Communications Studies Archives - BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

BYU Grads Apply Comms Degrees to Exposing Swindlers and Managing Websites

Noelle Barrus — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:10:28 +0000

Two School of Communications Alums turn to the Savior while pursuing careers Comms Journalism Alum: Kaitlyn Bancroft A month before she graduated in 2019, Bancroft landed an internship with the Denver Post. Three weeks before her internship ended, Bancroft was offered a job in St. George working for The Spectrum & Daily News. Although the process of going from one job to the next was often stressful, Bancroft was fortunate to always find work. Since starting her position in St. George, Bancroft has worked on countless stories, and one of her favorites included a report on a swindler. “I did a big investigative piece on this information we got from a lawyer about a local accountant who was swindling people’s money,” said Bancroft. “I had to become a mini expert on things I had never thought about before. I still get emails from people thanking me for warning them about him.” Comms Studies Alum: Vanessa Aparicio After graduating from BYU in the spring of 2020, Vanessa Aparicio was planning to study abroad before jumping into the job search. However, her plans were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of ending her four years of college with a trip to Europe, she found herself racing to find a job with little success. “At one point I felt like I had wasted four years of my life. I had worked so hard to go to school and graduate,” said Aparicio. “So not only was my family unable to watch me get my diploma because of COVID-19, but I also didn’t have a job.” Read the full article on comms.byu.edu.

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Communications Graduate Abbie Speed Reflects on Lessons Learned at BYU

McKell Park — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 17:40:13 +0000

Speed — a native of Denver, Colorado — will graduate with a BA in communications with an emphasis in communications studies on April 24, 2020 Abbie Speed’s road to graduation wasn’t a smooth one. After switching majors many times, transferring schools and maneuvering her way through health struggles, she finally found her place in communications studies. “I had intended to minor in communications since my experience in the introduction classes gave me a passion for the field, but none of the disciplines within the department spoke to me,” Speed said. “Then — thanks to divine intervention, no doubt — the communications studies major opened up just as I was about to declare the minor.” Speed moved to Utah as a transfer student and battled health challenges during her first year at BYU, often missing classes while taking her GE courses. “I felt lost and I jumped between majors like I was playing a game of Frogger,” said Speed. “It was chaotic.” After taking Mass Communication and Society (COMMS 101) from Jessica Zurcher, Speed discovered her place at BYU and things finally began to make sense. “It was like my life just settled into place,” Speed said. “I got medical care and worked with the accessibility office to make changes in my schedule, and my health drastically improved.” As Speed progressed through her major, doors opened for experiential learning opportunities, such as a study abroad in New Zealand where she was able to build her portfolio and experience the country’s beauty. “It was a thrilling experience to explore that gorgeous place and envelop myself in the rich culture, art and history there,” Speed said. “I was also able to piece together videos, blog posts and digital artwork from my work there to add to my portfolio. It was the highlight of my life.” The communications studies major also helped Speed strengthen her weaknesses and build compassion and understanding for her peers. “In the communications major, I have come across many situations to practice listening and engaging in an open — but respectful — dialogue with people who disagree with me,” said Speed. “If everyone in the world would take the time to respectfully listen, perhaps we could eliminate unnecessary hate.” During her time in the major, Speed has relied on her strengths in writing and public speaking and has fine-tuned her research skills while working on a variety of projects. “Communications is such a relevant field in the media-driven world we live in,” Speed said. “It’s very exciting to be on the ground floor diving behind-the-scenes of that world.“ Although she plans to begin BYU’s graduate program in mass communications in the fall — and perhaps work towards becoming a professor one day — Speed does not want to plan out her life with too much certainty. “If there’s anything I’ve learned in college, it’s that my plans only tide me over until the Lord puts His own into play,” Speed said. When asked if she had any advice for new communications majors, Speed encouraged them to take advantage of all their resources. “College is a hard and turbulent time; there is a lot of pressure and uncertainty,” Speed said. “But you aren’t alone. There are so many resources available through TAs, professors, advisors and fellow students. Don’t be afraid to reach out to those around you, because they might need your support just as much as you need theirs.” Q&A WITH ABBIE SPEED, BA ‘20 COMMUNICATIONS | COMMUNICATIONS STUDIES What did you want to be when you grew up? “I thought I would be a famous author someday. I suppose that’s still an option, though I doubt I’ll ever be the next J.K. Rowling.” What was your favorite class that you took at BYU? “Water Aerobics. For those of us with joint issues — or for those who just hate getting overheated while working out — water aerobics is a fantastic form of exercise, and the music and instructors are just so fun. I would recommend it to anyone!” Is there a specific work or practitioner in your field that has had a particularly strong influence on you? “I have worked very closely with the communications studies faculty, and all of them have influenced and inspired me in their own way. I want to be Kevin John someday, with his confidence and his ability to connect with his students and make them feel comfortable. I want to be as kind and put-together as Jessica Zurcher. I hear her voice in my head guiding me and encouraging me in what to say when I am trying to comfort or calm someone. I want to be as knowledgeable as Clark Callahan, who just seems to have an endless fountain of knowledge — and a fantastic sense of humor to make that knowledge applicable. I want to be as balanced as Scott Church, who mixes humor and pop culture into his lectures, making for a perfectly professional, but engaging approach to teaching. All of these professors have inspired me to become a better student, leader and person.” Do you have a hobby outside of what you do for your major? “Communications studies is a great major for me because it allows a decent amount of creative freedom for me to apply those hobbies. I love to write short stories. I am an artist and musician and I adore taking things apart and putting them back together. I’m a bit obsessed with puzzles and creating murder mystery games. I am a video game enthusiast, and I read way too many novels.” What is your favorite snack for between classes? “I don’t usually eat between classes, but when I do remember to grab a snack, I like to munch on pecans before my exercise classes.”

