Our programs in Communication are dedicated to a perspective of communication as
the process by which shared understandings are created among various audiences through
the use of symbols. Implicit within this understanding is the assumption that people interact
with one another through a variety of media.
Using this as our guiding principle, students can choose to focus in areas including Acting
and Directing, Broadcast Journalism, Film, Print Journalism, Public Relations, Social Justice and Advocacy, or Stage Technology. Teaching in our Department, then, has two goals. The first is to balance the need to prepare students with specific skills as communicators and second is the need to locate the teaching of those skills in the broader context of a liberal arts tradition.
While we strive to produce students who have mastered certain abilities within their
particular field of study, we endeavor to ensure they have an appreciation for all aspects of
the communication spectrum, as well as a broader understanding of the process by which
shared meanings are created. With the learning of these abilities comes a responsibility to
community and social service.
Most Communication students are involved in at least one co-curricular activity. Activities
provide students with valuable experiences to help learn skills and build confidence.
Communication activities are open to every PLU student, regardless of major, and do not
require that the student have previous experience. All it takes is the willingness to learn and
the enthusiasm to participate.
Our forensics program is both regionally and nationally active attending an average of 16
tournaments each year including both national and international travel. Additionally, we host
three tournaments on our campus each year including one of the largest high school tournaments in the northwest.
Our newspaper, The Mooring Mast, has received regional and national recognition as one of the best weekly student newspapers. Our students learn and apply the skills of reporting andediting on a range of subjects. Along with our student television and radio station, PLU has one of the few university programs that embraces a full range of student media.
