Bio
Courses I teach
- COMST 1010: Introduction to Communication Studies
- COMST 2140: Professional Communication
- COMST 3110: Relational Communication
- COMST 4040: Research Seminar
- COMST 4110/5110: Family Communication Dynamics
About my teaching
My approach to teaching combines knowledge acquisition, skills building/application, and socialization. In all of the courses I teach, I focus on theories and research trends that are foundational to the Communication Studies discipline in general and/or the particular context of the course (e.g., workplaces, personal relationships, families). Additionally, I emphasize the skills necessary to be competent communicators and give students opportunities to practice these skills in their everyday interactions and relationships. Finally, I promote pro-social attitudes, values, and behaviors (e.g., empathy, acceptance, helpfulness) and encourage students to draw upon these principles when faced with difference in our social world.
Research areas
Intergroup communication, family communication, and gender communication.
Current research
My line of research applies an intergroup perspective to family communication. My master’s thesis quantitatively and qualitatively investigated the transmission of gender ideologies and memorable messages across three generations of father-son relationships. My doctoral dissertation experimentally tested the effects of stereotypes and social categorization on stay-at-home and working mothers’ communication. Additionally, I am interested in the effects of parents’ communication patterns and styles (e.g., conformity/conversation orientations, helicopter parenting) on children’s identity development and outgroup attitudes.
Outside of the university…
When I’m not teaching or conducting research, I’m spending time with my family. My husband and I have a son (16 years old) and daughter (12 years old) who keep us busy and laughing! We enjoy playing/watching sports, watching shows, and taking care of our many pets.