Communication Arts

College: College of Letters and Science

Designation: Department

Major: Communication Arts

Degrees Offered: M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D.

Other: Ph.D. Minor

Faculty: Professors Kepley (chair), D'Acci, Curtin, Hilmes, Jacobs, Lucas, Mortensen, Murphy, Pan; Associate Professors Asen, Doxtader, Kumar, Singer, Zaeske; Assistant Professors Beltrán, Conway, Garlough, Howard, Mares, Nakamura, Xenos

The department offers the master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees in communication arts.

Master's Degree 

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Students may pursue the master of arts in communication arts in one of the four areas of study: communication science, film, media and cultural studies, or rhetoric. Specific course work, examination, and thesis requirements for the master's degree vary among the four areas. Prospective graduate students should consult the department Web site for specific information on degree requirements in each area. The master's degree is awarded based on the recommendation of the student's committee, which consists of the faculty advisor and two other faculty members. Students may be expected to meet special requirements depending on their preparation for graduate study in their specific area.

Ph.D. Degree 

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Students may pursue the doctor of philosophy degree in communication arts in one of four areas of study: communication science, film, media and cultural studies, or rhetoric. Specific requirements for the doctoral degree vary among the four areas. Prospective graduates should consult the department Web site for information on degree requirements in each of the four areas.

Communication Science
Communication science is concerned with processes by which human beings interact in order to produce some effect on one another. The area utilizes scientific methods to gain a broad understanding of these processes. Effort to develop such understanding is carried out in three specific contexts.

* The personal relationships subarea focuses on the sending and receiving of verbal and nonverbal messages between members of close relationships (such as families and dating partners). The interaction patterns associated with conflict and conflict management are of particular interest in this context.

* The media effects subarea is concerned with processes and effects of using mass media. Faculty interests focus on political communication, public opinion, mass media and social changes, the roles of the media in framing public policy issues, and the process of news production.

* The social influence subarea examines the processes underlying message production and message effects with a special emphasis on interpersonal and small-group interaction. Questions concerning attitude and behavior change are studied in this subarea.

Students in communication science are expected to master two of the three areas.

Film
The study of film is concerned primarily with motion picture history, theory, and criticism, approached through intensive critical analysis of individual films; research into the primary documents of filmmakers and the film industry; and the construction of theoretical models of film forms and styles, national cinemas, film genres, and the economics of the film industry. Courses in film production are meant primarily for students studying history, theory, and

criticism as a way to enhance their understanding of the practical decisions filmmakers confront. The program is not designed for students whose primary interest is film production.

Media and Cultural Studies
Media and cultural studies offers courses and research opportunities in theory; history; new media; global media; feminism and gender; race, ethnicity, and media; culture industries; and cultural policy. The curriculum focuses on the cultural uses of electronic media, but other forms of popular culture are also covered. Media and cultural studies is intended principally for scholars, teachers, critics, industry policymakers, and historians. Toward those ends, students are encouraged to balance empirical study with critical analysis, theoretical conceptualization, and practical experience, and to specialize according to their particular interests. Production courses are meant to enhance critical understanding of media texts and institutions. They are not meant for those wishing to specialize in production.
Rhetoric
Graduate work in rhetoric focuses on public discourse, rhetorical theory, and critical method. Research in public discourse explores significant themes, trajectories, and transformations in American and international public address, as well as consideration of particular rhetors, cultures, eras, genres, and topics. Theoretical studies deal with the cultural development, intellectual content, and practical implications of rhetorical perspectives from the classical period to the present, including contemporary rhetorical theory, argumentation theory, and public sphere theory. Study of critical method focuses on modes of inquiry that explicate the complex dynamics of rhetorical texts and contexts. The curriculum is united by a common commitment to understanding the role of public discourse in civic engagement. Students are encouraged to investigate a wide range of contemporary and historical phenomena so as to develop a level of expertise that will allow for significant research and scholarly achievement.

Ph.D. Minor 

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The department offers doctoral minors in each of its four areas of study: communication science, film, media and cultural studies, or rhetoric. Please consult the department Web site for specific guidelines pertaining to the minor program.

Facilities 

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Center for Communication Research
The center provides resources to researchers in the department to assist them in the acquisition, storage, manipulation, and analysis of communication-related data. It consists of office and work space for faculty and graduate students as well as a suite of rooms for conducting research in interpersonal, group, and mass communication. The research area includes observation rooms, conference rooms, equipment for video and audio recording, and viewing booths for audio and video playback.

