Communication

You talk, you listen, you watch TV, you follow politics (or not), you persuade people around you (or not). The Department of Communication helps you to think about these things - and DO these things - in entirely different ways.

Communication is the primary means by which we construct social reality, recognize and analyze social processes, and effect social change.

The Department of Communication strives to improve the effectiveness of our communication, enhance creativity and productivity, promote a just and fair sense of social reality, and strengthen and enrich the social good.

The academic discipline of communication draws upon the arts, social and natural sciences, and professional fields, and our faculty have the interdisciplinary backgrounds to match. You'll explore a wide range of areas, including rhetoric, new media and digital culture, visual studies, ethics, cultural studies, and all types of communication, from interpersonal to intercultural. Most students focus on either Media Studies, Rhetoric and Culture, or Public Communication, but many choose to merge aspects of multiple areas in their studies.

Alumni Spotlight

Alumni and professor pose next to a camera

Carlos Torres ’16, Matthew Soares ’12, and Father Mike Win Emmy

The online and cable TV program Sunday to Sunday, hosted by retired SMC Communication Professor Father Mike Russo, won a 2020 Emmy award for Outstanding Interview Program from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences S.F./Northern CA chapter. Director-editor Carlos Torres ’16, Matthew Soares ’12, and Father Mike were announced as winners on June 6 for their production of the episode “Father Chris Walsh,” which explores the priest’s work ministering to an African American congregation at Saint Raymond of Penafort in Philadelphia—a small but impactful degree of racial healing.

Savannah Mattox

The amount of growth, in every sense of the word, that I experienced in the Communication Department, in conjunction with the support, authenticity, and creativity that has always been present, has been an invaluable facet of my Undergraduate experience at Saint Mary's College of California. Staff/faculty in our Comm Department have their own band and they're sound is hella good. Communication is amazing, 15/10 would recommend this multifaceted and extremely relevant field of study, with such a range of folx from a myriad of lived experiences.

Plans: In late July, I will officially assume my role as a Lasallian Volunteer in Tucson, AZ. I will train in the Chicago, IL area for ten days with other LV's who have placed in an array of roles around the nation; after the conclusion of training, I will go straight to Tucson, AZ. where I will be working as an LV at San Miguel High School, a small, Cristo Rey institution of mostly POC students, many of whom exist direct at or below the federal poverty line and will be First Generation College Students. I will be a co-coordinator for San Miguel's El Otro Lado Border Immersion Program, in which I will be working with Sister Jodi, who has been involved previously with a number of Lasallian institutions, Saint Mary's College being one of them. We will be leading a minimum of ten Border Immersion Trips to the Nogales, AZ./Mexico border for 6-8 high school students +2 coordinators from around the U.S. in addition to 2-4 of our own students from San Miguel High. We will spend about 5 days between Mexico and Tucson, connecting with Border Patrol Agents; going inside a deportation/processing court and having dialogue with folx who work within its network; connecting with folx who have/plan to make the cross in a commodore and hearing their individual narratives; meeting with elders and government officials of the Tohono O'Odham nation, whose sovereign land straddles the U.S. Mexico Border and how the border-space tensions and policies impact their tribal [spiritual, political, legislative, social, environmental] existence, to name a few dimensions of what our Immersion Trips will entail. I will also be assisting the Principal and Vice Principal with attendance and student/parent outreach. I will be living in community with 3 Christian Brothers and 1 other Lasallian Volunteer in Tucson for the duration of my service in the program. Words cannot express how excited I am to begin my position in as a Lasallian Volunteer!

Favorite Classes/Professors: It is so difficult to pick a favorite Comm class, but I would have to say it is a close tie between my Advertisement & Civic Engagement course with Dr. Joyce, my Senior Capstone course with Scott Schonfeldt-Aultman [I explored U.S. Pan African Gender Politics and Media Discourse], and my Interpersonal Communication course with Dr. Generous! Each of these courses/instructors played a profound role in my intrapersonal development throughout my time at SMC and supported/empowered me in more ways than I thought possible: to apply for and be accepted as the 2018 Valedictorian and as a Lasallian Volunteer; to explore my intersectional identities and experiences as a first-generation, biracial woman, as a witch, a vegan, a person with an invisible disability, as an activist--- through my written works, projects, presentations in these courses, but most importantly through the dialogues I had the opportunity to engage in with said instructors outside of our class spaces!

