Office: 318 Dempster Hall.
Telephone: (516) 463-5215
Sybil DelGaudio, Dean
Cliff Jernigan, Associate Dean
Susan Murphy, Acting Assistant Dean
Ellen DaVolio, Assistant Dean

Hofstra University’s School of Communication, committed to the University’s liberal arts tradition, provides the opportunity to explore the world of humanistic inquiry through the interdisciplinary study of all forms of communication processes and institutions. With courses that explore the theoretical and practical nature of communication, the School provides majors with the opportunity to pursue scholarly inquiry and to acquire technical experience. The School’s integrated approach is based on the belief that life in an advanced society demands knowledge of the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, business, and technology. Therefore, students are required to take a range of courses outside the major. Reciprocally, the School invites students in other university programs to learn about the impact and relevance of communication and communication systems. The curriculum aims to foster critical thinking; to explore aesthetics; to investigate ethics, humanistic values, and cultural diversity; to encourage originality and creativity; to expose students to current and converging technologies; and to provide the training for leadership in a technological age. With the conviction that the media exist to protect the freedoms of our society, the faculty is committed to a scholarly environment in which theoretical, historical, critical, and technological methodologies help students to question, challenge, and improve all forms of communication. The School strives to produce graduates who are active cultural contributors. To achieve this goal, the School emphasizes creative problem solving, responsible decision making and cooperative learning. Together the faculty and students of the School participate in an ongoing exploration of the roles, purposes, and technologies of communication.

Students should consult the Class Schedule for specific offerings before registering for their programs.

THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION is composed of three departments, as listed below:

Audio/Video/Film

The Department of Audio/Video/Film offers programs leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree can major in Audio/Radio, Video/Television, Film Studies and Production, and Audio/Video and Film, a B.A. program that combines all three areas. Bachelor of Science students can major in Video/Television, Video/Television and Film, and Video/Television and Business. All programs ground the students in the liberal arts, thereby enabling them to pursue a wide variety of careers and further study. The department’s interdisciplinary approach provides the foundations necessary for opportunities in all aspects of the communication and entertainment industries and for pursuing scholarly research. Students take courses in the history, theory, and aesthetics of the media while also learning the practical and technical components necessary to create and produce material for the media. Each area of the department provides opportunities for personal self-expression, scholarly inquiry, and technical mastery. With a commitment to prepare students for the rapidly converging communications of the twenty-first century, the Department of Audio/Video/Film is a site for the intellectual inquiry, creative activity, and practical achievements on which liberally educated students can build the future.

Journalism and Mass Media Studies

The Department of Journalism and Mass Media Studies offers programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree in the areas of Print Journalism, Broadcast Journalism, Mass Media Studies, and Public Relations.

The department is dedicated to a quality liberal arts education. The journalism programs teach critical thinking, research and effective oral and written expression, emphasizing the ethics, laws and history of the profession. The Department seeks to educate individuals for careers as truthful and accurate media professionals, such as reporters, producers, editors, and broadcasters. The Mass Media studies program provides students with historical, analytical and critical skills necessary to pursue a media-related career or to conduct scholarly research in the field and is designed primarily for those considering graduate-level education. The Bachelor of Arts program in Public Relations is designed to equip students with the knowledge, attitudes and skills expected of professionals in the field. The degree curriculum is founded in the liberal arts and incorporates a broad working knowledge of issues that include economics, political science, and business. Each of these programs is grounded within the framework of liberal arts and science education and the principles by which journalists and scholars work in a democratic society.

Speech Communication, Rhetoric, and Performance Studies

The philosophy of the Department of Speech Communication, Rhetoric, and Performance Studies is based on the recognition that our society is enmeshed in an all-encompassing, interdependent, and ever-expanding web of human and technological communication. Students who major in or take courses in this department learn how the communication process works in interpersonal and group settings, in formal organizations, and in public communication situations. The primary goals of the curriculum are to develop competencies in observing, analyzing, and evaluating communication practices; to develop knowledge about human communication theory; and to develop communication skills in a variety of settings.

The program provides a strong liberal arts background that can be applied to a variety of professional fields such as business, education, and government. Examples of specific career applications include communication training and development, conflict management and resolution, law, corporate and public advocacy, and public performance.

The School of Communication offers undergraduate programs leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science. (See each department for a listing of individual majors.) The School also offers a Master of Arts degree in Speech Communication and Rhetorical Studies.