The center holds a variety of modern electronic and computing equipment for behavioral research in mass and interpersonal communication: personal computers, hardware for automated analog-to-digital conversion, portable computer-compatible coding boxes, equipment for computerized acquisition of physiological data, and several of the standard statistical software packages (SPSS, Stata, Amos, LISREL, TSP, etc.). Research conducted in the center has included studies of verbal and nonverbal interaction patterns in marital pairs, dating couples, and families; emotional reactions to films, public service announcements, and TV programs; the use of persuasive strategies in interpersonal relationships; third-person perceptions with regard to political attack ads and news stories on opinion polls; modeling the structure of attitude functions, determining message features that are effective for alleviating negative emotions, and persuasive strategies that motivate people to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research
The study of media and culture is enhanced at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by the presence of significant resources that aid critical inquiry and research. The Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, along with the Wisconsin Historical Society, maintains one of the most significant film and television archives in the United States, featuring extensive film, video, audio, and photographic collections. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) papers, from 1921 to 1969, are housed here, in a collection amounting to almost 600 boxes of interdepartmental correspondence, reports, publicity materials, scripts, and recorded programming. Other significant historical collections include the records of the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Association of Educational Broadcasters, National Educational Television (NET), the Crossley and Nielsen ratings companies, and the papers of distinguished individuals such as E.P.H. James, Newton Minow, Irna Phillips, Jane Crusinberry, Paul Rhymer, Ed Sullivan, Paddy Chayefsky, H.V. Kaltenborn, and many more. The United Artists collection consists of corporate records from 1919-1950. The Center is also the repository of the Warner Brothers film library consisting of 16mm prints and scripts for 700 features from 1929-1941. The Shepard collection contains 200 films, mainly German, French, and Russian, produced from 1910 to 1960. Many individual stars, writers, and producers are represented as well, such as Kirk Douglas, Agnes Moorehead, John Frankenheimer, and Edna Ferber, along with a cluster of holdings from the Red-scare era Hollywood Ten. Also present is the program archive of Ziv Productions, a syndicated program producer of the 50s and 60s, the papers and works of producer David Susskind, and a significant collection from MTM Enterprises, producers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its many spin-offs. In theater, Wisconsin Historical Society collections include those of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, Melvyn Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Moss Hart, and George S. Kaufman, just to name a few. The archive also contains over two million photographs and promotional stills, focusing on US motion pictures, broadcasters, and film and television stars.
Production Facilities
The video component of the Department of Communication Arts includes a three-camera studio and edit bay for use with BetaSP. The department also has a Betacam for remote shooting. Other field equipment is digital, with Canon XL-1 and Sony DSR300 cameras and Final Cut Pro 3.0 edit stations.

Advanced film students work in 16mm, with Bolexes, CP-16 sync-sound cameras, Arriflex SR II cameras, Fostex PD-4 digital audio recorders, and Final Cut Pro editing stations. Other facilities include an animation stand, an optical printer, and an in-house laboratory for processing and work-printing. Three ProTools sound editing suites, including a re-recording studio are currently being installed for postproduction in both film and video.

Both film and media and cultural studies teach video and filmmaking techniques in order to enhance critical appreciation of media texts.

Financial Aid 

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The principal types of graduate student financial aid are teaching, research, and project assistantships. A limited number of fellowships are available. Applicants interested in being considered for teaching assistantships and fellowships should indicate this when submitting the graduate school online application, and be sure to send all supporting documents by December 15. No separate application is necessary.

Admission 

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Applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, although successful applicants usually have much higher GPAs. Students whose preparation does not meet the requirements of the area of study to which they have been admitted may be required to enroll in specific courses to remedy deficiencies.

Applicants must submit two official copies of transcripts from all institutions attended, three letters of recommendation from academic sources, official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, official TOEFL or IELTS scores for international students whose native language is not English, a statement of purpose for graduate study, and an 8-10-page writing sample (in English). Although the department requires no minimum GRE scores, successful candidates typically score well on portions of the examination related to their area of study. Admission to the graduate program in communication arts is highly competitive.

The application deadline is December 15. For more information about the application process, please consult the department Web site.

For more information: Graduate Secretary, Department of Communication Arts, 6134 Vilas Hall, 821 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706; 608/262-3398; llhenzl@wisc.edu; www.commarts.wisc.edu.