Overview

The Department of Communication & Theatre offers dynamic academic instruction and a wide variety of activities that support student's growth in the communication and theatre disciplines. Within the communication program, students may choose from one of two options: Media Studies and Organizational & Strategic Communication. In theatre, students may choose from four options: acting/directing, technical theatre design, theatre management/promotion, or musical theatre.

Among the activities provided by the department available to all university students include The Southeastern Newspaper, The Savage Yearbook, KSSU Radio Station (FM 91.9), forensics and debate, Theatre at Southeastern, and the Chorvettes Stageworks Company. The department has several chapters of organizations from which students may participate: Lambda Pi Eta (communication), National Broadcasting Society, Alpha Epsilon Rho (broadcasting), Pi Kappa Delta (debate), and the Alpha Psi Omega (theatre).

Communication

The mission of the communication program is to challenge students to develop and enhance oral and written communication skills, research competence, and media production skills. The communication program equips students with theoretical, critical, and practical knowledge to prepare students for entry into graduate school, professional school, and the workforce.

Options in Communication:

• The Media Studies option provides students an excellent opportunity to pursue an interest in advertising, public relations, broadcasting, and journalism. The Media Studies option provides students with a comprehensive overview of the theoretical and practical approaches of mass communication.
  • The advertising/public relations emphasis uses an integrated approach, which reflects the most modern perspectives of the industry. It is designed to prepare students by using mass media, problem solving techniques and creative endeavors for career preparation in advertising/public relations firms, institutions, business, politics, government, and other organizations.
  • The broadcasting emphasis prepares students for careers in the electronic media industry. It is designed to provide students with a theoretical foundation along with practical experiences. Students in the broadcasting emphasis have access to state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities, which include a radio station and a video-editing suite.
  • The journalism emphasis is designed to prepare students in all aspects of the journalism profession. This emphasis is designed to give students practical experiences combined with a theoretical foundation. Students in this emphasis have access to a technologically advanced newsroom that produces both a weekly newspaper and a yearbook.The Organizational and Strategic Communication option provides a flexible and challenging program for students seeking professional careers and administrative positions in business, educational, health, legal, and political organizational units.
• The Organizational and Strategic Communication track blends theory, quantitative and qualitative research techniques, and experience-based instruction, and to facilitate active learning vital to the contemporary organization. Students develop critical communication skills, learn how communication functions in organizational structures, and develop rhetorical strategies characteristic of various organizational units. Recent graduates have secured employment in training and employee development, organizational development, public affairs, while others have pursued law degrees and graduate degrees in communication.

Theatre

The mission of the theatre program is to provide students with important facets of our cultural heritage through recreating historical as well as contemporary drama and musical theatre productions. It also qualifies students for entry into professional companies and graduate programs at other institutions. Finally it improves the cultural, artistic, extracurricular and academic environment of Southeastern Oklahoma through exposure to live presentations of quality dramatic literature.

Options in Theatre:

• The Acting/Directing option allows majors to receive training in various acting methods, styles and historical periods that will give the student an overall understanding of the craft of acting. A vigorous production season provides ample opportunity for on-stage experiences in the option.
• The Technical Theatre/Design option focuses on the “behind the scenes” aspect of theatre. Students learn through coursework and practical application methodologies used to create visual and auditory imagery on the stage.
• The Theatre Management option affords majors the opportunity for hands on experience in the stage management, marketing, promotion and administrative aspects of the theatre. This option includes meaningful cross-curricular courses in communication and business.
• The Musical Theatre option offers training in music, dance, vocal performance, and acting. The option, which contains rigorous production and historical elements, prepares majors for a myriad professional opportunities including touring companies, theme parks, cruise ships, and regional theatres.