Communication News and Events
May 2013
Awards and Recognition
Lara Stache’s (Ph.D. student) paper, "Medical Authority over a Woman's Body: The 'Octomom' Controversy as Reproductive Rights Rhetoric," earned first place for the Eliana Berg Award from the UWM Women's Studies program.
2013 Rhetorical Leadership graduates: Rachel Davidson (Ph.D. student), Jonathan Dellinger (M.A. student), Ryan Hudziak (M.A. student), and James Vining (Ph.D. student)
2013 Mediation certificate recipients: Ryan Hudziak, Anne Carroll Napatalung, Meghan Cook-Markle (all M.A. students)
Melvin H. Miller Award for highest GPA: Jennifer Ann Jackl, Anne Carroll Napatalung (both M.A. students)
Melvin H. Miller Master’s Teaching Award: Leah Ann (Hagen) Benson
ICA Teaching Award: Anne Zmyslinski-Seeling (Ph.D. student)
Melvin H. Miller Award for Outstanding Master’s Research: Jennifer Ann Jackl
Melvin H. Miller Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research: Emily Cramer, Anna Herrman
Melvin H. Miller Doctoral Teaching Award: Falon Kartch
Melvin H. Miller Master’s Service Award: Arrington Lee Stoll
Melvin H. Miller Doctoral Service Award: Ruth Beerman
Graduate School Research Fellowship Award: Andrew Cole (Ph.D. student)
Publications and Presentations
Adolphson, J. V. (Ph.D. student) (2013). Creative expression or compulsive exploitation in underground comix: The scapegoating of Mike Diana’s Boiled Angel. Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 4, 1-12.
Olson, K. M. (faculty) (2013). Intransigence and self-justification as a political way of life. In J. C. Rountree (Ed.), Venomous speech: Problems with American political discourse on the right and left, Vol. 1 (41-73). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.
Defended Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations
Alice L. Gattoni (dissertation), “Breaking the Silence: The Role of Online Community in the Transition to Motherhood”
Denis E. Grimes (dissertation), “An analysis of patient-physician discourse: Comparing physician diagnostic scripts to patient social script expectations”
Anna R. Herrman (dissertation), “Encouraging healthy body-image: Are parents sending effective messages to children?”
Jennifer Jackl (thesis), “Parent-Child Communication About Marriage and the Displacement of Marital Myths”
Falon Francis Kartch (dissertation), “Nonresidential Parenting: Parental Roles and Parent/Child Relationships”
Ji Hyun Kim (dissertation), “Feedback and Avatar Similarity in Exercise Video Game: The Role of Presence”
Aimee Lau (dissertation): “Facebook as a Facilitator of Organizational Identification in Colleges and Universities: Exploring Relationships Among Educational Institutions, Student Tenure, and Interaction with Multiple Organizational Targets”
Lara C. Stache (dissertation), “The Rhetorical Construction of Female Empowerment: the Avenging-Woman Narrative in Popular Television and Film”
Arrington L. Stoll (thesis): “Be Honest With Me: An Exploration of Lies in Relationships”
M.A. degrees
Fall 2012
Seokhoon Ahn
Julie Mara Maloney
Meghan Cook-Markle
Spring 2013
Benjamin M. A. Baker
Leah Ann Benson
AnneMarie Fleishman
Ryan Hudziak
Jennifer Ann Jackl
Anne Carroll Napatalung
Arrington Lee Stoll
Doctoral Degrees
Alice L. Gattoni
Denis E Grimes
Anna R. Herrman
Falon Francis Kartch
Ji Hyun Kim
Aimee Lau
Lara C. Stache
Undergraduate Awards
Lambda Pi Eta Inductees
Thomas J. Binz
Calie Endsley Blanke
Maria Alexandra Broeske
Rufus Evans III
Kiersten Gonzales
Scott Jacob
Sara Johnson
Maria Frances Karstedt
Katherine Kohler
Jennifer A. Lalk
Jeremy K. Lucas
Emily Ann Piery
Maria L. Pruefer
Anna Radjenovich
Anna Rohde
Shannon O'Neil Roherty
Leya Diane Ruchti
Sarah Elizabeth Schroeder
Cassandra Van Gompel
Jenna L. Wiederhold
Amy Marie Zignego
Melvin H. Miller Award for highest GPA in Communication major
Laurie Kim Bongers
Randy and Joanne Parlee Scholarship
Rebecca Jozwiak
Courtney McCormick
Commencement Honors
Spring, 2013
Matthew Thomas Barcus
Calie Endsley Blanke
Sara Marie Boeck
Trisha Dobbs
Danae Michelle Fuller
Erika Hanson
Kelli Nicole Jessen
Cassandra June Van Gompel
Amy Marie Zignego
Honors in the Major
Summer & Fall, 2012
Laurie Kim Bongers
Jane P Bryson
Isabella Costa e Silva Gargiulo
Magdalena Makowska
Magna Cum Laude
Summer & Fall, 2012
Jodi L Fellegy
