Previous IU South Bend Campus Bulletins

Students are ordinarily subject to the curricular requirements outlined in the Bulletin in effect at the start of their current degree. See below for links to previous Bulletins (bulletins prior to 2013-2014 are in PDF format only)

Contact Us

If you are seeking further information regarding specific programs, please contact individual departments.


For problems accessing information on this website, please contact Teresa Sheppard.

Speech | SPCH

Pictured | Garrett Gutermuth | Speech Communication / Minor in Political Science | Granger, Indiana (hometown)


Speech | SPCH

P Prerequisite | C Co-requisite | R Recommended
I Fall Semester | II Spring Semester | S Summer Session/s


  • SPCH-B 399 Human Behavior and Social Institutions (3 cr.) This course introduces students to the perspectives of the social sciences in building an understanding of our world. It will also focus on the individual in relation to and as a product of that social world. It will develop in students an appreciation of the processes of social interaction and emphasize the analytic frameworks and techniques social scientists use to explain the causes and patterns of individual and institutional behavior.
  • SPCH-C 380 Organizational Communication (3 cr.) The application of communication theory and research to the study of communication within the formal organization. Communication behavior is examined in a variety of organizational settings: interpersonal, small group and interorganizational units.
  • SPCH-C 393 Communication Research Methods (3 cr.) This course explores major research methods used by communication scholars, including experimental research, survey research, textual analysis, and ethnography. Students learn how to interpret, evaluate and propose research.
  • SPCH-S 121 Public Speaking (3 cr.) Theory and practice of public speaking; training in thought processes necessary to organize speech content; analysis of components of effective delivery and language.
  • SPCH-S 122 Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.) Introduction to core communication concepts and processes of face-to-face interaction from the perspective of communication competence. Analyzes variability in the design, production, exchange, and interpretation of messages in relational, family, professional, and cultural contexts.
  • SPCH-S 130 Public Speaking-Honors (3 cr.) For outstanding students, in place of S121.
  • SPCH-S 160 Speech Correction for Classroom Teaching (3 cr.) Classification and methods of therapy for speech and hearing disorders; emphasis on rehabilitation that can be given by teacher to children in classroom situations. Primarily for education majors.
  • SPCH-S 205 Introduction to Speech Communication (3 cr.) Overview of fundamental theoretical and methodological issues involved in the social scientific and critical study of human communication. Analyzes influences on and impact of communication in dyadic, group, public, and mediated contexts.
  • SPCH-S 223 Business and Professional Communication (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 121 to enroll. Transfer credit accepted. Examines organizational communication with emphasis on skills acquisition. Developed skills including interviewing, group discussion, parliamentary procedure, and public speaking.
  • SPCH-S 228 Argumentation and Debate (3 cr.) Reasoning, evidence and argument in public discourse. Study of forms of argument. Practice in argumentative speaking.
  • SPCH-S 229 Discussion and Group Methods (3 cr.) Leadership and participation in group, committee, conference, and public discussion; logical and psychological aspects of group process.
  • SPCH-S 230 Introduction to Health Communication (3 cr.) This course provides a broad survey of the field of health communication. It is an introduction to the roles of communication in health, health and risk behavior, health care, and health promotion, including interpersonal, organizational, and media contexts.
  • SPCH-S 233 Introduction to Public Relations (3 cr.) A survey of the historical antecedents and contemporary practice of public relations in the U.S. Emphasis is on the nature of day to day tasks and the communication responsibility of public relations practitioners in a variety of professional settings.
  • SPCH-S 307 Crisis Management (3 cr.) An upper-level survey course designed to introduce students to the various concepts, theories, and principles of effective crisis management; the course explores both national and international corporate crises in regard to crisis prevention, crisis readiness, and crisis resolution.
  • SPCH-S 321 Rhetoric and Modern Discourse (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted. Topical analysis of the constituents of traditional rhetorical theory; application of rhetorical principles to the study of selected modern discourse.
  • SPCH-S 322 Advanced Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.) Advanced consideration of communication in human relationships. Emphasis given to self concept, perception, verbal language, nonverbal interaction, listening, interpersonal conflict and communication skills in family, social, and work situations.
