The Department of Communication and Media Arts at Western Connecticut State University is committed to teaching the theory, ethics, and skills necessary to expand and deepen students’ participation in a globalized world. Students learn to engage in challenging dialogues across a variety of communicative landscapes.

Each of our degrees and options shares an emphasis on the enhancement of capacities for observation, critical appraisal, and expression. Graduates of the program are positioned to pursue careers in public service, media campaigns, advocating for the underserved, organizational relations, broadcasting, and filmmaking, among many others.

To accomplish this mission, the Department of Communication and Media Arts:

• Offers high-quality undergraduate courses and programs in communication and media theory including digital media production, digital interactive media arts, media studies, public communication and relational communication.
• Emphasizes development of the four modes of communication (speaking, listening, writing, and reading) as well as media production techniques throughout the undergraduate curriculum to enhance students’ ability to understand and create appropriate, creative and effective interaction and media.
• Provides a personalized learning environment for students through faculty-mentored undergraduate research projects, video productions, and internships.
• Prepares students for graduate education in media arts, communication and related fields.
• Assists students in identifying appropriate classes, learning opportunities and careers through attentive advising.
• Fosters the growth and development of faculty and their students through supporting research, attendance at professional meetings, and presentation and publication of scholarly work.
• Collaborates with media-industry professionals in the tri-state area to support professional growth of faculty as well as internship opportunities for students.

Learning Outcomes – Communication & Media Arts

1. Explain Communication and/or Media Arts theories, ethical perspectives, principles, and concepts.
2. Apply Communication and/or Media Arts scholarship and creative works.
3. Formulate questions appropriate for Communication and/or Media Arts scholarship and aesthetic works.
4. Evaluate the ethical dimensions of communicative activity.
5. Analyze one’s own cultural standpoint and hot it influences communication.
6. Evaluate personal, private, local, national, and/or global issues from a Communication and/or Media Arts perspective.
7. Explain the importance of Communication and/or Media Arts in civic life.
8. Practice writing to inform and persuade a variety of audiences.
9. Contribute to scholarly and creative works appropriate to the purpose of inquiry.
10. Identify elements of career development in Communication and/or Media Arts

Learning Outcomes – Digital Interactive Media Arts

At the completion of this program students will be able to:

1. Discuss and apply the concepts related to the visual, spatial, sound, motion, interactive, and temporal elements/features of digital technology and principles for their use in the creation and application of digital media-based work
2. Discuss and apply narrative and other information/language structures for organizing content in time-based or interactive media
3. Organize and represent content structures in ways that are responsive to technological, social, and cultural systems.
4. Discuss the characteristics and capabilities of various technologies (hardware and software); their appropriateness for particular expressive, functional, and strategic applications; their positions within larger contexts and systems, and their influences on individuals and society
5. Discuss and apply processes for the development and coordination of digitally-based art and design strategies (for example, storyboarding, concept mapping, and the use of scenarios and personas).
6. Analyze and synthesize relevant aspects of human interaction in various contexts (physical, cognitive, cultural, social, political, and economic) and with respect to technologically-mediated communication, objects, and environments.
7. Analyze useful, usable, effective, and desirable information with respect to user/audience-centered digitally-based communication, objects, and environments.
8. Discuss and apply history, theory, and criticism with respect to such areas as film, video, technology, and digital art and design.
9. Engage in teams-based work and to organize collaborations among people from different disciplines.
10. Use the above competencies in the creation and development of professional quality interactive digital media productions.
11. Develop knowledge of legal and ethical issues across disciplines.
12. Present work in a portfolio in a professional way.