Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose:
Mission StatementThe Department of Communication provides opportunities for its students to apply the principles and theories of mass media and human communication in situations that simulate the professional world. The department operates in a student-centered environment to foster ethical behavior, superior communication skills, leadership abilities and critical thinking.
Goal Statement
The curriculum of this department consists of a careful blend of classroom courses in theory, methodologies and histories and laboratory experiences in hands-on applications of these principles. The intent is to produce a well-rounded graduate who is conversant with the material in the Communication field and who can also proficiently apply that material. To this end, an active internship program also functions in the department. The department prepares students for careers in advertising, broadcasting, interpersonal communication, journalism and public relations. It also prepares students to teach in the secondary schools. Through one course which is required of all graduates at SUU and with five elective courses, the Communication Department endeavors to give SUU general education students strong presentational sills and a background in communication principles.
Assessment Criteria and Activities
1. Communication students will pass their courses with a minimum grade of C, as assessed by testing measures within each course.
2. Communication courses will contain activities which will enable students to demonstrate a reasonable level of proficiency in the skills they have learned.
3. Each senior will write a paper on a chosen or assigned communication theory in the Communication Theory course. They will exhibit proper use of the APA form and achieve a score of not less than 80 percent.
4. A departmental newsletter will be produced each year which will be sent to all available graduates. A portion of the newsletter will contain an inquiry which the person will return to the Communication Department which details their current employment and asks pertinent questions regarding the quality of their education.
5. A survey will be administered to graduating seniors each year which will contain a quantifiable, written portion, and, also, and oral interview.
Implementation
1. Students who do not pass courses in the major with at least a C will not be allowed to count the course in their major.
2. Skill demonstrating activities will be available in each of the areas of emphasis, and will be conducted primarily in the laboratories which are available in each area. Students who may have low skills will be counseled on how a greater skill level may be acquired.
3. Communication Theory is a required course for all majors in the department. Each upper division course in the department requires at least one major written assignment. The written assignment in the Communication Theory course will be of a more intense nature and will demand more attention to content, form and style.
4. The departmental newsletter will provide a vehicle for pose graduation surveys which will be tabulated and evaluated to determine if high levels of satisfaction are maintained by our students after they have entered the work force.
5. The student survey will be administered each year when senior students come to have their graduation papers signed. First, the student will complete the written portion of the survey, then the department chair will conduct the oral interview, after which the person's graduation papers will be signed.
Process:
1. The requirement for a C grade or better will be placed on all advisement sheets, in the university catalog and will be reiterated in personal advisement sessions with the students. It will be reviewed again when the student's papers are scrutinized for graduation.
2. Laboratories and certain courses provide adequate opportunities for observations of student skills in all areas of the department.
3. The Communication Theory course is a senior class and lends itself well to an advanced research project.
4. The newsletter will be a project of the members of the Communication Department, but will involve contributions from students in writing, editing and lay-out.
5. The student survey will be constructed with input from all faculty members. It will be administered by the department advisor or the department chair.
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Last Update: Friday, June 06, 2003 |  |