Wall Center Students sitting at desks in class with window behind

Communication Studies Major and Minor

  1. Home
  2. Academic Departments
  3. Communication Studies
  4. Communication Studies Major and Minor
Academic Departments

Communication Studies at Davidson is interdisciplinary, with opportunities to take a variety of Communication courses, particularly in the subfields of mass communication, intercultural communication, and rhetoric as well as courses in other interdisciplinary fields.

The goal of Communication Studies at Davidson is to help students become better communicators as well as more critical consumers of communication in a variety of contexts. We help students become more thoughtful, reflective, and involved in the processes of communication in a variety of personal, professional, and civic settings.

The introductory courses in Communication Studies provide a broad introduction to the discipline and cultivate basic communication skills, while more advanced courses focus on the theory and criticism of communication in a variety of public and mediated settings.

Communication Studies students may also have an additional opportunity for professional development by serving as peer tutors in the college’s Speaking Center, where they provide help to other Davidson students on their classroom presentations.

If you are interested in pursuing a major or minor, please contact Department Chair Amanda R. Martinez at ammartinez@davidson.edu as early as possible to discuss curricular options.

Courses You Might Take

COM 218
Gendered Communication in Society

Examination of the social construction of gender in both personal relationships and professional contexts. Areas to be explored may include culture, verbal and nonverbal communication, family dynamics and close relationships, education, organizational communication, and roles in media.

COM 315
Media Effects

An exploration of relevant theories and practices of conducting media effects research in the mass mediated/disseminated communication contexts including television, radio, print, popular culture, internet, and other forms of new media. Topics include health, advertising, edutainment, stereotypes, violence, pornography, music videos, video games, news, and politics.

COM 365
Rhetorics of Justice and Equality

Those who wish to promote social change have typically relied on language, perhaps our most important symbolic resource, to help them to define problematic social and political practices and to argue for new policies. The course will examine several episodes of sharp disagreement in American life where civic roles and the rights of citizens have been contested.

Related Academic Programs

Interested in Communication Studies at Davidson?