Funded research a key element of new doctoral program

Is launching a new doctoral program a matter of saying, "If we build it, they will come?"  Not according to faculty at the Communication and Journalism Department at the University of New Mexico.  Instead, the department deliberately set out to combine the new doctoral program with a program of increased funded research.

And, the program struck gold early on.  Recently, a team of faculty members headed by Gill Woodall landed a grant for $987,000 over a period of three years from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to study the effectiveness of drunk driving intervention programs.  In particular, the researchers will compare the effects of having those convicted for the first time of driving while intoxicated attend what are known as "victim impact panels," as opposed to traditional information programs that typically constitute this sort of court-ordered training.  The "victim impact panels" are composed of three or four members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the presentations are very emotional.

The research team will randomly assign 1500 first-time offenders to either the "victim impact panels" or to traditional information programs.  They will study recidivism rates for three years and will also re-interview those they study at the end of the first and second years after attending the programs.

Participation in funded research experiences such as these will become a required part of the doctoral experience in New Mexico's new program.  The program centers on intercultural communication in mass, rhetorical, interpersonal, and organizational contexts, and is designed to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by living in New Mexico's multicultural environment, as well as faculty contacts in nearby Mexico, Central and South America, and Asia.  Students will take a set of six required courses in their first year: three courses on methodology and analysis techniques, two on theory construction and theoretical perspectives, and a course on intercultural communication theory and research.  In the second year, the students will be able to specialize in a context, from an intercultural perspective.  Students will also complete a three course cognate in a department outside Communication and Journalism.

The research skills requirements of the program will be satisfied through demonstrated competency in English and a language other than English, including computer language or statistical analysis.  Students will also participate as part of a research team in funded projects such as the one headed by Woodall.

The department expects to admit its first class of doctoral students in the Fall, 1995, semester.

New Mexico is the leading state in the U.S. in terms of alcohol-related highway deaths, but it also has the toughest laws against drunk driving.  If "victim impact panels" turn out to be effective, states may have a new tool against drunk driving deaths.  And, doctoral students graduating from the communication and journalism program at the University of New Mexico will have an appreciation for what it is like to work on a funded research project.