Communication Arts Overview
Communication Arts at Cardinal Stritch University provides a wide variety of career preparation opportunities, all offered within the broader context of the liberal arts.
A communication degree has no boundaries. It translates to multiple work environments with its foundations in interpersonal, small group, persuasive, oral, visual and written communication.
Students gain key skills and theory related to corporate, consumer, and mediated communication settings.
A major in Communication Arts will allow the student to develop the skills necessary to communicate with a variety of audiences in a variety of settings.
Career options include entry-level positions in public relations, mass media, business and industrial communications, advertising and public service. Many of our graduates continue their education in graduate or law school.
Stritch student stories featured on Radio Milwaukee
Stritch students are being featured on the home page of 88NINE Radio Milwaukee’s website as part of an Audio Storytelling class, producing stories about young people in the Milwaukee area who are making a difference in their community.
Communication Arts instructor Maryann Lazarski asked 88NINE if they would be interested in partnering with her class, to help provide students with real-world storytelling opportunities.
"These are the type of partnerships that help put our students on the map,” said Lazarski. “The fact that our students are able to produce work that is showcased on a professional radio Web site and on air is very cool. This helps distinguish our students and our multimedia program."
88Nine RadioMilwaukee is a non-commercial, listener-supported public radio station designed specifically for Milwaukee. It features a selection of music and short-form public affairs programming.
This semester, the students concentrated on Radio Milwaukee's youth initiative. Their work will be featured on air at WYMS 88.9 FM or online at radiomilwaukee.org.
Students involved in the project are:
Jessica Brown (Art/Communication Arts)
Collin Hartman (Communication Arts)
Amanda Nack (Communication Arts)
Jenny Piotrowski (Communication Arts)
Spencer Renn (Sport Management)
Skyla Rice (Communication Arts)
Srijan Sen (Communication Arts)
Rebecca Vanden Bush (Photography)
"Professional media partnerships like this are a win-win,” said Lazarski. “The media outlet gets material such as audio stories to use on their Web site and/or on air, and students get the benefit of having their work showcased. It helps our students stand out, it allows them to contribute to their community, and that entire experience can make a big difference when it comes to landing a job."
Lazarski also included another Stritch class in this 88NINE partnership. Sarah Nitschke's “Filmmaking 1” class produced stories on "What is Milwaukee?" in sound. Those stories will be featured in the near future.
Communication arts majors win state awards for journalism stories
Communication Arts students Kendrick Batton, Scott Wegener, Jeremy Lewis, and Dawn Hale-Harvey won third place honors in the annual Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Student Awards for Excellence contest, which was held March 5 in Madison.
The Stritch students won an award as a group for their web show "Fan-damonium," which was produced for WISN TV and WISN.com in conjunction with the CA318 Television Reporting, Writing and Producing class. The students covered high school football from a community-impact angle all semester long, wrapping up with this 12-minute web show. They won an award in the Long Form Production Non-News Television category.
In addition, Batton won for his radio story, “Faith Filled Solider,” about a U.S. soldier whose Catholic faith kept him strong during his tour of duty. This story aired on Relevant Radio as part of a partnership between Stritch students and the Milwaukee Archdiocese. Batton competed in the Radio News Story category.
The WBA received a record 166 entries this year, which meant stiff competition from strong programs and universities throughout the state.
View our students work.
Multimedia courses give Communication Arts students the digital skills they need.
We Google, we text, we blog, and we tweet. We also produce audio, video and digital images.
Today’s communication jobs need professionals who know how to navigate and produce meaningful messages in a media-driven world. That’s why the Communication Arts and the Visual Arts departments offer multimedia courses to better prepare students for today’s workforce.
Virtually all businesses and non-profits need professionals who can tell their stories across multiple digital platforms. The courses below can help students gain those important skills.
CA-209, Online Newswriting: WolfPrint Online
Students learn how to break news stories, identify and interview sources, gather information, write leads, and edit for style and grammar. Students write stories for the campus online newspaper, as well as in-class case studies. Beats include crime/court reporting, news conferences, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, and student life. Ethical dimensions of online journalism are also explored.
CA-221, Introduction to Audio Journalism
Sound is a powerful way to tell stories, convey information, and evoke emotion. We are a “plugged in “society with iPods, MP3 players, and other mobile technology at our side. Students learn to write, edit and produce compelling audio stories. They also learn how to dig for information using social networking tools. An amazing opportunity for students to use state-of-the-art technology to produce stories with impact.
CA-318, Television Writing, Reporting and Producing
Video offers viewers one of the richest media experiences possible. That’s why YouTube is so popular! Students learn how to become effective video storytellers by writing, reporting, and producing their own visual news and feature stories. Students become a reporter, producer, photographer, and editor, all at the same time. Ethical and advertising issues are also discussed and applied to student writing.
CA-317, Mass Media and Society
We all use media, but do we really understand what we’re watching, reading, or listening to? This course explains how mass media, including print, electronic, and film formats, influences almost everything we do. We’re surrounded with media that’s produced by others for our consumption. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Students learn the business of media and then explore how it affects people on individual, societal, and cultural levels.
ART-101, (2-D digital design and imaging)
This introductory course concentrates on the fundamentals of digital design and imaging. Students will become familiar with computer-based design and imaging tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Students will be introduced to file formats, resolution and reformat issues.
ART-111, Photography 1: Digital
Fundamentals of digital photography
Prereq: ART-101
ART-115, Filmmaking I
An introduction to the language and techniques of film production. This course covers the basic elements of pre-production, film production and post-production editing techniques. Participants make short films with digital cameras and non-linear editing software.
ART-313, Elements of Video
This interdisciplinary production and theory course introduces video as a documentary mode of storytelling and communication. Students learn intermediate methods of studio production using digital cameras and non-linear post-production editing techniques.