Multi-dimensional in its approach, Communication Studies Department uses the rich resources of both the humanities and the social sciences in exploring the human capacity for speech - when, where, why, how, and with what effect people interact through language and extra-linguistic symbols - and focuses on the theory and practice of human communication in a variety of contexts: interpersonal, intercultural, instructional, organizational, political, in dyads, in small groups, and in the mass media. The Communication Studies program prepares students for graduate work or careers in a wide variety of occupations that place a premium on excellent communication skills. The Communication Studies degree program is now among the most popular in the College of Liberal Arts.
Modified from coms.calpoly.edu
Senior Projects from 2011
Rick Warren's Inaugural Invocation: A Generic Application, Hillary Ann Hicks
A Speech Of Defense: Obama's Apologia For Himself And The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Trevor Adams Hogan
Strategic Communications Planning for Non-Profit Organizations: A Data-Based Application of a Seven Step Model, Christina Hoogendam
Words That (Don’t) Matter: An Evaluative Study of Four Names in Environmental Rhetoric, Larissa Hope Jaskulsky
The Dimensions of Source Credibility and Salesperson Persuasion, Eric Jaso
Flavor of SLO, Kendra Noel Jorde
Personal Branding for Professional Success (Brand Development for Communication Studies Students), Breeana J. Kelly-Slatten
The Defining Moment for a Feminist Figure: An Analysis of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s “The Solitude of Self”, Natalie JoAnn Kiss
Consolatory Discourse: A Farewell To Life, Keith M. Klemens
A Taste of Design: Incorporating Semiotics into Flavor of SLO 2011, Michael B. Leibovich
"I Hired You Because You Look Good": A Feminist Criticism of House, Taylor Rachelle Lutzker
Documentation of the Coordination of Two Benefits for the SLO Hep C Project, Megan Lea Michels
8th Annual CubeSat Developers' Workshop 2011, Nicole Nathan, Helena Race, and Brittany Roach
A Cry for Human Rights: Elizabeth Cady Stanton's "Solitude of Self", Megan Palmer O'Donnell
International Career Conference 2011, Candice Ryann Powell
Kanye West is Heading South, Clifton A. Sammet
Student Lunch Nutrition, Kathryn Leigh Scholte
The Evolution of the Theme of Race Relations in the United States: A Rhetorical Analysis of “The Gettysburg Address,” “I Have a Dream,” and “A More Perfect Union.”, Matthew Schonfeld
NorCal vs. SoCal: Culture as Communication, Jillian J. Smith
"Spring Awakening" and Anti-Conformity: An Ideological Criticism, Kara M. Stone
CabbyChic, Stephanie Stroud
Organizational Communication and Human Resources: A Proposal for a New Specialization, Erin Brittany Swoger
Michael Jackson's Oxford Union Address: A Critique from a Hegemonic Perspective, Jenny Ngoc Tang
Preaching Styles: Honey & Vinegar, Logan Tavelli
Sampling the Wine and Beer Industry: Using Communication Studies to Coordinate an Event, Dana Wacks