About the Department
Department of Communication Fact Sheet
The Department of Communication offers degrees oriented to research and theory about a central issue in life of the 21st century: dynamic and complex human and mediated communication. The B.A. program is comprehensive, spanning the old boundaries that once divided the discipline into speech and journalism departments and instead offering courses that teach life skills firmly rooted in the liberal arts and sciences.
Graduate programs train students to generate new knowledge about communication. The M.A. program emphasizes two areas, media and intercultural studies, and students also bridge the older divisions of the discipline by applying ideas and methods from one to the other area of emphasis. The PhD program focuses on technology, a key factor that has transformed the discipline: the rise of interactive digital communication.
Faculty research is intellectually adventuresome, crossing divides and mixing methods, and has strengths in:
- new technology
- political communication
- intercultural diversity (including race, ethnicity, and gender/sexuality)
- visual communication