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CAS 450W – Group Communication Theory and Research

Students Teaching Students

In coordination with an undergraduate-run organization called Students Teaching Students, CAS department faculty members mentor exemplary students who develop and teach 1-credit courses on a variety of subjects that advance expertise in communication and its role in public life. This semester, Associate Teaching Professor Lori Bedell is supporting undergraduates Kara Miller (who was in Lori’s RCL course a few years back) and Jess Strait as they teach a course titled “Period Talk: The Impact of Stigma on the Menstrual Equity Movement.”
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CAS 450W – Group Communication Theory and Research

Groups are at the heart of nearly every sphere of life, from family to work to play to politics. Scholars have studied how people communicate in a wide variety of groups, and this course helps reveal what makes groups cohesive, effective, and inspiring—but also potentially divisive, delusional, and self-defeating. This writing-intensive course covers a broad range of theories and perspectives concerning the role of communication, particularly in decision-making and problem-solving groups.

Course Objectives

  • To reveal the various facets of group life and learn the theories that account for group communication
  • To review recent research on groups and learn how to conduct original group research
  • To learn how to critically assess theory and research on groups
  • To help students theorize about their own past and future experiences in small groups.