Bachelor of Arts - Communications

Curriculum Map (Revised: August 2010)

1. Provide students with an historical grounding in the field of communication and media studies in order to ensure that our students have a foundation for studying the contemporary world and are aware of the importance of history in any field of studies. We didn’t get here from nowhere! This historical grounding is accomplished in Com 105 Introduction to Communication Studies and in 200 and 300 level courses that are specifically historical in nature or that include history as a component of the syllabus.
2. Provide students with an ethical and critical framework within the field of communication and media studies that fosters the development of critical thinking skills, a social consciousness and global awareness. The on-going exploration of issues of diversity such as socio-economic class, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and gender is mainstreamed in nearly all of our classes.
3. Provide students with content mastery that will allow for intellectual development, the honing of critical thinking skills, creative and imaginative uses of form and technology, and career preparedness. Our advising packet includes a series of advising templates to specifically guide students in their course selection in order to encourage content mastery in one of the sub-fields in the major such as public relations, film studies, theory and criticism, audio-visual production, etc.

General Education / Liberal Education Requirements (College Goals)

1. Students must demonstrate proficiency in written communication.
2. Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate level.
3. Students must become informed global citizens and gain intercultural awareness through a study abroad experience.
4. Students must become acquainted with different ages, societies, and cultures and learn how to use a variety of historical sources.
5. Students must be able to reason abstractly and appreciate the elegance of abstract structure.
6. Students must understand the methods of scientific discovery and experimental design.
7. Students must acquire problem-solving and research capability by identifying, locating, evaluating, and effectively using information.
8. Students must be able to analyze and understand the creative process, assimilate experience, and communicate it.
9. Students must be able to interpret words, images, objects, and/or actions that are expressions of human culture.
10. Students must understand the complex nature of social structures and/or human relationships that involve issues of inequality and difference.
11. Students must explore ecological, policy, social, cultural, and/or historical dimensions of human relationship to the environment.