Development Communication Studies

Dr. Sarah Chidiebere Joe

The Current Head of Department

Development Communication Studies

Development Communication broadly represents the use of communication to facilitate all sectors of social development including health, agriculture, gender, youth empowerment, education, environment, and social work.

This Department of Development Communication Studies runs a programme that leads to the award of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Development Communication Studies. This programme, which is run under the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, takes an integrated approach to and a broader look at development communication in all its forms. This all-inclusive programme, which equips students with pertinent and contemporary knowledge in the field of development communication, covers the intersection between development communication and journalism, digital communication, media practice, and the history, development, and ethics of the communication industry. It also provides fundamental knowledge about and deepens students’ grasp of the dynamics of communicating with various audiences towards ensuring effective communication for all strata of society. The programme is also designed to ground students in the art of research. Here, students are introduced to the techniques and tools of research and shown how to ask the right question as a critical element for resolving problems.

Profile Of The Head of Department

Dr Itieke-Idamieba Harry, Esq is the Acting Head, Department of Development Communication Studies Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He was former Acting Head (Pioneer), Department of Public Relations and Advertising in the same Faculty where he laid a solid foundation for the take off of the Department and its programmes including the BSc Public Relations and Advertising, BSc Public Relations (both of the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS) regime and the BSc Public Relations programme in the present Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) template superintended by the National Universities Commission (NUC) of Nigeria. Dr Itieke-Idamieba Harry’s academic and professional career so far is a rainbow of distinctions, merits and awards. For instance, he graduated as the best student in the BSc Mass Communication Programme of the 2004 Cohort and won the only academic prize in the Department of Mass Communication, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (now Rivers State University); the Oba (Eze – Ogba) of Ogbaland’s prize for the best graduating student in mass communication. This was at the time the highest academic prize in the University by way of the monetary value attached to the prize. A scholar with multidisciplinary background, Dr Itieke-Idamieba Harry holds a PhD in Communications with thesis specialization in international and strategic communication among a variety of academic and professional qualifications. He has attended and presented papers at international and domestic conferences/workshops. He is a Fellow of the Empirical Research Institute of Nigeria and member of several associations, institutes, and organizations that align with his intellectual curiosity including the International Communication Association (ICA), African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), Development Communication Research Association of Nigeria (DECRAN), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON); formerly the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON)

Staff list in the Department

Name	Rank	Area Of Specialisation	Email
Dr. Sarah Chidiebere Joe	Lecturer I/Ag. HOD	Communication for Development, Digital Communication, and New Media	sarah.joe@ust.edu.ng
Prof. Godwin Bassey Okon	Professor	Communication for Development and Media Advocacy	okon.godwin@ust.edu.ng
Prof. R. N. Amadi	Professor	Public Relations and Media Strategic Communication	amadi.richard@ust.edu.ng
Prof. F. A. Amadi	Professor	Metacommunication and Critical Discourse Analysis	amadi.azubuike01@ust.edu.ng
John Gomba Ngochindo	Lecturer ll	Development Communication, Media Management and Mass Media Writing	ngochindo.john@ust.edu.ng
Jesse Okedi	Assistant Lecturer	Development Communication, Intercultural Communication, Crisis Communication and Phenomenology	jesse.okedi@ust.edu.ng

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Management

This entails responsibility and accountability for setting and advancing the academic master plan of the department in accordance with the Faculty and University strategic goals; creating sustainable structures for the management, consultation, decision-making, and communication with members of the department; the promotion and representation of the university; and fostering an excellence culture, tolerance, and respect within and outside the department.

Responsibility for Teaching and Students

This department ensures the accomplishment of the University’s responsibilities towards students with regards to their admission, instruction, progress, and examination; makes sure students adhere to the regulations and standards set by the Faculty and the Senate; and regularly reviews programme content in a bid to attract new students and industry partnerships.

Responsibility for Research

The department encourages the highest levels of quality, integrity, and ethics in all research endeavours while facilitating a forward-looking research culture for both staff and students.

People Management

The department’s leadership ensures the university’s policies and procedures are executed; secures fair workload allocation; proper management of staff performance; encourages collaborations among staff members; and facilitates a healthy work environment.

Financial Management

This department sees to compliance with the University’s financial regulations; manages income and expenditure in ways that promote financial sustainability; makes sure all University property in its care is maintained and regularly serviced.

Quality Assurance

The department puts in place appropriate evaluation and monitoring procedures in line with the University’s strategy on quality assurance in teaching, research, and resource management.

Development of Academic/Research Standing

The department is responsible for continuous development as leaders in research and publication; the attraction of external funding; and partnership with industry leaders in the field of development communication.

STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT

The Department of Development Communication Studies comprises the Teaching Staff, Non-teaching Staff, and Students of the department. The administration of the department is entrusted to the Head or Acting Head in conjunction with Members of the Departmental Board, which is made up of all teaching staff of the department and a secretary (a non-teaching staff).

PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROGRAMMES

The influence of development communication as an organised social and economic phenomenon has grown across the world. While governments and organisations are increasingly utilising development communication to achieve their developmental and marketing goals, the society and the economy are increasingly impacted by a growing volume and variety of development communications. To that extent, development communication studies is an important subject of academic inquiry and professionalism. Therefore, in appreciation of society’s current complex and technology-driven nature, the B.Sc. Development Communication Studies is designed to produce highly knowledgeable, skillful, and socially responsible professionals in advertising, direct marketing, sales promotions, corporate, public, business, and integrated marketing communication using traditional and new media to enhance development in all sectors of the Nigerian society.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of the Development Communication Studies programme are to:

provide formal and cognate education to equip students with requisite skills for practice in the various media of communication;
engage in qualitative research in the field of Development Communication Studies to enhance effective production, management, and dissemination of information for effective socio-economic and socio-political mobilisation as well ensure follow up communication for development;
afford complementary consultancy geared towards capacity building and positioning the Nigerian Communication Industry within the framework of global dynamics; and
facilitate the training and re-training of practitioners and propagators of development communication, organisational communication, community relations, and a host of communication-related functions in both public organisations and private practices.