My Academic Plan is a map of courses that I am required to take to finish my BIS degree.
These are the courses I have planned to take as well as the semesters in which I plan on taking them.
Spring ’10:
BIS 302: Interdisciplinary Inquiry explores interdisciplinarity and integration as applied to various approaches of human inquiry. This is a required course which will allow me to become one step closer to my degree and also help me explore my path within my concentration areas.
COM 310: Relational Communication explores communication issues in the development of personal relationships. This course will help me further my communication skills, not only in the workplace but as well within my family and relationship.
BUA 383: Small Business Working Relationships addresses communication and the people in a business. I believe this course will be beneficial to not only me, but clients I work with as well. This course will explore relationships with clients, employees, suppliers, competitors, governments, family, and self development.
Summer 1 ’10:
BIS 401: Applied Interdisciplinary Studies looks at applying interdisciplinary problem solving skills in internships, service-learning, or research with group projects combining both my concentrations of business and communications.
Summer 2 ’10:
BIS 402: Senior Seminar helps integrate classroom and experiential learning. I will be able to choose course topics that I am interested in within business and communications. I enjoy being able to gear a course towards what I would like to study versus what I have to study.
Fall ’10:
FIN 380: Personal Financial Management is an analysis of personal financial planning, with time value of money, stock and bond investment, and retirement and estate planning. This is a required course for my business concentration, but I believe this course focuses on many of the everyday things that an adult worries about. This course will not only help me within my business world, but I will also carry this knowledge home to help further understand what to do with our money.
CIS 394: Topic: Project Management – Information Systems discusses immediate or special interest to the instructor as well as the class. I am looking forward to being able to discuss business ideas and issues to get a second opinion.
MKT 395: Essentials of Advertising and Marketing Communication also is a course I would like to take because it becomes more about what the students and instructor would like to discuss about the everyday advertising and marketing world around us.
Spring ’11:
COM 312: Theories and strategies of communication relevant to the management of conflicts and the conduct of negotiations. I see this course being extremely beneficial to my everyday business world. Whether at home or working out a business contract conflicts arise, being the face of a business I cannot let the anger or frustration jump out. Every business person needs to understand how to manage and calmly discuss and work towards a common ground to resolve the conflict.
ECN 382: Managerial Economics discusses economic analysis to managerial decision making, market analysis of the socio-legal environment. Having the knowledge of economics comes in handy within business and communications. I see this course being beneficial to my everyday decision making within a business.
JMC 310: Public Relations will teach the practice of publicity, public relations, and related techniques and procedures. This is a meaningful course in the business and communications world. This course does not go towards either my business or communications concentration, but I believe this course to be beneficial in the business world because PR is used to gain a business or individual exposure to their audience with topics that interest your target audience as well as useful within the workplace to build rapport with either employees or customers.
FAS 331: Marriage and Family Relationships discusses issues, challenges, and opportunities relating to present day marriage and family living. This is an elective that I see being able to use in my everyday life. I am always looking for new information to help me in keeping a happy marriage and family.
Summer 1 ’11:
EXW 301: Concepts of Fitness and Wellness discusses guidelines for achieving health benefits of physical activity and other healthy lifestyles. This is and elective course I opted to take because I am focused on keeping a happy and healthy home. I have worked hard to ensure not only myself, but my family understands the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. We workout and eat right on a daily basis and it has become a part of our life instead of a focused chore. This course will also help me age wisely and healthfully to ensure I am on my toes within my business decisions.
Summer 2 ’11:
COM 316: Gender and Communication looks at gender related communication and examines verbal, nonverbal, and paralinguistic differences and similarities within social, psychological, and historic perspectives. This is a required to satisfy my communications concentration, but I found this course to be beneficial to me as a woman because on a daily basis I come across a customer that looks at me as a women and nothing more. I am not looked at as a business person in their eyes, just a woman that will be taken out of the game sooner or later because as a woman we will never be able to succeed as well as a male in my position.
Fall ’11:
COM 317: Nonverbal Communication is the study of communication using space, time, movement, facial expression, touch, appearance, smell, environment, objects, voice, and gender/cultural variables. Nonverbal communication becomes a part of everyday life, somehow with time most people learn what a gesture or look generally means. It is an occurrence that takes place within communications quite often, now being able to understand them all is different.
