This is an archived copy of the 2023-2024 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.uwgb.edu.

Communication

https://www.uwgb.edu/communication/

Bachelor of Science

The Communication program offers contemporary communication studies emphasizing comprehensive understanding of communication. Students come to understand how communication happens; how messages are put into visual and verbal codes; how messages are filtered through various media; how messages are interpreted and affect different audiences in different ways and in different contexts; and how students construct those contexts.

New information technologies tend to merge media. A major or minor in Communication provides the kind of integrative knowledge that is required for professional careers in the field.

Internships in Communication provide qualified students with opportunities for faculty-supervised experience in professional settings outside the classroom. In addition, several Communication courses involve students in research projects in the community.

Communication graduates have entered a wide variety of academic and professional areas: news reporting, photojournalism, broadcast journalism, television production, printing and publications, advertising, sales and marketing, management consulting, technical writing and editing, public relations, and government service, as well as graduate study in information science, library science, journalism, media studies, and telecommunications.

Communication offers eight areas of emphasis.

  • Students in generalist ...
  • Students in health communication study internal and external communications in the healthcare environment.  Students will learn how to (1) improve provider/patient interactions, (2) enhance communication within healthcare organizations, and (3) how to inform the public about healthcare issues, threats, and crises.
  • Students in journalism will develop writing and editing skills, including video reporting/editing skills; the ability to do in-depth research and reporting, a concern for people, a strong sense of autonomy, and a well-rounded understanding of important issues in their field through this program and through a liberal arts education. Students will also gain hands-on experience in journalism through participation in on-campus publications and/or through outside internships.
  • Students in mass media need more than just knowledge of production techniques. Professional advancement requires skills in writing, editing, advertising and sales, market and audience research, as well as knowledge of new media and their impact on society and culture.
  • Students in organizational communication develop basic communication skills needed in organizations, such as speaking, interviewing, meeting management, and problem solving using different communication technologies for different purposes. They also learn about sources of communication problems in organizations, strategies for discovering and solving these problems, and current theories of organizational communication.
  • Students in public relations complete requirements that reflect the demand for graduates who can write well, are fully acquainted with the wide range of available modes of communication (graphics, print, broadcast, oral discourse, digital/internet, and their many combinations), and are particularly skillful in at least one of them. Students also learn how to respond to common PR challenges such as announcing changes, promoting events, and responding to crises.
  • Students in social media strategy focus on the strategies and tactics needed to advance organizational goals. Students will be prepared for long-term careers working as social media managers, specialists, curators, and content providers.

  • Students in sports communication focus on the unique dynamics associated with sports media, organizations, teams, and players. Students will be prepared for long-term careers working as sport reporters, broadcasters, media specialists, or public relations professionals.

Minor 

Supporting Courses 118
Core courses
Introduction to Communication
Fundamentals of Public Address
Business and Media Writing
Elements of Media
Communication Problems and Research Methods
Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication
Small Group Communication
Upper-Level Courses 115
Choose five upper-level elective courses in Communication 2
Total Credits33

Curriculum Guide

An example: Four year plan for Communications Major with Mass Media Emphasis
120 credits necessary to graduate.
Plan is a representation and categories of classes can be switched. Check with your advisor.

Plan of Study Grid
Freshman
FallCredits
COMM 102 Introduction to Communication 3
First Year Seminar 3
General Ed 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
Spring
COMM 133 Fundamentals of Public Address 3
COMM 166
Fundamentals of Interpersonal Communication
or Small Group Communication
3
General Ed 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
Sophomore
Fall
COMM 205 Elements of Media 3
COMM 290 Communication Problems and Research Methods 3
General Ed 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
Spring
COMM 185 Business and Media Writing 3
General Ed 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
Elective  
 Credits12
Junior
Fall
COMM 302 News Reporting and Writing 3
COMM 335 Organizational Communication 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
Spring
COMM 306 Radio Broadcasting 3
COMM 308 Information and Communication Technologies 3
COMM 380 Communication Law 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
Upper Level Comm Course 3
 Credits18
Senior
Fall
COMM 307 Video Production 3
COMM 309 Mass Media Advertising 3
COMM 497 Internship (Or Upper Level Comm Course) 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
Spring
COMM 430 Information, Media and Society 3
COMM 477 Social Media Strategies 3
General Ed 3
Elective 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
 Total Credits120

Faculty

Phillip G Clampitt; Professor; Ph.D., University of Kansas, chair

Bryan James Carr; Associate Professor; Ph.D., University of Oklahoma

Katie Turkiewicz; Associate Professor; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Justin Kavlie; Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of North Carolina

Joseph Yoo; Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of Texas

Mary D Bina; Associate Teaching Professor; B.F.A., University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Shauna M Froelich; Associate Teaching Professor; JD, Marquette University