紐澤西學院

The Department of Communication Studies seeks to engage students and members of the TCNJ community in the study of human communication in its many forms. Working within a framework of three departmental specializations—Public and Mass Communication, Radio/TV/Film, and Interpersonal/Organizational Communication— along with an interdisciplinary concentration in Health Communication and a close partnership with the Public Health major, the department excels in its dedication to undergraduate teaching and student scholarship. Core departmental and disciplinary values include inclusiveness, intellectual curiosity, written and oral fluency, visual literacy, technical mastery, and the appreciation of the transformative power of language, film and other media. As a faculty, the Department of Communication Studies is committed to building on its local, national, and international reputation as a leader in student- faculty engagement and undergraduate teaching and research, as well as providing experiences that challenge its students and foster a collegial learning environment.

The Communication Studies Program: As an academic field, Communication is the study of the processes and procedures that people, groups, and organizations use in developing and sending informative and persuasive messages. Communication Studies at TCNJ is a liberal arts major emphasizing theory and practice in a variety of settings for human and mediated communication. Topics include impact of media on society (mass media effect, health communication campaigns, American political communication, strategic public relations, mass media and the First Amendment, computer mediated communication and mobile communication); impact of society on media (international communication); communication research methods, communication theory (introduction to media theory and theories of persuasion); film, television and radio production (introduction to television studio, directing, art of editing, lighting and cinematography, documentary, production for public radio); film studies (film and society, feminism and film, African American film, languages of film and television); interpersonal/ organizational studies (interpersonal skills, organizational behavior, intergender and intercultural/racial communication, leadership, group problem solving); and public communication (public speaking, argumentation and debate, public discussion of vital issues). All courses provide critical and conceptual frameworks for assessing a wide variety of messages. Students in the major should be engaged and curious learners.

Students enrolled in the Communication Studies major choose among three specializations: Public/Mass Communication, Radio/TV/Film, Interpersonal/Organizational Communication. In addition, students may choose to focus their liberal learning breadth requirements by choosing the Interdisciplinary Concentration in Health Communication. The individual specializations require completion of core courses but permit accommodation to individual interests through elective courses. Closely mentored, students work with faculty advisors to plan a program of study. Communication Studies students are also encouraged to develop their creative talents and to apply classroom learning through participation in vibrant outreach activities, such as internships, research, film/video production, film/video festival participation and conference presentations.