Katie Flanagan
Com 345
Rohler
Communication Studies Day Address
Hello and welcome to Communication
Studies Day 2008 at the
The
definition of a liberal arts college is a school that teaches its students
general knowledge, and strives to expand the intellectual aptitude of those
attending. It is my firm belief that the
The major also provides students with many options for concentrations in which they can focus their craft. The major provides students with an assortment of class options but makes a point to provide students with five key courses that serve as the backbone for the major. Initially students start off as pre-com majors and are introduced to the study through a course known as Com 105. This course provides students with a basic structure of what communications actually is and how to spot different aspects of it within a variety of situations.
Once students have attained a B or better in the course, they may move along in the gateway to a course known as Research Methods, or Com 200. This course in particular is of utmost importance within the major. This course is the final gateway class for those within the pre-com department and provides students with necessary skills they will need. These skills will not only aide them through the rest of their time as communication studies majors, but will help them in their time after college as well.
During this course students are able to work in teams and learn valuable research skills that will carry them through their future endeavors, inside and out of the major. In partnership with Com 105, Com 200 helps students determine whether or not they are truly interested in the major, and possibly pursuing a career in this particular field. When combined, these courses help students understand the essential aspects of Communication Studies as a practice.
Once students officially make it in to the major, their building on what they have already learned is not halted; it is expanded. Core courses are still utilized following a student’s acceptance through the gateway to continue that key concepts are instilled, making elective courses more relatable and easier to understand. The next two important classes include Communication Theory and Communication Rhetoric.
In communication theory, students are able to learn about a wide variety of theories surrounding the study of communication. This course creates a valuable source of reference for students when these theories are either applied or addressed in other classes throughout the major. Communication Rhetoric is another course that is usually taken alongside Communication Theory. This course teaches students where the study of communication came from and how it has evolved since its birth. Throughout the course students are challenged to assess the thoughts of several leaders in the study of communications and learn from them. These two courses work well when taught alongside one another because it is easy for students to draw information from one into the other making the material easier to comprehend.
The final core course I would like to bring attention to is that of Com 490, or the Discipline Capstone course. This course gives students that final push, not only into the major, but into the world they are about to enter following their academic careers. Students hone their speaking and presentation skills, are able to learn the value of working with others, and also gain a sense of what professional behavior truly is.
Once the basic ideas of Communications are mastered through these courses, students are able to branch further out into the major and learn what it is they are truly interested in pursuing. While these courses do provide the fundamentals for the major, they are most certainly not the only valuable ones. Students pick up important interpersonal skills through the Interpersonal Communication classes. In these courses students learn the value of communicating and dealing with others in a variety of situations, so that optimum communication is utilized.
Students can gain necessary skills through the public speaking course as well. This course, otherwise known as Com 110, provides students with the ability to speak comfortably and knowledgeably in front of an audience. As communication studies majors, students know that this is an important skill that they will be required to utilize not only in future classes, but in job settings and other scenarios following their college careers.
These courses, along with all of the other courses offered within the Communication Studies department are all very important to the success of the student depending on what they want to do following college. Because of the wide variety of elective courses offered within the major, students are also able to master beneficial skills they may need or want in their future careers. These classes however, could not attribute to the success of students without having a proper place to teach them. The addition of Leutze Hall in 2001 created a place where students could gain full access to the concepts being taught in their field of study.
Housing a television studio, class rooms with “smart room” features, computer labs, and various work spaces, Leutze Hall provides a state of the art arena for students to thrive in their journey through the Communications Study major. Along with the addition of the building was the addition of a computer lab featuring computers that provide necessary programs for students to edit film footage, create student websites and presentations for major based classes.
Classes are not the only access students have to gaining knowledge within their major. UNCW offers several extracurricular activities within the department including Lambda Pi Eta Honor society for students in the department who have achieved above a certain GPA, and the Communication Studies Society. Within the Communication Studies Society, students are able to not only reach out to those in their major, but to those within the community as well.
A good example of community outreach within the Communication Studies Society includes Rock for the Cure, which is hosted every October. This student run event is a benefit to raise money for Breast Cancer awareness and Research. This year students pulled together and not only raised a lot of money, but involved many other students inside and out of the major as well. Students were able to get the word out not only about the cause, but about the presence of the Communications Department on campus and its want to contribute to an important foundation.
Now
that you have a better idea as to what the major is all about, I would like to
further explain the Communication Studies department’s importance to a liberal
arts education. As I briefly stated earlier, a liberal arts education is one
that gives students access to many different fields of study and a way for
students to decide what their “calling” may be in life. It should be quite
apparent that the Communications Department at the
Students are first given the chance to test the waters and see if the major does in fact work for them through courses such as Com 104 and Com 105. If the study seems to be a fit for the student, they are then given the chance to explore many aspects of the major through a wide variety of classes. These classes can often help students deicide exactly what they would like to do with their future endeavors and how they would also like to contribute to the major as well.
If a student goes into the major deciding they want to work in a specific concentration, but are surprised to learn that after taking a certain course it is not what they thought it would be, they are easily able to make other choices within the major and find a concentration that is better suited for them. Flexibility upon the faculty is another important aspect of our major. We understand that students look to us for advice and that we potentially influence their decisions as far as future goals and careers go, which is why we make ourselves available to students and their needs on a daily basis.
I
would like to continue today’s presentation of the aspects within our major by
sharing what is on schedule for the rest of Communication Studies Day. At
We
will also be holding the annual Dress for Success fashion show at
I am looking forward to today’s events and I am positive today will prove to be a great success. I would also like to share that if the apparent necessity of the major did not seem relevant to you within a liberal arts education, I hope that by meeting former students and currents ones, along with seeing what the major has to offer you will see that there is a true value that pertains to the major within a liberal arts education.
It
has been wonderful speaking to all of you today, and I hope I have given you a
good sense about what the major has to offer and its importance to the UNCW
community. I am honored to be part of this team of fantastic instructors and
hope that you all have a wonderful time today. If you get the chance to attend
at least one event it would be highly appreciated. On behalf of the
Communication Studies department, faculty, staff, and students of the