The Department of Communication was established in 1993 and started offering two year Masters Degree programme in Communication with objectives to teach and contour the aspiring students to meet the challenges in the pasture of media industries and communication studies. Over the past 30 years it has produced successful alumni who are well placed in media organizations in the state and outside acting as catalysts bringing changes in journalism. Many of them are also pursuing their research activities in various reputed media institutions within the country while others became media educators in this region.
Initially the department in housed in St.Peters Hall then in Shafter’s Hall of St Johns College Palayamkottai. Later the department is moved to the social science block in the main campus during 2000, then shifted to the Ramasubbaiyer Krishnamurthy Media Block which is donated by Dr.R.Krishnamurthy Chief Editor Dinamalar in 2007. The RK Media Block is the pioneer initiative in India for the University-Industry linkage. The Department of Communication housed in the RK Media Block houses is facilitated with High roof Studio, Gyanvani On-Air Station, Audio-Video Edit Suit, Sound recording booth, multimedia laboratory, smart classroom, library, viewing theater, meeting hall, lecture halls and restrooms.
The Department is supported by UGC under SAP (DRS) to achieve academic excellence with the thrust areas on‘Impact of Educational Television’ & ‘ICT for Women Empowerment’. The Award of SAP is a proof of the capability and credentials of the learned faculty of this department.
The department has produced two documentary films Ruins & Close Ur Eyes, and also corporate video films for Tuticorin Port Trust and for our University.
The department has organized several film screening and film appreciation events in collaboration with Kanchanai film society Tirunelveli. ‘Shadow of Light’ Photography exhibition by women photographers had a statewide reach. In 1998 Ms.N.C.Krishnapriya II year student won the first prize for the best photograph in International Journalism Contest on the theme ‘Right to Education’, the contest was launched in 1998 on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by UNESCO,
In collaboration with the Tamil daily ‘Dinamalar’ ‘Earn while learn’ programme was introduced for department students, a multimedia lab was established, Voters Survey, Readership Survey was conducted periodically. One of the faculty member wrote a science column named ‘ariviyalayeram’ which is published for more than 1000 issues in Dinamalar.
The Tamil daily ‘Kathiravan’ patronage for the printing of student’s lab journal ‘Thamirabarani’,
The department video documented the nellai massacre ‘Oru Natheeyin Maranam’ in collaboration with Kaanchanai Film Society.
Joining hands with Navajeevan Trust & Nellai Press Club the department have rescued 17 child labors in our district.
Students and faculty members involved in the cleaning project of Nainarkulam water body in association with ‘Pachayaam’.
