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December 2021
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Dear SoC Community,
This month, I’ll keep my message brief. As the fall semester wraps up, I wish to remind you of something that probably needs no reminder: we’ve just been through one of the strangest periods of our lives. Coming back to in-person classes and personal contact has been stressful and joyous all at once. I am deeply grateful for the many ways School of Communication faculty, staff, and students have worked together to make the semester work. Despite the complications of dealing with our shared viral worries, we have found community again, and made important progress on several fronts. Here is a sampling.
- The Trailblazers program launched as a real celebration of SoC’s many first-generation students. The group provides resources for first-gen students, and just as importantly, acknowledges them as a valuable resource for the entire community. Thank Prof. Sara LaBelle when you see her.
- SoC re-established a weekly research seminar. This is mostly attended by our graduate students and faculty, but we welcome anyone interested in learning more about Communication research at Chapman. Contact Prof. Rebecca Tukachinsky Forster for more details. She has led this effort.
- Chapman Radio is back to full strength in a remodeled studio. Prof. Travis Bartosh used the summer to re-engineer the studio, very significantly increasing Chapman Radio’s capacity to serve the entire university. Stay tuned for more news about the station.
- Erika Martinez has been promoted to Marketing, Communication and Events Coordinator. This not only acknowledges the excellent work Erika has been providing our school all along, but it also aligns her title and job description with a key function of the school.
- This semester, we welcomed our newest colleague, Prof. Mark Hopson. It is always a pleasure for me to get to know a new colleague because it is a chance for me to learn. In Prof. Hopson’s case, I am impressed with the depth of his knowledge of communication studies, and particularly his understanding of cross-culture communication. He already has demonstrated how invaluable his knowledge and expertise will be for the future of the school.
- The faculty have embarked on a thorough review of our curricula in all our degree programs. Communication is a dynamic field. The faculty is enthusiastic about responding positively to changes in the field.
In the interest of keeping this brief, this list only gives some of our highlights. I hope it gives you an idea of how exciting it is to be a part of this group.
The Puzzle of the Month
Last month’s ‘muddy children’ puzzle was pretty hard. In fact, no one gave me an answer. It was a puzzle about communication, but only in a very technical sense. For this month’s puzzle, let’s look at a different kind of communication problem.
There are two people, one of them is wearing a red shirt, and the other is wearing a blue shirt. The two are named Pat and Kelly, but we do not know which is which. We do know that at least one of them is a total liar who will always lie no matter what.
The person in the blue shirt says, “I am Pat.”
The person in the red shirt says, “I am Kelly.”
Which person is Pat? Is it the person wearing blue, or red?
The first two students to slack a correct answer to me with a brief explanation gets a free coffee, tea, or other drink of your choice with me.
Sincerely,
M. Andrew Moshier, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Communication
Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
Director of the Center for Excellence in Computation, Algebra and Topology
Finals Week Advising
Finals week will feature regular advising hours. As a reminder, program advising is available in person and through Microsoft Teams. You can schedule an appointment with any advisor on Bookings or reach out to them via email if you need to schedule an appointment outside of regular advising hours.
Mr. Travis Bartosh | Doti Hall 210
Monday 2 - 5 p.m. (walk-ins) and Wednesday 2 - 5 p.m. (Microsoft Teams)
Dr. Arleen Bejerano | Doti Hall 211
Wednesday 2 - 5 p.m. (walk-ins) and Friday, 2 - 5 p.m. (Microsoft Teams)
Dr. Andrea Weber | Doti Hall 203
Tuesday 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. (walk-ins) and Thursday 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. (Microsoft Teams)
Interterm 2022 Advising
During Interterm 2022, advising will be by online appointment only. Please contact Dr. Weber at aweber@chapman.edu to schedule an appointment.
Upcoming Events
Ask a Mexican!
Join the School of Communication for an evening with Los Angeles Time columnist Gustavo Arellano TOMORROW, December 9th from 6-7 PM at Argyros Forum 206C. We hope to see you there!
