Undergraduate Program of Study
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A major in Communication Studies contributes significantly to the personal growth and development of an individual. Cooperation, negotiation, and mutual understanding are the cornerstones of successful interpersonal relationships in work, the family, and the community. The study of public communication also encourages students to participate in civic affairs by equipping them with the critical skills necessary to evaluate social issues, express opinions, and assume positions of responsible leadership in a democratic society.
The department's curriculum features a developmental approach to communication in which students advance through a progressive series of courses centered on three important principles.
1. The curriculum reflects the faculty's view that theory and practice are complementary and mutually reinforcing aspects of communication studies. The course offerings begin with a series of foundational and performance courses in which students become familiar with the major theoretical issues in the discipline and acquire a variety of oral and written skills that are necessary to the development of communication competence.
As students progress into the higher-level courses, they
work with and evaluate the advanced theoretical perspectives
that guide contemporary research and build upon communicative
skills through critical application of the principles governing
communication studies.
2. The curriculum is designed to cultivate
a cooperative learning atmosphere that emphasizes the interrelationship
of humanistic, performative, and social-scientific approaches
to the study of human communication. Course offerings provide
students with opportunities to study rhetorical theory
and criticism, persuasion theory, argumentation and debate, organizational
communication, group leadership, interpersonal communication,
and political communication.
Students complete the program with a broad understanding of different
communication research methods and the ability to integrate these
perspectives when confronting and solving communication problems
in everyday life.
3. The curriculum is guided by the faculty's
strong commitment to fostering respect for the diversity of human
communication experiences. The course offerings invite students
to appreciate the richness of a multicultural environment and
encourage greater sensitivity to gender and race concerns in the
construction and renewal of communication communities.
Students taking courses guided by these principles will benefit
in many ways. The curriculum is designed to facilitate the professional,
civic, and personal development of each student individually.
By acquiring theoretical and practical knowledge of human communication
resources, Communication Studies graduates can enter new careers
confident in their ability to communicate ideas with clarity and
effectiveness, a skill that opens doors in any professional field.
In all of the these areas, Communication Studies majors at The
University of Alabama are prepared to meet the communication challenges
that characterize our rapidly changing world.
Areas of special emphasis for Communication Studies majors:
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