Dan Godwin
Class of:
1983
Current Occupation/Field of Work:
Reporter/Anchor at KDFW-TV, Dallas, TX
Why did you choose Comm Studies as your major?
I had Comm. 10 the first quarter of my freshman year, and I just loved the subject. The coursework just seemed MUCH more interesting than any other major.
Favorite UCLA memory and/or professor
History 148 C, Robert Dallek.
Intellectual History with Steve Novak.
Rhetoric of Churchill, Lincoln, FDR
Speech 2 with Marde
Campus Events Office
How has Comm Studies empowered you in your professional and personal life?
The comm. major greatly enhanced my ability to think critically, and analytically...to process, and make sense of large amounts of information. Courses in political communication gave tremendous insight into how elected officials use language, and mythology to gain and wield power. Studying the great orators showed me how the right words, and the right delivery, can alter the course of history.
And in general, I came away from the major with a much better understanding of the forces that shape our world, and the processes that help determine our personal destiny.
What was the most valuable or applicable lesson you learned from a Comm Studies class?
Com. 101, political communication and the political science class on public opinion and voting behavior.
What advice would you give to a current Comm Studies student?
-Do the required reading
-Go and talk to your profs during their office hours. Talk about the course work in a casual setting, and your understanding of it will automatically deepen.
Fun facts, interests, hobbies
The principals outlined in speech classes apply directly to effective live reporting: When possible, speak not just from the head, but also from the heart. You've got to engage the audience on an emotional level if you're going to keep their attention.
