Grant Cos Headshot

Grant Cos

Professor

School of Communication
College of Liberal Arts
gccgpt@rit.edu
585-475-6646
Office Location
EAS-3047

Grant Cos

Professor

School of Communication
College of Liberal Arts

Education

BA, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; MA, Emerson College; Ph.D., Kent State University

Bio

Professor Cos teaches a variety of different courses in the School of Communication. His research interests center on the Aristotelian trilogy of politics, ethics and rhetoric. Specifically, these interests have manifested themselves into the study of mediated speechmaking and political campaigning, 'mash-up' online advertisements and politics, and contemporary instances of dissent during wartime. 

Positions held

Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2017-
Associate Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007-2017
Assistant Professor of Communication, Rochester Institute of Technology - 1999-2005
Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 1996-1999

Courses offered

  • Human Communication
  • Public Speaking
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Persuasion
  • Survey of Media Technologies
  • Qualitative Research Methodology
  • Political Communication
  • Communication Law & Ethics
  • Media Law & Ethics
gccgpt@rit.edu
585-475-6646

Select Scholarship

Published Article
Jenkins, Keith B., and Grant Cos. “A Time for Change and a Candidate’s Voice: Pragmatism and the Rhetoric of Inclusion in Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Campaign.” American Behavioral Scientist, 54.3 (2010): 184-202. Print.

Currently Teaching

COMM-101
Human Communication
3 Credits
An introduction to the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of oral, visual, and written communication. Introduces basic communication models, the role of language in communication, symbols and symbol making, issues of audience analysis, and the development of different modes of discourse. Also explores the history of communication and introduces students to basic principles and research in communication studies.
COMM-305
Persuasion
3 Credits
An in-depth study of the theories, practices, effects, and ethics of persuasion. Persuasion is defined as human communication designed to influence one’s beliefs, values, attitudes, and actions. This course examines persuasion from a receiver-oriented perspective with interpersonal, small group, organizational, and mediated perspectives.
COMM-342
Communication Law and Ethics
3 Credits
This course examines major principles and trends in communication law. The course analyzes a broad range of issues related to the First Amendment, intellectual property, and media regulation. Special attention is paid to discussing the major ethical perspectives and issues surrounding contemporary communication behavior.
ITDL-350H
Honors Seminar: Urgent Moral Issues
1 Credits
From artificial intelligence to gender and racial equity to international sanctions, the decisions we make and the actions we take are suffused with ethical dimensions. This seminar involves lively discussion and careful analysis of contemporary issues. Particular topics will change from one semester to the next, but each version of this course will apply ethical frameworks to conceiving, discussing, and striving toward the resolution of nuanced problems.

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