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What's New:

Dr Shavonne Shorter was featured on the “Get to know your campus” video series. You can watch it here.

 

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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.

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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 2014

Publication

Heineman, D. S. (2014). "Does Game Studies have 'Complete Confidence in Its Own Legitimacy?'" New Media & Society, 16, 1332-1337.

Conference Presentations

Hanley-Tejeda, D. (November, 2014). Persons of Color, Using Poetry as Praxis. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Hobson, K. (November, 2014). Using Our Privilege: Queer Femmes and the Politics of Identity Labor. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

King, M. E. (November, 2014). Applying and Understanding Media Effects Theories in the Classroom. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Michalec, B. (2014, November). GoldieBlox & Super Bowl XLVIII: Reengineering the Media Mix and the Marketplace. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Mackenzie, L. (November, 2014). The Effective Use of Situational Judgment Tests: A Teaching Technique By and For Student Veterans. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Miller, E. C. (November, 2014). Same-Sex Marriage and Communication at the 100th Anniversary of NCA: Past Research and Future Directions. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Petre, J. T. (2014, November). The presence of qualitative communication trainers in unexpected contexts. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Petre, E. A. (2014, November). The presence of qualitative communication trainers in unexpected contexts. Panel participant at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Shorter. S. (November, 2014). Strategies to diversify the professoriate. Paper presented at the PASSHE Summit at Millersville University.

Shorter. S. (November, 2014). New and improved: A small group communication project. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Shorter, S., White, S., Hill, T., Brown, N., Jackson, J. (November, 2014). A return to the party of Lincoln? Understanding points of (dis)connection between the GOP and African American voters. Panel Organizer. Presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, IL.

Scholarly Achievement

Dr. David Hanley-Tejeda cohosted an open mic event called "NCA @ 100 Open Mic Archive," with performance studies colleagues Joe Hassert, Javon Johnson, and Jen Tuder. This participatory event invited all who wanted to share their thoughts on performance studies and was held at the LeRoy Neiman Center of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Dr. Kathryn Hobson served as respondent for the Top Paper panel of the GLBTQ division.

Dr. Mary E. King was elected as paper reader for the Family Communication Division and the Interpersonal Communication Division of NCA, and served as Chair of two panels: "Biophysical Indicators of Social Interaction Qualities" and "Health Communication Issues Within the Family Context."

Department Event

On Tuesday, November 11, the department held its annual Speaker's Forum, organized by members of Lambda Pi Eta and supervised by Dr. David Heineman and Dr. Jim Petre. The Forum featured four competitively selected student speeches on the topic of "Invisible Illness," as well as a keynote address by former BU faculty member Nicole Defenbaugh, director of education and medical educator for the Lehigh Valley Health Network.