Communication Department
Department Links
Marya L. Doerfel
Chair, Department of Communication
COM Faculty
Kristina Scharp
Welcome Kristina M. Scharp Associate Professor of Communication, fall 2022.
Sarah Shugars
Welcome Sarah Shugars Assistant Professor of Communication, fall 2022.

Communication Department

Communication Addresses 21st Century Challenges and Opportunities

The Department of Communication is dedicated to advancing knowledge about communication and its practice in society. The department examines how meaning is created and negotiated in human interaction to address the personal, professional, and public communication challenges and opportunities posed by 21st century life.  Our students become leaders in private, public and civil sectors by developing a deep and practical appreciation of how communication shapes the world in which we live.Research from SC&I’s renowned faculty experts examines the complexity of communication processes related to five focal areas: communication and technology, health communication, interpersonal communication, language and social interaction, and organizational communication. SC&I’s students may also acquire knowledge and skills allowing them to pursue careers related to strategic communication and public relations, leadership, health and wellness, relational and family communication, and a range of other options.

Department of Communication programs:

Communication Department Faculty

Please visit our faculty site. 

Faculty accomplishments:

  • NSF, NIH, U.S. Department of Education and other grant recipients
  • NIH/NSF/CDC grant reviewers
  • Multiple national and international awards for scholarship
  • Top Dissertation and Dissertation Advisor Award winners
  • Dozens of Top Paper, Top Article, and Top Book Award honors
  • Keynote addresses given at multiple national and international conferences
  • Current and former NCA and ICA division chairs and board members
  • Journal editors and editorial board members for the leading academic journals in our field 
  • Rutgers awards for research, teaching and service

Thomson Scientific ranked U.S. institutions that published at least 75 papers between 2002 and 2006 in communication journals they index. The Rutgers Department of Communication ranked #1 nationwide. The Department is proud to have Top 20 rankings in the 2004 NCA Doctoral Program Reputation Studies for Organizational, Interpersonal, Technology, & Health Communication.

Research

The department also supports several research centers, clusters, and labs.

Research Videos

Hidden Organizations, Craig Scott 

Caregiving, Lisa Mikesell

Digital Street, Jeff Lane 

Department News

Jordan’s teaching and research focus on the role of media in the lives of children and adolescents.

Amy Jordan Promoted to Distinguished Professor of Journalism and Media Studies

Date:

Jordan’s studies have examined the impact of public policy mandates on the landscape of children’s television, the use of public television materials in low-income, preschool classrooms, the effect of exposure to sexual media content on adolescent sexual risk taking, and the impact of media campaigns on parent’s and children’s sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.