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Composition and Communication, also called C & C, is a required course for first-year and transfer students.
This course gives students the opportunity to sharpen the communication skills vital to further study or a career. As the title of the course suggests, both written and oral communication and presentation are highlighted throughout the course.
C & C is the first step students take in fulfilling the writing endorsements for their major of study at Morningside College.
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This section of C&C looks at a wide range of ongoing issues within contemporary American culture so that we might better understand the diverse perspectives that continue to pit members of society against each other.
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This section of C&C will focus on the effects of media content on American youth, with particular attention paid to current research about the effects of sex and violence in films, video games, and television programs. The effects of other content will also be explored
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Our data-drenched world is flooded with more information than we can possibly use. Yet, "data-driven decision making" is the mantra of the age. Is there any room left for human judgment? How does one judge wisely? What essential aspects of being human refuse to be captured as mere data? Students will explore these kinds of questions, as well as practice exercising judgment in fields as diverse as music, British parliamentary debates, and questions of personal and societal import. Students in this class should be willing to think deeply about deep matters but enjoy wading into spirited debates about shallower things as well. This class will include substantial class discussion. The broad focus of the course allows students great freedom in selecting specific topics for two of the three main papers. Students who enjoy this sort of freedom, who find their interest piqued by the course focus, and who like to be part of class discussions will likely enjoy this course. Students who want a great deal of guidance regarding what to write about or who don't really enjoy involvement in wide-ranging class discussions, or whose first reaction to the topic is "why should I care?" will likely not enjoy this class and would do well to choose another C&C section. |
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Explore innovations that seek environmental sustainability in architecture, transportation, energy production and lifestyle. |
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Students will explore how Americans construct their understanding of gender and sport, and how such constructions affect our relationships, our decisions, and the way we perceive ourselves as men and women. We will seek to understand how attributes associated with masculinity and femininity — especially as presented through the mass media — shape behavior and interaction, and examine how sport affects gendered attitudes and behavior. |
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Abbott & Costello. Jerry Lewis. Jim Carrey. The Onion. “Saturday Night Live.” “The Daily Show.” Each of these cultural artifacts uses humor to appeal to an audience and, possibly, to sway public opinion. How does comedy work as a persuasive medium? Why are some things funny while some attempts at humor only infuriate listeners/readers/viewers? This section of C&C will investigate humor – its theories, its history, and its future. Sense of humor required. |
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Just like FBI agents, students will put on their investigative hats, delve into unsolved crime cases, and create their own theories based on supporting evidence. A class definitely not for the weak of heart! |
| Have you ever thought about food as more than just something you eat? Food and the rituals surrounding eating (think Thanksgiving here!) often are actually cultural artifacts—the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a society. In this C & C section, we’ll discuss how films from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to The Godfather present food and consumption. We will explore how depictions of food in a film become an integral part of the film’s development at the same time they inform—or perhaps subvert—cultural and social conventions. Bring your appetite and your curiosity and join us! |
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While once considered exclusively “urban music,” rap and hip-hop have begun to both reflect and challenge our larger shared cultural values, regardless of where we live. What can this music contribute to American debates about politics, gender, race, language, and standards of public decency? This C & C section will discuss the ways rap and hip hop help us understand ourselves, our values, and our society. |
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Come join the discussion on all issues concerning health and our society. The class will investigate health insurance, medical care, drug testing, physician-assisted suicide, stem cell research, sexuality and gender issues, public health issues, and consumer health to name just a few. This section promises lively class discussions and arguments on a very timely topic.
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It’s common knowledge that teenagers today are stupider, more rebellious, and less accomplished than their parents were at the same age. Everyone has known that for a long time….at least since your parents, and since their parents, were teenagers. In this C&C section, we’ll examine the criticisms leveled at teenagers by their elders over the past few generations of American history. Written assignments will include: a critical reflection on your own high school and early college experience, an original research project where you interview someone at least two generations older than you, and a research paper examining how teen culture has changed. |
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Today is yesterday’s future. Students will look at exciting topics of the future, viewing it from the past, the present and into the far off future! |
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