  • SPCH-S 324 Persuasive Speaking (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted.. Motivational appeals in influencing behavior; psychological factors in speaker-audience relationship; contemporary examples of persuasion. Practice in persuasive speaking.
  • SPCH-S 333 Public Relations (3 cr.) An introduction to the principles of public relations, including ethics of public relations, impact on society, and uses by government, business, and social institutions for internal and external communication. Public relations as a problem-solving process utilizing theoretical and applied communication strategies.
  • SPCH-S 334 Computer-Mediated Communication (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted. This course examines the theory and practice of computer-mediated communication. Students will investigate the interpersonal, organizational, and political effects of communicating through mediating devices. They will also discuss the social, legal, and ethical consequences of new communication technologies.
  • SPCH-S 335 Media and Health (3 cr.) Examination of the impact of media on health beliefs and behaviors. Topics can include types of messages that contain health information, coverage and effects of health issues, and media health campaigns.
  • SPCH-S 336 Current Topics in Communication (3 cr.) Extensive analysis of selected problems in contemporary speech communication. Topics vary each semester and are listed in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated once for credit.
  • SPCH-S 380 Nonverbal Communication (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted. Provides a conceptual and theoretical foundation for understanding how nonverbal communication influences perceptions of others and the ways in which nonverbal communication reflects emotions, status, sex-roles, etc. The course explores how nonverbal communication facilitates retention, comprehension, and persuasiveness of verbal information, including the ability to detect deceptive communication.
  • SPCH-S 398 Independent Study in Speech Communication (1-3 cr.) Independent study or practicum experience. Projects must be approved by faculty member before enrolling. Repeatable up to a total of 6 credits.
  • SPCH-S 400 Senior Seminar in Speech (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted. Study of problems and issues in rhetoric and communication.  Topic varies.
  • SPCH-S 405 Human Communication theory (3 cr.) Survey of contemporary theories of human communication with emphasis on the nature of theory construction; contributions of allied disciplines to communication theory.
  • SPCH-S 421 Speech Criticism (3 cr.) P: SPCH-S 121 or SPCH-S 205. Rhetorical criticism exemplified by selected studies, ancient and modern; development of contemporary standards and methods of appraisal.
  • SPCH-S 427 Cross Cultural Communication (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted. A survey study of national, cultural, and cross cultural persuasion in theory and practice.
  • SPCH-S 440 Organizational Communication (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted. An examination of internal and external communication in business and other professional organizations, with emphasis upon theory, techniques, practices, goals, and the social environment in which such communication exists.
  • SPCH-S 444 Political Communication (3 cr.) P: SPCH-S 121 or SPCH-S 205. Examination of communication in political campaigns and social movements in the age of television. Campaign topics include speech making, advertising, news coverage, and debates. Case studies in social movements, including anti-war and anti-nuclear protest, civil rights, contemporary feminism, and the New Right.
  • SPCH-S 450 Gender and Communication (3 cr.) P: Must have earned grade of C or better in SPCH-S 205 or SPCH-S 121. Transfer credit accepted. Examines the extent to which biological sex and gender role orientation stereotypes influence the process of communication. Focuses on gender differences in decoding and encoding verbal and nonverbal behavior, development of sex roles, cultural assumption and stereotypes regarding gender differences in communication, and analyzes how the media present, influence, and reinforce gender stereotypes.
  • SPCH-S 490 Professional Practice Internship (3 cr.) P: SPCH-S 205, JOUR-C 200, two courses from within the concentration, GPA 2.5, Junior or Senior status. Supervised opportunity to learn through direct field experience by working in local print, electronic, speech, public relations, and/or theatre related situations.
  • SPCH-S 500 Introduction to Graduate Study and Research (3 cr.) Bibliographical resources, methods of research and professional writing in speech.
  • SPCH-S 502 Introduction to Communication Theory (3 cr.) Introduction to various theories and methods of research in human communication studies. Includes theories of discourse and culture, message production and reception, symbol systems, social constructionism, relational communication, conversation analysis, social influence, communication competence, and other topics.

Academic Bulletins

PDF Version

2018-2019 Campus Bulletin
2017-2018 Campus Bulletin
2016-2017 Campus Bulletin
2015-2016 Campus Bulletin
2014-2015 Campus Bulletin

Please be aware that the PDF is formatted from the webpages; some pages may be out of order.