Associate Professor John Arthos teaches a communication course in which students explore the art of inquiry and advocacy known as argumentation, while considering the nature, the building blocks and the practice of argument in public debate.

In the classroom, faculty and students study the characteristics of messages that affect the ways people perceive them, assign meaning to them and respond to them in different circumstances. Communication is one of the largest and most popular academic departments on campus. We have approximately 300 majors and minors.

Our faculty offer at least 40 courses each year, with an average class size of about 22.

The communication major

The Department of Communication requires a major to complete a minimum of 36 semester hours, including two introductory core courses and advanced course work and seminars.

The flexible curriculum reflects the myriad interests of students in media, interpersonal, intercultural and rhetorical studies.

A student minoring in communication must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours, including two introductory core courses and advanced course work and a seminar.

You can find our recent majors in graduate programs and law schools at American University, UCLA, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Purdue University, Penn State University, Case Western Reserve and Ohio State University.

What do communication majors do after Denison?

The careers and postgraduate study of communication majors indicate a wide range of possibilities.

Our former students hold prominent positions across the country as community organizers, educators, speechwriters, web managers, programming executives, editors, publishers, journalists, attorneys, production assistants, sports managers, human relations officers, and advertising and marketing accountants.

Communication faculty work with students to produce research of exceptional quality. Students have presented papers at the DePauw University Undergraduate Honors Conference, the conference on Ethnicity and Family Communication, the National Communication Association and at the Eastern States Communication Association.