The College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences - Connecting the West with the World and Faculty with Students

Department of Communication Studies

"...the role of communication in human experience is basic to comprehending complex situations and problems in the modern world. "

• Communication Studies is a growing discipline concerned with the analysis, understanding and improvement of human communication.  The discipline has a core of knowledge, theory and concepts concentrating on such things as symbols, messages, interactions, networks, and persuasive campaigns. Uniting the field is the belief that the role of communication in human experience is basic to comprehending complex situations and problems in the modern world.
• The Department of Communication Studies at UM focuses on three broad areas of study: interpersonal interaction and human relationships, organizational communication, and rhetoric and public discourse.   We teach courses on such things as interpersonal and family communication, group decision making, conflict and dispute resolution, argumentation and debate, public relations, the rhetoric of social movements and environmental controversies, and intercultural/international communication.
• Faculty members in UM’s Communication Studies Department have important leadership positions in the communication discipline, for example, Sara Hayden is President of the Western States Communication Association,  Betsy Bach is President-Elect of the National Communication Association, and Alan Sillars is Editor-in-Chief of Communication Monographs, a leading communication journal.

Communication Studies Honor Society
Inducts 12 New Members

Pictured (Left to Right): Margaret Swinehart, Bergen Wilson, Christina Zarndt, Ashlynn Reynolds, Jessica Normandeau, Leah Schnall, Katie Undem, Whitney Maphis, and Kristin Wheeler. Inductees not pictured: Katie Romig, Kirsten Vorreyer, and Charissa Wiley

Twelve junior and senior communication studies majors were officially inducted into the University of Montana’s Phi Kappa Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta on March 13. Lambda Pi Eta is an accredited member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has active chapters at four-year colleges and universities worldwide.  Lambda Pi Eta represents what Aristotle described in his book Rhetoric as the three ingredients of persuasion: Logos (Lambda) meaning logic, Pathos (Pi) relating to emotion and Ethos (Eta) defined as character credibility, and ethics.

The Phi Kappa Chapter was formed last fall to honor student’s scholastic achievements and stimulate community engagement for all communication studies majors. All inductees hold a 3.25 GPA in their communication studies major, have completed at least 60 undergraduate credits with a 3.0 overall GPA, and have completed at least twelve of these credits in Communication Studies. 

Undergraduate Student Leah Schnall

Hometown: Claremont, CA & Greensboro, NC

Research Mentor:  Jennifer Considine

Research Project: "Can we work together? A study of interfaith dialogue, spirituality and political advocacy."

Leah, a junior Communication Studies major, is President of the University of Montana Kappa Phi chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honors society. Leah was instrumental in starting the Kappa Phi chapter this year and she is currently coordinating a fund raiser to ensure that the honor society can remain active at UM. In addition to these duties and her course work, Leah is completing an internship with Wine Montana and has just been awarded a $1000 undergraduate research grant for her senior thesis on interfaith dialogue and community activism.  This project will look at how individuals and groups manage the challenges that occur when people from different faith backgrounds engage in dialogue about social justice issues.

Undergraduate Student Katie Romig

Hometown: Big Sky, MT

Research Mentor: Jennifer Considine and Steve Schwarze

Research Project: Community outreach project for Missoula Underage Substance Abuse Prevention (MUSAP) that challenges societal norms on underage drinking.

Katie is a junior in Communication Studies who enjoys applying what she learns in the classroom to community service and research.  Currently, Katie is working on a community outreach project for Missoula Underage Substance Abuse Prevention (MUSAP) that challenges societal norms on underage drinking.  In the winter she will be interning with a law firm in Big Sky, Montana.  Last spring, Katie worked with Communication Studies graduate students Megan Gale and Maria Blevins to study the socialization of safety and emergency procedures among members of the National Ski Patrol at four ski resorts.  Megan, Maria, and Katie will present their findings at the Western States Communication Association convention in February, 2007. Katie is also looking forward to conducting research on women’s roles in corporate organizations this spring.  

Graduate Student Jennifer Geist

Hometown: Northville, MI

Research Mentor: Steve Yoshimura

Thesis Project: The health outcomes of communicating forgiveness

Jennifer is a second year graduate student in Communication Studies. Jennifer's research is on the cutting-edge of work being done in communication studies, psychology, and human health. In her master's thesis, she argues that our desires for forgiveness evolved as a mechanism to help humans promote group harmony and prevent close relationships from failing. She expects to find that people who are better at "negotiating" forgiveness (e.g., asking for it and giving it) tend to experience better physical and psychological well-being overall.

Graduate Student Ryan Morton

Hometown: Missoula, MT

Research Mentor: Sara Hayden and Steve Schwarze

Ryan is a first-year graduate student who is also head coach for the UM Forensics (Speech and Debate) team. Ryan is a talented coach who helps undergraduate students on the team to refine their debate skills and then take them on the road to tournaments around the region. As an undergraduate, Ryan was a successful debater at Seattle University and UM. He has a passion for teaching and plans to pursue a Ph.D. to teach rhetoric. Next semester Ryan will be assisting Professor Steve Schwarze in his research on public discourse surrounding the asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana.