Step Two: Advanced Communication
During their second year, students take one of our Advanced Communication courses, which reinforce the communication and research skills students develop in FCO105 and help students deepen and transfer those skills to specific professional or academic contexts. Because our Advanced Communication courses focus on discipline-specific communication, we offer several options: FCO210: Communication in Professional Cultures, FCO215: Scientific and Technical Communication, and FCO225: Interdisciplinary Communication. Check your catalog and talk with your advisor to see if your major requires a specific Advanced Communication course.
All Advanced Communication courses build on the rhetorical concepts students learn in FCO105, but ask students to think about and practice responding to the types of rhetorical situations they will face in their future careers or education. In Advanced Communication courses, students consider why what is considered “good” or “effective” communication changes from one situation to another and explore the norms for writing, speaking, and visual design within their professional communities. Advanced Communication courses are designed to be taken during a student’s second year in college.
FCO210: Communication in Professional Cultures begins preparing students for the demands of communicating in professional settings (including business or government offices). Students practice communicating specialized knowledge to and persuading a wide range of audiences (including customers/clients, colleagues, supervisors, and the public). Many students taking FCO210 are majoring in Hospitality Management, Business, Economics, or Intelligence Analysis.
Prerequisite: FCO105 with a grade of 2.0 or better
3 credit hours
Satisfies Foundations - Advanced Communication for “Generation Next” with a grade of 2.0 or better
FCO215: Scientific and Technical Communication begins preparing students for the unique demands of communicating in medical, technical, and scientific contexts (such as hospitals, tech firms, or research labs). Students practice conducting user research/usability studies and communicating specialized knowledge to non-expert audiences. Students also practice making arguments that are persuasive in STEM contexts. Many students taking FCO215 are majoring in Nursing, Computer Science, Nuclear Medicine, Radiography, and Mathematics.
Prerequisite: FCO105 with a grade of 2.0 or better
3 credit hours
Satisfies Foundations - Advanced Communication for “Generation Next” with a grade of 2.0 or better
FCO225: Interdisciplinary Communication focuses on academic, research-informed communication. FCO225 gives students insight into the ways different expert communities produce knowledge. Rather than teaching “generic” library research, faculty guide students in considering subjects using a range of sources, media, and genres appropriate to different disciplinary communities. FCO225 introduces students to a variety of research methods (quantitative, qualitative, and archival) and gives them practice posing research questions, identifying and analyzing sources, and presenting information, analysis, and conclusions to academic and public audiences. Many students taking this class are majoring in History, Philosophy, and Professional Writing.
Prerequisite: FCO105 with a grade of 2.0 or better
3 credit hours
Satisfies Foundations - Advanced Communication for “Generation Next” with a grade of 2.0 or better