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Congrats to Facia Sirleaf for receiving the Outstanding Atudent in Communication Studies Award - 2018!

Congratulations to graduate Tamika Austin - for winning an award from the Pennsylvania College Personnel Association (PCPA) Read more.

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 2017


Publications

Miller, E. C. (Ed). (2017). The Rhetoric of Religious Freedom in the United States. Lanham, MD: Lexington.

Miller, E. C. (2017). “Not About Discrimination”: Religious Freedom Restoration Acts and the Question of Intent. In E. C. Miller (Ed), The Rhetoric of Religious Freedom in the United States (101-114). Lanham, MD: Lexington.

Petre, J. T. (2017). Religious Freedom and the Marketplace. In E. C. Miller (Ed), The Rhetoric of Religious Freedom in the United States (115-130). Lanham, MD: Lexington.

Petre, E. A. (2017). Environmental Protection and Religious Freedom: The Case of the Dakota Access Pipeline. In E. C. Miller (Ed), The Rhetoric of Religious Freedom in the United States (163-182). Lanham, MD: Lexington.

Presentations

Brummett, E. A. (2017, November). Personal conflict analysis: A lens model approach. Great Ideas for Teaching Students (G.I.F.T.S.) presentation at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Brummett, E. A. (2017, November). Constructing interracial couple identities off stage: Social network members as reviewers of interracial romantic relationship performances. Research roundtable paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Huang, S. (2017, November). Beyond the paradigm of same-sex marriage: Performing heteronormativity in queer marriage in contemporary China. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Huang, S. (2017, November). Why does communication need transnational queer of color studies? Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Miller, E. C. (2017, November). “The protestant contention”: Religious freedom, respectability politics, and W. A. Criswell in 1960. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Miller, E. C. (2017, November). Making policy debate more inclusive and relevant for all: The legacy of the Frederick Douglass Debate Society. Panel presented at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Rumbough, T. (2017, November). Furthering our legacy and our relevance through student success and retention: Best practices for enhancing undergraduate academic advising. Panel presentation at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Shorter, S. (2017, November). From Black-ish to Black Lives Matter: Communicating Blackness in the 21st Century. Panelist on a panel presented to the African American Communication and Culture Division of the National Communication Association convention, Dallas, TX.

Shorter, S. (2017, November). Making policy debate more inclusive and relevant for all: The Legacy of the Frederick Douglass Debate Society. Chair and Panelist of a panel presented to the Cross Examination Debate Association of the National Communication Association convention, Dallas, TX.

Shorter, S. (2017, November). Building debate into the college and university culture: Strategies for growing teams across campus and curricula. Panelist of a panel presented to the American Forensic Association of the National Communication Association convention, Dallas, TX.

Shorter, S. (2017, November). The relevance of service in our careers: A conversation about service among junior faculty women. Chair and Panelist of a panel presented to the Women’s Caucus of the National Communication Association convention, Dallas, TX.

Wang, N. (November, 2017). An examination of the received-desired support discrepancy and congruence in parent-child relationships during emerging adulthood: A response surface modeling approach. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, Dallas, TX.

Wang, N. (November, 2017). Received-desired support gaps: The roles of positive communication and perceived support quality in parent-emerging adult relationships. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, Dallas, TX.

Wang, N. (November, 2017). Mundane support in personal relationships: A concept explication and measurement validation. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Annual Conference, Dallas, TX.

Scholarly Activity

Dr. Eric Miller’s interview with historian Stephen Mansfield appeared at Religion Dispatches on November 14.

Dr. Eric Miler chaired a panel titled “Religious Freedom Rhetoric in the United States” at the National Communication Association Convention, Dallas, TX.

Dr. Shavonne Shorter successfully chaired the 10th annual Mid-Atlantic LGBTQA Conference hosted at Bloomsburg University November 3-5th, 2017. The conference hosted 257 student, faculty, staff, and engaged citizen registrants, the most in its history. As a part of her responsibilities Dr. Shorter provided opening remarks that called everyone to participate in activism in response to all that is happening in our world. She also served as the Mistress of Ceremonies at the Keynote Banquet.