Communication Department

The Communication Department is a dynamic, student-focused and community-engaged program that focuses on the development of cultural competence within the context of the local community, the nation, and the larger world. We do this through experiential learning opportunities within the context of theoretical coursework.

Reflecting the realities of everyday personal, civic, and professional life, you will work closely with your instructors, your student peers, community organizations, and businesses (local or global) to develop a range of communication skills and knowledge such as mediating conflicts, marketing and promoting your organization, developing your personal or professional social media presence, building personal or professional relationships, and much more

We live in a time shaped by new technologies, digital media, cultural convergence, a global economy, and a rich diversity of cultures. The department is structured around communities of practice with emphasis on four areas: media studies, human interaction, organizational communication, and public relations.

Studies indicate that, in the future, there will be jobs that currently do not exist. The department emphasizes knowledge and competencies that will help you to remain nimble and flexible in an ever changing global society. Our goal is to prepare you for a complex future by developing skills that apply to multiple life and work situations. These communication skills include writing, speaking, listening, resolving conflicts, and interacting across and within different cultures whether face to face or mediated.

Emphasizing the relationship between theory and practice, you will be given the opportunity to improve your skills in oral, written, group, and digital projects to develop a deep understanding of the complex process of human communication. In addition to regular coursework, you will be supported in completing at least one internship, community-based learning project, and/or research project before you graduate!

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Department Learning Goals Communication Internships Minors and Certificates Professional Communication (MA)

DEPARTMENT CONTACT INFO

Dr. Adrienne Viramontes | viramont@uwp.edu

Jacquelyn Arcy, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Jacquelyn Arcy is an Associate Professor of New Media and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication. She has her Ph.D. in Critical Media Studies from the University of Minnesota, and her MA in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. Her areas of specialization are television studies, digital media and culture, media industries, and feminist media studies.

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Anjuli Brekke, PH.D.

Assistant Professor

Anjuli Joshi Brekke is an Assistant Professor in the Communication Department. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Washington. Her scholarship focuses on the potential and politics of listening and interweaves research from several traditions including rhetorical studies, cultural studies, and sound studies. Her work explores the power and limitations of sharing personal narratives, both online and offline, to facilitate listening across difference. She is currently working on a book project based on an oral history and digital storytelling project she proposed and led to record and share stories of racial discrimination and resistance from the larger Seattle area. She has published multiple works on podcasting, radical listening and race and teaches courses in community-based podcasting and digital storytelling.

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Theresa Castor, PhD

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs; Professor - Communication

Theresa Castor conducts research on organizational decision-making, focusing on crisis and problem situations in meetings and governance groups. She graduated from the University of Washington in 1999 with a PhD in Speech Communication.

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Hilary Rasmussen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Hilary Rasmussen is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric in the Department of Communication. She has her Ph.D. in Communication with certifications in Rhetorical Leadership and Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and her MA in Communication with an emphasis in Women’s Historical Rhetoric from Northern Illinois University. Her areas of specialization are argumentation, pedagogy, public relations, social movement and legal discourses, and LGBTQIA+ studies.

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Adrienne Viramontes, Ph.D.

Professor and Department Chair

Adrienne Viramontes is an Associate Professor in the Communication Department and serves as Graduate Director for the Professional Communication Master's program. She holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from Purdue University Calumet, and a Ph.D. in Speech Communication from Southern Illinois University. She specializes in identity, intersectionality, qualitative research methods, and Chicana/o history and identities.

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