What's New

Congratulations to Amanda Weaver and her debate partner Tanisha Webster (Business Administration) for winning the 4th Annual Frederick Douglass Debate Society Tournament on Thursday, April 5th, 2018 at West Chester University. We are very proud of you!

 

Congrats to The National Communication Association Student Club (NCASC)! NCASC was selected as the 2018 Bloomsburg University Student Organization of the Year for their outstanding work in the areas of leadership, programming, and service.

Please see our Communication Studies Newsletters:

The BU Department of Communication Studies is officially on social media! Please like our Facebook page and our Twitter page and share with friends who may be interested!

 

Featured
Student

Facia Nyego Sirleaf
Beginning my undergraduate career as an undeclared student was the best decision I could have ever made. It allowed me the opportunity to fall in love with Anthropology, Gender Studies, and Communication Studies. Not only has this area of study enhanced the love I have for Anthropology and gender and ethnicity, it has given me the confidence I need to thrive as a public speaker and critical thinker. Through classes such as Gender issues in Communication, I was able to develop a passion for analyzing gender as well as ethnicity in different cultural contexts, specifically African culture. After learning tools to effectively communicate in professional settings and volunteering for two semesters, I interned at The Women’s Resource Center on campus and worked as a teaching assistant in the Communication Studies department. I have also won the Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities Grant (U.R.S.C.A.), which I used to conduct research in Fez, Morocco for my project titled I Like the Color: Race and Ethnicity in Morocco.  I have also presented research at a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) conference titled Romance Never Dies: An Ethnographic Study of Romance Novel Enthusiasts which focused on an application of literary anthropology.
I believe that Communication Studies has prepared me for graduate school as well helping me become a well-grounded scholar. Public speaking, gender issues in communication, and intercultural communication prepared me the most with being able to engage with audiences and articulate the love I have for my areas of study. With everything I have learned I plan to complete graduate studies by combining my love for Communication and African Studies to one day be able to work for the United Nations.

Featured Student

Gabrielle Narr
I am currently a Junior at Bloomsburg University in the Communication Studies major with a concentration in Organizational Communication. I also have a minor in Human Resources. The decision to choose this major and minor was the best decision I could have made as an incoming freshman. The classes I have taken in my major and minor have set me up to be successful in any career I choose. I am now an ethical thinker, organized, have great interpersonal skills, work well in diverse groups, and thrive as a public speaker. Not only have I gained these great skills, but being a Communication Studies major has given me the courage to get involved, which led to me joining my national sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma. Throughout my time in Phi Sigma Sigma I have held three leadership positions which are, scholarship chair, sisterhood development chair, and fundraising chair. I loved fundraising when I did it and it gave me the inspiration to want to pursue a career in Event Planning. Through my connections in Phi Sigma Sigma I received the opportunity to intern over the winter of 2017 at an event planning company called Philly2Night. During my internship I was involved in the process of planning and implementing events. I also worked closely with the events production manager. My favorite event that we planned was our New Years Eve Gala at the Seaport Museum. During my time as an intern at Philly2Night I gained real life experience, personal growth, field experience, and professional skill building. Throughout my time in the Communication Studies Department there have been two professors that have really stood out and helped me strive to be my best. Dr. Shavonne Shorter and Dr. Mary King have really been a great inspiration to me. They both encouraged me to be ambitious and do something that I never thought I would be able to do— achieve a 4.0 in the Spring 2017 semester. I also served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Mary King's Introduction to Communication Studies course. This provided an opportunity to build leadership and teamwork skills. I am very grateful for my professors and classmates that have helped me become the best version of myself. Communication Studies has prepared me for life after graduation, even if I'm not ready to graduate.

Department News:
November 2013

 

Publication

‪Turnage, A. (2013). Technological resistance: A metaphor analysis of Enron e-mail messages. Communication Quarterly, 61, 519 - 538. doi: 10.1080/01463373.2013.803995

 

Conference Presentations

Cramer, E., Tenzek, K. E., & Allen, (2013, November) Recognizing success in the chaplain profession: connecting perceptions to practice. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C. *Top four paper panel in Spiritual Communication*

Heineman, D. S. (2013, November). Ludology of the dead: The rise of zombies in video games. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Hobson, K. (2013, November). Performing alternative femme identity through online vernacular discourse: pornography, pin-up, and the abjection of bodily difference. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Miller, E. C. (2013, November). Fighting for freedom: Liberal argumentation in culture war rhetoric. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Rumbough, T. (2013, November). Bugging out: Connections between apocalyptic narratives and consumption in diverse media outlets. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Saindon, C. E. (2013, November). Generating connections through critical communication pedagogy. Panel presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C. 

Saindon, C. E. (2013, November). Feminist pedagogy goals: Consideration, implementation, and reflection about our classroom practices. Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Shultz, K. (2013, November). Bugging out: Connections between apocalyptic narratives and consumption in diverse media outlets. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Song, H., Kim, J., Jung, Y., & Kwon, R. J. (2013, November). Fear appeal through enactive role playing: A serious game for smoking cessation. Competitively selected paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Tenzek, K. E. (2013, November) Reaching out: Teachers making connections when teaching, designing, and creating new undergraduate and graduate courses. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Tenzek, K. E. (2013, November). Bugging out: Connections between apocalyptic narratives and consumption in diverse media outlets. Panel participant at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Tenzek, K. E., Cramer, E., & Allen, M. (2013, November). Spirituality and coordinated management of meaning: Examining the chaplain’s role in social constructions of a “Good Death.” Paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C. *Top four paper panel in communication as social construction*

Turnage, A. (2013, November). Personal narratives and self-critique: Experiential learning in rhetorical criticism. Competitive paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

‪Turnage, A. (2013, November). Electronic discourse, agency and organizational change at Enron Corporation. Competitive paper presented at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

 

Service for the Discipline at Conference

Dr. Heineman chaired a session titled, “Teaching the undergraduate rhetorical criticism course,” at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Professor Saindon co-chaired a panel titled, “Generating connections through critical communication pedagogy,” at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Tenzek served as a respondent at a session titled, “Connecting through spirituality: Creating sacred communitiesin a global environment” at the annual conference of National Communication Association, Washington, D.C.
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Awards

Dr. Nagy was award the Sandra Petronio Dissertation Excellence award at the annual convention of the National Communication Association in Washington, DC. Dr. Nagy's dissertation explored the communicative and physiological markers of conflict in empty-nesters.


(L-R: Mary Nagy (Recipient), Jennifer Theiss (Dissertation Advisor)

‪The National Communication Association Student Club Bloomsburg ‪Chapter was awarded the Chapter of the Year Award at the annual convention of the National Communication Association in Washington, DC. This competitive award is presented to the chapter that excels in activities, recruitment, and philanthropy in the preceeding academic year.

(L-R: Samantha Moccio (Vice President), Dr. Mary Nagy (Advisor), Susanne Garvin (President))

 

Speaker’s Forum

The BU chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Honors Society (advised by Dr. Heineman) held their annual Speaker’s Forum on Tuesday, November 12th.  Three students, Brendan Kelly, Kelsey Regan, and Valerie DeStefano, presented at the forum.  All three students are from Professor Rippke’s public speaking classes and Professor Rippke worked with these students in preparation for the forum.  The forum attracted over 200 attendees to hear presentations that offered a variety of perspectives on peer pressure.