Communication and Media Studies (BA, Minor)

Communication and Media Studies is a versatile major that prepares the student for pursuit of a wide range of careers. Courses within the discipline equip students with critical literacy about contemporary mass media and their uses, as well as the skills of professional and personal communication that are vital to success in any field. Areas taught include media analysis, writing for media (including digital and social media), various business applications such as public relations and marketing communication, and applied mass media such as radio, documentary filmmaking, newspaper, and television. Students who wish to pursue careers in communication and media have an opportunity to focus, by choosing among several distinct tracks with specialized classes taught by academic experts and by instructors who have worked extensively in the field.

A major or minor in Communication and Media Studies fosters the ability to read media with insight and to understand, both practically and symbolically, how they generate meaning in an ever-changing and diverse world. Students also become more practiced and versatile users of various media, learning to tell stories persuasively and to communicate across cultural differences. These are vital and versatile tools. Acquiring the skills to communicate messages clearly and effectively, blending inspiration with diplomacy, is key to demonstrating leadership capacity in any workplace. Listening with sensitivity, awareness, compassion, and purpose is central to the development of an ethical and engaged civic community.

The Communication and Media Studies department also offers the opportunity for hands-on participation. Students study journalism, broadcasting, publishing, or production—and, here at Dominican, they also do it. The department has recently upgraded its broadcast laboratory, adding industry standard television cameras and broadcast equipment. Students can gain on-air experience by broadcasting over Dominican’s internet radio station, radio.dominican.edu, or by filming sports events for TV broadcast. Involvement in the production of thedominicanbeat.com (the student newspaper) provides real-life skills in meeting deadlines, writing and reporting with ethically responsible viewpoints, and serving the community through critical analysis and dissemination of information. Students also use their experience to successfully compete for and complete internships that can lead to jobs, while creating a professional portfolio that they complete by graduation.

Program Learning Outcomes

The student will demonstrate the ability to:

Apply and evaluate communication research methods at the introductory level.
Write clearly, accurately and effectively in genres appropriate for the intended audience.
Synthesize information to support a cogent oral argument suitable to the topic, purpose and audience.
Critically evaluate a communication text or artifact.
Create media that brings academic knowledge and skills into practice.
Make moral arguments that demonstrate awareness of and sensitivity to differing values and ethical perspectives.
Apply current tools and technologies appropriate for communication professions.