Majoring in communication studies contributes significantly to the personal growth and development of an individual. Cooperation, negotiation, and mutual understanding are the cornerstones of successful interpersonal relationships in the workplace, the family, and the community. Furthermore, the study of public communication encourages students to participate in civic affairs by equipping them with the critical skills necessary to evaluate social issues, express opinions, and assume positions of responsible leadership in a democratic society.
Programs
Communication studies majors may choose from COM courses that meet the general requirements for the major, or they may focus their choices in one of the following areas of study: interpersonal communication, organizational leadership, or rhetoric and political discourse. Graduating with a degree in communication studies, students may pursue an array of professions, such as teaching, lobbying, human resources, sales, social work, the ministry, special events planning, or speech writing, or they may advance to graduate study in such fields as communication, education, management, or law.
Faculty
Department Chair
- Darrin Griffin
Professor
- Robin Boylorn
Assistant professors
- Noor Aswad
- Anneliese Bolland
- Kaylin Duncan
- Heather Ashley Hayes
- Jeonghyun Oh
- Benjamin Pyle
- Jaclyn Shetterly
Senior Instructor
- Angela Billings
Instructors
- Jeremy Henderson
- Brent Mitchell
Professors emeriti
- Beth Bennett
- Thomas E. Harris
- Mark D. Nelson
- Frank M. Thompson, Jr.
Associate professors
- Meredith Bagley
- Adam Brooks
- Sim Butler
- Darrin Griffin
- Nikita Harris
- Sara Hartley
- Leah LeFebvre
- Mary Meares
- Jessy Ohl
- Caroline Parsons
- Cynthia Peacock
- Joshua Pederson
Courses
The impact of public discourse on the ideas and issues of culture and history. HU designation for university core curriculum.
General introduction to communication studies as a way of understanding how humans coordinate social meaning and achieve communicative goals. The focus is on identifying the foundation of human communication and the functions of communication in everyday situations. SB designation for university core curriculum.