Shared Goals in an Undergraduate Communication Curriculum: Using Q Methodology to Identify Community Expectations

Abstract

Communication, a diverse discipline that includes fields such as media studies,
telecommunications, advertising, journalism, public relations and film,
attracts both students and faculty with wide-ranging interests and
needs. This study employs Q methodology at a small communication
department housed at a major private research university to identify
shared goals, expectations, and interests among communication
undergraduates and faculty. Through Q methodology, three distinct groups
or factors emerged, and areas of consensus among those groups were
identified that facilitated the drafting of a new, proposed mission
statement for the communication department. The article concludes that Q
methodology is a valuable tool to locate consensus and shared
perceptions and values within university departments that include
students and faculty with diverse interests and areas of study.