Description

DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION

DESCRIPTION 

The Department of Mass Communication is one of the eight departments and programs in the College of Professional Studies/Education. It is the only program in the Mississippi Delta that offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication.

The purpose of the Department of Communication is to prepare students for rewarding careers in the fields of communication and speech communication, through its curricular offerings in the areas of

  •  Broadcasting

  •  Journalism

  •  Public Relations

  •  Speech / BA in Speech Communication

Upon graduation, students should be ready to assume effective roles in professional communication careers, or proceed to graduate school for advanced degrees. Cognizant of the current global information revolution, the Department of Mass Communication faculty works with the students to ensure that they acquire a sound knowledge of computers along with specific areas of concentration. To facilitate this, we provide our students with a state-of-the-art laboratory housing all Macintosh computers with image writers and laser printers, and various kinds of software. Also, we provide our students with a state-of-the-art radio station and television studio designed to enhance students skills in operating equipment used for broadcasting.  

MISSION STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES 

 Committed to the concepts of free and ethical speech in a democratic society and the fundamental role of the media as interpreters of culture and binders of society together, the Department of Mass Communication is dedicated to fostering and encouraging excellence and high standards in professional education in journalism,  mass communication and Speech Communication.

In order to be most effective in fulfilling its function, 

Department of Mass Communication has developed its mission statement and objectives in keeping with the University mission, the College mission, and the core values and competencies Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) expects communication graduates to have.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives that the Department of Mass Communication has set for itself are directly taken from the 11 core values and competencies that the ACEJMC has identified.  They are:

  •  To promote an understanding and application of the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press;

  •  To promote an understanding of the history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communication;

  •  To promote an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society in relationship to communication;

  •  To promote an understanding of concepts and application of theories in use in presentation of images and information;

  •  To foster an understanding of professional ethical principles and working ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity;

  •  To foster critical, creative, and independent thinking;

  •  To encourage research and evaluation of information by methods appropriate to the communication professions;

  •  To promote correct and clear form and styles appropriate to communication professions, audiences, and purposes they serve;

  •  To promote critical evaluation of one’s own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness;

  •  To encourage application of basic numerical and statistical concepts; and

  •  To promote application of tools and technologies appropriate for communication professions.