Aerial view of the UAF Campus
Our Mission Statement
Communication focuses on understanding the processes that occur when individuals interact or link with one another, whether in interpersonal, small group, family, organizational, or public situations. Courses in Communication emphasize understanding what happens in direct verbal and nonverbal interaction between people, as opposed to written communication, or to interaction via television, radio, or film. Courses in Communication acknowledge both that communication occurs between persons who are diverse in gender, cultural background, and belief, and that such diversity is becoming increasingly apparent in an ever more complex and interdependent global society.
The primary emphasis of courses in Communication is providing students with an understanding of the processes that occur when individuals interact with one another. Upper division courses focus on helping majors and minors develop their abilities to make informed, critical analyses of their own and others' communication acts, and to apply their knowledge in facilitating effective communication in social situations characterized by diversity in gender, cultural background, and belief. This background has led graduating majors to professional careers in law, government, education, and business. A secondary concern, particularly in the lower division courses, is to provide students with an understanding of human communication that will help them in developing their personal abilities to communicate with diverse individuals in a variety of social situations.
