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Communication Studies

253.879.3334

Chair

Derek Buescher
253-879-3272

Administrative Support

Margaret Birmingham
253.879.3334

Program Description

What kind of communication leads to relational satisfaction? How has social media shaped how we interact and understand the world around us? How are political issues rhetorically constructed in our cultural discourses? How do television, film, and other media influence how we think about concepts such as power, gender, and race?

Communication studies is a unique discipline with many specialty areas. At Puget Sound, students are exposed to a variety of approaches to the study of human communication, including interpersonal, family, health, organizational, technologically mediated, political and legal, rhetorical, film and media, and critical cultural studies. Students can concentrate on areas that most interest them. Communication knowledge and skills go hand-in-hand with other disciplines on campus and are critical to the successful employment of new college graduates.

 

 

 

Who You Could Be

  • Healthcare educator
  • Attorney
  • Film editor/producer
  • Human resources specialist
  • Social media manager
  • Public relations manager
  • Professor, teacher, administrator
  • Political consultant, speech writer

What You'll Learn

  • The human, social, political, institutional, and mediated dimensions of human communication practices and processes
  • How communication practices and processes construct meaning, enable and constrain social interaction, and interact with institutional structures and cultural, historical, and political forces
Professor Nick Brody
FACULTY
Nicholas Brody, associate professor, communication studies

"Communication is the fundamental building block of our relationships, and humans are fundamentally relational beings, driven by our need to connect with others. A major in communication studies provides the tools to lead not just a successful career but a successful and fulfilling life."

 

SAMPLE COURSES
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This course uses rhetorical and argumentation theory to introduce students to the discipline of Communication Studies. Students gain foundational understanding of the concepts, theories, and methods related to the study of American civic rhetoric. This course begins with a brief introduction to key concepts in rhetorical studies and then examines key examples of American civic rhetoric that have shaped the political culture of the United States throughout its history.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives

This course offers a focused review of organizational communication in terms of historical roots, metatheoretical commitments, conceptual and theoretical approaches, and contemporary research. The first half of the course is devoted to a consideration of the organizational communication discipline in terms of history, metatheory and methodology, and important conceptual and theoretical approaches to understanding organizing and organizations. The second half of the course is devoted to discussions of a range of contemporary research on specific topics that are currently of interest to organizational communication scholars. Topics include, but are not limited to, work-life balance, emotional labor, power, and resistance in organizations.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives

This is a critical writing course which focuses on how popular film narratives (independent and mainstream) function in American culture. Students study visual and narrative composition of film, the politics of film aesthetics and production, and the competing rhetorics of American film directors and genres. The discussion of each film is contextualized through attention to visual and narrative construction of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality, and social class. Course materials include readings and videostreamed films. Additionally, students select a film of their own choosing for intense study. Not appropriate for first year students.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
COMM 240 or permission of instructor.

Health communication campaigns are coordinated, large-scale efforts to promote health and reduce health risks. Campaigns are traditionally rooted in 1) persuasive approaches which focus on altering attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and 2) communicative approaches that evaluate multiple levels of communication, different channels, and diverse communication technologies. This course introduces the historical perspectives of health campaigns, provides insights into various theories which inform campaign work, and reviews the methodological considerations of researching, implementing, and evaluating health campaigns. In this course students explore the design and analysis of health campaigns blending theory, practice and methods to critique past, present, and future campaigns. This course stresses practical application as students develop a hypothetical health campaign by which they come to fully understand the ways that campaigns are planned, organized, executed, and evaluated. This course covers a wide range of theories and topics on health campaigns including but not limited to: Agenda Setting, Agenda Building, Uses and Effects, Cultivation, Parasocial Interaction, Edu-tainment, Social Marketing, Diffusion of Innovations, Health Belief Model, Social Norms, Stages of Change, and Knowledge Gap. Applies to the Bioethics (BIOE) program.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
Completion of or concurrent enrollment in COMM 230, or permission of instructor.

The course focuses on critical understanding and evaluation of Disney as a constitutive element of contemporary culture both in the United States and globally. Through analysis of Disney animated films, Disney corporate reach and marketing, and Disney theme parks ("Where dreams come true") students engage questions highlighted by Henry Giroux about Disney, "such as what role [Disney] plays in (1) shaping public memory, national identity, gender roles, and childhood values; (2) suggesting who and what qualifies as an agent; and (3) determining the role of consumerism in American Culture around the globe" (The Mouse that Roared, p. 10, 2010). The course draws heavily on literature and theory from rhetorical criticism, media criticism, and cultural studies to engage the textual productions of Disney, Disney's historical location in U.S. culture, Disney's corporate structure and self-presentation, and its experiential vacation through theme parks, resorts, and vacation clubs. Disney broadly, and its theme parks specifically, offers highly orchestrated and managed immersive entertainment spaces. A clearer understanding of Disney cultural reach allows the course to enter discussions about citizenship, identity production including race, gender, ethnicity, and nationalism, labor and capital flow, ideology and interpellation, cultural appropriation and homogenization, consumerism and commodification, hyperreality, narrative, and resistance. Satisfies the Knowledge, Identity, and Power graduation requirement. Prerequisite: COMM 240.

Code
Knowledge, Identity, and PowerSocial Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
COMM 240 or permission of instructor.

This advanced course focuses on describing, explaining, and predicting communication processes that occur within the context of close relationships, with a focus on the effects of technology on these processes. The field of personal relationships is interdisciplinary, with scholars from areas such as communication, family studies, and social psychology all contributing to knowledge about communication in relationships. Similarly, mediated communication research is conducted by scholars in various fields -- including communication, computer science, and sociology. Therefore, this course emphasizes communication but also includes concepts and theories from other fields. The overall goal of the class is to help students better understand some of the factors affecting relationships and technology, and to appreciate the impact of communication on their relationships in a variety of contexts. This course balances an in-depth examination of several classic studies in the field of relational communication with close readings of cutting-edge research published in the past five to ten years. Each week, students read articles that consider topics in both online and offline contexts. Students demonstrate mastery of material from each of their previous communication classes -- particularly their courses in social scientific methods and theory -- to enter into the scholarly conversation surrounding the examination of communication in relationships.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
COMM 230 and 330 or 331. Communication studies major or permission of instructor.
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Experiential Learning

Students gain experience through a variety of opportunities, such as presenting papers at the WSCA Undergraduate Research Conference:

  • Greg Shipman ’17, Duyen Vo ’16, and Alesha Brown ’17 presented their paper, "Human Functions Throughout Platonic Relationships"
  • Madeleine Elliott ’18, Caitlin Foreman ’18, and Natalie Ulum ’18 presented their paper, "The Effect of Social Anxiety on Online and Offline Identity Separation"
  • Sofia Moncayo ’20, Katia Mjdjan ’20, Tatiana Klein ’21, and Duncan Long ’20 presented their paper, "Advertisement Effects on Alcohol Consumption"

Stories

Read more about University of Puget Sound student advocates for Black voices
Community
Students

University of Puget Sound student advocates for Black voices

In early August, with the summer sun high overhead downtown Tacoma, Chloe Pargmann-Hayes ’24 climbed the steps of Tollefson Plaza with a paint roller in hand to help put the finishing touches on a massive mural. This was the…
Read more about Tuned In
Alumni
Arches

Tuned In

Before she begins a new podcast interview, Lestraundra “Les” Alfred ’11 likes to start with the “review of the week.” In the “Kombucha for the Culture” episode, she reads a letter from a junior in college who says the podcast…
Read more about Home School
Faculty
Arches
Students

Home School

Despite the obstacles to teaching and learning while under COVID-19 quarantine orders, the Puget Sound faculty displayed agile and creative adaptability in the crisis. Some professors kept it old school, sending packages of…

Where Graduates Work

Where our graduates work:

  • Facebook (program coordinator)
  • Amazon Web Services (sourcing recruiter)
  • Warner Brothers Television (producer's production assistant)
  • ACLU (graphic designer)
  • Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation (development associate)
  • Destiny City Film Festival (executive director

Where Graduates Continue Studying

Where our students continue their studies:

  • University of Washington (law school)
  • Northwestern University
  • Stanford University
  • Harvard University
  • The University of Chicago
  • University of Utah
MEET THE FACULTY
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Bianca Wolf
Professor, Communication Studies

Prof. Wolf teaches classes a variety of behavioral science courses that examine health and relationships, including public health campaigns, health communication, and family communication.

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Nicholas Brody
Professor, Communication Studies

Prof. Brody researches the social implications of technology and teaches courses on communication theory, relational communication, and more. Many of his articles and book chapters explore bystander behavior and cyberbullying.

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Derek Buescher
Professor and Chair, Communication Studies and Director of Forensics

Prof. Buescher's work focuses on media criticism and representations of public memory, teaching courses on imperialism, cinema, media studies, forensics, gender, culture theory, and communication.

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Abbie Shew
Visiting Assistant Professor, Communication Studies

Prof. Shew teaches classes about rhetoric and criticism, with focus on how language and persuasion shape our lives. Her classes and research look at media technology and how it has changed the way rhetoric operates in American life.

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FACILITIES

Students at the Center for Writing, Learning, and Teaching
CENTER FOR WRITING & LEARNING

This center provides support for your academic journey, including one-on-one appointments and workshops to help you improve your writing.

Forensics and Debate Space
FORENSICS & DEBATE SPACE

Students participating in individual events forensics competitions or our debate team have a space in the communication studies department to practice and complete their research.

Digital Media Lab
DIGITAL MEDIA LAB

The Digital Media Lab in the library offers a space where students can access specialty software to help them create, connect, and collaborate on media-related projects.