“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” - John M. Richardson Jr.
Speaking of The Cord, an article was published last week in the paper criticizing the Communications department at Laurier. Upon first hearing about it I was mildly upset that my dear program was being picked apart but on second thought, and after reading the article I realized that everything said was 100% true. I have always been critical of the program so in truth, those who are acting out of hand are the ones that are angered by this piece.
Today I had the chance to talk to Kim Elworthy, the author of said article and apparently she's been getting some insulting messages via Facebook by angry Comm students. The article has also been brought up by professors and students alike causing quite a stir among students on campus. Even the department head has admitted to agreeing with a lot of what Elworthy had to say. Doesn't that speak volumes about the program and the students in it?
This is my Communications department theory (CDS):
10% of students are actually interested in the content of the program,
50% of students are Business drop outs, and
40% of students would rather be at a kegger but have settled for this "bird" major.
If you delve into the course content within the department, you will find some interesting and thought provoking information yet students refuse to dig deep. Kim faces a similar predicament in class where she is / I am one of the only people who participate in class. It gets to the point where my hand is up and the Professor looks around for other willing participants. It can be pretty embarrassing but when a quarter of your grade depends on participation, you'd think the class would be more engaged.
Wake up Communications students. If you're so passionate about your major, PROVE IT.
agreed, although to be honest, the best parts of the Comms program have very little to do with communication media and the other crap that it taught in the first 2 years. There are a handful of great profs, but the program is handcuffed by a lot of useless courses that play to the lowest common denominator (ie your 40%). There is a great opportunity to take the business dropouts (50%), and turn them into the 10%, but they need some thought provoking discussion of issues that will actually engage them. I know because I was a political science dropout who hated the program and took a while to warm up to comms as well, but eventually got into 213, which totally changed my world
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