Communication and Performance Studies - NMU Bulletin

Address:  203 Russell Thomas Fine Arts Building

Phone:  906-227-2045

Fax:  906-227-2071

Web Address:  https://www.nmu.edu/caps

Department Email:  caps@nmu.edu

Communication empowers us to remember the past, act in the present and anticipate the future. It is the vehicle by which we manage relationships with others in contexts ranging from “one-to-one” to “one-to-many” using personal, public and mass-mediated channels of communication. The disciplines within the Communication and Performance Studies Department represent a body of knowledge concerning verbal and nonverbal symbols that are spoken, enacted, heard and seen. The department covers seven major areas of study and also serves the needs of students who wish to develop more effective communication skills. While excellent teaching is the department’s first priority, faculty members are also engaged in a variety of professional development activities, including research and creative endeavors, as well as service to the university and community.

The Forest Roberts Theatre is one of the finest university theatres in the nation, boasting computerized lighting control and an upgraded sound system. Theatre majors put what they learn in performance and technical theatre classes into practice onstage and backstage in five major productions per year.

Experimental theatre space in the McClintock Building is home to numerous student-directed productions as well as many performance classes.

All department majors must maintain a 2.50 grade point average in the major and earn at least a “C-” in all major courses that are required for graduation, unless otherwise noted. Department minors must maintain a 2.00 grade point average.

Speech Communication Majors

All speech communication majors are required to complete and pass a senior qualifying examination and to present and receive a passing evaluation for a graduation presentation during the semester in which they intend to graduate.

Details regarding either requirement may be obtained from a student’s departmental adviser or the department head. Students will be contacted at the beginning of their final semester and given instructions for the completion of both requirements, and should register for SP 485.

Theatre Majors

Each semester all theatre majors are required to participate in a jury presentation scheduled and critiqued by the theatre faculty. Juries are evaluated on a “pass/fail” basis; the evaluations are not reflected in students’ academic transcripts. Students who fail two consecutive theatre juries at a given level may be dropped from the major.

Transfer students who wish to major in theatre must receive credit for at least sixteen hours of academic work in the theatre area at NMU unless a waiver is approved by the student’s adviser and department head.

All theatre majors are required to have at least one field studies experience as part of their degree program. Only the New York Field Studies, the Stratford Summer Tour or a comparable substitute approved by theatre faculty will fulfill this requirement.