Isabella Costa e Silva Gargiulo
Cum Laude
Summer & Fall, 2012
Kerry Anne Knoernschild
Phi Beta Kappa
Calie Endsley Blanke
Amy Gorski
Of Interest
Ruth Beerman (Ph.D. student) and Phil Rippke (M.A. alumnus) accepted positions as temporary full-time Instructors in Communication Studies at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
Lindsay Harness (Ph.D. student) accepted a Visiting Assistant Professor position at Lewis & Clark College, in Portland, OR.
April 2013
Events
Charles E. Morris III, Professor at Syracuse University, gave a talk entitled, “Sunder the Children: Abraham Lincoln’s Queer Rhetorical Pedagogy,” as part of the doctoral student professional development seminar series (April 19, 2013).
Presentations and Publications
Becker, K. A. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Medical school blogs and the expressive writing paradigm. Presentation at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Becker, K. A. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Medical student blogs and support solicitation strategies: An examination of Indiana school of medicine Tour the Life blogging website. Presentation at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Brucher Moore, J., Aldridge Sandford, A., Cherjovsky, N., Copeland, K., Daggs, J., Johnson, M. (former Ph.D. student), Nesemeier, H., & Priddis, D. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). You don’t have to own a Prius to teach hybrid courses. Panel participant at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Cramer, E. M., Tenzek, K. E. (current and former Ph.D. students), Allen, M. (faculty) (2013). Translating spiritual care in the chaplain profession. Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, 67(1), 1-16.
Cramer, E. M., Tenzek, K. E. (current and former Ph.D. students), & Allen, M. (faculty) (2013, April). Spirituality, social support, and the communicative role of the chaplain in veteran populations. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Three Paper Award Winner.
Cramer, E. M., & Ruiz, A. (Ph.D. students) (2013, April). Topic avoidance in close friendships: An exploratory study. Presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Student Paper.
Cook, K., Lueders, A., Webb, N., Kunkel, A., Molen, S.T., Beck, S., Schreiber, L., Omachinski, K., Smith, K. (Ph.D. students), & Bolen, D. (2013, April). From friendly climates to faux clients: New techniques for teaching small group communication. Panel at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Panel.
Davidson, R. D. (Ph.D. student) (2013). [Review of the book Commodity Activism: Cultural Resistance in Neoliberal Times], The Journal of American Culture, 36 (1), 56-57.
Davidson, R.D. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). The rhetoric of family obligation: Elder care, identity politics, and community provision. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Paper.
Davidson, R. D. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Remembering 9/11 through private acts of citizenship: Autonomy, perseverance, and the intimate sphere in the Children of 9/11. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Student Paper.
Davidson, R. D. (Ph.D. student), Deering, E., Anderson, L. B., Fedesco, H., Sheeler, K. H., Barnett, N. A. (2013, April). ‘Think like a scholar’: Communicating the possible among communication scholars in the basic course. Panel at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Davidson, R. D. (Ph.D. student) & Deering, E. (2013, April). Pass the mic. Panel, Teaching feminist concepts in the classroom part II at the Annual Meeting of the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Dhillon, K. (Ph.D. student) and Larson, A. (2013, April 13). “The sexual orientation of my parents has had zero affect on the content of my character”: Zach Wahls’s r rhetorical use of enactment, hegemonic masculinity, and identification. Presentation at the Gender Matters Conference, DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
Harness, L. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). The myth of the happy gay: A critical analysis of performances of narrated authority in the It Gets Better campaign. Presentation at the UWM LGBT+ Graduate School Research Symposium, Milwaukee, WI.
