What's New

Congratulations to Amanda Weaver and her debate partner Tanisha Webster (Business Administration) for winning the 4th Annual Frederick Douglass Debate Society Tournament on Thursday, April 5th, 2018 at West Chester University. We are very proud of you!

 

Congrats to The National Communication Association Student Club (NCASC)! NCASC was selected as the 2018 Bloomsburg University Student Organization of the Year for their outstanding work in the areas of leadership, programming, and service.

Please see our Communication Studies Newsletters:

The BU Department of Communication Studies is officially on social media! Please like our Facebook page and our Twitter page and share with friends who may be interested!

 

Featured
Student

Facia Nyego Sirleaf
Beginning my undergraduate career as an undeclared student was the best decision I could have ever made. It allowed me the opportunity to fall in love with Anthropology, Gender Studies, and Communication Studies. Not only has this area of study enhanced the love I have for Anthropology and gender and ethnicity, it has given me the confidence I need to thrive as a public speaker and critical thinker. Through classes such as Gender issues in Communication, I was able to develop a passion for analyzing gender as well as ethnicity in different cultural contexts, specifically African culture. After learning tools to effectively communicate in professional settings and volunteering for two semesters, I interned at The Women’s Resource Center on campus and worked as a teaching assistant in the Communication Studies department. I have also won the Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant (U.R.S.C.A.), which I used to conduct research in Fez, Morocco for my project titled I Like the Color: Race and Ethnicity in Morocco.  I have also presented research at a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) conference titled Romance Never Dies: An Ethnographic Study of Romance Novel Enthusiasts which focused on an application of literary anthropology.
I believe that Communication Studies has prepared me for graduate school as well helping me become a well-grounded scholar. Public speaking, gender issues in communication, and intercultural communication prepared me the most with being able to engage with audiences and articulate the love I have for my areas of study. With everything I have learned I plan to complete graduate studies by combining my love for Communication and African Studies to one day be able to work for the United Nations.

Featured Student

Gabrielle Narr
I am currently a Junior at Bloomsburg University in the Communication Studies major with a concentration in Organizational Communication. I also have a minor in Human Resources. The decision to choose this major and minor was the best decision I could have made as an incoming freshman. The classes I have taken in my major and minor have set me up to be successful in any career I choose. I am now an ethical thinker, organized, have great interpersonal skills, work well in diverse groups, and thrive as a public speaker. Not only have I gained these great skills, but being a Communication Studies major has given me the courage to get involved, which led to me joining my national sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma. Throughout my time in Phi Sigma Sigma I have held three leadership positions which are, scholarship chair, sisterhood development chair, and fundraising chair. I loved fundraising when I did it and it gave me the inspiration to want to pursue a career in Event Planning. Through my connections in Phi Sigma Sigma I received the opportunity to intern over the winter of 2017 at an event planning company called Philly2Night. During my internship I was involved in the process of planning and implementing events. I also worked closely with the events production manager. My favorite event that we planned was our New Years Eve Gala at the Seaport Museum. During my time as an intern at Philly2Night I gained real life experience, personal growth, field experience, and professional skill building. Throughout my time in the Communication Studies Department there have been two professors that have really stood out and helped me strive to be my best. Dr. Shavonne Shorter and Dr. Mary King have really been a great inspiration to me. They both encouraged me to be ambitious and do something that I never thought I would be able to do— achieve a 4.0 in the Spring 2017 semester. I also served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Mary King's Introduction to Communication Studies course. This provided an opportunity to build leadership and teamwork skills. I am very grateful for my professors and classmates that have helped me become the best version of myself. Communication Studies has prepared me for life after graduation, even if I'm not ready to graduate.


Welcome to
Communication Studies

Welcome to the Department of Communication Studies at Bloomsburg University. Our department has over 350 students who are currently majoring in Communication Studies. We also offer a minor in Communication Studies.

There are currently 20 tenured/tenure track faculty who teach full time in the department.

