Areas of Emphasis in the communication major

At the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, we explore the complex role of human communication in everyday life. As a student in our school, you will learn how to communicate effectively whether with one person or large and diverse groups. Our communication courses will provide you with the tools to understand, analyze, and respond to communication problems and opportunities, including interpersonal relationships, workplace teams, and community, civic and cultural groups.

These emphasis areas are designed to help you as an undergraduate communication major effectively choose communication courses that fit your interests and career goals. The description of each area of emphasis also focuses on the career opportunities available within each case. In addition, the emphasis areas can help you develop a narrative describing what it is you are studying and what it can do for you.

Select two of the five Areas of Emphasis and complete both of the Required Core Courses in each:

• Communication and Healthy Relating
   
• Workplace, Organizational, and Leadership Communication
   
• Civility, Advocacy, and Engaging Publics
   
• Communication, Creativity, and Performance
   

• Communicating Across Cultures
   

Communication and Healthy Relating

Healthy and sustained relationships require effective communication. Therefore, this area of emphasis focuses on the many ways that communication creates, maintains, and transforms, effective and nourishing relationships across many contexts (e.g., family, romantic, friendship, work). This focus should allow students to be more aware and more effective relational partners, both personally and professionally.

This emphasis can prepare students for careers in social and family services, human resource management, counseling, conflict mediation, sales, event planning, corporate training, non-profit organizations, management, and many others. Some students also go on to graduate school in areas such as communication, psychology, counseling and sociology, 


A. Required Core Courses:

B. Recommended Elective Courses:

Workplace, Organizational, and Leadership Communication

Organizations are constituted by and transformed through communication. Effective workplace communication and leadership are crucial elements of success in all types of organizations, businesses, and teams. This area of emphasis provides insight and training on the many ways that communication and leadership can build effective, just, and responsive workplaces.

This area of emphasis will prepare students for careers in business, consulting, sports management, social media, marketing, technology, human resources, civil service, research/development, conflict management, and leadership. Such careers could occur within small businesses, sports teams, multinational corporations, consulting firms, governmental agencies, educational institutions or non-profit organizations. Some students also go on to graduate school in areas such as communication and business,
 

A. Required Core Courses:

B. Recommended Elective Courses:

Civility, Advocacy, and Engaging Publics

The very nature of our culture and institutions (e.g., values, structures, ideas, and practices) are created, challenged, changed, and maintained through communication. Every new idea, product, and practice was initially created and instituted through communication. Therefore, this area of emphasis focuses students on the processes through which ideas are developed, disseminated, advocated, and adopted.

This focus should effectively prepare students for positions in areas such as professional speaking, public information dissemination, community organizing, non-profit leadership, advertising, public relations, diplomacy and foreign service, and political communication in both domestic and international contexts. Students interested in this area of emphasis should also consider enrolling in the Certificate in Civil Communication. Some students go onto law school or other areas of graduate study.

A. Required Core Courses:

B. Recommended Elective Courses:

Communication, Creativity, and Performance

Communication, at its very core, is a creative enterprise. People must be able to adjust to ever-changing social conditions and diverse audiences to better advance inclusion and social engagement. To meet this challenge, this area of emphasis focuses on the performative nature of communication and the use of creative responses and aesthetic messages. This focus should effectively prepare students for careers in performing arts, event planning, teaching (pre-school, children, or adults), advertising, public relations, training and development, marketing, consulting, non-profit leadership and community organizing. Some students go onto graduate school in communication, the arts or many others.

A. Required Core Courses:

B. Recommended Elective Courses

Communication Across Cultures

Understanding how culture and communication intertwine is important to understanding and influencing events (both local and global) that shape our world. This emphasis promotes personal community involvement that can constructively respond to challenges and appreciate the advantages of an increasingly diverse society and world. This emphasis will prepare students who plan to pursue graduate school and/or careers in workplaces (large or small, for-profit or nonprofit) that involve, and/or deal with, diverse groups. Specific careers might include consulting, diplomacy, social media, marketing, technology, human resources, civil service, foreign service, conflict management, and global leadership. Some students go onto graduate school in communication, business, global leadership or many others.

A. Required Core Courses: 

B. Recommended Elective Courses: