Resources
Affiliated Programs
The versatility and interconnectedness of communication studies has fascilitated many linkages with other programs at Denison. Among these connections are:
Student Activities
- Bullsheet - A daily venue of opinion, student controversies, and campus activities. The Bullsheet is completely student-run.
- Denisonian - The student-run, weekly, campus newspaper published every Monday during the school year.
- Lambda Pi Eta - Since 1996 our department has housed the Delta Upsilon chapter of the National Communication Association's honor society, Lambda Pi Eta. The organization aims to foster and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in communication studies, stimulate interest in the field, promote and encourage professional development, discuss and exchange ideas in the field, establish and maintain closer relationships between faculty and students, and explore opportunities for graduate study.
- WDUB - Brings students' voices to the air and acts as a service to our community.
Research
Senior Research
Students who are interested in undertaking an advanced research project may work with a faculty member of the Department for either one or two semesters during their senior year. Often these projects become Senior Honors projects for students graduating from Denison with Honors. Examples of recent Senior Research projects include:
- Oedipus in Office: The Rhetorical Tragedy of George W. Bush in Decision Points, Thomas R.Simon, 2011
- Seasoned Writers: The Bittersweet Enactments of Women's Rhetorical Agency in Feminist Food Films, Lorrin Ostojic, 2011
- "Then the hair stood up on the back of my neck": Bill Monroe's 42nd Annual Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival, Davis Bourland, 2009.
- "Play Ball!" The Relation of Jackie Robenson to his Blackness, David Fiffick, 2008.
A Sample of a Senior Research Proposal
Summer Research
A variety of summer grants are available for students who wish to undertake intensive research during the summer months. Some of these, such as the Young Scholars and the Denison University Research Foundation awards, are made for research conducted at Denison in collaboration with a faculty member. The Ashbrook Fellowship, available through the Center for Service Learning, provides support for students undertaking projects involving community-based learning.
Fellowships, Scholarships & Awards
Communication Fellows
Communication Fellows are outstanding juniors and seniors in the program who work closely with department faculty as research assistants. The nature of the research is varied, and may involve bibliographic searches, data collection or coding, or editing of audio or video works in progress. Fellows are selected on the basis of merit:
- Department faculty nominate students on the basis of their contributions in classes, their academic performance, and their interest in advanced research.
- Nominees are invited to apply for the position in writing, and are subsequently interviewed by the faculty.
- Students who are selected as Fellows are recognized at the Honors Convocation held just before Commencement, as well as being paid for their work with faculty.
Scholarships
Two scholarships are awarded annually by the Communication Department. The Lionel G. Crocker Scholarship, a gift of James P. Huchison, is awarded to a current junior (rising senior) majoring in Communication and demonstrating financial need, who best exemplifies distinguished work in the field of Communication. The Geraldine H. Crocker Scholarship, made through a bequest by Mrs. Crocker, is awarded to a Communication major demonstrating financial need, and demonstrating scholastic excellence.
Awards
The Communication major earning the highest accumulated GPA preceding the final semester of senior year is awarded the John P. Levis Award and recognized in the annual Honors Convocation. The Clyde Schumaker Award is given by the department to the Communication major who, in the view of the faculty, has demonstrated excellence in Communication both through academic performance and contributions to the development of the Department and major.
Internships & Jobs
Communication majors intern in a variety of contexts including broadcasting and cable administration and production, advertising and public relations, journalism, communication law and regulation, education, and public affairs. Student interns work in coordination with a faculty member and an on-site supervisor and receive up to two academic credits per internship.
Eligibility
- Students must be communication majors or minors;
- Students must have a communication GPA of at least 3.0;
- Students must have an overall GPA of 2.5;
- Students must have completed at least three relevant communication courses;