Bachelor of Arts

Candidates for graduation from the School of Communication with the degree of Bachelor of Arts must fulfill the following requirements:

Degree Requirements

The successful completion of at least 124 semester hours and a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 in work completed at Hofstra. Candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Media Studies must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

At least 94 semester hours (93 hours for the B.A. specialization in Elementary Education and a liberal arts major) of the total must be in liberal arts. Beyond this minimum, the student may elect either nonliberal arts courses or additional liberal arts courses.

A.     Nine semester hours of distribution courses in the humanities (see Distribution Courses under HCLAS). The nine semester hours must include at least three from the Literature category and at least three from the Arts category. No more than three semester hours of Creative Participation courses may be used to satisfy this requirement.

B.     Nine semester hours of distribution courses in the natural sciences and mathematicslcomputer science (see Distribution Courses under HCLAS). At least three semester hours must be chosen from each category.

C.     Nine semester hours of distribution courses in the social sciences (see Distribution Courses under HCLAS). The nine semester hours must include at least three from the Behavioral Sciences category and at least three from the History, Philosophy, Religion category.

D.    Three semester hours of distribution course credit in the Cross-Cultural category (see Distribution Courses under HCLAS).

E.     Three semester hours of distribution course credit in the Interdisciplinary Studies/Other category (see Distribution Courses under HCLAS).  A student may satisfy this requirement with three semester hours of Interdisciplinary Studies course credit or with three semester hours in any other category. However this requirement is satisfied, it is an additional three semester hours to the thirty semester hours required by A-D above.

F.     Satisfactory completion of ENGL 1 and 2. Students entering Hofstra with full credit for ENGL 1 and 2 must, during their first semester at Hofstra, take the Hofstra Writing Proficiency Test. Students who do not pass the test are required to complete ENGL 4 and retake and pass the Hofstra Writing Proficiency Test.

G.     Completion of level 4 of a foreign language, placement above level 4, or completion of the special language option.

1)     A student who continues the study of a foreign language begun in high school must take the language placement test (administered by the Language Laboratory) to determine placement in the proper level. No student shall receive credit toward graduation for any course below his or her level of placement in that language.

        For students continuing the same language studied in high school, successful completion of level 4 of that language will satisfy the foreign language requirement. Students who transfer college credit in a foreign language should continue in the next level which follows that in which they have received credit. If continuing the same language as studied in high school, the foreign language requirement can only be satisfied by completing level 4; if these credits are in a language different from that studied in high school, they may continue to level 4, or the Special Language Option (see below) may apply. International students may satisfy this requirement either by completing ELP 36 or by placing out of the requirement by taking the placement examination in their native language.

2)     Special Language Option:

    A student who does not wish to continue the study of a foreign language studied in high school may–by filing a Special Language Option Form–take levels 1 and 2 of a foreign language not previously studied and six semester hours chosen from the following:

        levels 3 and/or 4 of that language;
        levels 1 and/or 2 of any other foreign language           not previously studied;
        literature in translation;
        comparative literature;
        linguistics;
        Jewish Studies, excluding JWST 15, 16.
Students who wish to use the Special Language Option must file the Special Language Option Form with the Advisement Office. If the student’s high school transcript is not on file, the student must supply one in order to complete the process.

Bachelor of Science

All students must meet program admission requirements (see majors listed under Audio/Video/Film). Candidates for graduation must fulfill the following requirements:

1. The successful completion of at least 124 semester hours and a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 in work completed at Hofstra.
2. At least 72 semester hours must be completed in liberal arts.
3. There are two requirements that must ordinarily be completed in residence at Hofstra: 24 semester hours in the major field and the last 30 hours. The 24 semester hours need not be included within the last 30 hours.
4. Fulfillment of the following four general requirements for the B.S.:
   1. Satisfactory completion of ENGL 1 & 2 (See University Degree Requirements) Six semester hours of distribution courses in each of the following three divisional areas (including at least 3 semester hours in each sub-divisional category of each divisional area):
   2. Humanities (6 s.h.)
   3. Natural Science/Mathematics/Computer Science (6 s.h.)
   4. Social Science Distribution (6 s.h.)
5. The completion of 9 semester hours of School of Communication foundation courses, as follows:
   AVF 1. Sound and Image Aesthetics
   MASS 1. Mass Media: History and Development
   SPCM 1. Oral Communication
   (See course descriptions, AVF courses, JRNL courses, MASS courses, and SPCM courses.)
6. Completion of level 2 of a foreign language or placement above level 2. (Note: a student who continues the study of a foreign language begun in high school must take the language placement test (administered by the Language Laboratory) to determine placement in the proper level. No student will receive credit toward graduation for any course below his or her level of placement in the language. For students continuing the same language studied in high school, successful completion of level 2 of that language will satisfy the foreign language requirement. International students may satisfy this requirement either by completing ELP 36 or by placing out of the requirement by taking the placement examination in their native language.)
7. The fulfillment of major requirements as listed in the Bulletin under each department. Students must receive a grade of C- or better in all courses applicable to the major.

