DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

IN THE KNOW

Xavier University adds Communication Studies

In Fall 2012, the Department of Communications welcomes its newest major program in Communication Studies. Communication Studies is a broad academic area that studies and applies communication in many different contexts, including relationships, culture, and performance. Students are trained to apply their communication skills to a chosen profession and/or graduate school. The program includes opportunities for service-learning and collaborative research with faculty.

Majors will complete courses in Applied Communication, Communication and Culture, and Performance Studies. All our majors earn six hours in service-learning courses, partnering with a wide range of non-profit organizations throughout New Orleans. Sample courses include:

• Interpersonal Communication
• Family Communication
• Race, Culture and Communication
• Gender and Communication
• Performance of Literature
• Performance of Everyday Life

Majors work with a faculty advisor to create a personalized graduation and career path that connects relevant communication skills to their career of choice. Contact Dr. Ross Louis for more information about Communication Studies.

Department of Communications Open House
Join the Department of Communications for an Open House on Saturday, January 21, 2012 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. This event caters to current Xavier students as well as senior level high school students. Students will have the opportunity to learn about and experience, Communication Studies, Mass Communication, and Speech Pathology, the three areas that comprise our Department. Please RSVP to Cheyenne Walker by Monday, January 16, 2012 – cwalke13@xula.edu or 520-5087. Stop by to see what the Department of Communications has to offer. Click Here for flyer.

Buena Lingua Participants

Dr. Nancy Martino accompanied Buena Lingua (good speaking) participants, Joy Sorells, Kirsten Smith, Courtney Brookes, Yaesha Joseph, and Diana DiStefano to Nicaragua this summer. The group spent two weeks in three cities in Nicaragua in July doing hearing screenings and speech and language evaluations in orphanages, schools and clinics.

Drs. Kimberly J. Chandler and Dominique Gendrin will present their competitively selected research paper entitled "Your College is Not Like Mine": Interethnic Communication between African American and Vietnamese American Students on an HBCU Campus at the National Communication Association, November 2011, in New Orleans, LA.

Drs. Kimberly J. Chandler and Lisa Flanagan were awarded a $7,500 grant from the Center for Undergraduate Research to engage in a Performance Studies Thematic Research Circle with XU students Vickyann Cortes, Rasha Bradford, and Tiara Barthe.  Their research will focus on southern African American lesbians and the performance of gender.  Their goal is to yield a scholarly article and performance script in order to mount a theatrical performance of the study participants personal narratives.