GSW launches new B.A. program in Communication and Emerging Media

by Talik Hill, Staff Writer

Dr. Jones is an assistant professor of communication and emerging media here at GSW. In this interview, she discusses the process of implementing a new verison of the communication program.

What skills can students expect to attain from this program?

“With this program, we have several types of concentrations. So it’s going to really depend on what the student thinks would fit with their future career goals. So for example, we have a Health Communication concentration and that’s really geared toward folks of the nursing program like being able to put together presentations on research that they’ve done and being able to professionally talk to families and those kinds of things. We have a Media Studies concentration, which is focused on understanding the theoretical aspects of consuming & creating media, and being exposed to different kinds of media. We also have a Strategic Communication concentration that’s focused on things like public relations campaigns, being able to actually do the things that are required of public relations professionals, like social media posts, and creating a campaign from start to finish. We have a Rhetorical Criticism concentration, that looks at things like language development, etc., and how those work in political and civic spheres, which is great for folks in political science and history majors and things like that. So we are incredibly interdisciplinary, and we’re designed to be that way to complement the programs that are already here on GSW’s campus, as well as to give them real-life experience & skills for when they graduate and go out to start working with companies and businesses in southwest Georgia.”

What are the digital media lab & the communication research library about and how do they help to prepare students for the workforce?

“So our digital media lab is a lab in Collum Hall that is set up with a brand new iMacs that have the Adobe creative products on them, as well as different products that will allow for things like podcasting, general audio editing, video editing, graphic design, you could also put together publications with some of these programs as well as general research. It’s designed for students to be able to have an all-in-one space where they can do creative projects, like editing, layering, 3D graphic designs, and that way they can have a central hub for that. The library is a media-based research space, with sources that we’ve pulled together so that students have access to these books without having to leave this space of the program. The lab is open to anyone but permission is required to gain access to cameras, podcasting, and audio recording equipment.”

Picture by Talik Hill

What on-campus extracurricular activities, jobs, or clubs correspond with this degree?

“We do have internship opportunities, most of our internships on campus right now go through Judy Orton Grissett, in experiential learning, but those can count toward communication internships as well. We’re still building up relationships right now but we obviously have the student newspaper housed under this department, Communication and Emerging Media, and we’re hoping to build up more relationships with some of the gaming organizations, the esports team. We have also been in talks with the athletics department to see if we can get students doing internships with the new video board that got set up in the fall. If you have an interest, we will find a way.”

Picture by Patrick Peacock

What careers can students expect to be able to market themselves for?

“The sky is the limit. That’s the interdisciplinary benefit of communication and emerging media. We are highlighting that. With the local businesses, we’re looking for folks to do public relations type of work, copywriting, content creation, being able to do things like publishing assistance, journalism, sports commentator, critical analyst, those are all jobs you could get with a Communication and Emerging Media bachelors.”

Watch the full interview with Dr. Jones at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa0LlWRBimM

Video by Talik Hill

Picture by Talik Hill