Minor

A minor in any program in the School of Communication consists of the successful completion of 18 semester hours of courses, chosen under advisement. At least 6 hours must be taken in residence. Additional hours in residence in the minor field are required by the departments of Audio/Video/Film and Journalism and Mass Media Studies. Please refer to individual department listings.

Advisement

Freshmen, new transfers, and undecided communication students in the School of Communication are required to contact the Assistant Dean, in the Dean’s Office, to have an adviser/mentor assigned as soon as they declare a major or minor. All other declared majors and minors are assigned through the department. Students who wish to major or minor in Speech Communication and Rhetorical Studies should go directly to the department office in 322 Dempster Hall to have an adviser assigned. Students are required to meet with their adviser for scheduling of classes for each semester. Adviser/mentors are available throughout each semester to answer any questions, advise with problems, or provide information needed.

WRHU-FM Radio

Hofstra University broadcasts to Long Island and parts of New York City at 88.7 FM, and webcasts to the world at www.wrhu.org. The station is on the air 22 hours a day, 365 days a year, and reaches a target audience of almost four million people. With an operating staff of more than 100 people, WRHU is primarily student-operated. As a cornerstone of the School, WRHU exists to provide quality broadcast training to qualified Hofstra University students. Participation at WRHU is recommended as one of the most effective methods of learning the business of radio broadcasting and audio production while engaging in a practicum that  complements academic classroom learning. Interested students must apply, interview, and be placed into a 10-week, noncredit training class held twice per year. For more information, visit www.wrhu.org.

Hofstra Speech and Debate Team

The Speech and Debate (Forensics) Team offers both School of Communication students and students in other units of the University an opportunity to hone their communication, critical thinking, organizational, research, and interpersonal skills by becoming members of this nationally ranked team. Members of the Speech and Debate Team engage in intercollegiate competition in a variety of individual events. These include public address events such as informative and persuasive speaking, after dinner (humorous) speaking, and impromptu speaking, and performance of literature events, such as performance of prose, poetry, and dramatic literature. The team travels to many universities to compete, including rotating sites around the country for the national championships. Several members of the team have received high accolades, including best speaker in New York State and national champion in persuasive speaking.

Hofstra Video Productions

Hofstra Video Productions (HVP) is the University’s awardwinning, in-house multimedia production unit residing in a state-pf-the-art facility in Dempster Hall. A working creative services department, projects include the production of electronic promotional materials for the University’s public relations department designed to effectively promote Hofstra’s specialized Schools and programs. HVP produces real-world productions for network and cable television, radio, Web, DVD and CD-ROM distribution, as well as live special events. High visibility projects have included cooperative endeavors with members of the business community, public television, “The History Channel,” network television, and a variety of external media outlets. Working with a professional staff who are often joined by outside industry professionals, students are given full hands-on opportunities to hone their skills in camera work, lighting, audio, digital editing, special effects, compositing, and various multimedia software. Equipment used by HVP includes BetacamSP, Digital Betacam, DVCPro, Mini-DV, DVCam, field prompter system, as well as a full complement of broadcast-quality lighting and field equipment. Inquiries may be directed to hvplct@hofstra.edu.

Student Activities

Involvement in student and professional organizations and activities serves to enhance the educational experiences of students in the School of Communication. These include:

• National Broadcasting Society-Alpha Epsilon Rho (NBS-AERho)
• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
• Association for Women in Communications (AWC)
• National Association of College Broadcasters (NACB)
• Hofstra Entertainment Access Television (HEAT)
• African and Latino Students in Communication Arts (ALSICA)
• The Chronicle (weekly campus newspaper)
• News and literary magazines
• Lambda Pi Eta (national communication honor society)
• National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
• Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA)
• Hofstra Film Club (HFC)
• National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
• Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)