Communication
Interdisciplinary Major or Minor (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science)
Professors - Clifford Abbott (linguistics), Phillip Clampitt (organizational communication, public relations), Timothy Meyer (electronic media, public relations)
Associate Professors - Jeffrey Benzow (graphic communication), Victoria Goff (print journalism, public relations)
Assistant Professors - Colleen Fitzpatrick (communication, public relations), Sarah Detweiler (photography)
Lecturer - Jeanellyn Schwarzenbach (public address, interpersonal communication)
Web site: http://www.uwgb.edu/comprocess/
The interdisciplinary program in communication (previously known as communication processes) offers contemporary communication studies emphasizing comprehensive understanding of communication in traditional and new media and study in depth of particular forms of communication. Students come to understand how communication happens; how messages are put into visual and verbal codes; how messages are filtered through various media; how they are interpreted in different contexts; and how they construct those contexts.
New information technologies tend to merge media. A major or minor in communication provides the kind of integrative knowledge that is required for professional careers in the field.
Before being admitted to the communication major, a student must earn a minimum grade point average (gpa) of 2.5 based on completion of 30 degree credits and must complete an application form and related items that can be found on the communication Web page. Students not meeting the gpa minimum may contact their faculty adviser for information on appeal procedures.
Communication offers six areas of emphasis.
- In electronic media, students need more than just knowledge of production techniques. Professional advancement requires skills in writing, editing, advertising and sales, market and audience research, as well as knowledge of new media and their impact on society and culture.
- Students in organizational communication develop basic communication skills needed in organizations, such as speaking, interviewing, and discussion skills. They also learn about sources of communication problems in organizations, apply strategies for discovering and solving these problems, and build an understanding of current theories of organizational communication.
- Photography students come to understand photography as a problem-solving process, combining imagination, intuition, critical analysis, and mastery of tools and materials, including traditional photographic means and digital imaging systems. The integration of theoretical concepts and practical experience prepares students for diverse applications of photography.
- In journalism, students will develop writing and editing skills, the ability to do in-depth research and reporting, a concern for people, a strong sense of autonomy, and a well-rounded understanding of important issues in their field through this program and a thorough liberal arts education. Students will also gain hands-on experience in journalism through participation in on-campus publications and/or outside internships.
- Students in public relations complete requirements that reflect the demand for graduates who can write well, are fully acquainted with the wide range of available modes of communication (graphics, print, broadcast, oral discourse, and their many combinations), and are particularly skillful in at least one of them.
- Students in linguistics/English as a second language (ESL) integrate a strong background in language structure and variation with substantial preparation in foreign language and cross-cultural studies and education, both to succeed in the ESL classroom and to prepare for advanced studies at the graduate level.
Internships in communication provide qualified students in all the above areas with opportunities for faculty-supervised experience in professional settings outside the classroom. In addition, several communication courses involve students in research projects in the community.
Communication graduates have entered a wide variety of academic and professional areas: news reporting, photojournalism, broadcast journalism, photographic illustration, television production, printing and publications, advertising, sales and marketing, management consulting, technical writing and editing, public relations, and government service, as well as graduate study in photography, theoretical and applied linguistics, information science, library science, journalism, media studies, and telecommunications.