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 AREAS
OF STUDY
The
Department of Communication offers program concentrations
in four specific areas of communication:
Many of
our doctoral and master's students
choose one of the four emphases, though
some M.A. students prefer to design a communication generalist
track. Given the flexibility of
our program, students who emphasize one area are encouraged
to take courses in other areas, or to combine areas
(e.g., Organizational Rhetoric, Health Organizations).
Increasingly, intercultural and international dimensions
of the four concentrations are emphasized.
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Rhetoric
& Public Affairs
Communication in the context of public affairs
focuses on choices confronting the public, ways in which those choices are
shaped and framed by political discourse, and potential consequences - political,
ethical, and practical - of making those choices. Research in the program
examines presidential speech writing, first amendment issues related to freedom
of speech and church-state conflict, appellate advocacy and judicial rhetoric, the
history and theory of the public sphere, the persuasive strategies of social
movements, and the rhetorical construction of American culture and identity.
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Rhetoric & Public
Affairs Faculty:
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Common Courses in Rhetoric & Public
Affairs:
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Organizational Communication
Communication in the context of organizations
focuses on the role of messages, language, emotions, and symbols in creating and
sustaining organizations. In particular, it examines the networks and cultures that are
created and reflected through communication processes and the impact of
communication on organizational effectiveness. Research in the program focuses on
topics such as technologies and knowledge management in organizations, how
organizational members negotiate agreements and manage conflicts, the critical role
of gender and feelings in organizations, how organizational members communicate
in networks with stakeholders and other constituents, the role of groups and virtual
teams in profit and nonprofit organizations, and how organizations use rhetorical
strategies to persuade publics.
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Organizational Communication Faculty:
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Common Courses in Organizational Communication:
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Health
Communication
Communication in the context of health focuses on the
symbolic and organizational processes through which people -- individually and
collectively -- understand, share ideas about, and accommodate to health and illness.
Study focuses on professional health care practices and structures, public health
promotion and education, and citizen participation. Research examines such issues as
the quality and outcomes of provider-patient communication, public health
campaigns, social support, cultural beliefs about health, the impact of social and
professional changes on communication within health care organizations, the
influence of health narratives on public understanding, and how interactive media
contribute to health promotion.
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Health Communication Faculty:
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Common Courses in Health Communication:
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Telecommunication
Media Studies
Telecommunication and media studies focus
on media industries and technologies as systems of communication operating in
specific cultural and historical contexts. We emphasize globalism in local context,
international and comparative studies, equal attention to new media and historical
forces, and both industrial and cultural analyses. Faculty research examines
intertextuality and audience ethnography in Brazil, the political economy of digital
technology and internet-based distribution systems, comparative studies of digital
broadcasting, media literacy and citizenship, journalism history and media sociology,
media anthropology and communication ritual, celebrity as a religious symbol
system, and histories of radio and recorded music. |
Telecommunication Media Studies Faculty:
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