April 2010


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Communication Studies: UWI St Augustine 1999-2009

A beginning and a beyond

I see the current interest in celebrating Communication Studies as an opportunity to reflect and share my perspective and experience on the beginning of the Communication Studies programme. This reflection offers an account of how the programme began and developed. It is an attempt to stem the tendency to eradicate history from memory or assume that there was nothing before now. It is for those who contend that what was there before now should be shifted aside without the benefit of scholarly thinking and evidence for the sake of expediency and self-promotion. It is my hope that we can go beyond the current myopia and insularity. But this phenomenon is neither new nor exclusive to small island states and territorial universities. It is at the heart of human communication. I dedicate this memory to my students and my colleagues. We have grown beyond the boundaries that others would impose upon us.

Prior to 1999 the popular view at The University of the West Indies (UWI) was that communication studies was the study of mass media and journalism. People who studied communication went to do mass communications at CARIMAC at our Mona Campus. If you went to the USA you might have had a broader experience, but may have concentrated on mass communications. In the UK or elsewhere you might have qualified in Communication with Cultural Studies or Media Studies. The illustrious and highly successful programme in Jamaica had the unintended effect of encouraging a narrow view of the discipline. But even such a successful programme was eventually reviewed and renewed, culminating in new offerings within recent times. In the mid 1990s, at least in this tropical verse of the universe, the idea that communication studies could encompass over two dozen sub-fields and interest groups was either unheard of or ignored. All the newspaper ads for communication managers, specialists, and officers required persons with a degree in mass communications or public relations.

According to the CSS Self-Assessment 2006 Report, the UWI Communication Studies programme was conceived to “promote teaching/learning, research and publication, thought and activities in the several sub-fields of the human communication discipline.” To do so, “It fulfills its mission by addressing the concerns of human beings as communicators. The concerns of the teaching, research and publication, and outreach and service programmes include exploring, understanding, developing and shaping concepts of the self and its connections with others, the symbolic nature of communication, the interplay between intention and effect, and meaning and experience at the various levels of communication: intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, organizational, public, mass, and intercultural. In its teaching programme, the Section emphasizes the concerns of human beings as communicators through systematic inquiry in the many sub-disciplines of the study of human communication.

Accordingly, the Reviews added: “In its research and publication programme, the Section focuses on:

• The acquisition and development of a sound knowledge base that embodies the various humanistic/interpretive and scientific/objective perspectives, and
• The dissemination and use of that knowledge base in the academic community and in the wider community.

“So why you not teaching journalism?” a past UWI principal once asked me. A past department head quipped: “I hope you know that you weren’t hired to teach that, you know.” When I won a teaching award in 2000 based on my work in the health communication and communication studies programme, a well-meaning senior colleague said to me: “This teaching award is fine but you have to forget about this teaching thing and really publish to be promoted.”

Some time later someone said you have to try to publish in the discipline and forget this interest in teaching and learning. As if the two were separable! The thought of being promoted on the basis of one’s teaching has not been supported in assessment and promotion meetings although teaching is included as one of the six criteria and no relative weightings were documented or used in practice. There was always an understood smirk among those who made tenure and promotion decisions that it was only the publications that really mattered. Really?

The first class in the Communication Studies Section’s (CSS) Programme in the then Department of Language and Linguistics began at UWI St. Augustine in September 1999 with 20 students. The 10th anniversary of the programme was September 2009. I was the only course lecturer. There was no office, no assigned meeting place, no budget, no equipment and no tutor for the programme. I bought a camera, an audiotape recorder and began meeting my students in corridors in the open spaces and the tenanted ones that were available.

