In addition to occupying positions on newspapers, magazines and Web publications in-state and around the country, graduates of the Journalism sequence obtain news-related jobs in universities, business and industrial relations. The mission of the Department of Communication is to prepare students to be effective and ethical consumers and producers of personal and public communication. To that end, the department serves all students, regardless of major, in the development of basic communication skills and of an appreciation for theatre, public communication and mass media. The curricula of the department are designed to nurture and instill in its majors principles and skills of enduring value. These include effective written and oral communication, critical thinking and creative expression, analysis and synthesis of information, the impact of rhetoric and persuasion, and the integration of theory with technical expertise and practical experience. This broad range of ideas is held together by abiding interests in symbolic activities and meanings, which together form the foundation of an individual's personal, interpersonal and social life.