MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The August episode of Middle Tennessee State University’s “Out of the Blue” television magazine show looks at how the Department of Communication Studies in the university’s College of Liberal Arts serves students through a unique array of career-oriented concentrations.

Professor and Department Chair Mary Beth Asbury stopped by the “Out of the Blue” set to discuss communication studies and its role in students’ lives.

Watch the full segment below with host Andrew Oppmann, vice president of the university’s Division of Marketing and Communications.

“Communication, essentially, is the study of symbols, messages and meanings,” explained Asbury. “What we do in our major is take that a little bit further, and we teach practical skills regarding how to act in the workplace — how to get a job, how to have meaningful relationships, what not to say in a relationship, what to say in a relationship, whether it’s friendship, family or romantic.

“We cover a lot of persuasion, social justice and debate topics. Essentially, we teach people how to critically evaluate messages, whether from a one-on-one scenario, a group scenario from your boss, an advertisement or a documentary you’re watching.”

Students have the opportunity to learn by the process of doing and putting their skills to use in real-world experiences.

“We are very purposeful in that we try to make all of our classes experiential learning or MT Engage, depending on the level,” Asbury said. “If you take the debate class, you’re going to do a debate. If you take an interpersonal class, you may interview someone from a different culture or interview family members to learn how these concepts are applied in your own lives.”

Asbury noted that the Department of Communications Studies emphasizes the importance of student internships and gaining valuable experience.

“We have the resources and are willing to help you find (an internship). We have companies seeking our students. Most students who have done an internship don’t regret it.”

The Department of Communication Studies offers four concentrations — organizational communication, culture and social influence, health communication and communication (generalist) concentration.

“Out of the Blue” is available anytime on the university’s YouTube channel, the True Blue TV channel, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. It also airs on Murfreesboro cable Channel 9 daily at 6 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; NewsChannel5+ at 3:30 p.m. Sundays; and streamed on the MTSU Jazz Network through WMOT.org at 7 a.m. on the first Sunday of each month.

It is also available on other cable outlets in Middle Tennessee, so check local listings. 

It is also available as a podcast on iTunes and Google Play and as individual interview segments on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/453hxg3. 

Watch previous episodes of “Out of the Blue” at https://mtsunews.com/out-of-the-blue. 

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)