COMM 240 | Introduction to Communication Criticism

Academic communication criticism (or critical inquiry) typically differs from popular forms of criticism in the amount of attention it devotes to descriptive analysis. Rigorous descriptive analysis is the foundation of critical inquiry in communication studies. This course introduces students to some of the basic analytic concepts that communication critics employ to analyze film, prose discourse (essays, speeches), and visual images. Course concepts include media grammars and styles, figurative language and visual tropes, narrative forms, and genre. Throughout the course students will learn how to prepare close readings of multiple texts.