One of six departments in the College of Communication and Fine Arts, the Department of Communication includes 18 full-time faculty members, approximately 60 graduate students (MA and PhD), and 350 undergraduate majors. At the BA and MA levels, we offer concentrations in communication and film & video production. At the PhD level, we offer emphases in rhetoric, health, and media, while encouraging students to bridge these areas as they design their own programs.

Latest News

On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Fest to Feature U of M Short Films

On Sunday, April 28 at 3:30pm, the On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Fest will feature four short films by U of M Communication Department faculty and students: Five Scenes from King Lear (Steve Ross); Ash/Requiem (David Goodman); Yellow Light (Stephen Hildreth & Brian Fruits), and Black Diamonds, Blues City: Stories of the Memphis Red Sox (Steve Ross). The films will be screened at Studio on the Square.

Michael Osborn Speech Competition Showcase

The Department of Communication is hosting the first ever Michael Osborn Speech Competition Showcase on Tuesday, April 23, at 7pm in ACB Room 314. All students who have taken COMM 2381 in Fall 2012 or Spring 2013 may enter an 8-10 minute informative or persuasive speech.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the Top Four speeches:

• 1st Place - $150
• 2nd Place - $125
• 3rd Place - $75
• 4th Place - $50

To enter, submit an outline of your speech via email to Lori Stallings by Friday April 12 at 5pm. Questions? Drop an email to the same address.

The full rules for the competition can be found here (pdf).

Communication Faculty Win Awards for Research and Teaching

Three communication faculty members have recently been honored for their contributions to research and teaching.

Professor Katherine G. Hendrix has been selected to receive the University of Memphis Alumni Association Distinguished Research Award. Professor Tony de Velasco has been selected to receive the 2013 CCFA Dean's Outstanding Research Award.

Professor David Acey has been selected by the Tennessee Education Association to receive the TEA's E. Harper Johnson Human Relations Award for an Educator. Professor Acey has also been selected as the first International Trends and Services Program Awardee for 2013. This award recognizes his "expertise, outstanding service and long term commitment to the Africa in April Cultural Festival."

Communication Department and Nursing School Launch "Let's Talk Health" Radio Spots

This fall the U of M is launching a series of radio messages to help empower individuals to communicate and make healthy choices. "Let's Talk Health" is a production of the U of M's Department of Communication and the Loewenberg School of Nursing.

Produced at the WUMR studios on campus, "Let's Talk Health" is narrated by Christine Platt, a doctoral student in the Department of Communication, and Lisa Beasley, a family nurse practitioner and clinical assistant professor in the Loewenberg School. The segments will cover such topics as how to get more out of your doctor visit, doctor jargon and doctor rapport along with avoiding colds, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, depression. They will be broadcast on WUMR-FM 91.7 Monday through Friday at 4:55 p.m. beginning Oct. 29. A new message will debut each week. For more information, visit www.memphis.edu/letstalkhealth.

New Faculty Research Publications

Dr. Craig Stewart recently published an article in the journal Science Communication. The article, entitled "The Influence of News Frames and Science Background on Attributions about Embryonic and Adult Stem Cell Research: Frames as Heuristic/Biasing Cues," shows how different ways of framing stem cell research in the news media influences people's opinions about the research and how these effects are dependent on participants' science education background.

Dr. Kris Markman and Dr. Stewart also recently published an article in Journal of Language and Social Psychology with Dr. Monica Riordan of Chatham University. This article, "Communication Accommodation in Instant Messaging: An Examination of Temporal Convergence," reports the results of two studies investigating the extent to which individuals adapt to each others temporal pacing in synchronous online conversations.

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