Department of Communication Studies CSU Stanislaus

Contact Information:
Fred P. Hilpert, Jr., Chair
Tel: (209) 667-3371
Fax: (209) 667-3525
Email: fredh@toto.csustan.edu

Department of Communication Studies
CSU Stanislaus

Program Goals

Cognitive Goals:

To complete the degree major in Organizational Communication a student must know and understand that:

1. The body of knowledge which constitutes the field of communication has been developed over nearly 2,500 years.

2. In its most rudimentary form, communication is a process of creating, sending, receiving, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages.

3. Communication occurs in a variety of contexts, such as interpersonal, small group, organizational, public, mass, and intercultural.

4. Communication Studies encompasses a broad array of theoretical perspectives, including both behavioral and rhetorical approaches.

5. Communication Studies employs a variety of methodologies for the purposes of inquiry, including empirical, historical, and critical.

6. Communication incorporates the principles of persuasion, including logical, emotional, and argumentative considerations.

7. Communication requires the creation and application of ethical choices.

8. Communication both shapes and is shaped by culture and public life.

9. Communication is basic to the development, maintenance, and promotion of democratic principles.

10. Communication theory is developed, tested, and modified through application of social science methods.

11. Communication between cultures is vital to contemporary society.

12. Communication practices vary according to cultural experience.

Behavioral Goals:

To complete the degree major in Organizational Communication a student must demonstrate skill in:

1. Oral communication:

• By organizing ideas into introduction, body, main points, subpoints, and conclusion.
  
• By adapting messages to the needs of particular audiences.
  
• By adapting messages to the constraints of various social contexts.
  
• By delivering ideas to others in a clear and compelling manner.
  

2. Written communication:

• By meeting and striving to surpass acceptable college standards of writing, including grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraph structure.
  
• By organizing written documents into introduction, body, main points, subpoints, and conclusion, or other appropriate forms.
  
• By organizing written documents around the principles of logic, argumentation, and persuasion, including thesis statement and supporting information.
  
• By adapting written messages to general and specialized audiences.
  

3. Critical thinking:

• By distinguishing between inductive and deductive forms of logic.
  
• By researching a topic and locating relevant information.
  
• By differentiating between statements of fact and statements of opinion.
  
• By identifying various fallacies of reasoning used in oral and written communication.
  
• By critiquing communication messages through the application of effective listening and informed styles of criticism.
  
• By using applicable communication theories and methods to solve problems.
  

4. Application and integration of knowledge:

• By analyzing and addressing social issues and social problems from a communication perspective.
  
• By analyzing and addressing communication issues common to work and career settings.
  
• By analyzing and addressing communication concerns characteristic of personal and social relationships.
  

Affective Goals:

Students who complete the degree major in Organizational Communication should feel that it is important to:

1. Exercise ethical responsibility in their communication with others. 2. Improve relationships with others, both personal and professional, through effective communication. 3. Be sensitive to the communication practices of people who differ from themselves based on cultural background, age, gender, and physical and mental condition. 4. Appreciate the variety of communication patterns and styles of people living in a multi-cultural society.

Footnote: The statement of goals is adapted, in part, from the statement of goals of the faculty of the Department of Speech Communication at San Jose State University (Spano, 1992, pgs. 8-10).