Abigayle Haguisan

The Communication Department at Saint Mary’s is one of the coolest departments on campus, with some of the most genuine and hilarious professors you’ll ever meet. The department has allowed me to challenge myself creatively through classes specializing in advertising, social justice, and visual communication—all of which I have found a passion for. Because of the Communication Department, I was able to produce work that I was passionate about and proud of. 10/10 would recommend.

Favorite Classes: Whiteness, Advertising & Civic Engagement

Favorite Teachers: Scott Schönfeldt-Aultman, Samantha Joyce, Ed Tywoniak

Zoe Rubens

The Communication department helped me grow not just academically but as an individual. They pushed my thinking but lent their support along the way. My relationships with professors have blossomed into friendships with mentors, which is so unique to SMC.

Plans: Accepted an offer to teach English in Madrid, Spain

Kiana Lei Yap

When I first met Ed Tywoniak at SMC’s Fall Open House my senior year of high school (2014), I knew I would be welcomed into the program as more than a student— but as a new member of the Comm Dept family. My classes have shaped me into a more thoughtful, open-minded, and critical thinker. My professors invested their knowledge into my education and their care into my personal growth as an individual. As I enter my next stage as a graduate business student, I know the academic foundation I’ve developed from being a Comm major will foster all future success.

Plans: Going to graduate business school at SMC to pursue a Masters of Science in Management.

Gabriella Piombo

I truly believe that the Communication Department at Saint Mary's set me up for success in my endeavors after college. I am constantly using the skills I have gained from my time at school. The communication department not only helped me achieve better communication skills but leadership skills as well through my capstone project.

Favorite Class: Quantitative Methods with Makiko Imamura- I loved how organized the class was and how Makiko made the math enjoyable to learn.

Plans: Moved to Carmel, California and started a job as a Sales and Event coordinator at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, helping sell and detail both corporate meeting/events and weddings hosted at the hotel

Hannah Grunbaum

I am truly honored to have been apart of the Communication Department during my time at SMC. The department has created their own little family on campus which was very comforting as a transfer student. All of the communication professors went above and beyond to help their students succeed and offered invaluable advice and guidance.

Plans: Finished an internship in Public Relations with Aliison+Partners. After starting in their San Francisco office, she had the opportunity to finish her internship in their Los Angeles office. Now, Hannah resides in L.A. and has chosen to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. They are currently interning for BWR Public Relations where they work in their TV department.

Favorite Classes: Advertising with professor Sam Joyce, Rhetorical Criticism with Professor Scott Schonfeldt-Aultman and Public Relations with Professor Dennis Erokan.

Maxwell Mirner

My experience in the Communication department was phenomenal. I enjoyed almost every class I took and the subject matter caught my attention regardless. I explored some classes in SEBA and quickly figured out that comm was the way to go for me, especially with my interest in broadcasting and journalism. All the professors are kind and have a deep interest in helping with the success of each student.

Favorite Classes: Latin American Cinema, Film history, and Whiteness

Favorite Professors: Scott Schonfeldt-Aultman, Ed Tywoniak, and Sam Joyce

Plans: Currently in Chicago training with a team that is taking him on a 3-week tour of Denmark and Sweden, playing against professional teams, in hopes to sign a professional soccer contract. He is excited to experience soccer outside of the US!

Christina Shubat

I did a lot of soul-searching in communication. I had a lot of passions going into college at Saint Mary's, but the projects and professors in the Communication department pushed me to find questions I wanted answers to, to do a deeper, more personal type of learning that I would not have been able to get from other majors or other schools. Being able to communicate effectively is important, but being able to communicate about one of your passions is a gift, and I wish it upon everyone.

Plans: working at Genentech as an administrative assistant in the Developmental Sciences group for the Business, Management and Communications team. It is all encompassing of expense reports, project coordination, event management, and customer service.

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