Communication Courses
TEP321: Introduction to Science Communication
Students are introduced to the history, theory and practice of communicating science to the public. Learn from popular science communication failures and successes and apply these lessons to your own stories in an interactive, collaborative classroom environment.
TEP322: Language and Power
This course explores Rhetoric historically to understand its development and practically to understand how ideas are constructed, disseminated, shared or imposed. The course explores worldview - the organizing structure by which we view the world - to position the student as rhetorically effective in multiple contexts. Students analyze political, cultural, and scientific discourse from great speeches to advertising to research papers. Students develop their rhetorical, communication, and persuasive abilities.
TEP329: Science Fiction for Engineers
Focusing on the overlaps between engineering and science fiction, it is important to consider the multiple crossovers between these two fields of study: both contain a sustained focus on technology and its application to real-world problems; both consider the impact of new technologies on humans, animals, and the surrounding environment; and, perhaps most importantly, both imagine future worlds in order to build infrastructures, social structures, industry, and cultural practices capable of addressing current and future technological, political, social, and environmental crises.
TEP445: The Power of Story — Discovering Your Leadership Narrative
For engineering students interested in speaking and writing their leadership narratives into existence.
Students will practice storytelling techniques by learning about the mechanics of stories, reflecting on their identities and developing critical thinking skills regarding the stories (meta-narratives) that surround us; particularly as they relate to engineering problems/ethics.
This is a highly experiential course with a focus on reading, discussion, practice and reflection.
TEP448: System Mapping
System mapping is a system thinking tool frequently used in fields such as public health and environmental policy to describe complex, multi-stakeholder problems.
Students explore fields outside of engineering critical to these challenges, including public policy, sociology and law. The course emphasizes problem definition, not problem solution, though it is expected maps will point to potential paths for solution.
TEP449: Intercultural Communication and Leadership
Students will deepen their understanding of culture beyond national, linguistic and ethnic boundaries and learn how intercultural communication is applied to the practice of leadership in the many contexts they engage in as students and as junior engineers.
Concepts of cultural sensitivity, cultural competence and cultural humility will be related to models of leadership to enable students to increase their cultural sensitivity and humility in multi- and intercultural contexts.