May 18, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Political Communication Minor


Coordinator: Valerie A. Sulfaro
Phone: (540) 568-3997
Email: sulfarva@jmu.edu
Website: https://www.jmu.edu/commstudies/minors.shtml

The program in political communication is designed for those students wishing to supplement their major programs with an emphasis on communication skills, knowledge and abilities specifically relevant to participation in political environments. Students must complete a core set of courses, an internship in the field of political communication and a selection of electives. No course substitution will be permitted for any required course. 

All political communication minors are required to take a PCOM internship in the Department of Political Science  or the Department of Communication Studies . Before enrolling for a PCOM internship, students should have attained junior status, completed the PCOM core requirements and taken at least one upper level PCOM course. Some academic units may have additional prerequisites for their internship course. All SCOM  majors with a minor in PCOM are required to take SCOM 495  for their PCOM internship requirement (and to have met the prerequisites for this course). POSC , INTA  and PPA  majors minoring in PCOM must complete POSC 493  to fulfill the internship requirement. All other majors may take either POSC 493  or SCOM 495   as a means of satisfying their internship. Before pursuing any internship, students must consult with the PCOM coordinator to ensure that the internship is suitable for the minor. All internships must incorporate political science and communication content.

SMAD  majors may double count POSC /SCOM /SMAD 472  for the SMAD  major and the PCOM minor.

All students must complete 25-26 credit hours for the minor.

Choose one of the following: 3-4 Credit Hours


POSC, PPA and INTA majors: 4 Credit Hours


SCOM majors: 3 Credit Hours


Non–POSC and Non–SCOM majors: 3-4 Credit Hours


Choose one of the following: 3 Credit Hours


Choose one of the following: 3 Credit Hours


Total: 25-26 Credit Hours


Footnotes


POSC 472L  will not count toward this requirement.
2 If both POSC 365  and POSC 369  are taken, one may be counted as an elective.
3 If both SCOM 352  and SCOM 453  are taken, one may be counted as an elective.