Guest Speakers

Spring 2008 Guest Speakers

JANUARY

January 25 -

Professor Joshua Gunn, Department of Communication Studies, The University of Texas at Austin
"For the Love of Communication, with Continual Reference to Kenny and Dolly", Location: COOR L1-88, 2:00-3:30 pm

Drawing on the insights of psychoanalysis, in this presentation/performance Professor Gunn discusses transcendent love as an assumed basis and ideal for communication. Once we reckon with the idea of communication as love, Gunn argues, we will have to confront Communication Studies as fundamentally an ideology of kitsch.

Dr. Joshua G. Gunn (Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 2002) conducts research at the intersection of rhetorical and cultural studies, currently in pursuit of two, interrelated projects: (1) the integration of psychoanalysis and rhetorical/textual theory; and (2) a demonstration of the relevance and ubiquity of theological forms in public culture and daily life. His latest published research has focused on the role of theological form, from the apocalyptic, occult, and paranormal to the mundane religiosity of the "theory wars" in the humanities. These works include a book, Modern Occult Rhetoric: Mass Media and the Drama of Secrecy in the Twentieth Century (2005), and numerous articles in journals such as The Journal of Communication and Religion, Popular Music and Society, the Quarterly Journal of Speech, Telos, Text and Performance Quarterly, Rhetoric Society Quarterly, and Visual Communication.

Please note that this presentation/performance will include images of nudity, foul language, and adult themes. If it were a movie, it might be rated R.

For more information, contact Dr. Dan Brouwer in the School of Human Communication at the Arizona State University Tempe campus (daniel.brouwer@asu.edu ).

Fall 2007 Guest Speakers

OCTOBER

October 19 -

Robert Krizek, Ph.D., University of St. Louis, and Nick Trujillo, Ph.D, University of California at Sacramento, “Studying and Writing About Cultures and Communities.” Location: Stauffer A440, 10:00 - 11:30 am, Open to the Public.

Robert Krizek (Ph.D., Arizona State University) teaches and conducts research in the areas of organizational communication, culture and communication, and ethnographic methodologies. In addition to research into socialization and storytelling in organizational contexts, he examines the personal and cultural significance of non-routine public events through the examination of the personal narratives of those in attendance. He often presents his research at national and regional conferences, and his work has appeared in five recent anthologies as well as in the Quarterly Journal of Speech, Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Adolescence, and other journals. He recently completed a three-year term as an Associate Editor of the Western Journal of Communication.

Nick Trujillo (Ph.D., University of Utah) teaches and conducts research in the areas of organizational communication, media and sports, and narrative ethnography. A recognized pioneer in the study of the performance of organizational cultures from a critical perspective, he is the author of several notable books, including Organizations in Prime Time (with Leah Vande Berg), The Meaning of Nolan Ryan, and In Search of Naunny’s Grave: Age, Class, and Ethnicity in an American Family. His forthcoming book is a book about cancer and death written from the perspective of a cancer victim and her husband. Co-authored with his late wife and fellow communication scholar, Leah Vande Berg, Uv Ou: Loving Through Cancer, Living Through Grief, is expected to be published in Spring 2008. The words “Uv Ou” are the last words that Vande Berg used in response to Trujillo saying he loved her. Leah Vande Berg died of ovarian cancer in 2004.

Trujillo and Krizek have long collaborated as co-authors on studies of American baseball and ballpark culture. They have been featured speakers at The Baseball Hall of Fame.

October 25 -

Dr. Brian Spitzberg, San Diego State University, “Stalking: Patterns of pursuit and protection.” Dr. Spitzberg will examinethe state-of-the-art knowledge of the demographics, causes, tactics, processes, effects, and ways of managing stalking, in particular, the type of stalking that emerges from a prior intimate relationship. Location: PSY 102, 3:00-4:30 pm, Open to the Public.

Dr. Spitzberg is a Professor in the Department of Communication at San Diego State University. He has published numerous articles and chapters related to topics such as stalking, obsessive relational intrusion, infidelity, jealousy, conflict, and interpersonal violence. His books, The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication and The Dark Side of Close Relationships (co-edited with Bill Cupach), have won critical acclaim and pioneered a new area of study within the interpersonal communication area. Dr. Spitzberg is also well known for his work in the area of communication competence.

NOVEMBER

November 1 -

Dr. Judee Burgoon, University of Arizona, “Unmasking Deception: Detecting credible and deceptive communication from verbal and nonverbal clues.” Dr. Burgoon will focus on her work on interpersonal deception theory, as well as her research with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security on deception detection. Location: Psychology 102, 3:00 - 4:30 pm, Open to the Public.

Dr. Burgoon is a Professor of Communication, Family Studies, and Human Development at the University of Arizona, where she is also the Director of Human Communication Research for the Center for the Management of Information in the Eller College of Management. She has been recognized as the most published woman scholar in communication, with numerous publications in areas such as deception, nonverbal communication, expectancy violations, and relational messages. She has received several grants to study deception from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

November 2 -

Dr. Jody Koenig Kellas, University of Nebraska, “Storying our Relationships: The impact of narrative on meaning, identity, and well-being.” Narrative theorizing suggests that stories are among the primary ways we make sense of our identities, relationships, and the events in our lives. Because of this, the research also suggests significant links between narrative and well-being. The current presentation will focus on the somewhat understudied communicative manifestation of narrative - storytelling - and how the content and processes of telling stories in and about personal relationships has implications for individual and relational health. Location: Stauffer 431, 12:00 - 1:00 pm

Jody Koenig Kellas is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She specializes in relational communication, family communication, and narratives of personal relationships. Her research focuses on the communicative ways in which people make sense of their relationships, including negotiating post-dissolutional communication, facework, attributions in marital relationships, as well as the interaction processes, identity negotiation, and relational qualities associated with individual and collaborative storytelling in families. She has published her research in Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, The Journal of Family Communication, as well as several book chapters. Her research has been awarded several Top Four Paper awards at national and regional conferences and she received the Central States Communication Association’s Outstanding New Teacher Award in 2007. She served as the Chair for the Interpersonal Communication Interest Group of the Western States Communication Association (2006-2007) and is currently the Vice-Chair of the Family Communication Division of the National Communication Association.

November 9 -

Brooke Goldstein, Esquire, The Hudson Institute, Documentary Film: “The Making of a Martyr”, 10:00 - 11:30 am, and panel discussion, 1:30 - 3:00 pm. Location: Both events held in Social Sciences 105, Open to the Public.

Brooke Goldstein (J.D., Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law) is a lawyer and independent filmmaker who traveled to Palestine and Israel to investigate the state-sponsored training and use of children as suicide bombers. The resulting film won the Audience Choice Award for Best Film at the United Nations Documentary Film Festival in 2006.

Goldstein's event is co-sponsored by the following ASU schools and departments:

The Hugh Downs School

Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law

Department of Film & Media Studies

School of Theatre and Film

Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict

School of Social and Family Dynamics

School of Justice and Social Inquiry