Communication

Introduction

In support of the mission of Western Washington University and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, we teach communication studies that nurture inclusive civil discourse, critical thinking, and cooperative solutions in a diverse global community. We offer opportunities to develop strong communication skills within a challenging liberal arts program.

Our major program prepares students to speak and write proficiently, think critically, apply communication concepts competently, work cooperatively in small groups, and reflect on ethical dimensions of their actions. We focus on interactive learning in a high quality communication studies curriculum. We assist planning so that students effectively manage time to graduation. We emphasize carefully guided, performance-based learning characterized by a low student-to-faculty ratio in the classroom. And we offer the opportunity to participate in a nationally recognized forensics program. Faculty and staff encourage a sense of community. We engage with students to support their wellbeing and success. Through the talents, intellectual curiosity, and versatility of our diverse faculty we have established a strong intercultural and global orientation. We provide General Education Requirement courses that are crucial to the university’s undergraduate communication education, and our communication theory and applications courses also instruct other majors. We are committed to community partnerships for strong service-learning and internships, and we serve the citizens of Washington in progressive communication instruction.

Communication

The Department of Communication offers a Bachelor of Arts in communication with courses in interpersonal and small group communication, organizational communication, mass communication, intercultural communication, communication technologies, research methods, ethics, rhetoric, persuasion, public speaking, and debate.

Communication Education

Education students may choose a communication major designed for the elementary level.

Faculty

MICHAEL KARLBERG (1997) Professor. BA, University of California; MA, PhD, Simon Fraser University.
EE LIN LEE (2005) Associate Professor. BA, MA, Western Michigan University; PhD, University of New Mexico.
HELEN MORGAN PARMETT (2012) Assistant Professor. BA University of Vermont; MA, University of Pittsburgh; PhD, University of Minnesota.
TARA PERRY (2005) Associate Professor. BA, Western Washington University; MA, PhD, Washington State University.
KAREN ROHRBAUCK STOUT (2000) Professor. BA, University of Puget Sound; MA, University of Montana; PhD, University of Utah.
RAE LYNN SCHWARTZ-DUPRE (2006) Associate Professor. BA, University of Vermont; MA, Wake Forest University; PhD, University of Iowa.
JIANGLONG WANG (1989) Professor. BA, Fudan University; MA, PhD, Northwestern University.
STEVEN G. WOODS (2001) Associate Professor. BS, MA, Kansas State University; PhD, Florida State University.

Affiliated Faculty

CARMEN WERDER (1984). BA, MA English, Western Washington University; PhD, English, University of British Columbia.

Becoming a Communication Major

Students wishing to declare a major in communication must have completed at least 60 credits with a GPA of 2.5 or above. Students must submit a portfolio to the department (see below) in order to be admitted through a competitive selection process.

Admission to the major will, in part, be determined by the number of applicants and their qualifications in any given quarter. Cumulative grade point average (GPA) will be one of the major criteria for admission. In most quarters, the average GPA of successful applications is above 3.0. Other factors considered by faculty when selecting communication majors are writing samples, work and service experiences with diverse populations, reference letters, and seniority at WWU.

Before applying to become a Communication major, students must:

Complete COMM 101 or COMM 235 with a B- or better.
Complete
COMM 220
, with a B- or better.

Once the above courses have been completed, students can submit a portfolio of their work on or before Monday of the fourth week of fall, winter and spring quarters. The faculty will then review the portfolios and announce the names of successful applicants before the end of each quarter. Students are allowed to make a maximum of two application attempts.

The portfolio will include the following items:

Transcripts of all college work completed to date
A letter of intent to major in communication
A résumé including course of study, work experience, recreational and avocational activities, internships, awards and honors, and public service activities
Two samples of the student’s collegiate writing assignments including best research paper or class project
Three letters of recommendation from employers, teachers, or supervisors
A proposed program of study which includes a statement indicating a chosen minor or a self-designed minor. (A self-designed minor is comprised of at least 25 credits and is acceptable only when the student has a clear educational goal that cannot be met within existing minors on campus. Requests to pursue a self-designed minor must include a written statement prepared by the student indicating the rationale for the self-designed minor and the courses selected.)

Once admitted, communication majors whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.5 risk losing their major status. They will be warned of the risk in their first quarter below 2.5 and may be dropped from the major if their cumulative GPA is not 2.5 or higher in the subsequent quarter.

Mid-Program Checkpoint

A student seeking to complete a BA degree with a communication major within a four-year time span should complete the following courses by the start of his/her junior year. Major omissions from this list will make it difficult to complete this degree within two additional years.

COMM 101 or COMM 235 (with a B- or better)
COMM 220
(with a B- or better)
One of the following: COMM 235 ; LIBR 201
Two or more 200 or 300-level communication courses that are open to all undergraduates:
JOUR 190
(Intro to Mass Media) will also count toward a COMM major and can be taken at this stage.
Substantial progress in General University Requirements (GURs), including courses with substantial writing components (see portfolio writing sample requirements).
COMM 398
(Research Methods in Communication) should be taken by the student as soon as possible once a student is accepted into the department.

Programs

Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate Minor

Communication Minor

Courses

Communication

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described in the University Academic Policies section of this catalog.