Mission

Photo of a female student anchoring a news broadcast The Department of Communication seeks to further the development of communication competence and humane values for all Otterbein students. We view this mission as consisting of three primary components:

First, we are committed to providing programs that provide our majors with education that helps them develop as "whole persons," both as future professionals and as contributors to society. In doing this, we will assist our majors in developing

Knowledge, skills, and values that will prepare them for future careers and graduate study, citizenship, and their future lives in an interconnected society;
A foundation for understanding the communication discipline that will prepare them for effective relationships with others, and the habits of lifelong learning;
Skills for critical thinking and the assessment of evidence that will help them to evaluate the arguments of others;
An appreciation of diversity;
Skills for communicating with diverse people;
An increased sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy;
An increased sense of their responsibilities as citizens and professionals;
Skills for identifying, interpreting, and evaluating mediated messages; and
Skills for message development and delivery in multiple media and the use of appropriate technologies.

Second, we are committed to helping all students develop communication skills that will allow them to exercise their rights as citizens in a free society, and to develop meaningful relationships with others. We work to do this by:

Providing courses for majors in other disciplines that help students develop competence in both speaking and listening in various settings;
Providing a variety of minors for students who seek to complement majors in other disciplines with more extensive study of communication; and
Providing a wide variety of co-curricular communication activities that will provide students opportunities to develop and apply communication skills.

Third, as faculty members we are committed to:

Modeling ethical communication practices;
Mentoring students in and out of the classroom; and
Exploring, developing, and applying new knowledge.

Mission

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