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MU Home » Academics » School of Public Affairs » Department of Communication

Our communications faculty have all come from professional backgrounds and enforce professional standards. We feel that our students should be treated like professionals and given appropriate responsibilities. Students in our communications courses are encouraged to approach their classwork the same way an independent producer would approach a contract. Students are allowed and encouraged to choose their own project ideas and develop them to suit their needs. Our hope is that our students will find their own creative voices and develop the confidence necessary to approach the job market effectively and with a strong portfolio of professional level work.

Group Projects

Students working on video projects are expected to work in teams just as it is done in the professional world. Working professionals in the video field have specialties and honed skills, each of which is essential for the success of the production team. These skills and specialties begin here. Communication students sample a number of different roles in the production of video projects and become aware of their own strengths as well as how to recognize those of others. The end result is a greater understanding of leadership and teamwork as well as proper appreciation of responsibility.

Web Projects

The world wide web is the greatest tool for free expression ever to exist in the civilized world. For the first time in history everybody has a potential voice that can reach a truly global audience. Students in our web page design classes are free to create content of their own choosing and to publish it on the Internet. Students are given complete creative control of their server space and full responsibility for what they create. Students may not violate laws through their server space and may not publish anything indecent, but their personal freedom of speech is respected. Many students choose to maintain their sites after the conclusion of the class and some of them have attracted loyal followings.

Mass Communications Goals

• Goal 1: Graduates will be competent and ready for entry-level employment in their field.
  
• Goal 2: Graduates will be knowledgeable in the area of computer-based communications and will have competency in computer graphics, multimedia design, and interactive communications.
  
• Goal 3: Graduates will be competent in written, oral, and visual communication as well as in critical thinking.
  
• Goal 4: Students will become more critical consumers of information and information technologies, and will become more aware of the planning process and techniques involved in the production of a variety of media products

Organizational Communication and Leadership Program Goals

• Goal 1: Students will understand the nature and dynamics of communication.
  
• Goal 2: Students will be aware of the importance of open, honest, and ethical communication.
  
• Goal 3: Students will be proficient in the preparation, research, organization, and delivery of public speeches and presentations.
  
• Goal 4: Students will be proficient in demonstrating effective listening skills.
  
• Goal 5: Students will know and demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills in the initiation, development, and maintenance of relationships at play, home, and work.