Teaching

I believe that the pursuit of knowledge is a privilege and a joy, and that college is perhaps the only time in a person’s life in which knowledge can be acquired and constructed without any other purpose than to make one a better, more well-rounded human. My attitude toward education does not mean, of course, that I think students should not be future-minded and eager to apply class content to their lives. Quite the opposite, in fact. In every class I teach, I strive to help students see how the knowledge and critical thinking skills they are acquiring in the classroom transcends the university’s walls to inform their lives. Theory, research, and application must all come together to create a more complete education. I believe that as an instructor, it is my responsibility to help students see how learning is not only a means to an end, but an end in itself.

With a specialty in interpersonal communication, I teach primarily those courses related to interpersonal communication. Additionally, I teach core Communication courses, such as Introduction to Human Communication, the Foundations lab, and Senior Seminar. Courses I have taught at Kent State University at Stark include:

• Introduction to Human Communication (COMM 15000) – traditional and honors
• Foundations of Communication (COMM 20000) – lab
• Interpersonal Communication (COMM 20001) – face-to-face and online
• Gender and Communication (COMM 35912)
• Advanced Interpersonal Communication (COMM 40001)
• Seminar: Citizen Media (COMM 45091/JMC 40095)
• Language, Meaning, and Cognition (COMM 45957)
• Nonverbal Communication (COMM 45959)
• Senior Seminar (COMM 46091)
• Relational Communication (COMM 46601)

Assignments in my courses often center on the application of communication theory and research into everyday life and popular media. Selected assignments include:

• Textual Analysis – Gender and Communication
• Discussion Leader Assignment – Interpersonal Communication
• Reality TV Paper – Nonverbal Communication
• Presidential Campaign Analysis – Language, Meaning, and Cognition
• Interpersonal Communication Skills Fair – Advanced Interpersonal Communication
• Service-Learning Project, Intergenerational Communication – Advanced Interpersonal Communication
• Senior Seminar – Contemporary Issues Forum

If you are a student at Kent State Stark and you are interested in digging deeper into a particular area of communication, contact me for more information about how you can earn 3 upper-division communication credits through an individual investigation.

Check out our website for more valuable information about scheduling, such as the planned course rotation.