Our Mission

Our mission is to guide students toward developing the skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to use communication to create a more civil and humane world.

By civil and humane, we do not mean good manners or a superficial veneer of politeness spread over interaction. We mean, instead, a way of communicating that is rooted in an acceptance and appreciation of others and that involves communicating in ways that express respect for and acknowledgment of others. Communication that is rooted in civility and humaneness acknowledges people's space in the world, regardless of their station in life, wealth or lack of it, politics, religion, or any other quality.

As part of our mission statement, we have identified four communication skill areas that are associated with the creation of a more civil and humane world. Each of the approximately 50 courses we teach contributes to understanding in at least one of the four areas.

Creation of Community

When individuals know and care about one another, they are less likely to be adversarial or disrespectful. This skill area fosters recognition that reasonable people do sometimes disagree and that multiple interpretations of subjects exist. We help people learn the ability to discover and use various options for managing and resolving conflicts.

Communication Within Systems

There is a special ability found in those who can understand, evaluate and communicate effectively within social, public and professional systems that enable change to occur in ways that are civil and respectful of all perspectives. Our students learn to create, sustain and communicate effectively within these systems.

Analysis of Communication

We teach how to understand the underlying beliefs and values inherent in messages. Through critical thinking about communication using a variety of analytical systems, students learn to identify, understand and assess the range of options available in the construction of messages.

Production of Communication

We teach how best to produce effective oral, written, virtual and mediated communication that can contribute to society. Our students engage in actual production and creation of messages using a wide range of communicative forms and technologies.