Education – Harrison Connect

April 20, 2017woocw No Comments

SCOM Celebrating Open Oceans of Opportunity

A party by students for students and faculty?

Sounds like fun—and, yes, it will be!

Each and every April, JMU’s School of Communication Studies hosts an annual dinner where SCOM students, faculty, family, and friends get together to gaze back and ahead. The event includes great food, numerous awards, plenty of celebration and, of course, a dash of education.

Last year’s SCOM dinner. The theme was “the world is waiting for you.”

Eric Fife, Director of the School of Communications, agrees saying, “it’s a wonderful event, and a great way to celebrate a successful year.”

That’s certainly the case this spring. Planning began in January, and has been a time of high anticipation for the student planners, seniors Karan Deengar (’17) and Ian Francisco (’17).

Deengar, a highly organized and detail-oriented individual, chose to plan this event because he wanted to learn.

“This dinner is one of the biggest events within SCOM and I wanted to be a part of the process to learn all about what makes it such a special event for all those involved,” Deengar says.

This year’s theme, “Open Oceans of Opportunity” reflects the many paths to success within communication studies.

Francisco, the creative brains behind the dinner, chose to take part in the event because he wanted this year’s event to be the best one yet.

“My last year in SCOM, or at JMU in general wouldn’t be enough if I didn’t become involved in a big way” the senior says.

Ian Francisco and Karan Deengar have planned the event and sold tickets.

“This was my way to give back to my major and wrap things up as a student here!”

Both students found the planning process enlightening and educational as they learned the importance of having a good partner.

“The success of any two business partners or colleagues is directly reliant on the synergy between the two people,” said Francisco, “I learned this right away as Karan kept catching things I was missing, and I was doing the same to him.”

This year, the event falls on Tuesday, April 25 and will be held in the Madison Union Ballroom. It’s a special time to unwind, listen to live entertainment and enjoy a lovely meal with faculty and students alike.

Most importantly, the evening will feature various awards. For students, recognition will be given to individuals within their chosen concentration and student organizations in SCOM. The best lecturer award, the best professor award and the distinguished alumni award will be presented as well.

Fife noted his excitement surrounding the event saying “Every aspect of the community is represented, which I think is fantastic. If I could find a way to do so, I’d make it an even larger event.”

Both Francisco and Deengar agree they hope the night will be a time for everyone to “take it all in one last night before finals and entering the real world, I know it will be for me” said Deengar.

Melissa Swan, an SCOM major following plans for the event, is also excited. “It’s sure to be a great time,” she says. “After all, who knows how to throw a party better than JMU students?”

February 27, 2017woocw No Comments

How do you teach students to use critical thinking to solve real world problems?

By Matthew Boling (’18)

Dr. Michael Broderick, an assistant professor in JMU’s School of Communication Studies, uses monstrous, magical puppets to teach his students how to develop out-of-the box techniques to address complex social issues and challenges. Students create puppets to address such diverse topics as the similarities between art and science or the predator and prey in society.

But, as in real life, there are no directions or boundaries for this assignment. Broderick’s students are on their own from the moment they are divided into work groups until their final presentations at the end of the semester.

Before then, students spend weeks brainstorming how to articulate and give social issues understandable shape and form.

Puppet with JMU JAC Cards, tuition checks, textbooks and supplies, room and board, and meal plans.

For example, one group brought the predator student debt to life. To express themselves as prey to student debt, students covered the puppets with JMU JAC Cards, tuition checks, textbooks and supplies, room and board, and meal plans.

This innovative approach to teaching SCOM 123, group presentations, is as effective as it is ingenious. But it’s not original with Broderick.

He first got the idea from an event in Athens, Ohio where artists are invited from across the country to construct similar puppets for a four-day parade leading into Halloween.

At first glance, the puppets may seem meaningless, but they prompt both critical and divergent thinking, helping students prepare for the real world.

Critical thinking is essential to successfully solve today’s workplace dilemmas. Divergent thinking is the creative aspect of this combination.

Made famous by Albert Einstein, divergent thinking involves taking a simple concept or object and using imagination to identify new and potential uses.

In Broderick’s class, much like the workplace, his students are given a project with no direction and must come up with a solution, as well as the rationale for their creation and its style, and meaning.

Student grades are based on a portfolio created throughout the entire semester.

Dr. Brodrick with puppets that his students made.

The portfolio contains visual artifacts of everything during the semester: receipts from purchases, pictures taken during the process, sketches of the puppet, text messages within the group, emails, and anything else that was used during the creation of the project.

Broderick then he assesses the quality of the puppet, the inspiration and rationale for the group’s creation, and how well the team can justify their choices and meaning behind the puppet.

Since he does not teach an art class, the craftsmanship of the puppet is not important to Broderick. However, he can tell when a group fails to invest themselves in designing and creating the puppets—and grades accordingly.

Yes, Broderick’s method is abstract, ingenious, and enhances students’ critical thinking skills as they prepare for life after college.

And it starts with puppets.

Do you want to know more about Dr. Broderick’s class and puppet project? Please contact him at broderml@jmu.edu.

February 4, 2017woocw No Comments

SCOM’s newest study abroad program: Public Relations in Korea

By Sara Hardiman (Class of 2017)

JMU classes, particularly communication classes, are great.

But even the best of classes have their limitations.

That’s why a dozen Public Relations students in JMU’s School of Communication Studies packed their bags and went to South Korea last summer.

Sports and International public relations in Korea is one of the newest study abroad programs the School of Communication Studies offers. Read more SCOM’s newest study abroad program: Public Relations in Korea

November 13, 2016woocw No Comments

Communicating for the Future

By Anthony Barletta (’17)

There is no lack of controversial issues within the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, and even on our campus. But there is a place to discuss them. In 2011, JMU faculty and students in the School of Communication Studies (SCOM) program, created an outlet to create spaces where these issues could be discussed productively.

For the last five years, SCOM’s Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD) has collaborated with both the campus and the community to ease different groups of people into complex discussions.

Dr. Britt is facilitating a discussion at the ICAD's Recidivism Summit. — Dr. Britt is facilitating a discussion at the ICAD’s Recidivism Summit.

Unraveling and understanding these public issues is no easy task. Issues that challenge these communities range from mental health disabilities to sexual assault to the recidivism rate. Hitting close to home, community members have difficulty discussing these complex issues.

Engaging diverse groups in productive talk is a collaborative effort headed by ICAD’s director, Dr. Lori Britt and associate director, Dr. Rob Alexander.

ICAD brings community members, JMU faculty, and JMU students together in these discussions. According to Dr. Lori Britt, the talk “is not always about finding solutions but is sometimes focused on creating spaces where people can gain others’ perspectives.” As Dr. Britt explains, encompassing different perspectives helps strengthen community relations on campus, in the community and between the two. Read more Communicating for the Future