The mission of the Communication Department is to foster the practice and study of communication to inform and transform society for the better. The department promotes the study of communication and the arts of persuasion, community-building, and journalistic reporting that contribute to the Greek ideal of the “agora” as the center of a democratic, diverse society. We pursue this mission by encouraging:
- A passion to use communication as a powerful tool in the promotion of justice in our world
- Perception in effectively interpreting and understanding communication situations and challenges
- Performance in being able to prepare and present effective, responsible messages.
We envision a world where communication is founded on respect for individual autonomy and equality, and where such communication contributes to self-realization, self-determination, and democracy.
The department offers three majors:
- Communication Studies
It offers a liberal arts study of human communication designed to increase your understanding of how communication works and to improve your effectiveness as communicators in your community or in business. You take courses in public speaking, persuasion, and mass communication, as well as interpersonal and organizational communication. Special emphasis is placed on communication as a means of community-building and creating social change. Graduates go to careers in a variety of fields where thoughtful communication is required, or to graduate study in law, public administration, or communication itself.
- Journalism
It is a professionally oriented major that prepares you for careers in the mass media, most especially in journalistic media, whether traditional – print or broadcast – or part of the newer online world, where storytelling is conducted via audio, visual and networking means as well as through text. You take a core of media writing and reporting classes that emphasize preparation for the variety of journalistic media. Graduates go on to jobs with online publications, newspapers, television stations, newspapers, and documentary makers.
- Strategic Communications
It is a professionally oriented major that converges public relations with reputation management and brand communications. Special emphasis is placed on preparing students to lead projects for social change in their communities. The major is complemented by the Center for Strategic Communications, which oversees a student-run consultancy committed to helping values-driven organizations. Members of the student agency engage and service real world clients to achieve specific communication goals. Graduates from this major go on to careers in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.