Omachinski, K. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Cultural adjustment barriers: How social support can reduce stress for international students in the United States. Presentation at the Central States Communication Association Conference, Kansas City, MO.
Omachinski, K., & Smith, K. K. (Ph.D. students) (2013, April). Cross cultural sensitivity training to prevent and resolve conflict in the workplace. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Panel.
Omori, K. (Ph.D. student) & Allen, M. (faculty) (2013, April). Why do persons share socially negative images on Facebook? Popularity and problematic self-disclosure on Facebook. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Priddis, D. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Helping but supporting alcoholism: Persuading family members for resources. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Priddis, D. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Adding personality to the college online classroom: A comparative study between students and educators regarding the issue of emoticons. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Student Paper.
Song, H. (faculty), Cramer, E.M. (Ph.D. student), McRoy, S., & May, A. (former Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Information needs, seeking behaviors, and support among low-income expectant women. Presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Paper.
Stache, L. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). The wedding dress as visual ideograph. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Stache, L. (Ph.D. student) (2013, April). Internet education as a panoptic rhetoric: An analysis of the think before you post campaign. Paper presented at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Weismann, K., Herakova, L., Omachinski, K. (Ph.D. student), & Nesemeier, H. (2013, April). Diverse (im)possibilities, teaching ideas, and activities for seemingly homogenous groups of students: Applying intercultural communication concepts in any classroom. Panel at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO.
Werner, J. B. (Ph.D. student). (2013, April). “The supremacy of human rights everywhere”: Ralph Ellison’s counterpublic witnessing during World War Two. Presentation at the Central States Communication Association Convention, Kansas City, MO. Top Student Paper.
Of Interest
Kathryn Olson (faculty) was quoted in Lois Romano and Katie Glueck, “The Gay-Marriage Backer’s Playbook,” Politico, April 4, 2013, http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/gay-marriage-congress-89605.html
On April 20, 2013, the department hosted the Public Speaking Showcase, organized by Bill Keith (faculty), Kiran Dhillon (Ph.D. student), and Ben Baker (M.A. student). This highlighted work by 28 undergraduate students from an introductory public speaking course. Each student presented a 3-5 minute speech on the topic of a public hero. Finalists included: Janelle Sazwedel (first place, $100 gift certificate); Molly Cohen (second place, $75 gift certificate); Brenda Barrales (third place, $50 gift certificate); Campbell White (fourth place); and John Springstube (fifth place). The final round was judged by: Dr. Johannes Britz, Provost and Professor at UWM; Dr. Michael Laliberte, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UWM; and MacCanon Brown, Executive Director of Repairers of the Breach, a non-profit advocacy organization for the homeless. This event was made possible by support from 19 graduate student volunteers, Kristine L Rosalez, Christian E Vettrus, and the UWM Foundation and the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
March 2013
Upcoming Events
Professor Charles E. Morris III, Syracuse University, will give the annual Rhetorical Leadership lecture on Friday, April 19 from 2:00 - 3:30 in Merrill 131. His title is "Sunder the Children: Abraham Lincoln’s Queer Rhetorical Pedagogy." The student chapter of the Rhetoric Society of America will also sponsor a reading group with Dr. Morris on Friday morning for all who are interested; contact Tom Salek for the readings.
Awards
Andrew Cole (Ph.D. student) is one of the recipients of the 2013-2014 Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship Award.
Publications and presentations
Becker, K.A. (Ph.D. student), & Freburg, K. (2013, March). Presence of shared experiences, virtual stories, and relationship management: An exploratory study among medical student blogs on “Tour the Life.” Poster session at 2nd biennial DC-area Health Communication Conference (DCHC), Fairfax, VA.
Joosten, T., Pasquini, L. &, Harness, L. (Ph.D. student) (2013). Social media considerations for institutions. Society for College and University Planning, 41(2). Available at: http://mojo.scup.org/page/readings.