The idea for the programme had emerged out of my experience of introducing, designing and teaching business communication in the Department of Management Studies, and introducing and teaching health communication courses in the Centre for Medical Sciences Education in the Faculty of Medical Sciences. In those early days Mr. Errol Simms Head of Management Studies, Mr. Vishnu Singh, Head of the Department of Liberal Arts, and Dr Valerie Youssef and Dr Brader Braithwaite were very supportive. There was some opposition to the introduction of the undergraduate programme in the Department of Liberal Arts and it was stalled for two years. Later, the graduate programme experienced a similar fate. One colleague from another department mentioned recently to me “We were worried that this new [undergraduate] programme would take away our students”. My response was, “Many of your students became double majors and did very well overall in both programmes. I think everyone has gained.”

Five courses were approved for introduction in the Minor in Communication Studies in 1998 and teaching began in 1999: Communication Studies, Communication Analysis, Oral Communication, Written Communication (all 3 credits), and Language and Communication Seminar (6 credits). There were no first-year courses, but these were developed later with the introduction of the major in 2004. Since a restructuring of the undergraduate programme in 2007 they became prerequisites for the second-year courses.

Intercultural Communication and Principles of Mass Communication were introduced in 2004-2005. Communication Theory and Communication Research methods and the Language and Communication research seminar project were reserved for majors. The theory and research methods courses were offered in serial fashion to provide a theoretical base for research methods. They were taught in parallel with the research project to allow for a symbiotic and synergistic application of the theoretical concepts and research principles.

In 2004, the Major in Communication Studies was introduced. In order to develop and coordinate this new programme, I requested a transfer form my position as Lecturer in Communication Skills for Medical Sciences to the new post of Lecturer in Communication Studies. In September 2009 the first graduate programme in Human Communication Studies began, and for the 16 paces there were over 80 applicants. By the start of the 2010 registration, the programme had grown by over 3,000 per cent to include over 1,000 majors and minors annually, 11 courses in the undergraduate programme and 19 students in the graduate programme. By then there were three full-time lecturers in Drs. Christiana Abraham, Tia Cooper and Godfrey Steele.

In the early days Drs. Valerie Youssef (now Professor of Linguistics), Dr. Barbara Lalla, Professor of Linguistics ably supported as Second Examiners and University Examiners, and willingly shared their expertise and experience in other disciplines with the fledgling programme. Over the years, other staff members served while I was on leave or co-taught or collaborated with me in teaching courses. They were Mr. Arnold Corneal in January-July 2003, Mrs. Stella Williams who replaced me as Lecturer in Communication Skills for Medical Sciences in 2004. Ms. Sue-Ann Barratt, Temporary Assistant Lecturer, replaced me during my sabbatical leave in 2007-2008. Ms. Crista Mohammed, Temporary Assistant Lecturer and a communication studies graduate coordinated the programme in 2007 and was instrumental in working with me while I was on leave to design and secure approval for two new courses in Public Relations Communication (with Ms. Karel McIntosh) and Technical Communication.

Mr. Jason Leach was appointed Temporary Assistant Lecturer in Communication Studies in Semester I 2009. He assisted with coordination and the teaching of courses in theory, research methods and language and communication seminar. Jason was in the first undergraduate class and completed a Master’s degree in Organizational Communication before returning to UWI. Over the years Dr Ewart Skinner, Dr Prahalad Sooknanan, Dr Yvette Guy, and Dr Keith Chin Aleong provided support as experienced tutors from other institutions and organizations.

The first class took two courses per semester and the language and communication research seminar. The members included Kai Barratt, Debbie Carolyn Charles, Deborah Emmanuel, Janice Frederick, Maurisa Gonzales, Nicaise Nicole Joseph, Jason Clinton Leach, Danielle McDougall, Sandra Pariag, Sonya Phillip, Keisha Shelly-Ann Quammie and Michelle Wooding, who were the first to complete the minor.

The first Communication Studies prizes were bought by an anonymous contributor because there was no provision for them in the annual prize-giving ceremony. Prizes have been award annually for the Most Outstanding Student since 2004-2006, and for the Best Year 1, 2 and Best Research Day Presentation afterwards. Prizes for Most Outstanding Student have been won by Debbie Charles, Michelle Harricharan, Jolie Rajah, Nickesha Smith, Crista Mohammed, Zara-Noelle Joseph, Terri-Ann Thompson and Kailash Jaikaransingh.

