Chatham University

BA Communications Learning Outcomes

College-Wide Goals & Objectives

This section explains how the BA in Communications meets the overarching objectives at Chatham University.

  1. Information Literacy

    1. Students must effectively locate and gather information for research and media-related analysis through a variety of information media.
    2. Students must be able to properly evaluate the quality of the information and its sources.
    3. Students must utilize their knowledge gathered from various media sources to render well-communicated, designed and conceptualized projects and/or research papers in response to their contextual analysis.

  2. Critical Reading

    1. Students must evaluate their creative projects to critical communications studies through a combination of written and online texts, hand-outs, journal articles, and in-class lectures, conversations and demonstrations.
    2. Students must assess the quality of gathered and presented information as well as its sources.

  3. Analytical Thinking

    1. Students must critically investigate and respond to case studies as well as the work of their peers during critique sessions.
    2. Students must look for multidisciplinary relationships between communications and other fields of research, examining the role of the communications professional within a broader social context.
    3. Students must exhibit a critical understanding of related technical concerns, representational issues, aesthetic practices, ideas and concepts through original projects and/or papers.

  4. Problem Solving

    1. Students must transform critical and analytical research into well-conceptualized projects and informed responses.
    2. Students must be able to move from concept to project actualization.
    3. Students must have a strong understanding of the technical in order to properly troubleshoot and solve technical issues related to a project.

  5. Public Written Communication

    1. Students must communicate clearly by writing research or response papers of various lengths, which support coursework requirements.
    2. Students must communicate their conceptual and creative concepts clearly in written project statements.
    3. Students must formulate a point of view and be able to defend it within the written format.

  6. Public Oral Communication

    1. Students must communicate ideas clearly in oral presentations.
    2. Students must actively participate in classroom discussions and group critique sessions.
    3. Students must formulate a point of view and be able to defend it orally.
 

Program-Specific Goals & Objectives

This section explains the discipline-specific goals and objectives of the Bachelor of Arts in the Communication program.

  1. Analysis and Context
    1. Students must demonstrate competence in reporting news.
    2. Students must demonstrate competence in accessing public records.
    3. Students must demonstrate competence in researching facts for a communication context.
    4. Students must look for interdisciplinary relationships between communication and other fields of research.

  2. Professional Writing and Speech Processes

    1. Students must develop and transform original concepts into well-conceptualized projects - demonstrating a competency in writing for broadcast.
    2. Students must demonstrate competence in research methods for the academic study of communications.
    3. Students must demonstrate competence in persuasive expression focused on speech and writing.
    4. Students must demonstrate clear writing for a range of subjects that includes commercial, professional as well as expository writing.

  3. Technical Fundamentals

    1. Students must have knowledge of the technology they are utilizing for their projects (saving/storing files, various software packages and techniques, hardware, scanning, digital video/photo equipment, etc.).
    2. Students must create original projects that draw on their knowledge of the technological form in order to thoroughly investigate representation in news media and commercial media.
    3. Students must properly troubleshoot and solve technical-related problems.

  4. Professional Practice

    1. Students must develop editorial projects with an understanding of a diversified audience.
    2. Students must properly document their projects, choosing appropriate forms of media.
    3. Students must have an understanding of relevant journals, media outlets, firms, etc. for later distribution or field contribution.
    4. Students must develop field-appropriate professional portfolios and be able to communicate their projects clearly.
    5. Students must develop attitudes of professional responsibility and accountability.
    6. Students must develop professional discipline (time-management, organizational skills).