Communication Home Page

The field of communication, which began more than 2000 years ago with the study and teaching of public communication, has grown to include the study of small group discussion and leadership, interpersonal relationships, family communication, oral interpretation of literature, and intercultural communication to name a few.   The Department of Communication at UAA offers a minor which provides a broad introduction to human communication with course work that covers historical/theoretical perspectives as well as practical skill development.  All students seeking a degree from UAA are required to take at least one communication course to satisfy their general education requirement (GER).  Students have four choices to meet their GER:   Fundamentals of Oral Communication (111), Small Group Communication (235), Interpersonal Communication (237) or Public Speaking (241).

MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of the Department of Communication is to study and disseminate information about human communication within interpersonal, group, organizational, public, and intercultural contexts.  We study how people articulate their ideas, create and interpret meaning, interact, and produce and analyze messages.  The department aims to provide high quality instruction, research, and service to meet community needs in the area of human communication.  Faculty provide instructional excellence and challenge students in all department programs supporting the University of Alaska Oral Communication General Education Requirement (GER), the Communication minor, interdisciplinary Communication major, and forensics education.

The study of communication provides students with the ability to comprehend complex interpersonal, political, group and cultural contexts both conceptually and practically.  Students of communication develop skills essential for leadership, career development, productive citizenship, and for understanding and interpreting events of personal, professional, and public significance.  They learn to reflect critically on messages, advocate their ideas, engage in rewarding interpersonal relationships, work productively in task-oriented groups, and appreciate diverse communication styles.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
The fundamental goals of the Department of Communication are to emphasize student learning and skill development in a variety of communication contexts.  The department provides the highest quality courses to students, incorporating the tradition of rhetorical studies and the need for cross-cultural perspectives.  Our students are challenged to think beyond the surface of messages to fully understand their context and meaning.  The department offers four courses that satisfy the UA Oral Communication General Education Requirement (GER) which provide students a foundation for understanding communication and a springboard to the minor.  The Communication minor offered by the department provides a program that complements most UA majors and develops conceptional understanding and practical skills.  Additionally, the department works with students who are pursuing interdisciplinary undergraduate majors.

The Department of Communication is home to the award-winning Seawolf  Debate Team, Alaska's only intercollegiate speech and debate program.  The program offers intercollegiate competition in public speaking, oral interpretation, and debate as well as training for those who want to coach at the high school level.

Department of Communication
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive, ADM 262
Anchorage, AK  99508
(907) 786-4390

Site designed by Brenda Henderson

Last updated May 22, 2008