What's New:

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

 

 

Congrats to Facia Sirleaf for receiving the Outstanding Student 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

Josh Lloyd
I'm a BloomU senior in the Communication Studies major with a Leadership/ Public Advocacy concentration. I'm also majoring in Spanish and minoring in Arabic and Linguistics. I chose the Communication Studies major with a Leadership/ Public Advocacy concentration to complement my language major.
Here at Bloom, I'm the Editor-in-Chief of The Voice, our campus newspaper, and a member of the Tabletop Gaming Club. My overarching goal is a career in Foreign Services or entertainment journalism.
What I value most from the Communication Studies major is the versatility of the program. Great communication skills transcend all careers and cultures. This was never more evident than when I traveled to Costa Rica in Fall 2017 for a semester abroad, using skills I'd learned from both of my majors to observe, explore and learn as much as possible.
I definitely want to thank Dr. Erin Brummett for introducing me to the major way back in Fall 2015, when I took Interpersonal Communication. I also have to thank my advisor, Dr. Kai Kuang, for guiding me every step of the way and helping me with an ambitious Honors Program research project.
In all honesty, I have to thank the entire Communication Studies department, which goes above and beyond to make sure Comm majors have the best opportunities available to them after graduation and are prepared to surmount any challenges they might face in the professional world.

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.