Abstract
This article critiques the dominance of performance based courses within speech communication curricula and presents a model for a theory and research oriented undergraduate major in communication studies. Drawing on institutional experience at a land grant university, the authors identify structural and philosophical barriers that arise when departments prioritize public speaking service courses over scholarship and conceptual learning. Five guiding principles are proposed: redefining departmental identity beyond service roles, displacing public speaking as the defining gateway course, elevating theory and research above skill practice, aligning grading and rigor with disciplinary standards, and protecting faculty scholarship from teaching overloads. The resulting curriculum sequences courses across communication theory, interpersonal, small group, organizational, and intercultural contexts, integrates research methods and statistics, and establishes enrollment controls to preserve seminar quality. The article argues that such a program enhances academic integrity, bolsters disciplinary status, and prepares students for ethical participation in diverse global communication environments.
Recommended Citation
Redmond, Mark V. and Waggoner, David W.
(1992)
"A Theory and Research Oriented Communication Major: Communication Studies,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 80, Article 1.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol80/iss1/1
