Welcome to the Communication Studies Department at Cal Poly, home to more than 200 student majors and minors.

Communication Studies can be traced back to the academies of ancient Athens, where the study of oral communication as a means of sharing information and gaining influence formed the core of the academic curriculum.

Understanding the process of human communication is no less important in the Information Age than it was in the Golden Age of Greece and Rome. Contemporary courses in Communication Studies focus 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 goal of the Communication Studies curriculum is to enhance understanding of the nature, processes and effects of human communication. Multi-dimensional in its focus, the discipline uses the rich resources of both the humanities and the social sciences in exploring how people communicate directly and indirectly through language and associated nonverbal messages. The Speech Communication major leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree which prepares students for graduate work or careers in the various communication professions, as well as for careers in a wide variety of occupations which place a premium on excellent communication skills. The Communication Studies minor is designed to complement other majors in the university through a series of required and elective courses addressing various facets of human communication.

The curriculum focuses on rhetoric -- one of the original liberal arts -- and communication theory. Students learn basic principles and draw upon both interpretive and empirical methods in analyzing human communication in courses such as Classical Rhetorical Theory, Rhetorical Criticism, Communication Theory, and Communication Research. In courses such as Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Communication, Argumentation, and Public Speaking, students study how, why and with what consequences humans communicate directly with each other, while mediated communication is emphasized in courses such as Mass Media Criticism and Media Effects. Courses such as Intercultural Communication, Gender and Communication, Organizational Communication, and Health Communication explore principles of communication applied to a wide range of contexts.

As you can see from the accomplishments of our faculty as reflected on their individual pages, there is a high level of professional activity and engagement within the department. We encourage our majors to become involved in professional meetings, to submit papers to student competitions, and to participate in the activities of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society. This activity adds not only to the quality of the educational experience available through our program, but also to Cal Poly's tradition of providing attention to the individual undergraduate student and of encouraging a sense of intellectual community among faculty and students.