Teaching
Courses
Here
are links to websites for courses that I teach. Those with asterisks are courses
that I have developed from scratch, either creating a new course or totally revamping
an existing course title with entirely new content.
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Communication 111:
Introduction to Communication Theory
This
is a survey of key communication theories, designed for students just entering
the major. It's a required course for all majors in the department (mass communication,
public relations, professional and personal communication, communication education)
and serves as a foundation for their coursework for their ommunication Department - Communication
218: Communication Technology and Impacts*
This is
a survey course that introduces students to historical and conceptual approaches
to understanding communication technologies. It is not a how-to course, but rather
we review principles of technology that emerge from a historical view that provides
important context to understanding the newest technologies -- as well as those
not yet invented. - Communication
318: Social Dynamics of Communication Technologies*
This
is an advanced course for undergraduates but is also popular with graduate students
seeking a foundation in communication technology studies. We cover primary sources
exploring the historical trends in invention and diffusion of communication technologies
and then apply principles to current applied issues. - Communication
363: New Technology Law and Policy*
This
is an advanced course for undergraduates but is also available for graduate students
that examines legal, political and social issues related to the emergence of new
communication technologies. We cover the most current real-world issues involving
digital technologies and computer networks, including privacy, copyright, indecency,
freedom of speech, cybercrime, encryption, hate speech, etc. - Communication
418: Foundations of Mediated Communication*
"Mediated
communication" in the course title refers to communication that is not face-to-face.
As such, it encompasses any communication involving some form of technology (new
and old, high-tech and low-tech, mass and interpersonal). Thus, in this course
we will explicitly and extensively address the role of channel in the communication
process. This is a daunting challenge as the scope of this topic touches not only
on every traditional area of communication but also requires re-examining basic
assumptions about communication itself. However, I believe that the effort is
important and worthwhile because - like it or not - we live at a time when communication
technologies are becoming ubiquitous and indispensable in our personal and professional
lives. I also believe this topic is a crucial complement to traditional areas
of focus in the communication field because the vast majority of communication
research and theory has tended to overlook the role of the communication channel.
Most of what we know about interpersonal communication assumes the interaction
is face-to-face. Everyday experience suggests that significant portions of interpersonal
communication are mediated by newer and older technologies, and that the channel
makes a difference. Decades of mass communication studies assume a technology
is required (e.g., television, radio, newspaper) but scholars rarely examine the
channel itself. In an age where mass communication is becoming demassified and
interactive with the emergence of digital technologies, the importance of understanding
new technologies' role in reshaping mass communication processes is obvious. My
overriding goal in this course is to provide you with a foundation of knowledge
and analytical approaches that will enable you to become an effective evaluator
and user of mediated forms of communication. I believe that this will be invaluable
in your careers and personal lives as a citizen living in the Information Age. - Communication
492: New Technologies at the Intersection of Mass and Interpersonal Communication*
Fragmentation
in the communication discipline has been a longstanding and ongoing source of
concern and debate. A key divide has been the distinction between mass communication
and interpersonal communication, which manifests itself structurally (in departments,
professional organizations, journals) as well as academically (in curricula, scholarship,
theory). A small number of scholars has conducted research that strives to bridge
mass and interpersonal communication and has contributed to the debate over the
origins, usefulness, and future of that divide. In recent years, new technologies
have further blurred the functional distinction between the two areas, which adds
to the urgency of engaging the issue if we are to accurately frame communication
scholarship. In this seminar we will engage this debate by examining the history
of the distinction between mass and interpersonal communication, review studies
that have sought to bridge the two areas, debate approaches and theories that
transcend the distinction, and explore the theoretical and applied implications
of new technologies for real-world applications and for the future of the discipline. |
Positions
Held Associate
Professor, Department of Communication,
Illinois State University (2002-present) Assistant
Professor, Department of Communication,
Illinois State University (1996-2002)
Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of
Communication, University of California, Santa
Barbara (1995-1996)
Instructor, Department of Communication,
Santa Barbara City College (1995-1996).
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of
Communication, University of California, Santa
Barbara (1992-1995) Graduate
Teaching Assistant Consultant, Office
of Instructional Consultation, University of
California, Santa Barbara (1991-1992). Graduate
Teaching Assistant, Annenberg School
for Communications, University of Southern California
(1989). Instructor,
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1990-1991).
Instructor,
Department of Journalism, California
State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (1987-1988).
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