Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies

at Shorelight Group - Cleveland State University USA

What do we know when we know a language? How do we learn it? What does language reveal about our culture and identity? These are the central questions explored by linguists. The goal is to gain a scientific understanding of the nature of language that can be applied in many areas, such as linguistics, anthropology, speech & hearing, language teaching, computational linguistics, and cognitive science. Linguists also systematically compare human language to animal communication systems. Linguistics majors will get a thorough training in the core areas of linguistics, such as Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology and Syntax; and learn how linguists find evidence for their hypotheses and what are the cutting edge topics in the field today.

The Linguistics program is an undergraduate interdisciplinary program of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, offering a MAJOR and a MINOR in Linguistics. The areas of Anthropology, English, and Speech & Hearing are well represented in the program, and students majoring in any of these fields would be able to “double count” many credits toward Linguistics and their other majors. The program also includes courses from Communication, Education, Modern Languages and Psychology.

Studying marketing provides students with the basis to understand the art of developing, communicating, and delivering an offering that consumers find attractive. The goal of marketing is to persuade, earn, and keep customers, clients and partners through carefully articulating the value of your product or service. Studying marketing develops creativity, strategic problem solving, and a deep understanding of consumer behavior and motivation.

Special tracks within the Marketing Major include: consumer marketing, business-to-business marketing, international marketing, database marketing and digital marketing.

The Communication Studies major provides students with a critical understanding of the complex, vital role that communication plays in contemporary life. Course-work offers students a host of intellectual, problem-solving, and career-related skills. In contemporary society, which is characterized by a dazzling array of new technologies, rapid social change, instant messaging, and dynamic interpersonal relationships, it is imperative that students appreciate the ways communication influences everyday life. Students who obtain a major in communication will take classes from a nationally ranked faculty and gain an appreciation for the social scientific study of communication.

There are two tracks in the major. The Communication Management track focuses on understanding and improving communication processes in a variety of contexts, including doctor-patient interactions, organizations, teams, families, interpersonal relationships, negotiation and mediation settings, and communication between persons from different cultures, genders, and ethnicities. The Communication track supports students who have widely ranging interests or who need maximum flexibility in scheduling. In addition to the areas mentioned above, students in this track may take coursework in journalism and public relations.

The School of Communication offers a Journalism and Promotional Communication (JPC) major with the two different sequences that provides specialization in journalism and promotional communication.

Journalism Sequence Students in the journalism sequence learn knowledge and skills essential to succeed in a digital newsroom, including hands-on training in digital tools used in reporting, writing, data analysis, multimedia content production, and audience engagement via social media. The theory courses focus on learning and understanding the relationship among news media, society, politics and economy. Promotional Communication Sequence: Promotional Communication students develop expertise in a wide range of strategic communication techniques. Our majors are well-versed in diverse communication specialties including advertising, public relations, visual communication, digital metrics, social media and content marketing. They learn social scientific theories that inform persuasion strategies and campaigns.

The Art History concentration exposes students to a wide range of artistic forms and traditions and to a broad diversity of cultures and issues. Art History students begin with introductory survey courses in Western, Asian, and African Art, and continue with courses in these areas along with Modern, American, AfricanAmerican, and Islamic Art. Advanced seminars in Art History draw on the faculty’s research interests: recent topics include Jewish-American Artists, Medieval Artistic Materials and Processes of Making, and Center and Periphery in African Art. As well as preparing students for graduate study in Art History and related fields, the Art History program provides students with the skills that employers want in college graduates including critical thinking, problem solving, information gathering, and effective oral and written communication.

The Bachelor of Arts in Physics degree is designed to prepare students for a broad range of technical/science careers or graduate professional programs (medical physics, patent processing, teaching). It is constructed to give an in-depth and broad look into the world of Physics, while aiming for a very flexible schedule of classes.

The study of physics provides a crucial understanding of the world around us though the study of the fundamental laws governing matter and energy. The field of physics has been instrumental in the development of advanced materials, electronic and optical devices, and medical equipment, impacting every aspect of our way of life. Studying physics fosters critical thinking, quantitative proficiency, and the ability to research and organize information, and infer new ideas.

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in General Business provides students a breadth of knowledge in business concepts such as accounting, finance, operations, marketing, management, selling and entrepreneurship. This major is ideal for working professionals and business owners.

The School of Health Sciences offers an undergraduate degree program in Speech and Hearing for students who wish to enter the professions of speech-language pathology and/or audiology. These professions are concerned with the identification and treatment of communication disorders across the life span. Speech and Hearing are interrelated fields concerned with speech and language acquisition, and require knowledge of biology, psychology, sociology, and linguistics. Because of interdisciplinary connections, many students find it manageable to minor or double major in Linguistics or Psychology.

An integral aspect of the Speech and Hearing program is the Cleveland State University Speech & Hearing Clinic, an on-campus clinic providing assessment and intervention for individuals across the life span with speech-language-cognitive and audiological concerns.

The Public Safety Management major is designed to equip public safety officials with additional management and communication skills to address the needs of their urban constituents. It provides an in-depth study of community safety needs and problems, as well as analytical tools for addressing injustice for those living and working in urban settings.

The Public Safety Management Major is designed to:

• Prepare both pre-career and active public safety personnel for leadership roles in public safety organizations.
• Allow for in-depth study of community safety needs and introduce analytical tools for developing response strategies for use in emergency situations.
• Promote understanding of policy tools to protect the safety and well-being of our communities.

The BFA in Film & Media Arts is a professional training degree program to prepare students for careers in film and media arts. FMA majors use creative problem solving to craft narratives with subtext and emotional depth, bolstered by precise industry skills. Tracks of Writing and Directing, Acting and Directing, Writing and Producing, Cinematography, Postproduction, and Interactive Media allow for discipline focus and opportunities for collaborative projects of increasing sophistication.