Welcome to the Department of Communication

The Department of Communications at Roger Williams University recognizes and emphasizes the centrality of communication to human activity and is keenly aware of how new communication technologies and the everchanging global environment are continually impacting the public and private spaces that we inhabit. At the heart of the department’s pedagogical mission lies the integration of theory and practice as we prepare students to participate effectively and contribute meaningfully in an increasingly mediated and multicultural world that requires a sophisticated theoretical, critical, and practical understanding of communication.

Check out the exciting things happening in our Major!

Consistent with the broader academic environment of Roger Williams University, the Department of Communications values and promotes a teaching environment that fosters critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. Our curriculum is designed to provide students with current knowledge of communication theory to explain and critically evaluate communication processes and practices and to translate and apply this knowledge into professional skills appropriate for but not limited to the fields of journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing ommunications and organizational communication.

Our teaching efforts focus on facilitating an understanding of both communication theory/research and the knowledge and skills necessary to empower students to confront important, contemporary communication issues, problems, and challenges. Coursework in the Communications major helps students understand and explain communication behavior,
critically evaluate messages and media and build employable skills relevant to communication professions. In particular, the Roger Williams University Communications program seeks to increase the student’s knowledge of the Communication discipline, develop insights concerning ethical and aesthetic problems confronting communication practices, learn to communicate effectively, and hone skills in analyzing and diagnosing communication problems in pragmatic settings. We expect our majors to have good writing and verbal skills and a critical curiosity about the world. They must have a desire to work in highly competitive environments where rewards result from understanding the communication behaviors and practices, having a mastery of communication skills, and being actively engaged and sensitive to the socio-cultural context that surrounds them.