Publication Celebration

The new year began in a big way for me.

A year and a half ago, on my environmental blog, I blogged about submitting a paper for publication. Following a long process of peer review, I received news on January 4 that the paper has been accepted for publication in the journal, Environmental Communication.

This was huge news. First, the paper will become my first publication. That fact, combined with the hard work that went into it, gave the acceptance letter special meaning. Second, as I blogged about in announcing the submission, the paper makes a contribution to communication theory by providing a way of discovering important discourses about the environment in media.

I am very proud and excited to be published, and I am glad to have the opportunity to help advance our understanding of the environment.

Happy new year, everyone!

SPCM 755: Special Topics in Organizational Communication (Leadership)

Teaching SPCM 755: Special Topics in Organizational Communication, which focuses on leadership, combines two of my favorite things: practical application of communication theory and a discussion of language's power.

This class explores a communication technique called framing to help students develop, enact, and support their approaches to leadership. By combining practical application with a powerful communication theory, the course gives students valuable tools and insight, regardless of whether they seek a professional or academic career path.

As the course progresses, we will look at how language and discourse influence and are influenced by culture, the communication-related expectations for leaders, different communication styles, the value of effective frames, and the consequences of using framing to construct reality. We'll study positive and productive approaches to framing by organizations like Patagonia, Nordstrom, the Air Force, and the St. Louis Cardinals. In addition, we'll examine the strategies used by influential leaders like Sheryl Sandberg, Steve Jobs, and Richard Branson.

I like to place special emphasis on leadership approaches that foster innovation and promote the long-term well-being of organizations.

Along with looking at framing success stories, the class will examine the ramifications of ineffective or destructive uses of framing. In particular, we will watch the fall of Enron in the documentary film, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.

It's a great class for graduate students who see themselves occupying leadership positions in the future. Additionally, students interested in developing their understanding of organizational communication or the social impacts of language will find the course valuable.

The class will meet Wednesday, 6-8:45 p.m., during spring 2016. Come and learn the language of leadership.

SPCM 418/518: Environmental Communication

Although I've had the opportunity to teach many great classes, SPCM 418/518: Environmental Communication has a special place in my heart.

I grew up with a love of animals and access to a lot of outdoor activities, so my interest in the environment has deep roots, and I decided to get my Ph.D. expressly to study environmental communication. Being able to teach the subject and share my love of nature is like a dream come true.

As a general field, environmental communication explores how people represent the environment through communication and how those representations impact our ability to respond to environmental signals. With so many major environmental issues facing us today, environmental communication is particularly important.

I teach the class from a critical-rhetoric perspective, focusing on the relationship between humans and nature. Special emphasis will be placed on using communication to expand understanding of the environment and challenge abuses of power that marginalize nature and threaten environmental and human health.

We'll explore the different ideologies that influence how we see and respond to the environment, and we'll look at a variety of environmental topics, including media representations of the environment, science communication, and environmental campaigns. Some of the many environmental issues we'll address include global warming, fracking, using animals for entertainment, pesticides, and greenwashing.

We'll watch several interesting, award-winning films. These include A Fierce Green Fire, Gasland, Blackfish, and Queen of the Sun.

The class will meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11-11:50 a.m., in fall 2017. It is open to both undergraduates and graduate students. Join us in discussing this important and fascinating topic.

SPCM 407/507: Critical Studies in Popular Culture and Communication

Some of the classes I teach are so special and fun that I feel a little guilty getting paid for them. SPCM 407/507: Critical Studies in Popular Culture and Communication is one of those classes.


Anytime you get to talk about movies, TV, books, music, and sports for a living, it's a pretty good thing.
I'll be teaching this course in fall 2017, and we'll look at a wide variety of topics, including vampires, Batman Returns, The Big Bang Theory, rap, Harry Potter, and sports. And that's just a sample!

Besides being a lot of fun, the class is also an important one because of the critical-rhetorical lens it applies to the exploration of pop culture. The course introduces key theoretical, methodological, practical, and political strands to explain and respond to pop culture through rhetoric. The point of looking at pop culture in this way is to expand perspectives and challenge abuses of power in common messages.

The class will meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 2-2:50 p.m., during the semester. It's open to both undergraduates and graduate students. Come check it out.