CMST 4167 Contemporary Rhetorical Theory. (3) Prereq.: CMST 1061 or CMST 2060 or CMST 4160 or equivalent.   Developments in rhetoric from contemporary theoretical and critical perspectives; key concepts in the philosophy of rhetoric.  A

CMST 4168 Rhetoric and the Arts (3) Prereq.: CMST 2040, CMST 3041, CMST 3106, CMST 3107 or CMST 3167.   The arts as a means of transforming experience and influencing social change.  A

CMST 4169 Visual Rhetoric (3) Prereq.: CMST 2060 or CMST 2063.   Methodological approaches useful in understanding how images communicate messages and make arguments. P

CMST 4200 Practicum in Communication Studies. (3) Prereq.: consent of instructor. Pass-fail grading. May be taken for a max. of 3 sem. hrs. of undergraduate credit; no more than a total of 3 sem. hrs. of CMST 2200 and CMST 4200 may be taken for undergraduate credit. May be taken for a max. of 9 sem. hrs. of graduate credit in Communication Studies.   Practical experience in major interdepartmental activities outside the classroom under direct faculty supervision. S

CMST 4201 Communication Internship (3) Prereq.: permission of department. Pass/fail grading. For students who have a secured internship in a professional area of communication. Preparation, assessment, and mentorship. S

CMST 4312 Topics in Critical Media Theory and Practice. (3) Prereq.: CMST 2012, CMST 3012, CMST 3107 or consent of instructor.  May be taken for a max. of 6 sem. hrs. of credit when topics vary.  Topics such as “Basic Concepts of Cinema,” “Aesthetics of Film and Video,” and “Cyberculture Theory. P

CMST 4971 Special Topics in Mass Communication. Prereq.: consent of instructor. See MC 4971. P