“While grounded in the classical liberal arts tradition of rhetoric and public address, the communication discipline also responds to contemporary concerns about the processes and effects of organizational and interpersonal communications, the explosion of information technology, and messages generated by the electronic media.”

Jean Ward, Professor Emerita of Communication

The study of human communication has never been more current and crucial. It’s central to the liberal arts, and is a critical component in a wide range of disciplines and careers. Students in Lewis & Clark’s Department of Rhetoric and Media Studies examine the complex communication systems and processes that power an interdependent world.

The Department offers both a major and a minor, and course offerings cover three primary subject areas: interpersonal communication, rhetoric and public advocacy, and media studies. Students explore a variety of perspectives on human symbolic behavior, including the history of rhetorical theory and criticism; persuasion in contemporary public discourse; the dynamic processes of interpersonal, and intercultural communication; and the cultural practice of communication via print and electronic media.

There are countless opportunities for rhetoric & media studies students to make themselves heard on campus. Public Advocacy, Lewis & Clark’s forensics association, is consistently ranked among the top teams in the country; and our student radio station, KLC, broadcasts 7 days a week. Students interested in media production have access to digital editing equipment, digital camcorders, and a multiple-camera color production and editing studio in Aubrey R. Watzek Library.