I love music. It's a form of communication that reaches so many people in so many different ways, through so many different genres. I especially appreciate the energy created during the performance of live music, an energy that can depend as much on the listeners and the environment as the musicians themselves. The classroom is similar - a good class can feel as uplifting and inspiring for me as an amazing concert. This is but one of the reasons that I decided to title my public speaking textbook, Rhetoric Rocks! I find further inspiration in the works of teacher-scholars such as bell hooks, Parker Palmer, Paulo Freire, Angela Davis and Henry Giroux.
Regularly Taught Courses COM 107: Communication & Civic Action (Honors) COM 111: Principles of Public Speaking COM 325: Intercultural Communication COM 360: Sport Communication COM 380: Environmental Communication COM 412: Criticism of Public Discourse COM 439: Contemporary Public Address COM 446: Critical Media Analysis COM 442: Communication and Social Change
Other Courses Taught: HUM 199: Humanistic Inquiry COM 211: Intro to Mass Communication COM 236: Contemporary Issues in Media COM 342: Media Literacy COM 324: Business and Professional Communication COM 410: Event Planning
Connecting Teaching & Research My Environmental Communication curriculum is featured in Environmental Communication Pedagogy and Practice (Routledge, 2016) The Conversation Partner program I founded as part of my Intercultural Communication curriculum is featured in Best Practices in Experiential and Service Learning in Communication (Kendall-Hunt, 2009).