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Communications Students Explore Religious and Cultural Diversity in New York City

admin — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 19:24:18 +0000

BYU communications students gained a wider worldview through exposure to religious and cultural diversity during the Spring 2019 New York Experience This past spring, 23 communications students traveled to New York City with hopes of immersing themselves in everything the Big Apple has to offer. Students were enrolled in two courses — Media and World Religions as well as Gender, Race and Class in the Media — while living in the heart of Manhattan. The experience went deeper than their coursework, however, as students came back asking, “what kind of person do I want to become?” Although the students visited places like the Statue of Liberty, Yankees Stadium and Good Morning America, deeper learning came from first-hand experiences where they discovered the diversity of the city. In one instance, students spent five hours in Brooklyn Heights with the Chabad Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish Community where they learned about Jewish lifestyle — including their traditional fashion and meal choices. Joel Campbell — a professor in the School of Communications and the faculty mentor on the trip — described a special experience inside the home of Katz, an Orthodox Jew. Students encountered a traditional Kosher kitchen where one kitchen is used for cooking meat — specifically animals that have been properly slaughtered and prepared according to the Jewish dietary laws — and another for cooking and preparing dairy products. Both kitchens also require entirely separate utensils and cookware. As students munched on customary Kosher food, Katz’s wife expressed her deep reverence of the Sabbath day to the group. Read the full story at the School of Communications website.

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BYU Communications Grad Students Take Home Second Place at Case Study Competition

Sydnee Gonzalez — Sat, 06 Apr 2019 01:16:28 +0000

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BYU Professor Reveals Best Practices for Parent-Child Communication about Pornography

Sydnee Gonzalez — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 16:20:10 +0000

Communications professor Jessica Zurcher recently shared her research on pornography at a School of Communications Beckham Lecture. “It’s scary sometimes to jump into these topics, but I have felt the Spirit and the guidance of my Heavenly Father to be able to accomplish this work,” said Zurcher. Read more about Zurcher’s lecture and research on the School of Communications website.

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BYU Professor Uses Eye Tracking Technology to Map How Men Process Body Image Issues

Sydnee Gonzalez — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 19:08:11 +0000

School of Communications Professor Kevin John used eye tracking technology to map how men process body image differently than women. Read more about his research here.

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Politicians and YouTube: Professor Scott Church Talks About How the Platform Still Pursues Entertainment, Even When it Gets Political

Mason Graham — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 18:36:12 +0000

Scott Church presented on media and politics to the National Communications Association. Since the beginning of the 2016 United States presidential campaign, many people have been examining how presidential candidates and, now the president himself, interact with social media. Twitter has been the focus of this conversation, but the candidates used other social media platforms in unique ways as well. BYU communications professor Scott Church realized that there was the potential for new, interesting research to be done on the candidates’ interactions with YouTube. He reached out to professors Pamela Brubaker and Jessica Zurcher and the faculty members researched and wrote a paper on the topic. “I wrote my master’s thesis on a similar topic about this ‘new invention,’ YouTube, back in 2007,” Church said. “I was looking at how presidential candidates presented themselves on the website for an audience. Back then, people thought of YouTube as being for the people, by the people, but you also have these presidential candidates hopping on board.” During the course of his past research, Church found that videos posted on candidates’ YouTube accounts generally fit into two camps: heroic narrative videos and attack videos. Building off past research, Church and his co-authors were able to recognize new trends and approaches politicians employ when using YouTube. Using these parameters, the professors built a coding sheet and began looking at the top four candidates in each party. Specifically, they watched the first three videos each candidate posted and the three most popular videos they posted. “The first three videos they post are crucial,” Church said. “That’s where they can say ‘Hey, everyone, this is the image I want to portray.’” After watching the videos and recording the data, the professors found that the most popular videos were attack videos. “Our big statistical find here was that videos with criticism of other candidates got more views than videos without criticism of other candidates,” Church said. “That’s supported by our statistical analysis. It was significant. For whatever reason, the ones that had more attacks attracted the most viewers.” These attacks varied in their approach and their attitude. Some videos featured aggressive diatribes targeting other candidates. Other videos channelled the comedic side of YouTube to attack their opponents. “Rubio uploaded a glorious rant in a presser that he did where he just attacked Trump ruthlessly,” Church said. “Cruz did a lot of parodies, like ‘It Feels Good to Be a Clinton,’ which is a parody of the movie Office Space. With satires, Kasich actually had one called ‘Make Tyranny Great Again.’ Those seem kind of unique to YouTube. Since they’re on YouTube, that seems to add a certain unique tone to the content.” The researchers found that the attack ads posted on the candidates’ official YouTube channels were generally aimed at candidates within the attackers’ party. “Almost nine out of ten attack statements came from Republicans, and half of those were just from Rubio to Trump,” Church said. Kasich also attacked Trump in a number of his official YouTube videos. In general, Church said the study found that, “YouTube seems to be biased towards entertainment. Even its official political messages tend to be highly entertaining and the ones that are considered the most entertaining are the ones where they criticize each other.” Studies like these show that as politicians and other important social and political influences continue to engage more with social media platforms, the communications field increases in social and professional value. “In the age of social media, communications is more important than ever before,” Church said. “In a world full of noise and messages everywhere, communications has become one of those scholarly areas that are the most important right now. Understanding communication is a good way to understand what everything means, not just how it’s happening.” Photo taken by Jonathan Hardy

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