Omachinski, K. (Ph.D. student), & Gosz, S. (2013, March). Fulbright program. Colloquium talk as part of the Department of Communication’s professional development series, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI.
Omachinski, K. (Ph.D. student) (2013, February). Discovering your path to working in international education. Presentation at the Student Personnel and Young Professionals Learning Network Conference, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.
Tenzek, K., Herrman, A., May, A. (all Ph.D. program alumni), Feiner, B. (undergraduate alumni), & Allen, M. (faculty) (2013). Examining the impact of parental disclosure of HIV on children: A meta-analyis. Western Journal of Communication, 77, 324-340.
Of Interest
Falon Kartch (Ph.D. student) has accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position at Fresno State University, to begin fall 2013.
February 2013
Events
John Jordan(faculty), gave a professional development talk on how to write an argumentative essay on February 22.
Christian Lundberg, Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill, gave a research talk on February 8.
Publications and Presentations
Allen, M. (faculty), Omori, K. (Ph.D. student), Burrell, N., Mabry, E., & Timmerman, E. (all faculty) (2013). Satisfaction with distance education. In M. G. Moore (Ed.), Handbook of distance education, 3rd ed. (pp. 143-154). New York: Routledge.
Kim, S., Lim, T., Song, H., (all faculty) Hawkins, J. M., Herrman, A. R., (Ph.D. students) Kim, H., Ota, H., Kim, J., England, N., Tenzek, K., Cramer, E., Omori, K., Grimes, D., & Dilbeck, K. (current and recently graduated Ph.D. students) (2013, February). Promotive versus preventive dietary practice and self-construal: Communicating healthful food choice. Paper presented at the Western Communication Association Conference, Reno, NV. Top Paper in the Health Communication Interest Group.
Rippke, P. (graduated M.A. student), & Beerman, R. (Ph.D. student) (2013). Image comics. In R. Duncan & M. J. Smith (Eds.), Icons of the American comic book: From Captain America to Wonder Woman. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Greenwood.
Song, H., (faculty) Hawkins, J. M., Kim, J., Omori, K., Tenzek, K., (current and recently graduated Ph.D. students) Kim, S. & Lim, T. (both faculty) (2013, February). Health information seeking online: An experimental study focusing on Internet skills. Paper presented at the Western Communication Association Conference, Reno, NV.
Items of Interest
Kiersten Gonzales, a senior in Communication, was recently recognized at halftime during the Panthers basketball game. Kiersten is the new Miss Milwaukee and a prolific volunteer in the community.
Mridula Mascarenhas (Ph.D. student) accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position at Hanover College to begin Fall 2013.
January 2013
Publications and Presentations
Cramer, E. M. (Ph.D. student), & Mabry, E. A. (faculty) (2013, January 10). How parents and college students communicate [Radio interview with T. Luljak]. UWM Today, Milwaukee, WI: WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio 89.7. Available at: www.wuwm.com/programs/uwm_today/uwm_today.php?articleid=380
Kim, S., Allen, M. (both faculty), Gattoni, A., Grimes, D., Herrman, A. M., Huang, H., Kim, J., Lu, S., Maier, M., May, A., Omachinski, K., Omori, K., Tenzek, K., Turkiwiecz, K. L., & Zhang, Y. (current and graduated Ph.D. students) (2012). Testing an additive model for the effectiveness of evidence on the persuasiveness of a message. Social Influence, 7, 65-77. doi.org/10/1080/15534510.2012.658285
Dissertation proposal defended
Mridula Mascarhenas (Ph.D. student), Feminist troublemakers or fearless prophets?: A study of the rhetorical engagement between hierarchy and women religious in the contemporary Catholic Church.
Items of interest
Evelyn Ang (faculty) has been invited to join the planning committee at UWM's Center for Urban Initiatives and Research (CUIR), for a conference they are hosting on May 29, 2013. The working title for the 2013 Urban Initiatives Conference is "Restorative Practices: Getting Beyond Repairing Harm to Building Community".
Lindsey Harness (Ph.D. student) served on the Digital Futures Grant Proposal committee. The committee's responsibility was to evaluate grant proposals and suggest to the Provost which projects best fit with the university's digital futures initiative.