The BA/BS/Minor will give students the opportunity to earn a full major/minor in
the field of Applied Communication.
1 This degree prepares students with the necessary skills to (a) examine a wide range
of diverse issues, including the communication needs of organizations, effective social
interaction, improvement of health care understandings or delivery, implementation
of behavioral interventions, training to improve communication, and activist efforts
to achieve social change, (b) methodological and (c) theoretical competence to address
issues of applied communication, and (d) to practice oral, written, and critical thinking
skills.
2
- Foundational Knowledge: Students demonstrate knowledge of the field of communication and the meaning and
purpose of communication at the individual, group, and societal level.
Students with Foundational Knowledge will have the 1) theoretical and general understanding
to explore how the concepts, constructs, and principles are interrelated in the field
of communication at both a micro and macro level. In addition, 2) students will also
be able to demonstrate competency in oral, written, and visual communication. As Foundational
Knowledge is often created and applied in groups, students will have the 3) understanding
of, and ability to, work productively in teams using acquired knowledge gained in
their communication courses. Finally, as Foundational Knowledge is always changing,
students will 4) recognize the impermanent nature of knowledge claims in order to
initiate and adapt to new approaches of communication.
- Research Expertise: Students develop in-depth and critical thinking/professional skills.
In order to obtain Professional Expertise in Applied Communication, students will
(1) become familiar with, and judiciously examine, both authoritative and non-credible
sources of information in order to become a more information-literate individual.
Further, students will (2) gain an up-to-date understanding of current research findings
on a wide cross-section of emphasis topics by (3) discovering the methodologies and
instruments used by both researchers and practitioners. Finally, Professional Expertise
requires students to (4) demonstrate and guide verbal and nonverbal messages within
interpersonal and organizational situations, in addition to (5) creating effective
content across a myriad of media while simultaneously targeting specific audiences.
- Application of Foundational Knowledge and Research Expertise: Students apply knowledge and expertise to real-world situations and/or research questions.
The Application of Foundational and Research Expertise Learning Outcome incorporates
several different points. First, students, by the time of graduation, should be able
to (1) apply theory and research obtained from course work towards a myriad of situations
and scenarios. Further, students should (2) highlight their ability to test and evaluate
real-world research findings by (3) demonstrating critical thinking and problem solving
skills through (4) synthesizing divergent research findings and ideas into a cogent
and coherent thesis statement.
- Diversity and Cultural Perspectives: Students develop an understanding of diversity and cultural perspectives in local,
regional, and global society.
Students with an understanding in Diversity and Cultural Perspectives will have the
ability to (1) apply ethical principles from the communication discipline obtained
via course work by (2) demonstrating their competency in critically analyzing communication
problems from multiple and diverse perspectives. Further, students should have the
(3) ability to understand, examine, and acknowledge the situatedness of cultural experiences,
conflicting opinions, and viewpoints on issues and ethical dilemmas. Finally, by graduation,
students will be able to (4) reflect upon the interconnectedness of local, national,
and global issues, and have the capabilities to adapt communication theories to engage
in dialogue or participate in such issues.