Academic Programs
Communication
Studying communication at Denison
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GAINING A DEEPER INSIGHT into how communication shapes the world around us, a communication major may be for you. Courses in the Department of Communication examine the process by which meanings are developed, shaped and shared in interpersonal, speaker-audience and mass media contexts.
Associate Professor John Arthos teaches his Communication 122 course, 'Argumentation,' 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 260 majors and 50 minors.
Our faculty offer at least 30 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.
Professor Suzanne Condray teaches Communication 404, 'Media and the Presidency,' a seminar examining the relationship between the media and the American presidency from both a historical and contemporary perspective.
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.
Denison maintains an active chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, a national communication honorary.
Opportunities for student research
Our students discover ways to apply their knowledge and skills in a range of extracurricular activities.
Communication majors often staff Denison's student-operated radio station, WDUB-FM, or the university's newspaper, The Denisonian.
Others may elect off-campus study, an internship, or a semester-long opportunity through the Great Lakes College Association programs in New York and Philadelphia.
Whether conducting original research for Honors Projects, investing in a 10-week intense Summer Scholars Program or writing papers for advanced courses and seminars, Communication majors find a wealth of opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom.
Who are our professors?
Department Chair and Associate Professor Jeffrey B. Kurtz joined the faculty at Denison in 2001. He earned a B.A. at Mount Union College and an M.A. and a Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University. He teaches 'Public Address', 'Persuasion', 'Communication in Social Movements' and 'Rhetoric and the American Experience'. Kurtz's research interests include rhetorics of reform and advocacy, the African-American civil rights movement and the intersection of religious and civic discourse in American public life.
Associate Professor John Arthos joined the faculty at Denison in 2000. He earned a B.A. at University of Michigan, an M.A. at Eastern Michigan University and a Ph.D. at Wayne State University. He teaches 'Argumentation', 'Persuasion', 'Exploring Rhetorical Texts' and occasionally courses in scriptwriting and narrative aesthetics. His research interests include the relationship between rhetoric and hermeneutics.
Professor Suzanne E. Condray joined the faculty at Denison in 1980. She earned a B.A. at East Texas Baptist College, an M.A. at Colorado State University and a Ph.D. at Louisiana State University. She brings eclectic interests in politics, law, rhetoric, gender and documentary to her study of communication. As an independent videographer, Condray has produced documentaries about women's professional basketball and Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for the U.S. presidency.
Assistant Professor Amanda Gunn joined the faculty at Denison in 2003. She earned a B.S. at Appalachian State University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She focuses her teaching and scholarship on exploring questions of marginality, voice and empowerment in a variety of communication contexts.
Assistant Professor Carol (Mimi) Harvey joined the faculty at Denison in 2005. She earned a B.A. and an M.A. at the University of Victoria and a Ph.D. at the University of Iowa. She teaches courses in Intercultural Communication and Conflict and Communication. Her research is on Indonesian workers in Korea.
Visiting Assistant Professor B. Wayne Howell joined the faculty in 2007. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Baylor University and his Ph.D. at Texas A. & M. University. His research interests include rhetorical study of the American presidency, diplomatic discourse from the cold war era, the history of American and British oratory and classical rhetoric.
Associate Professor Laurel Kennedy joined the faculty at Denison in 1990. She earned a B.A. at the University of Wisconsin and an M.A. and a Ph.D. at Ohio University. Her research interests are international and institutional media analysis.
Visiting Assistant Professor Bill Kirkpatrick joined the faculty in 2007. He earned his B.A. degree at New York University in journalism and cinema studies, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Wisconsin (Madison). His research and teaching interests include media history and cultural policy, the impacts of popular culture on American public life, citizen-produced media, and media and disability.
Associate Professor Lisbeth A. Lipari joined the faculty at Denison in 1998. She earned a B.A. at the University of Minnesota, an M.A. at the University of Texas and a Ph.D. at Stanford University. She teaches courses in ethics and political discourse, which focus on the relationship between language, politics and ethics. Central to her research are questions involving the role of public communication in equitable and just democratic political practices.
Visiting Assistant Professor Erin McClellan joined the faculty in 2007. She earned her B.A. degree at DePauw University and her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Colorado (Boulder). She pursues research in rhetoric and persuasion and public speaking studies, vernacular rhetoric and rhetorics of place.
Instructor Philip Martin joined the faculty at Denison in 2004. He earned a B.A. at Ohio Northern University and an M.A. at Ohio University. Martin is also an associate professor of speech at North Central State College.
Instructor Alan Dean Miller joined the faculty at Denison in 1999. He earned a B.A. and a M.A. at Ohio University and teaches courses in journalism. Miller is Managing Editor for News for the Columbus Dispatch, is president-elect of the Associated Press Society of Ohio, and serves on the professional advisory board at Ohio University's E. W. Scripps School of Journalism.
Assistant Professor Erika Molloseau joined the faculty in 2006. She earned her B.A. at Western Michigan University and her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include Black popular culture, feminist theory, masculinity studies, racialization and social movements, and contemporary rhetorical criticism.
Assistant Professor David Oh joined the faculty in 2006. He earned his B.A. in psychology and journalism at Baylor University, an M.A. in broadcast journalism at Syracuse University and his Ph.D. in mass communication at Syracuse University. He is researching Asian American ethnic media.
Assistant Professor Eric D. Saranovitz joined the faculty at Denison in 2005. He earned a B.A. at Amherst College, an M.A. at Hebrew University and his Ph.D. at New York University. He teaches courses in Global Communication and Comparative Media Systems.
Visiting Instructor Cassandra Secrease-Dickson joined the faculty in 2007. She earned her B.A. at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, a M.A. at Central Missouri State University and is a candidate for the Ph.D. degree at Indiana University. She teaches interpersonal and group communication classes.
For more information about the department and curriculum, go to:
or contact:
Jeffrey Kurtz, Chair
Department of Communication
Higley Hall, Room 301
Denison University
Granville, Ohio 43023
Phone: (740) 587-6699
Fax: (740) 587-6743
E-mail: Jeffrey Kurtz