Portfolio Entry 1

What do you consider to be the main strengths and weaknesses of the major field of Communication Studies? Is it a good match for your academic and career goals?

When I started school at Brigham Young University in 1998, I had no idea what I would eventually choose for a major. It wasn’t until after I served a mission and enrolled in a career exploration class that I declared my first major – Electronics and Information Technology. I realized that I had a niche for computers and felt it was a logical move to make.

During my second semester of EIT classes, however, I got a job in the computer industry and quickly realized that the things I was learning on campus were out of touch with the current technologies and realities of the IT industry. I quickly lost interest in my classes and decided to take some time away from school to consider other options.

Since that time, I have been in and out of school at BYU three times. The desire to be educated and finish a degree never left me, but nothing I explored seemed to excite me. I wanted to find a subject that was not only interesting to me, but also applicable to my life and future. When my wife graduated from BYU in April, my desire to be in school was revived and I began exploring all of the options BYU had to offer. After much contemplation, I finally decided to pursue a degree in Communication Studies.

I have always considered myself a communicator. I love talking to people. I love being around people. I try to be everybody’s friend. My ability to relate to people and gain their trust has blessed me with many wonderful friendships. In high school, I was even allowed to attend “girl’s nights” because they knew they could tell me their problems without fear of others finding out.

When I first explored the possibility of pursuing a degree in Communications, a light went off in my head—I realized that pretty much everything I do involves communication. My career has been spent implementing computer networks and email systems, creating websites, and building relationships with clients and co-workers. When I put all of this together, I immediately reapplied to BYU with the excitement that I had finally found a degree that was not only interesting to me, but also applicable to my life and future.

The Communications Department at BYU defines its goal in the following mission statement: “Recognizing the crucial need to truthfully inform and be informed, the BYU Department of Communications seeks excellence in communications by stressing personal integrity, rigorous scholarship, moral values, professional competence and ethical conduct. The Department: (1) broadly educates men and women; (2) fosters respect for free, responsible and truthful expression; (3) champions democratic values; (4) prepares graduates who will effectively serve their professions, their communities, and their nations."[1]

The Communications Studies Emphasis program is “designed for the student who wants a broad, general undergraduate background in communications and does not necessarily want to specialize in advertising, broadcasting, print journalism, or public relations.”[2] I feel that this focus is in line with my goals to learn about communications without specializing in any specific area.

The study of communications has great diversity because communication is so complex and requires many perspectives to be adequately studied. This “diversity is both a strength and a weakness. It’s a strength in part because our multiple perspectives keeps us from getting locked into one approach. It’s a weakness in part because we lack a center, or at least appear so to other disciplines.”[3]

The fact that we are constantly communicating with people shows the need for and strength of the major field of Communication Studies. Developing and maintaining good communication skills will help us in our friendships, marriages, and businesses. Understanding the theories of communication can help us understand the actions and motives of others as well. This same concept can prove a weakness, however, because it’s impossible to understand the motives and actions of all people. It’s important to stay balanced when considering theories so as to not over generalize them.

I believe that my personal, academic, and career goals will be enhanced as I continue to study communications. Even though no one theory can explain how all people act, an overall understanding of the theories currently available will certainly improve our efforts.

Works Cited:

[1] About BYU Communications Department, 24 August 2006, http://comms.byu.edu/index.php?id=104 [10 September 2007].

[2] Communications Studies Emphasis, 13 June 2007, http://comms.byu.edu/index.php?id=1136 [10 September 2007].

[3] Dervin, B. & Song, M., eds. (2004). Communication as a field.