Monmouth College - Department of Communication and Theater Arts

Recently the Monmouth College Faculty approved a new, stand-alone THEATRE MAJOR. as part of the offerings of the CATA Department. While the new major is similar to the current Theatre Concentration, there are some important changes that we believe with strengthen the program for students focusing on Theatre. Soon we will hold an informational meeting to announce this exciting new development, answer questions and assist current students who wish to pursue the new major in making any needed adjustments. No one will be disadvantaged in any way meeting graduation requirements by our introduction of the new major. For now, current students can register under the course offerings and requirements of the current catalog. When you return in the fall you will notice that Theatre courses will be identified with THEA (instead of CATA) as a prefix while Communication and Media courses will be identified with COMM (much like PEC courses are identified as ECON or BUSI).

Applications for CATA Independent Studies and Internships for Summer or Fall 2006 are due April 14 by email to Lee McGaan. All necessary information and forms for internships and independent studies may be found through links on the Internship web page.

Application information concerning Public Relations Internships will be distributed soon By Professor Wallace.

If you plan on completing a CATA or PUBR internship in the next year, please put your name on the appropriate wait-list and, when your application is approved, you will receive notice that you may move from the waitlist into registered status.

Please note below several issues of importance for registering CATA majors or other students interested in CATA classes.

If a CATA course that you need is closed, PLEASE be sure to get on the wait list. We have a good record of getting wait-listed students into classes they need by the time they need them (but not if they aren't on the list). Other departments or gen. ed. programs (even courses taught by CATA faculty) may or may not make use of wait-lists.

1. Required courses for CATA Junior and Senior majors. Please be sure that rising CATA Junior majors enroll in CATA 321 - Junior Colloquium (Fall). Students enrolling in CATA 321 should be planning to graduate between Fall 2009 and Summer 2010. Please be sure that rising CATA Senior majors enroll in both CATA 421 - Senior Colloquium (Fall) and CATA 491 - Freedom of Expression and Communication Ethics (our senior seminar and capstone course, Spring). Students enrolling in CATA 421 should ONLY include those planning to graduate between Fall 2008 and Summer 2009.

2. CATA/PUBR Double majors may take either CATA 491 or PUBR 491 as their senior seminar capstone course. Also, CATA/PUBR double majors make complete the internship requirement for both majors with a single internship under either CATA or PUBR. If you have questions on advising for CATA majors, please call Prof. Lee McGaan at school (457-2155) or at home (734-5431).

3. Please register rising Sophomore CATA majors (that is current Freshmen) for CATA 230: Introduction to Communication Studies in the Fall and CATA 261 - Mass Media and Society either semester. Both courses are now required of all CATA majors. CATA 230: Introduction to Communication Studies is an introduction to the breadth of the field of communication studies (including media, communication, and theatre arts). It acquaints students with general, thematic, and contextual theories of human communication to provide a more thorough understanding of communication processes in multiple contexts.

CATA 230. Introduction to Communication Studies. An introduction to the breadth of the field of communication studies (including media and theatre arts) through the examination of historical and contemporary communication theories. Acquaints students with general, thematic, and contextual theories of human communication to provide a more thorough understanding of communication processes in multiple contexts (interpersonal, small group, organizational, public performance, mass, and cultural). Gives attention to application of theory in practical settings and criteria for evaluating theories. Offered each year. Prerequisite: CATA 101

4. Please be aware the CATA 365 - Media Production is now offered in both fall and Spring Semesters. Also note that Professor McGaan will be on sabbatical leave during the spring semester.

5. CATA Workshop Courses. All CATA Workshop courses, including those at the 100-level, receive graded credit. (There is no more Credit/No Credit grading for these workshops.) Several CATA Workshops courses have an enrollment limit set at 0 because permission of instructor is required. Also, CATA 113 - Workshop in Communication, CATA 114 - Print Media Workshop (cross listed with ENGL), and CATA 117G/118G have no pre-requisites.

Several workshops (including all 200-level workshops) require instructor permission for registration. Contact Trudi Peterson for permission to add CATA 113/213. Contact Tom Withenbury to add CATA 214, Adv. Workshop: Print Media. Contact Bill Wallace to add CATA 117/217, Acting Workshops. Contact Doug Rankin for permission to add CATA 118/218, Tech Theatre Workshops. Enrollment in CATA 117, Acting, is limited to students cast in a play during the appropriate semester and those students will be added after casting is complete in the Fall or Spring.

Students interested in receiving credit for participation in WMCR radio should register for CATA 115, Radio and students interested in receiving credit for participation in our campus cable TV programming on MC-TV should register for CATA 116, Television. Students enrolled in CATA 116 will participate in the production of the MC-TV cable news program. Students interested in working on entertainment programming and videos should sign up for CATA 216 (permission and previous credit in CATA 116 required). Contact Chris Goble for permission to add CATA 215/216. All CATA workshop courses may be repeated for credit.

6. New course numbers/names. Prior to 2008 Advanced Acting (the former CATA 373) changed its focus each year. For clarity purposes we have substituted three new course numbers and titles for what were the rotating topics in past years. One of the new course titles will be offered each year on a three year rotation in replacement of Advanced Acting. Next year we will offer

CATA 372. Auditioning, Improvisation and Career Management. A hybrid course that offers a study in audition techniques, improvisational acting skills, and techniques to developing and managing a career in professional theater. Includes readings, laboratory exercise, improvisation, scene study, cold-reading techniques, creation of audition monologues, character development, personal reflection and the attendance of productions. Prerequisite: CATA 175 or consent of the instructor. Offered once every third year. (Three credits.)

This year the schedule lists CATA 277 -Children's Theatre/Creative Dramatics. However, the course next fall will focus exclusively on Creative Dramatics. This course emphasizes the use of theater and drama as an educational tool. It will include readings, discussions and exercises in using theater and drama to teach subjects from literature to history to problem solving. The course is intended for anyone interested in working with children on the stage or in the classroom. By fall the course will appear on your schedule with a new course number.
CATA 375 - Scenery and Lighting Design next fall will have a specific focus on one or several elements of design and will have a new number that will appear later on your fall schedule.

7. A note on pre-requisites for CATA 339 - Persuasion. Students intending to take Persuasion are no longer required to have CATA 233 - Advanced Public Speaking as a pre-requisite. Instead, CATA 363 - Media and Public Relations Writing or CATA 230 - Introduction to Communication Studies (course description below) will be required as a pre-requisite for Persuasion. For CATA 377 - Principles of Stage Directing, students who have theatre experience may seek permission of the instructor (Prof. West) in lieu of the listed pre-requisites.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to call:

Lee McGaan, Professor and Chair
Department of Communication and Theatre Arts
Monmouth College
office ph. 309-457-2155
home ph. 309-734-5431
mailto:lee@monm.edu