Liz's Blog

Definitions
COM 499 Seminar


Communication Studies:
1.) “Shows a welcome ability to provide lucid and balanced summaries of a complex and diverse field.” - Fiske, J. (2011). Introduction to communication studies. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Methuen & Co. Ltd.
2.) “An academic discipline that includes both social scientific and humanistic approaches to the investigation of messages in a variety of contexts (such as interpersonal, nonverbal, etc.).” Dr. Timothy J. Brown, West Chester University Department Chair, Communication Studies Department of West Chester University.

Communicate:
1.) “The action in which two or more individuals, using a socially shared or biologically shared signaling system send and receive messages” - Remland, M. (2009). Nonverbal communication in everyday life. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
2.) “When a speaker transmits a message and ensures that the message is delivered clearly” – Institute for Clinical Research Education website URL: http://www.icre.pitt.edu/mentoring/effective.html

Communications:
1.) “Driving awareness, understanding, engagement and behavior through the exchange (two-way process) of thoughts, messages and/or information” – Lindsey McCaffrey, Freelance Writer/Editor/Strategist with ten years of professional business communications experience.
2.) “The term “communications” typically is used to describe the products of communication: things like newspapers, radio programs, TV shows, films, etc. Within the discipline of communication, there are those who take offense when an “s” is added to the end of the term. This is especially true among those who don’t study media, since the term “communications” implies a focus on media and media products. In common use, when people refer to communications as a discipline, they typically mean some kind of applied media study, such as that offered by journalism schools and radio-TV-film programs. As you might imagine, I’m not too bothered by students who say they are “communications” majors, but some of my colleagues cringe when they hear that.” Dr. Philip Thompsen, West Chester University Communication Studies Department, Mass Communication Professor

Mass Communication(s):
1.) “Mass Communication represents the creation and sending of a homogeneous message to a large heterogeneous audience through the media.” - Om, G. (2006). Media society and culture. Isha Books.
2.) “the study of messages disseminated to large audiences through some form of mass media” – David Levasseur, Professor within the Communication Studies Department of West Chester University.

Speech Communication:
1.) “The historical study of speeches.” - David Levasseur, Professor within the Communication Studies Department of West Chester University.
2.) “The study of the nature, processes, and effects of human symbolic interaction. While speech is the most obvious mode of communication, human symbolic interaction includes a variety of verbal and nonverbal codes.” – National Communication Association website. URL: http://www.natcom.org/discipline/

Student Affairs:
1.) “Student affairs could be said to consist of any advising, counseling, management, or administrative function at a college or university that exists outside the classroom” – Dr. Patrick Love, Associate Professor of New York University.
2.) “People who work in student affairs provide services, programs, and resources that help students learn and grow outside of the classroom” – NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education website URL: http://www.naspa.org/ career/whatis/default.cfm.