Department of
Communication Studies

Meaningful friendship, civic action, and pop culture as economic storytelling

From building deeper connections to empowering communities, Communication Studies faculty discuss how communication shapes the world.

Winter 2024/Spring 2025

Shaping Fort Collins Through Civic Innovation

Emily Myler works on the problem of housing and population growth in the city of Fort Collins using her communication studies degree and experience with the CPD.

A Life in Radio: Marty Lenz (’90) lives his childhood dream

Ram fan, student-athlete, donor, and radio personality Marty Lenz (’90) receives the College of Liberal Arts Honor Alumnus Award in 2024.

Winter 2023

Amplifying Public Voice: CSU’s Center for Public Deliberation

Katie Knobloch’s work through CPD involves the design of community engagement programs and how they impact public participation and deliberative democracy.

Spring 2023

Popular Culture Obscures and Reveals: A Look at Korean Film and Queer Rhetoric

Korean cinema and queer rhetoric have both been brought to the forefront of U.S. culture in recent years, and Communication Studies professors help show us how and why. 

Winter 2022

Alumna creates scholarship for student facilitators in public deliberation

When Linda Cates – a two-time alumna and long-time donor – learned about the Center for Public Deliberation in 2014 she immediately wanted to support students who were learning deliberative dialogue skills – much-needed skills in today’s society. 

Out of the Classroom and into the Community

Putting communication theory into practice, three PhD students in Communication Studies engage in Extension internships that result in a Middle Eastern cookbook, updated curricula for a local 4-H program, and increased awareness of Extension and the Colorado State Fair.