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

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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