COMM 495-002

Senior Seminar
Hilary Rasmussen
3/13/2023

Messages Learning Goal

As a communication major, the “Messages” department learning goal has been integrated

into my curriculum in many of my courses. As the goal is described as “Creating, critiquing, and

interpreting messages in oral, written, digital and visual formats.”, this is a large aspect of my

studies. From analyzing messages in my media-based courses to creating forms of digital

communication through art or video, I have had the opportunity to apply this quite frequently.

In the introduction of the study of communication, you are introduced to the concept of

messages. In the basic definition, messages are “The physical and psychological activities in

which people engage in order to create mutual understanding in social interaction.” (Aune &

Gasiorek,  Chapter 1: Introduction to Message Processing). As you delve deeper into the study

of communication, it begins to intersect into other mediums. Messages can be created and

interpreted through media, for example, where the form of media communicates something to

the consumer. You can then apply this to the analyzation of rhetoric, narrative, and even artistic

expression.

As a student who is earning a certificate in Digital Media and Production, which is one of

the paths a communication student can take, I enrolled in a course titled Digital Video. In this

course, we created various short films to practice with video creation and we were given almost

full liberty to create what we pleased. For the final project, we had to make a 5-minute video

with no voices or talking. I created a little film following a day in the life of my family dog, Mia.

I followed her around and recorded the little things she did throughout the day, such as going for

a walk, going to the groomer, going on a car ride, playing, etc., and compiled it to convey how
COMM 495-002
Senior Seminar
Hilary Rasmussen
3/13/2023
carefree and joyful a dog’s life is. I played very happy music from a video game where you live

in a village and do daily tasks like fishing, bug catching, and more, as I felt it reminisced the

spirit of a comfortable dog life. I feel like this is a good example because trying to convey

messages, whether it is feelings or thoughts, through a video without voiceover is very difficult.

In my career, interpreting messages will be very beneficial. If I end up working in Public

Relations, knowing how to interpret messages in various formats will be essential. If I can’t

interpret others’ messages, how will I be able to effectively convey messages that represent a

company? If I work in Human Resources, I need to be able to decipher messages to properly

address situations within a company amongst staff, as well as be able to be as clear as possible

conveying my messages to others to ensure I am not a trusted source providing

misinformation/miscommunicated information.

As I continue to develop my communication skills, I know that creating and interpreting

true meanings behind things is a necessary skill. This will be beneficial for my professional and

personal relationships as well as for my ability to understand the media that is so ingrained into

our modern society.

COMM 495-002
Senior Seminar
Hilary Rasmussen
3/13/2023
Resources

Aune, R. K., & Gasiorek, J. (n.d.). Chapter 1: Introduction to Message Processing . Message
Processing The Science of Creating Understanding. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from
http://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/messageprocessing/chapter/chapter-1-introduction-to-
message-processing/