Mission

The Department of Communication Studies provides graduate and undergraduate education in rhetoric, performance studies, and interpersonal communication while advancing knowledge in those areas and providing service to our discipline and community. We strive to cultivate an intellectual community that is pluralistic in approach but shares a commitment to communication as a humane, critical, and innovative practice. 

Background

Established in 1928, the LSU department of Communication Studies is one of the oldest communication departments in the nation, granting the first PhD in the South. Today, we draw from the insights of art, social science, and philosophy to study the practice of communication. To study communication at LSU is to explore how we form, maintain, and transform the symbolic environments we inhabit through rhetoric, performance, and interpersonal interactions. Our department is committed to using scholarship to inform and thereby improve our practices of communication so as to enable the advancement of culture.

Louisiana State University situates academics within a rich cultural milieu. As a Research-Extensive university, LSU offers graduate degrees in over 60 programs with students from every state and over 120 countries. The LSU campus, called “a botanical joy” in a listing among the 20 best campuses of America, is located in the southern part of the city of Baton Rouge and is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. Members of the LSU community can participate in a variety of events, from nationally touring art exhibits, speakers, and performers to a robust athletic scene and Mardi Gras parades that range from Cajun to contemporary. Just a short drive from New Orleans, Baton Rouge provides extended opportunities for soaking up local culture.

Three Areas of Research, One Great Tradition:

  • Interpersonal Communication: The research and analysis of intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and health communication.
  • Performance Studies: The interpretation and production of performance on stage, in art and mediated settings, and in ordinary life.
  • Rhetorical Studies: The theory and criticism of persuasive discourse that functions to instigate social change and critical public reflection.

 

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