Queens University of Charlotte Completed Coursework
Spring 2018 – COM 601 – Communication Fluency
Dr. Tracy Schaffer
The Communication Fluency course was a perfect introductory course for me. It was rich in communication literacy, encouraging our minds to review content to analyze and to evaluate the messages. This course allowed me to utilize my critical thinking skills, become more aware of global communication, and showcase my expertise within various digital platforms.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This introductory course exposes students to communication as a discipline and begins the process of improving each student’s communication literacy through an understanding of the paradigms of knowledge from a communication perspective as well as essential communication theory. Students will identify and articulate a communication problem, strategy, or initiative to be analyzed and evaluated, aggregate and apply credible research, and compose and support arguments using a theoretical framework. In addition, students will begin to create and evaluate content on a digital platform related to a specific initiative and audience.
Spring 2018 – COM 616 – Communicating Mindfully
Dr. Renee L. Cowan
The Communicating Mindfully course really spurred my interest to ensure that my brand and my radio station brands were doing just that, communicating mindfully. I learned practical lessons to apply both personally and professionally to communication consciously, productively, and ethically.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This course examines communication ethics in individual, organizational and societal contexts. Students will learn theoretical and practical applications of communicating mindfully in a society where interactions and messages are complex, shifting and often mediated. Coursework emphasizes an understanding of how critical self-awareness and emotional intelligence contribute to communicating consciously and productively. Dialogue, narrative, reflection and identification are explored as tools for ethical communication in a rapidly changing world.
Summer 2018 – COM 610 – The Social Creation of Organizing
Dr. Stavroula Kalogeras
The course structure of the Social Creation of Organizing was beneficial for me personally and professionally. I examined my organizing processes in my private life as well as my work life. I found many areas that I could apply this course to help effectively streamline topics towards the identity of my brand and the radio station brands.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This course demonstrates the ways social interaction shapes and is shaped by organizing processes. Students will study how communication becomes the means by which we come to make sense of organizational life and develop strategies, structures and practices for coordinating action and meeting goals. Coursework explores how contemporary organizations transform individuals participating in society by examining essential topics such as identity construction, motives, motivation, effectiveness, socialization, leadership and career.
Summer 2018 – COM 629 – Leadership/Empowerment/Management
Dr. Stavroula Kalogeras
In the Leadership, Empowerment, and the Management of meaning was a thought-provoking course. I have been in the radio field for twenty-seven years, with twenty years being in some type of managerial role. Therefore, this course forced me to examine my leadership roles past and present to identify critical communication movements within leadership.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This course surveys the essential relationship between leadership and communication. Examining leadership from a communication perspective, students focus on leadership as meaning management; namely how to create, frame and communicate one’s own “realities” to others. Students also study the skills of meaning making as it pertains to creating, using, interpreting and critically evaluating moments of leadership in “everyday” acts of communication.
Fall 2018 – COM 613 – Constructing Messages and Audiences
Dr. Stavroula Kalogeras
This course challenged me to explore how I constructed and disseminated messages for my brand and for the radio stations I programmed. The constructing messages and audiences course was very motivating for me because in the radio profession we are always searching for tactics to connect with our audiences. I was able to apply this coursework directly to my daily life, both personally and professionally.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] In this course, students explore the ways by which we construct and disseminate messages to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes. Coursework covers effective tools for creating messages that advance goals, and build and engage community. Students will explore how best to analyze audiences, craft messages, design information, choose among communication media, shape user experience and evaluate success. Special attention is given to digital technology, including how to best consume, filter, create and critically analyze messages. Students also explore the implications of evolving communication channels on society, especially with regard to opportunities for conversation, engagement, advocacy and experimentation.
Fall 2018 – COM 658 – Creativity and Networks
Dr. Tracy Schaffer
Creativity and Networks was a fantastic course because it was deeply rooted in innovation. In the field of radio, innovation is what separates you from your competition. I felt that the assignments and discussions helped in my understanding of the overall concepts. The connectivity project and creative reflection paper were instrumental in launching more of my creative self.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This course explores both traditional and cutting-edge approaches to innovation. Contemporary organizations are realizing the potential of new ways of thinking, such as right-brain approaches to organizing and open innovation using digital and mediated tools. By building an authentic, collaborative relationship among a community, organizations can tap into the creative potential of the crowd. This course investigates how shifting communication practices have shaped knowledge, networks and innovation. Students also explore how creativity and innovation can be fostered through curiosity, play, passion, connection, dialogue, experience, storytelling and failure.
