Chair and Professor: Loebs
Professors: Bliesner, Blomquist
Associate Professors: Dienstfrey, Frazier, J. House, Mauch, Short,
Trinklein, Turner
Assistant Professors: DiSanza,
Hardy-Short, Jull, Legge
Each area of study in mass communication emphasizes the importance of a strong liberal arts education to students preparing for careers in the media and mass communication. Effective communication in any form depends upon an adequate breadth of knowledge.
For the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, five options are
available: Journalism, Television, Photography, Advertising/Public
Relations and Media Studies. Journalism, Television, Photography and
Advertising/Public Relations sequences require approximately 33 credits
and an additional 15 credits from a selected component of specialized
study outside the options. These options are designed to give practical
as well as theoretical skills in those areas. The Media Studies option
requires 45 credit hours selected from mass communication and other
departments and prepares students in a more general way for career
options in business, industry or government.
Students wishing to major in emphases offered in the Mass Communication program must fulfill the following requirements:
MC 119 Introduction to Mass Media 3 cr
MC 121 Reporting and Newswriting 4 cr
MC 230 Introduction to Photography 4 cr
OR
MC 215 Graphic Design 3 cr
(depending on emphasis)
General Education Requirement goals 1, 2, 6, 11, 12.
3. Have a minimum overall cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
4. Submit to the Mass Communication program an official copy of their transcript and a complete application form. Application forms are available in the Mass Communication office and this process must be completed by April 1 for Fall admission to major status and November 1 for Spring admission.
No student will be admitted to the Mass Communication program without completing these requirements.
A grade of "C" or better is required in each of the major courses.
The speech curriculum is structured on the basic assumption that people's ability to communicate orally in an effective manner is vital to successful social interaction. Two areas of emphasis are offered in the Speech curriculum: Speech Communication and Organizational Communication. Speech Communication is the humanistic study of speech from its origins in ancient Greece to the role of rhetoric in shaping the modern world. Organizational Communication is the social scientific study of the role or communication in the creation of interpersonal, small group, and organizational structures. In both areas of emphasis, our program is designed to meet a fourfold purpose: to study the nature and process of oral communication; to develop the student's ability to communicate clearly, confidently, and rationally; to understand the critical role of rhetoric in shaping historical events; to understand the methods of the social sciences and analyze communication situations according to those methods. Students who study speech receive a broad liberal arts background which may lead to careers in law, business, public relations, management, teaching, the ministry, politics, broadcasting, personnel work, and public administration.
The theatre curriculum is designed to provide not only a humanistic awareness of our history and civilization through a study of dramatic literature and theatre history, but also to allow the student to pursue courses of study which develop skills and techniques applicable to the production of plays and other theatrical media. A balance between theoretical and practical courses is offered in several degree programs. A theatre program can lead to careers in such varying areas as theatre, television, film, education, journalism, public relations, personnel work, sales, insurance, government, and law.
The Bachelor of Arts is offered in mass communication. The Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees are offered in speech and in theatre, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is offered in theatre.