The major in Communication and Media combines the traditional skills of rhetorical analysis, effective style, critical thinking, and ethical questioning with contemporary applications through oral, written, and visual communications in both traditional and new media. The goal of the program is to help students understand how language shapes our world and to use responsibly and effectively the various forms of communication that define and construct contemporary life and culture. The major thrust of the curriculum is toward a broad and thorough education in the liberal arts in a creative hybrid form that also prepares students for graduate school, law school, careers in creative and professional writing, in journalism and publishing, in public relations, in teaching, and in other areas of the growing and changing communications and media fields.
One of the main features of the curriculum is the opportunity for each student to assemble, through the Seminar in Communication and Media, a portfolio designed to reflect his/her growth and promise as a writer and communications professional. As such, the portfolio enables the student to reflect on the knowledge and skills he or she has developed in the various courses comprising the major, as well as to evaluate his or her strengths and weaknesses and to address them.
Upon declaring the major, students should begin collecting the raw materials for the portfolio, which may include the best paper or project from each course the student has completed in the major. The finished portfolio will provide a profile of the student’s skills and experience that can serve as the foundation for a professional portfolio.
- Although 11 courses are required for the major, students can take up to 14 courses designated ENG.
- Students entering with Advanced Placement credit for Language and Composition and/or Literature and Composition should take ENG 201 Argument and Persuasion and/or another 200-level ENG course during the first year.
- Two of the three literature courses required of students in this program must be at the 300-level (ENG 320-395).
- Students in this program should complete all three courses in their selected area of specialization before taking the Senior Seminar in Communication and Media.
Students are expected to complete ENG 420 during the fall of their Junior or Senior year. Students who intend to complete an off-campus internship or a study abroad internship must meet the 2.8 minimum GPA established by the university. Students who do not meet that requirement will complete an academic project or course under the supervision of the Practicum instructor and will participate in the Practicum seminar. Students are strongly encouraged to take CSC 181 and ARD 115 as part of their major and to consider a minor in subjects that could contribute to their careers as writers, including graphic design, a modern language, marketing, sociology, and history.
Gateway Courses (3 Courses)
Elective Courses (Choose 3 Courses)
Two courses must be at level 300 or higher.
Capstone Courses (2 Courses)
Specialty Courses (Choose 3 Courses from 1 Specialty)
Journalism and Professional Writing
Creative Writing
Media Studies and Production
Note: At least five courses in the major must be at the 300- or 400-level. Students also have the option to design their own specialization, in consultation with their advisor and with the approval of the Chair. In addition, if for some reason courses for a particular specialization are not available, students may, in consultation with their advisor and approval of the Chair, make appropriate substitutions.