2025-2026 Catalog

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Global and Cultural Communication, BA, BS

Degree Requirements - 126 credits

Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree with this major.

Global and Cultural Communication Major Requirements: 10 courses, 40 credits

CJN-101Introduction to Communication

4
CJN-105Principles of Oral Communication

4
CJN-216Intercultural Communication

4
CJN-232Gender, Sexuality, and Communication

4
CJN-315Conflict, Negotiation, and Mediation

4
CJN-321Research Methods in Communication

4
CJN-336Social Identity and Intergroup Relations

4
CJN-482Cultural Theory and Social Justice

4

Choose two of the following:

CJN-112Journalism I

4
CJN-225World Cinema

4
CJN-301Documentary Film and the Image of Conflict in the Middle East

4
CJN-H301Honors Documentary Film and the Image of Conflict in the Middle East

4
CJN-303Current Issues in Documentary

4
CJN-H303Honors Current Issues in Documentary

4
CJN-352Visual and Global Contexts

4
CJN-505CJN Internship

1-12

Note: Students are encouraged to take CJN-101 and CJN-105 during their first year, and CJN-216 during their first two years.

 

Note: CJN-505 must be taken for a minimum of 4 credits to count as a major elective.

Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

About the Global and Cultural Communication Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page

Global and Cultural Communication Major Learning Goals and Objectives

Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.

Learning Goals Learning Objectives
Students will... Students will be able to...

Understand the role of communication in a culture and across various cultures

- Discuss the role of communication in constructing the nature of interpersonal and organizational relationships

- Discuss the role of communication in shaping, maintaining, and resisting social inequities

- Articulate the role that personal identity has on the creation of cultural identity

Understand how the symbolic production of meaning shapes our world as well as the world of others (and that what we perceive as the same world, can be very different)

- Examine language as the primary human symbolic system
- Examine images and other forms of representation

Understand the role of culture in different forms of communication to become an informed global citizen

- Explain how forms of communication change from one culture to another

- Demonstrate social justice awareness
- Communicate with awareness of cultural differences

Understand how to communicate more effectively, appropriately, and ethically within and across cultures

 - Identify and apply different tools to become more ethical, effective, and appropriate communicators across differences

- Identify ways in which they can use their knowledge and resources as positive forces for change in their communities

- Produce a cultural artifact by using one or a combination of methods

About the Global and Cultural Communication Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page

Honors in the Major

To become a candidate for honors in the major, a student must:

  1. Have an overall GPA of 3.3.
  2. Have a GPA in the major of 3.5.
  3. Be invited to apply.
  4. Apply at end of sophomore year or first semester of junior year.
  5. Applications must include:
    1. A short paragraph explaining why the student wants to earn honors in the major.
    2. The name of one faculty member in the student’s major who will serve as a reference regarding the student’s ability to achieve the honors requirements.
    3. A one-paragraph proposal in which the student shares one of their ideas for an honors project in their respective area of study. The paragraph should identify a specific communication problem that the student is interested in studying (in the area of communication, journalism, or media), and an explanation for how they would approach this topic in an honors capstone project. [Note: this is not considered a commitment to the proposed topic]
  6. A three-person committee, made up of faculty representing each of the three majors in the department (global and cultural communication, journalism, and media), will review applications and consult the applicants’ references. The committee will determine which students are accepted into the honors program based on their assessment of each applicant.

To complete requirements for honors in the major, a candidate must:

  1. Have an overall GPA of 3.3.
  2. Have a Major GPA of 3.5.
  3. Pass CAS H322, the interdisciplinary honors course in their junior year.
  4. Receive a grade of B or higher in CJN-321, Research Methods in Communication.
  5. Complete an honors thesis, or non-fiction project (see below)* in their senior year, earning a B+ or higher on the project.
  6. Present an honors thesis or non-fiction project to department faculty in their senior year.
  7. Present an honors thesis or non-fiction project at the CAS Honors Symposium in the senior year.

*The CJN honors thesis or non-fiction project requirement: complete an honors thesis, relying on primary and secondary sources, that examines scholarship focusing on a significant issue, controversy or research tradition related to communication, journalism or media or complete a non-fiction project, for example a documentary or series of interrelated news stories, that demonstrates an ability to produce creative and informative content that examines a significant issue or controversy

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's in Communication

Degree Requirements

  1. Students admitted to this dual degree program must meet all the requirements of an undergraduate major offered by the department of Advertising, Public Relations, & Social Media or the department of Communication, Journalism, & Media.

  2. Students must also meet all requirements for the Master’s degree in Communication offered by the department of Advertising, Public Relations, & Social Media.

  3. Students will take two Communication graduate courses during their senior year; one during the fall semester and one during the spring semester. The two graduate courses taken during the senior year will count toward BOTH the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Credit hours will be awarded based on the graduate course description.

  4. The graduate courses taken during the senior year will be determined by the Communication graduate program director.

  5. Students are subject to the usual standards for academic standing, i.e., undergraduate standards for undergraduate courses and graduate standards for graduate courses.

Upon successful completion of all of the degree requirements, a student will receive a dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. The exact degree will be awarded based on the specific undergraduate program the student completes. A student may permanently exit the dual degree program and opt to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree if all the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree have been met. In this case, the graduate courses taken in the senior year will be counted as 4-credit courses applied toward the undergraduate degree requirements.

About the Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's in Communication Degree

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this accelerated bachelor's/master's degree.

View the Program Page