Department of Communication

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Location: Griffin Hall 400
Telephone: 859-572-5436
Fax: 859-572-6187
Email Address: communication@nku.edu
Web Address: http://inside.nku.edu/informatics/departments/communication.html
Department Chair: Zachary Hart
Program Director(s):

Communication Studies Program Director: Andrea Lambert South
Electronic Media & Broadcasting Program Director: Christopher Strobel
Journalism Program Co-Directors: Michele Day, Jacqueline Emerine
Media Informatics Program Director: Christopher Strobel
Public Relations Program Director: Gregory De Blasio

Other Key Personnel:

General Education Director: Yasue Kuwahara
Student Media Adviser: Michele Day
Senior Operations Coordinator: Sue Murphy-Angel
Academic Coordinator: Christa Witt
Academic Specialist: Aaron Zlatkin

Full-Time Faculty: Wesley Akers, Alyssa Appelman, Sookie Cho, Michele Day, Gregory De Blasio, Sara Drabik, Jacqueline Emerine, Jeff Fox, Monica Gallegos, John Gibson, Zachary Hart, Stacie Jankowski, Stephen Johnson, Stephanie Klatzke, Jessica Kratzer, Yasue Kuwahara, Andrea Lambert-South, Austin Lee, Mark Leeman, Lex Pulos, Gaut Ragsdale, J. Michael Skaggs, Karen Slawter, Tracy Songer, Christopher Strobel, David Thomson, Steven Weiss, Stephen Yungbluth

Thinking about the discipline: The Department of Communication fosters an integrated approach to the study and practice of communication and emphasizes the fundamental role communication plays in virtually all human endeavors.

Students majoring in communication studies, electronic media and broadcasting, journalism, media informatics, or public relations will take courses that teach basic and advanced skills in computer-mediated, digital, spoken, visual, and written communication. They also promote an understanding of communication principles and theories as well as an awareness of the personal, social, psychological, and cultural impacts of communication. The department’s courses also emphasize situational analysis, issue identification, problem solving, message construction, storytelling, and effective presentation.

Communication students aspire to become professional communicators in fields such as broadcast, online, and print journalism; digital, animated, audio, and video storytelling; organizational communication; public relations; and social informatics.

Special opportunities for our students: The communication department provides numerous opportunities for practical and applied experiences through an active internship program, projects and practicum courses, and student organizations. The department is home to NorseMedia, which creates media for NKU’s web presence and television station, as well as Norse PROvisions, a student-run public relations firm. In addition, the NKU student newspaper (The Northerner) and online radio station (Norse Code Radio) are housed in the department. Students also have the opportunity to join a variety of discipline-specific student organizations such as the MINjas, Norse Film Society, Public Relations Student Society of America, and Society for Professional Journalists. High achieving students are also eligible to join the communication honor society, Lambda Pi Eta.

Special graduation requirements: All majors and minors must earn a letter grade of C- or better and a 2.0 GPA in their major or minor courses.

Interdisciplinary Minors:

• Popular Culture Studies Minor  

Programs

• Communication Studies, B.A.
• Electronic Media and Broadcasting, B.A.
• Health Communication, B.A.
• Journalism, B.A.
• Media Informatics, B.A.
• Public Relations, B.A.

• Communication Studies Minor
• Electronic Media and Broadcasting Minor
• Journalism Minor
• Media Informatics Minor

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