Zara-Noelle Joseph, who extended her degree by an extra year to earn a double major, got First Class Honours in Communication Studies and Literatures in English and was the Most Outstanding Student in 2006. She co-authored a paper with me on communication and conflict based on her undergraduate research which was presented at the International Association of Conflict Management in Montreal, Canada. Zara has gone on to complete research master’s degree in the UK and is working with a communication research company.

Crista Mohammed Best Year 3 Student and Class Valedictorian 2006 is currently an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering where she teaches and coordinates the communication courses for engineering students.

Kailash Jaikaransingh, Best Year 1, 2, and 3 Student, Member of the Most Outstanding Research Day Presentation team and Class Valedictorian 2008-2009 earned a double major in Communication Studies and Literatures in English and has been accepted to purse her graduate education communication in the UK.

The Communication Studies Association (CSA) was formed in March 2005 and officially launched at the Research Day on April 13, 2005. A 2006 CSA Report stated “Our mission is to promote and encourage the development and enhancement of communication skills within the campus community through creative and stimulating activities and to sensitise the community on the importance of practical communication skills in every aspect of life.” Over the years it has been actively involved in planning exciting student orientation activities, fun events including karaoke competitions and film shows and service and outreach such as book drives and fundraisers, career preparation and training and opportunities to link the work world of the classroom and the other world of work. The CSA’s press release of November 2008 stated:

“The Communication Studies Association (CSA) is the student chapter of the Communication Studies Section of the Faculty of Humanities and Education. One of the main goals the CSA is to spread consciousness about effective communication and to form networks between the experienced and inexperienced in the various fields of the subject.” It organized a seminar on the Draft Broadcast Code in November 2008:

This discussion would be the second of its nature at the UWI campus. The first was hosted by the Communication Studies Section of the Faculty of Humanities and Education. Due to the success of the first discussion and the important issues arising from the various perspectives given, we at the Communication Studies Association have decided to host the follow up discussion. The CSA also collaborated with the CCS to host CNN Political Director Sam Feist in March 2009 in a forum on “The impact of new media on American politics and the 2008 election.”

The past presidents and their executive committee members have gone on to become tutors, communication professionals and researchers. The CSA Presidents who served were: Kendall Fontenelle, Terri-Ann Thompson, Omega Francis, Jamila Bannister and Kerry-Ann Roberts.

The Student-Staff Liaison Committee was formed on January 25, 2006. Its purpose is to report on students’ views and it has been actively involved in identifying and resolving issues concerns relating to the curriculum and teaching and learning, the status and improvement of resources and amenities, evaluating how students are examined and assessed, and to look into the provision of support and guidance for students (e.g. academic advising).

Staffing has been increased, with three filled posts and another expected to be filled presently. Dr. Godfrey Steele has served since 1999, Dr. Christiana Abraham since 2007, and Dr. Tia Cooper since 2008. In 2009 Dr Cooper began coordination of the undergraduate programme and Dr Steele became coordinator of the graduate programme.

The philosophy and rationale for the Communication Studies curriculum was new and innovative in 1999. “Is communication studies a humanities or social science discipline?” asked scholars in the late 1990s. Ten years later, a contributor to a book I had edited book in health communication remarked: “I always thought you were a social scientist.” Perhaps he was thinking of my first-namesake on the campus, who laboured long in another part of the communal yard. When the CSS undergraduate programme was conceptualized it was based on the philosophy of broadening the limited popular and academic view of communication studies in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, creating opportunities for the development of over two dozen subfields of knowledge and research and publication interests spanning speech communication, communication education, health communication, communication theory, communication research, mass communications, interpersonal, group and organizational communication, intercultural communication and many others.

Recently one colleague commented in a staff meeting: “The undergraduate communication courses and the relationships among them were created arbitrarily and without any rationale.” I, like Walcott, ain’t answer the asker or the ask. The Board that had scrutinized, studied and approved these courses in the past said nothing. “Why should I speak to the present?” asked my history. Today there is need for a rational and academically-based programmatic review of the undergraduate courses in light of recent trends and current and traditional interests among all staff in the CSS. This follows on the CSS proposal in October 2008 for a programme in journalism provided that there were resources and support from the media house owners and publishers. This recommendation has since been developed under the guidance of the CSS and Deputy Dean Mrs. Patricia Worrell in collaboration with representatives of the media.

Highlights, successes and partnerships

The Communication Studies Forum. The CSS hosted a series of communications studies fora in partnership with students and other organizations such as the IABCTT, the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad Express, and the Public Relations Association of Trinidad and Tobago. On September 18, 2008 there was “Focus on the Draft Broadcast Code,” a follow-up in November led by the CSA, and one on political communication in March 2009.

IABCTT, Career Days and Professional Development Seminars support UWI Communication Studies. The International Association of Business Communicators Trinidad and Tobago Chapter (IABCTT) has partnered with the CSA and the Communication Studies Section since 2005 to host joint seminars including the highly successful Career Day, place students in jobs and contribute to their professional and career development. Efforts to develop an internship for credit were started in 2005 and the effort is ongoing. Founding President Mrs. Judette Coward-Puglisi has been a driving force and source of inspiration and mentoring to the students and the CSA and the CSS over the years. Several media houses have assisted with the provision of guest speakers for the teaching of Principles of Mass Communication introduced by Mrs. Wynell Gregorio (formerly Bhagwatsingh) in January 2006 and the course in Intercultural Communication introduced by Godfrey Steele in September 2005. Mrs. Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill, UWI’s Director, Marketing and Communications and Ms. Deirdre Charles, Director, Student Advisory Services through her World of Work programme have been very supportive of graduates of the programme by helping to place them in corporate communications and other communication-related positions. Several employers have been keen to hire our graduates and place them in positions as communication officers, specialists and managers. They now include a qualification in Communication Studies in their advertisements.

The first Quality Assurance Review was in October 2006. The CSS participated in a quality assurance self-assessment under the direction of the UWI Quality Assurance Unit’s Senior Programme Officer Dr Sandra Gift in October 2006. This review coincided with the graduation of the first Communication Studies majors in 2006. The CSS received extremely positive feedback and comments on the content, structure and delivery of the programme. The Review Team led by Professor Donald included Professor Aggrey Brown of UWI’s CARIMAC and Communication Professional Mrs. Judette Coward-Puglisi. They visited UWI and examined the programme self-study and documentation, interviewed staff and present and past students, observed classroom teaching and learning resources and spoke with employers of graduates

The Human Communication Studies Graduate Programme was introduced in September 2009 to provide taught master’s core courses in theory, research and practice with electives in Health Communication, Media and Society and Organizational and Corporate Communications. With the advent of the graduate programme, successive cohorts of young researchers are expected to develop in collaboration with academic staff a database of communication research and knowledge building on the base of over 100 pioneering undergraduate individual and team research produced since 2001. They commended the high quality of teaching and learning and recommended the innovative and engaging use of workshops in communication classes as a model for emulation throughout UWI.

Communication Research and Teaching and Learning Scholarship. The CSS vision of promoting research and the scholarship of teaching and learning has been possible through two main avenues:

Communication Studies Research Day and Open Day have been held annually in April since 2005. This culminated in the 5th Annual Research Day themed: Summit of the Communicators” in 2009.

Research and Publications: Research conference presentations and publications

Staff members have pursued active research agenda in a range of interests in communication studies education, health communication, communication culture and conflict and the scholarship of teaching and learning as well as in other more recent interests.

Godfrey Steele, April 2010
Dr Steele is Senior Lecturer in Communication Studies, Department of Liberal Arts, UWI St. Augustine.