Our department also supports general education for the entire university with courses such as Introduction to Communication Studies, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Small Group Communication, and Intercultural Communication.Faculty

Please see our Communication Studies Newsletter - Spring 2017

 

 

Get to know our faculty:

Dr. Shavonne Shorter

After receiving her bachelor's degree from Frostburg State University in Maryland, Dr. Shavonne Shorter went on to pursue her Master's and Doctorate from Purdue University in Indiana. Going into her 3rd year of teaching at Bloomsburg University, Dr. Shorter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies. Teaching 4 classes per semester in the Organizational Track, Dr. Shorter is passionate about helping students stay involved, reach their goals, and leave a legacy that will positively impact the Bloomsburg community. For example, in her class Communication For Business Professionals, students work with local businesses on various projects, ranging from marketing, social media, and rebranding, that allow students to get real world experience and client feedback on their communication skills.

Extending her reach beyond the classroom, Dr. Shorter inspires her students, colleagues, and peers with her involvement on in academia and campus . Dr. Shorter is continuing her research that attracts minority students to the professorate. She is the project manager for The Inclusive Future Faculty Program, a program that pairs underrepresented minority students with underrepresented minority faculty, in an effort to help them think more seriously about becoming professors themselves.

Dr. Shorter is passionate about her students and giving back to the Bloomsburg Community. She advises the National Communication Association Student Club (NCASC), which is the first introduction she had to on campus organizations.

"NCASC is the first club I took on as an advisor, and to watch it develop, grow, and positively impact the community under President Kate Armstrong makes me proud."

Along with Dr. Eric Miller, Dr. Shorter is a coach of The Fredrick Douglas Debate Society.

"They are a fantastic group of individuals who are committed to social change through debate. It is really exciting to sit in a meeting with them and hear their debate skills take shape and form."

Up until this year, Dr. Shorter has also been an advisor to the organization Ladies First, a group of young women dedicated to uplifting and encouraging female students.

When asked "What is your favorite part about the Communication Studies Department or Bloomsburg University culture in general?" her response truly reflected her love and dedication to this university, and everything that encompasses the collegiate atmosphere.

"The people. It has to be the people. I have such outstanding students. Every day I wake up excited to get into the classroom. Excited to see how they will process the information and material, and to watch how they understand it from a unique individual perspective. I have fantastic colleagues. I love to pick their brain about what we are all working on, or even just what is going on in the world. Bloomsburg University is overall just a great place to be."

 


Get to know our students:

Stephanie Bouffard


For junior Stephanie Bouffard, Communication Studies has opened up a career path that incorporates everything she wants in her dream job: education, advocacy, and philanthropy.

"I aspire to educate others. Not so much on the topic of special education itself, but to educate others with special needs. I want to advocate for them, and be the voice both for those who have the inability to speak, whether that's due to their disability or suppression."  
  
Although she just declared a Special Education minor during the Fall 2016 semester, Stephanie noticed the integral part that communication plays in classes outside of the major. Each experience and situation requires a unique application of communication.

"Even though there are so many differences between my major and my minor, I also find commonalities between the two. Beyond just the people, it's the commonality for advocacy. I find it very inspiring to see the passion both the Communications Department as well as the Special Education Department both have when it comes to advocacy, both in public and behind the scenes. "

For Stephanie, other students within Communication Studies played a significant role in why she decided to join this major.

"Listening to stories about how their major is used in their everyday lives was important to me, it was something I was looking for, too."

With career aspirations to campaign for individuals with exceptionalities or special needs, Stephanie also plans to take classes in the Leadership and Public Advocacy track, offered through her major. Focusing on campaigns, public policy, and rhetoric, Stephanie will have the opportunity to build skills and gain exposure to resources that will help her reach her goals. Impacting people every day, Stephanie is involved on campus and volunteers her time to help numerous organizations.

"In terms of what I see myself doing in the future, I would love to be a motivational speaker, campaign worker, or running a specific organization that would expand other's knowledge on the backlash of individuals with special needs, as well as campaign for the ones who are underrepresented."

In the upcoming months, Stephanie hopes to get an internship with an afterschool program to work with children with special needs, but until then, she will continue her advocacy through organizations at BU, and in her local community.