Spring 2019 – COM 638 – Strategic Communication for Global Audiences
Dr. Jaime E. Bochantin
I believe the word “strategic” is my middle name. Almost everything I work on professionally has a strategic outlook. In the course Strategic Communication for Global Audiences, I was able to expand my knowledge base in confronting messages on a local, regional, national, or global level. This course also gave me the confidence in ensuring that brands I represent have proper imaging.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] Students explore various strategic communication issues and challenges with a diverse, global audience. Globalization requires new thinking habits and strategies to best craft targeted, integrated messages to a particular audience, whether it be global, national, or local. This course investigates strategies for successful audience analysis, community development and dialogue, image and branding, innovation, marketing, public relations, and risk and crisis management for global and multinational audiences.
Spring 2019 – COM 664 – Organizational Identity and Brand
Dr. Renee L. Cowan
I was able to directly in real-time apply the Organizational Identity and Brand course to my brand and my radio station brands. I use the knowledge I gain from this course continually because it laid the foundation in understanding brand authenticity, brand consistency, brand loyalty, and brand affinity.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This course explores the ways organizations today craft and communicate an authentic brand identity. As the marketplace has changed, organizations have had to find ways to differentiate to stay competitive. Connecting with stakeholders through a clear and consistent identity that aligns with organizational values and mission can increase profits as well as customer and employee loyalty. This course highlights the most effective ways to craft brand identity through authentic, strategic messages and visual presentation disseminated through both traditional and mediated platforms. Students will also investigate how social networks have changed efforts to craft organizational identity and brand, as well as the ways employees’ personal identities are ultimately interdependent with organizational identity.
Summer 2019 – COM 624 – Communication & Culture in a Networked Society
Dr. Daina Nathaniel
I appreciated the Communication & Culture in a Networked Society because it challenged my writing skills. I felt that the series of short papers honed my research and writing ability, which prepared me for final inquiry project.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] Coursework explores how digital connectivity in a networked society has changed and transformed culture. In particular, students investigate how networking (such as blogging, podcasting, etc.) affects traditional conceptions of knowledge and information creation, production, transmission and censorship. In addition, this course focuses on how traditional conceptions of organizational boundaries and influence, civic engagement, and organizational participation are evolving.
Summer 2019 – COM 655 – Mediated Self/Changing Relationships
Dr. Jaime E. Bochantin
Almost every course within this Master’s Program assists me in my professional and personal lives. In the course The Mediated Self and Changing Relationships, it aided me in crafting a work-life balance. It also gave me perspective on public versus private identities in a meditated landscape.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This class investigates how specific digital and mediated platforms affect our understanding of essential interpersonal constructs such as relationship development and engagement, image management, the tensions of work-life balance and the challenges and opportunities of creating private and public identities in a mediated landscape. Students will study issues of identity by addressing how we compose our multiple and sometimes conflicting digital and media selves and how the presentation of our “work” self affects conceptions of our “private” self.
Fall 2019 – COM 680 – Expanding Communication Boundaries
Dr. Jaime E. Bochantin
The Expanding Communication Boundaries course set the tone for the overall enrollment within the Master’s program. I felt very prepared for the comprehensive exam and excited that I had an excellent baseline for all the various communication theories. I felt the input from my other classmates on my topic proposal in our discussion groups was extremely helpful.
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] This course kicks off a year-long process during which students reflect and integrate program learning into an articulated specialty area. First, students will create a digital portfolio that showcases course projects and articulates key learning and personal and professional goals. In addition, in a comprehensive exam, students will demonstrate competency and confidence in composing specific arguments related to a communication topic that solves a specific problem or meets a specific need. Finally, students will begin to integrate learning with personal interests and passions by creating a proposal for an original communication inquiry project that expands existing communication boundaries. The project will be completed in COM 681.
Queens University of Charlotte Current Coursework
Fall 2019 – COM 681 – Launching Passion into Practice
Dr. Jaime E. Bochantin
[Course Description from Queens University of Charlotte] In this course, students complete the communication inquiry project proposed and approved in COM 680. Students will continue to harness their curiosity, program learning, and passion to create an original capstone project related to a specific communication topic. Students will aggregate theoretical, research, and digital and media literacy with new ways of thinking to develop an innovative project that showcases their mastery of a particular area of communication.
