"While grounded in the classical liberal arts tradition of rhetoric and public address, the communication discipline also responds to contemporary concerns about the processes and effects of organizational and interpersonal communications, the explosion of information technology, and messages generated by the electronic media."

Jean Ward, Professor Emerita of Communication

The study of human communication is as important as ever. It’s central to the liberal arts, and is a critical component in a wide range of disciplines and careers. Students in Lewis & Clark’s Department of Communication examine the complex communication systems and processes that power an interdependent world.

The Department offers both a major and a minor, and course offerings cover three primary subject areas: interpersonal and organizational communication, rhetoric and public advocacy, and media studies. Students explore a variety of perspectives on human symbolic behavior, including the history of rhetorical theory and criticism; persuasion in contemporary public discourse; the dynamic processes of interpersonal, organizational, and intercultural communication; and the cultural practice of communication via print and electronic media.

There are countless opportunities for communications students to make themselves heard on campus. Public Advocacy, Lewis & Clark's forensics association, is consistently ranked among the top teams in the country; the Pioneer Log, our student newspaper, regularly receives national college journalism awards and has been ranked first among small-college newspapers; and our student radio station, KLC, broadcasts 7 days a week. Students interested in media production have access to digital editing equipment, digital camcorders, and a multiple-camera color production and editing studio in Aubrey R. Watzek Library.