COMM 1300

Visual Communication

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Introduction to visual communication theory. Examines how visual images influence our attention, perspectives, and understanding. Constructs a visual analytic language for becoming visually aware and for thinking critically about how visual images influence us. Applies this language to visual artifacts such as photos, maps, comics, and graphs and considers how we communicate visually in various contexts (e.g., with our bodies, in scenes of strong emotion, and in human-built environments).

Distribution Requirements (SBA-AG)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2026SP, 2026WI, 2025SP, 2024FA

Learning Outcomes

• Master the visual analytical language of images.
• Critically engage with concepts and theories of visual perception and communication.
• Apply the visual analytical language of images to analyze, critique, evaluate, and create new visual artifacts.
• Describe the social, cultural, and environmental factors that shape perception and that cause different people to gain different messages from the same visual artifacts.
• Recognize how the creators of visual images employ rhetoric and persuasion to guide viewers to desired perceptions.
• Identify when visual artifacts such as photos, maps, and graphs convey misleading, incorrect, or biased information.
• Interpret academic literature in visual communication by honing the ability to read, comprehend, and critically engage with scholarly research.

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