Overview
On your way to earning a degree in communication at Keene State, you will explore a variety of academic areas and study communication from a perspective based in the humanities. Our students develop skills and knowledge at the heart of higher education in the liberal arts, enriching their personal lives and facilitating professional success. You will study:
- Classical and contemporary theories of persuasion
- Ethics and logical argumentation
- Philosophy of law (including ideas about liberty, justice, and the origins of governmental authority)
- Interpersonal, intercultural, and organizational communication
- Presidential and political rhetoric
- Media studies (of photography, film, and television, for instance)
Hands-on, useful, and relevant experience allows our students to make exceptional progress toward their goals after graduating. Throughout your course of study, you will learn by doing through a range of options, including:
- Public speaking competitions
- Undergraduate research
- Internships
- Service learning within the Keene community
- A mandatory senior project, requiring design, implementation, and public presentation of original research – a key asset for job interviews and graduate school applications
Our faculty’s diverse scholarship allows students to earn a rare undergraduate degree, combining communication and philosophy. Faculty expertise ranges from interpersonal, intercultural, and health communication to the rhetoric and philosophy of language, film, aesthetics, ethics, criminality, race, gender, and sexuality.
Program Options
Students who are interested in communication and philosophy at Keene State can opt for a BA in communication with either a communication studies or philosophy option, or a minor in either communication or philosophy. The communication major combines courses in communication and philosophy and takes a broad-based, humanities-centered view of the symbolic ways humans create meaning. You’ll have opportunities to study:
- Classical and contemporary theories of persuasion
- Ethics and logical argumentation
- Philosophy of law (including ideas about liberty, justice, and the origins of governmental authority)
- Interpersonal, intercultural, and organizational communication
- Presidential and political rhetoric
- Media studies (of photography, film, and television, for instance)
You’ll learn to work with various communication tools to improve your ability to interact effectively with others, while increasing your critical awareness as you study the structure, patterns, and effects of communication.
The philosophy program seeks to develop skills in problem solving, persuasive communication, and clear writing, which are central to many intellectual pursuits. The program challenges students to confront controversial issues in ethics and social justice. Students also may explore topics relating to art (especially digital culture), as well as fundamental questions about the nature of consciousness and its relation to a meaningful life.
Request Information
In this Section:
Career and Other Opportunities
Communication and Philosophy graduates possess an academic background that prepares them for a range of professional pursuits. They gain intellectual tools needed for a lifetime of learning and career success as they go on to graduate and professional schools or careers in:
- Teaching
- Writing
- Law
- Human resources
- Media
- Public relations
- Politics
- Social activism
…and many other fields.
Outcomes
Students who graduate from Keene State with a degree in communication have skills that are valuable to employers and graduate programs. Our graduates are able to:
- Create and articulate persuasive arguments in speaking and writing
- Recognize how communication both shapes and reflects the beliefs, values, and attitudes of different worldviews
- Engage in research
- Articulate the ways messages are evaluated from a variety of ethical perspectives
- Analyze and evaluate communication, using contemporary and historically significant theoretical frameworks
