Abstract
Focused on the University of Virginia, this article examines how local institutional expectations can shape communication programs more strongly than national disciplinary definitions. It describes ACA’s regional efforts to identify common goals, methods, and subject matter in the field, then uses Virginia’s movement from speech and drama to rhetoric and communication studies as a case of program adaptation. The article argues that attempts to mirror the full field weakened coherence, while a focused humanistic curriculum in public discourse better matched institutional priorities and improved credibility. It also emphasizes scholarship, external review, naming, faculty hiring, and relations with the Speech Communication Association as factors in departmental survival and development.
Recommended Citation
Sullivan, John L.
(1983)
"Toward a Definition of the Field: Local Constraints and National Coherence,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 46, Article 3.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol46/iss1/3
