All students majoring in Applied Communication Studies must take senior assignment or capstone courses. Students on the Interpersonal Communication Track must complete ACS 424 Senior Project in Interpersonal Communication. Students on the Corporate and Organizational Communication Track must complete ACS 409 Senior Project in Corporate and Organizational Communication. Students on the Public Relations Track must complete ACS 415 Public Relations Campaigns II: Implementation and Evaluation, and for its preparation they take ACS 414 Public Relations Campaigns I: Research and Planning the previous semester.
The senior assignment courses integrate all the knowledge that students have acquired from taking required and elective courses in Applied Communication Studies courses and on their specific track. As part of the senior assignment courses, teams of students put to work the knowledge and skills that they learned within the Department of Applied Communication Studies and in their track through projects which combine theory, research, and practice and which can benefit a group, business, non-profit agency, or community. The senior assignment courses thus provide students with a solid practical foundation upon which they can confidently build as they embark on a career in applied communication.
In recent years, senior assignment projects of the Department of Applied Communication Studies have included:
• on the Interpersonal Communication Track, an overview of online communication trends, a departmental climate assessment, a report on communication management on Facebook, and an examination of student use of social media
• on the Corporate and Organizational Communication Track, assessment and training for organizations which work to empower women and children affected by domestic abuse and homelessness, such as Opal’s House, Good Samaritan House, Phoenix Crisis Center, and Our Little Haven
• on the Public Relations Track, awareness and fundraising campaigns, culminating with special events, for an array of organizations, for example: the Edwardsville Watershed Nature Center, the Metro East Humane Society, the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, the Edwardsville YMCA, the Granite City Youth Center, The Covering House, Oasis Women’s Center, the Glen Ed Pantry, Edwardsville Neighbors in Need, the Office of the Treasurer for City of St. Louis, the Edwardsville Main Street Community Center, the SIUE Credit Union, Lexow Financial, social media startup Bonfyre
