TEACHING
It is a supreme privilege to learn with and be challenged by ETSU students in the classrooms we share. I work with graduate students in the Communication & Storytelling Studies M.A. program, emphasizing writing as a method of inquiry. I mentor their research, help them to find their scholarly voice, and promote creative thought and artistic practice in their work. I also work with undergraduate majors and minors in Communication Studies, emphasizing mindful communication practices and how to use them to foster personal and community change. I offer expertise in communication particularly as it relates to interpersonal relationships, family, gender, well-being, and human equity.
MY CURRENT
COURSES
Food & Communication, COMM 4957/5957
Intensive, online summer course exploring how people communicate about food & through food. We look at how food, foodways, and food labor are interconnected with personal identity ...
Family Communication, COMM 4210
We examine the family (broadly construed) as a communication system. Students explore the multiple functions of interaction in families to illuminate ...
Speaking for Social Change, COMM 3346
Advanced-level training in various forms of public address channelled into civic engagement efforts. Our work challenges ...
Qualitative Research Methods, COMM 5200
Students explore of a variety of qualitative research methods in communication, practice them in a semester-long research project, and become versed in discussing critical issues in conducting research ...
Communication Theory, COMM 5330
Students practice the application of various theories that inform the communication and performance disciplines through analyses of texts, cultural practices, experiences, and stories or narratives ...
MY MASTER'S
STUDENTS' THESES
2019 Alana Claxton
Cooking Lessons: Oral Recipe Sharing in the Southern Kitchen ...
2019 Kallie Gay
Becoming a Master Manager: An Analysis of SNAP Recipient Stories of Navigating Government Assistance ...
2018 Tessa McCoy-Hall
Up on the Mountain, Down in the Valley: An Examination of the Impacts of Maternal Incarceration ...
2017 Melissa Nipper
Divergent Discourse: A Case Study Analyzing the Effects of Campus Communication About Sexual Assault ...
2016 M. Brandon "Mick" Brewer
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Understanding Culturally-Produced Limitations On Gay Male Community Formation in South Central Appalachia ...
2016 Taylor Manning
Obstacles, Transitions, & Perspectives: An In-Depth Look at the Spectacle of Deviant Bodies ...
2013 Melissa Sneed
Blogging in the Fatosphere: A Qualitative Study of Perceptions of Personal Risks and Benefits for Women who Blog about Weight, Weight Loss, and Dieting Issues ...
2006 John Ike Sewell, Jr.
"Don't Believe the Hype": The Construction and Export of African American Images in Hip-Hop Culture ...