Communication Program

College of Social Sciences
School of Communication and Information
Crawford 320
2550 Campus Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8715
Fax: (808) 956-5396
Email: comm@hawaii.edu
Web: sci.manoa.hawaii.edu/programs/communication/

Faculty

*H. Kramer, PhD (Program Director)—intercultural communication
*W. Buente, PhD (Graduate Chair)—information and communication technologies
*R. Neo, PhD (Undergraduate Chair)—social media, political persuasion
*P. Buskirk, MFA—media arts, communication for civic engagement
*J. Gu, PhD—digital cultures, platform economies, critical technology studies
*J. Y. Kim, PhD—strategic communication, public relations
*J. Winter, PhD—emerging communication technology and policy

Participating Graduate Faculty From Journalism

*J. Gorbach, PhD—multimedia journalism, media history

Cooperating Graduate Faculty

D. Lassner, PhD—telecommunication, public relations
N. Okamura, PhD—telecommunication

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

F. Dalisay, PhD—mass communication
K. Kawamoto, PhD—digital media, health communication
R. Taylor, EdD, JD—telecommunications law and policy

* Graduate Faculty

The Academic Program

The Communication (COM) program provides undergraduate and graduate students an academic climate consistent with the mission of the College of Social Sciences. and adheres to standards set by leaders in the communication field. The program focuses on active learning and inquiry into fundamental communication processes. Our students study communication techniques and technologies that shape our culture and the culture of others with the aim of preparing them for fruitful careers, civic engagement, and a life of learning. The goal of our program in terms of student learning is to help our students build and exchange knowledge in areas relevant to the broad field of communication and to our specific areas of specialization. The program is organized into three focus areas: communication in communities (local, organizational, global), information and communication technologies (ICTs) & policy, and media arts. The Communication program offers well-defined skills that are directly applicable to current-day occupations. Our students have built careers in areas such as government, law enforcement, hospitality, education, social services, real estate, public relations, social media management, film production, and international business.

The Communication program distinguishes itself from mainland counterparts by being one of the few programs to highlight the importance and validity of the Hawaiʻi/AsiaPacific region as an area for research and endeavors to address the needs unique to the Hawaiian Island Chain and the rest of Oceania. The Communication program is one of five autonomous units within the School of Communication and Information.

Affiliations

The East-West Center, Pacific Telecommunications Council, Telecommunications and Social Informatics Research Program (TASI), and the many international conferences dealing with Asian/Pacific affairs provide a stimulating environment for international and intercultural communication.

Advising

Each undergraduate major is assigned a faculty advisor. In addition, an undergraduate chair provides a general point of contact for aspiring and declared majors. The graduate program parallels the undergraduate advising structure. However, once a student is admitted to candidacy, the student chooses a permanent advisor for the remainder of their program.

Undergraduate Study

The undergraduate program offers courses that provide students with a sound understanding of fundamental communication processes in contexts ranging from small groups to large organizations be it in person or through computer mediated communication (CMC). The program provides students the opportunity to select courses that allow them to specialize in one or more of three focus areas: communication in communities, and ICTs & policy, and media arts.

Graduate Study

Master’s Degree

Please see “Programs” section below for more information about our this program.

Doctoral Degree in Communication and Information Sciences

The Communication MA program is one of the academic units that participates in an interdisciplinary doctoral program called Communication and Information Sciences (CIS). See the “Interdisciplinary Programs ” section for more information on the doctoral program.

Programs

Bachelor’s

Communication, BA

Master’s

Communication, MA