The final stage of revision to the university speech communication curriculum was completed at the Council on Academic Affairs meeting yesterday.

Two courses up for revision, SPC 3100 Persuasion and SPC 3750 Computer Mediated Communication I, were approved.

SPC 2300 changed its course number to 3100.

“The course is primarily changing from a performance based course to a therapy course,” said Mark Borzi, chair of the speech communication department.

He said SPC 3750 will offer a concentrated focus on computer media.

Changes in concentrations for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication were also approved.

Students can choose from communication studies, corporate communication, public relations and mass communication with further concentrations in electronic journalism and communication, media studies and electronic media production. A minor in speech communication is also a new option.

The concentration in public relations was previously only offered as a minor, which was a disadvantage to students, Borzi said.

The old curriculum included concentrations in interpersonal/organizational, mass communication, public communication and general speech.

“There’s probably very few people on campus that won’t admit our curriculum’s been fairly confused for a number of years,” Borzi said. “I guess what you can say is we finally got our act together.”

A summary released by the speech communication department and given to the CAA said a 2000-2001 self-study was conducted in a review of about 10 years of student data, faculty input and surveys from alumni.

The summary stated some of the right classes were structured wrong in the programs that they were offered.

“We propose eliminating our current structure and developing a new one that will be easier to understand. The result is that a student will have a better sense of what program of study is most appropriate for his or her interests,” the summary said. Corrections in the university grading program were also approved. The new policy requires faculty to obtain emergency documentation from students before changing a letter grade to an incomplete, so students cannot be penalized with an incomplete without documentation.

The CAA meets at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Arcola-Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.