Communication, BA, Concentration: Public Advocacy and Change

About the Program

The Concentration in Public Advocacy and Change will allow students to confront current public issues while studying the role of the media and its impact on social change. Students interested in robust civic engagement will take four courses designed to develop skills in creating persuasive discourse. 

Degree Requirements

• 120 Credit Hours
• Minimum grade of C required for all Major Core courses; minimum grade of C- required for all Gen Ed and CHESS College Core courses
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)

• English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 English Composition II  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 Fundamentals Of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits): select from the Quantitative Reasoning Core List  
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits): select from the Natural Science Core list   
• Technology (3 Credits): select from the Technology Core list  
• Humanities (3 Credits): select from the Humanities Core list    
• Social Sciences (3 Credits): select from the Social Sciences Core List  
• Additional Credits (3 Credits): Select from any Communication & Creative Arts from the select from the Gen Ed Core List  
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits): COM 10300 The Freshman Seminar In Communication   

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• CHSS 10000 - Topics In Self & World (3 credits)
• CHSS 20000 - Topics In Knowledge (3 credits)
• CHSS 30000 - Topics In Individual & Society (3 credits)
• CHSS 40000 - Topics In Happiness (3 credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

Major Core (24 Credits)

• COM 20400 - Critical Perspectives On Communication
• COM 21400 - Comparative Theories Of Interpersonal Communication
• COM 22500 - Introduction To Rhetoric And Social Influence
• COM 25000 - Mass Communication And Society
• COM 30900 - Visual Communication
• COM 31800 - Principles Of Persuasion
• COM 32000 - Small Group Communication
• COM 37000 - Writing For Media

Concentration Core (12 Credits)

• COM 21000 - Addressing Public Issues
• COM 30101 - Political Economy Of Global Media
• COM 31510 - Persuasion And Social Movements
• COM 46700 - Media, Influence, And Power

Other Required Courses (30 Credits)

Free Electives (30 Credits) (See Note 2)

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Additional Information and Guidelines

Note 1: Freshman Seminar in Communication (FYE) requirement also met with any other PNW (FYE) course from 1-3 credit hours.

Note 2: Free Elective: Choose electives for further study in Communication or for a Minor in any department. Prerequisites may apply. Up to 15 credits of free electives at 30000 level or higher may be required to meet Purdue University Northwest residency rule.

Note 3: Select from any Communication & Creative Arts General Education Core courses, once you use a course for this section, it cannot be used for other sections.

Note 4: All four CHESS Core seminar courses, CHSS 10000, CHSS 20000, CHSS 30000 and CHSS 40000 must be taken. Duplicates are not allowed.