Independent Study

At Wooster, Independent Study (I.S.) provides all students the opportunity to engage in an activity both personally meaningful and appropriate to their individual fields and interests. Students work closely with their faculty advisors through regularly scheduled conferences and seminars that are designed to assist, encourage, and challenge the participants and to afford both students and advisors an opportunity to share the excitement of discovery and expression in areas of mutual interest.

Independent Study was an experience that I will never forget. The sometimes stressful and always frustrating nights spent working on I.S. helped me grow as a person. By completing I.S. I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of finishing such a daunting task. With the help of my advisor and my peers within the department, I.S. was even enjoyable at times." Corey Maras, '06 Alden, NY

Junior Independent Study

The first I.S. course in Communication, taken during the junior year, consists of a seminar that meets for the first half of the semester to explore the range of research projects in the discipline and to initiate students into the research methodologies of Communication Studies and Communication Sciences and Disorders. Topics include the selection of a research question or purpose; the use of the library for scholarly communication research; a broad overview of qualitative and quantitative research methods; the evaluation of scholarly research; and guidelines for scholarly writing. In the second half of the semester, students meet with individual faculty advisors to complete an original research project. The course as a whole involves a number of writing assignments, as well as the draft and revision of chapters, in order to help students clarify their goals and articulate their research findings in a coherent way.

In the Department of Communication, many students have revised their Junior I.S. theses and submitted them for consideration to professional conferences. Indeed, over 20 students since 1996 have had their Junior I.S. thesis or course paper accepted in competitive reviews. Students have delivered the results of their research at the DePauw University Undergraduate Honors Conference, the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, the Communication Studies Student Conference at Arizona State University, and the Ohio Speech and Hearing Association. At these conferences, students have received helpful feedback from well-known scholars and had the opportunity to share research insights with others. Both graduate schools and prospective employers view the competitive review and presentation of original research as a positive sign of an individual's intellect, research and analysis skills, and initiative. Perhaps equally compelling reasons for students to submit their I.S. theses to conferences, though, are getting to know new people and bonding with peers from Wooster in a different setting. In a word, conferences are fun.

"Participating in the National Communication Association annual convention was a great experience. It allowed me to see the types of research being performed by other undergraduate communication students and provided me the opportunity to showcase the caliber of research that The College of Wooster students are capable of producing. " Chad Spurgeon, '02 Mount Vernon, OH

Senior Independent Study

In the senior year, each student, under the guidance of his or her advisor, spends two semesters working on a major investigative project that culminates in the writing of a thesis. Recent majors have studied Extra, Extra, Read All About It: Examining the Role of Competition in the Day-to-Day Operations of Newspapers with a Local Focus; The Status of Audiologic Rehabilitation for Adult Patients with Cochlear Implants; Verbal Communication in Traditional and Open Structured Classrooms: The Ways in Which Discipline, Support, and Instruction Differ; George W. Bush’s Rhetoric in the War on Terrorism: An Analysis of the Presidential Response to the Attacks of September 11; Modern Bride and the "Fairy Tale" Wedding: A Case Study of Hegemony; A Social Skills Group for Adolescents with Asperger’s Syndrome; An Analysis of the Communication Needs of Seriously Ill Patients; "He’s Got the Ball Without the Chain": An Analysis of the Diffusion of a Sportscenter Catch Phrase; The Effectiveness of Tympanoplasty Surgeries Using Alloderm TM; The Rhetorical Characteristics of Political Entertainment: An Analysis of My Fellow Americans, The American President, and Dave; The Perspective of All Things Considered: An Analysis and Comparison of Public and Commercial Radio News Programs; Yack, Yack, Yack: A Network Analysis of Everyday Communication in Organizations; A Study of Speech-Language Pathologists’ and Audiologists’ Views on Formal Counseling Coursework in Master’s Degree Programs; and "Good Actions Are Nourishment for Youths Just as Much as Words": The Effectiveness of the Words, Images, and Methods Used in the Lovelife Aids Campaign to Prevent the Spread of AIDS Among South African Youth.

On graduation weekend, the Department holds a Senior Open House where faculty, students, their families, and other members of the College community celebrate the new graduates' research achievements.

Undergraduate Competitive Papers, Poster Presentations, & Awards, 1996-Present

1996

Angela Massoni, DePauw Undergraduate Honors Conference

1997

Kim Schaefer, National Conference of Undergraduate Research

Berto Trinidad, DePauw Undergraduate Honors Conference

Berto Trinidad, Communication Studies Student Conference at Arizona State University West

1998

Sarah Burger, Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention.

Heather Heitsenrether, Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

J. Kip Kelly, Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention.

Aqueelah Collier, Communication Studies Student Conference at Arizona State University West

Ryan Gorman, Communication Studies Student Conference at Arizona State University West

Krista Legg, Communication Studies Student Conference at Arizona State

1999

Pat Kindig, Best Ethnographic Study, Communication Studies Student Conference at Arizona State University West

Jay Myers, Communication Studies Student Conference at Arizona State University West

Katherine Varney, Red River Valley Student Communication Conference

Amy Howell, Poster Presentation at Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Christi Stern, Stephen Smith Award for Top Undergraduate Research Paper, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Ryan Clark, National Communication Association Annual Convention

2000

Katherine Montague, Poster Presentation at Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Denise Cox, Poster Presentation at Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Katherine Randall, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Sarah Strickler, National Communication Association Annual Convention

2001

Stacey Lim, Poster Presentation at Auditory-Verbal International Convention

Jamie Pullin, Poster Presentation at Auditory-Verbal International Convention

Jeff Pacini, Stephen Smith Award for Top Undergraduate Research Paper, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Chad Spurgeon, National Communication Association Annual Convention

2002

Stacey Lim, Poster Presentation at Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Joy Bishop, Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Lindsay Russell, Poster Presentation at Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Caitlin Tobey, Poster Presentation at American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention

2003

Nicole Solar, Poster Presentation at Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Caitlin Tobey, Poster Presentation at Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Brandon Lichtman, Best Student Poster Award, Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association Annual Convention

Rachel Bibler, Stephen Smith Award for Top Undergraduate Research Paper, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Tanya Tarasenkov, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Aubrey Petrullo, National Communication Association Annual Convention

2004

Laura Andrews, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Marissa Bambrey, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Aubrey Johanning, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Wade Martin, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Amanda Rollins, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Eric Seling, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Kristen Senior, Stephen Smith Award for Top Undergraduate Research Paper, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Nicole Speece, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Rebecca Wanless, National Communication Association Annual Convention

2005

Crystal Antonace, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Amy Grammatico, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Andrew Prusinski, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Emily Ryan, DePauw Undergraduate Honors Conference

Lauren Tompkins, National Communication Association Annual Convention

Ann Wenzel, National Communication Association Annual Convention

2006

Emily Foreman, Student Research Forum, Arizona State University Communication Sciences & Disorders Department

2007

Anna Klarlamova, Kharlamova, A. & Aarts, N. (in press). A review of past and present hair cell regeneration techniques. Clinical Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Jennifer Metzger, Undergraduate Honors Research Conference sponsored by the Central States Communication Association

Manu Samman Spagnoli, National Communication Association Annual Convention