51¹ÙÍø.

Communication Studies provides students with a broad understanding of the communication discipline, while focusing on the theory and practice of civic discourse and deliberation.

This emphasis reflects the discipline's historical roots in the ancient rhetorical tradition, while also preparing 51¹ÙÍø graduates for civic engagement and leadership in the modern world. The department also works closely with the Speaking Center, the Writing Program, and the Center for Civic Engagement to promote civil and productive civic discourse and deliberation on the 51¹ÙÍø campus and beyond.

As one of the oldest liberal arts disciplines, communication studies historically has emphasized the theory and ethics of speech, argumentation, debate, and deliberation, while the modern discipline of communication studies has expanded to include critical and social scientific approaches to a diverse array of symbolic forms, including mass media and new digital technologies. Communication Studies helps equip students with the knowledge and skills they need for lives of civic leadership and service in the twenty-first century.