The Georgia State University doctoral program in communication encourages students to engage in theoretically rigorous, methodologically sophisticated and ethically informed research. Our students are encouraged to undertake research that makes a difference and contributes substantively to the human understanding of how communication and media fundamentally shape and are shaped by an increasingly complex social world.<br><br>The curriculum draws upon social scientific and humanities-based theories and methods to prepare a diverse group of students for a job market that expects them to be literate across multiple sub-disciplinary domains of communication, in particular, media studies, rhetoric and speech communication.<br><br>Doctoral students work with graduate faculty who have gained national and international prominence across a diverse range of research areas, including:<br><br>International media and politics<br>Health communication<br>Strategic communication<br>Media effects and psychology<br>Media representation and stereotypes<br>Rhetorical studies<br>Legal communication<br>Journalism studies<br>Media ethics<br>Visual communication<br>Environmental and critical animal studies<br>Terrorism studies<br>Public argument and deliberation<br>Persuasion, public relations<br>Interpersonal and intergroup communication<br>Networks<br>Ideological formations of power and resistance<br>The intellectual and creative energies activated by this rich and interdisciplinary activity within Atlanta's dynamic urban location make the department an ideal place for students from around the world to prepare for a career in communication.