Course Highlights
Are you still looking to add a class for next semester? These courses are available, and there is still time to register!
COM 329-01 - Anticipating the Future: Understanding New Trends in Communication, Business, Technology, and Politics
This class will cover topics ranging from the Future of Cities to Demographics, Class, Race, and Technology. Exploring not just history, but the latest data about where we are headed. The class will examine science fiction, from Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" to selected Chinese Stories.
COM 338-01 Podcast Production and Editing
The class will learn how to get Podcasts on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and other high-profile outlets. Students will be ready to meet the challenges and opportunities technology reveals in the future. This class will focus heavily on the creative process; being a host, putting together a show, conceptualizing informative and entertaining content, how to identify the target audience, and how to market a podcaster and a show to that audience.
Featured Research
NCA107th Annual Convention
Welcome back to all our students and faculty who took part in the NCA 107th Annual Convention in Seattle, Washington. This year, we had 33 faculty and students representing the School of Communication and presenting their research. With various topics ranging from aging and media representation to vaccines, we could not be prouder! Way to go, everyone!
Chapman Radio
New Release Recs from Chapman Radio DJs/Staff:
Gorillaz - Meanwhile "I love the multi-layered instrumentals on the track as well as Jelani Blackman's suave delivery on the verses." –Colin Fanning, Deep Cuts with Colin Fanning
Ky Vöss – Vendetta "I've been obsessed with Ky Vöss lately, her sound reminds me a lot of grimes, could not recommend her stuff enough👀👀:))" –Bella, You're Not Like Other Girls"
Red - Taylor's Version "Taylor Swift is back with the highly-anticipated re-release of her 2012 album 'Red.' The re-recorded version of the album is packed with 30 songs including a ten minute version of her song 'All Too Well!'" –DJ Gigi, Incandescent Radio
Beach House – Once Twice Melody "The newest EP from Beach House is reinvigorated with new energy while also staying true to the spacey synth that defined their earlier releases." –DJ Macaroni
Diving Deep into the Entertainment Industry
This past summer, Kylie Shelon'23 had the opportunity to pursue her passion in the entertainment industry by interning for Entertainment Lab as a Talent Management intern. Through this experience, she researched actors who did not have managers, created literary pitches and communicated with casting directors and other clients in the industry. Check out her blog below to learn more!
Top 5 Challenges Individuals Face Throughout the Interview Process
You made it. You finally got the interview for the job that you have been dreaming about your whole life. You call your family and friends to let them know about this big moment in your life. After all of the initial excitement dies down, you start to worry about how to make the best first impression on your potential employers and come out of the interview confidently. Because of this, it is important to recognize those potential challenges and some possible solutions to make it your best interview yet!
Connect With Us
Previous Dean's Message Puzzle Solution
Last Month’s Puzzle
The five children all have muddy foreheads but cannot see their own foreheads. So, when the teacher asks them “Do you know whether your forehead is dirty?”, no one knows. But when the teacher announces, “At least one of you has a muddy forehead”, their knowledge about the situation changes subtly. Each student already sees muddy foreheads, so each one already knows “At least one of us has a muddy forehead.” But what changes is that now each of them knows that the others also know this.
So now suppose there were only two children. When the teacher announces, “At least one of you has a muddy forehead”, and then asks, “Do you know whether your forehead is dirty?”, both children would think “If my forehead were clean, my friend would see that and would know she has a muddy forehead. The fact that she didn’t answer means my forehead must be muddy.” So, When the teacher asks a second time, both children would be able to answer (these are very smart children). Now suppose there are three children. Each would reason “If my forehead were clean, the other two would see that, and would ignore me. So, after two questions, they would have answered. Since they didn’t, my forehead must be muddy.” Hence three questions are enough. The same principle works for four students after four questions, and five students after five questions. The general rule is that if there are N children all with muddy foreheads, then N repeated questions after the announcement are enough for everyone can know.
