New grad class

By Jennifer Palmberg
The Collegian

Starting this semester, the Communications Department is offering a new grad course called Ethnography as Communication Inquiry.

“Ethno” means people and “graphy” means the writing of, Shane Moreman, class instructor said.
Ethnography is the study of people and their background in the hopes of having better insight to and understanding of other people’s point of view.

“I have been studying ethnography for years and I just approached the department and asked them if I could teach it as a class and they said yes,” said Moreman. “This semester is like a test, it’s not a permanent course yet.”

Moreman said he believes that ethnography is important to everyone and can be used in almost every major because it is the study of human communication. It is a unique and interactive way to study and analyze an individual’s or a group’s behavior. The course will be taking a look at written communication, body language, and tangible forms of communication (such as traffic signs) Moreman said.

“It can be used by business majors to understand the managerial process,” said Moreman. “Educators can use it to understand different ways students learn and evaluate how their methods of teaching are either effective or ineffective. I mean, anyone can use it,” Moreman said about the course.

To learn more contact Dr. Shane Moreman at [email protected] or stop by Speech Arts 37.