The Department of Human Communication Studies in the School of Communication is a community of scholars/practitioners who are committed to inquiry regarding the nature of the communicative practices in personal relationships, groups and public settings. The mission of our department is to identify ways in which we can better understand who we are as members of cultures, groups and families; examine and critique ideologies and structures that constrain our contact with each other; identify ways to deliberate and reach just decisions in public, organizational and personal contexts; and create the means for dialogue and collaboration during conflict and struggle.