I currently teach at Eureka College, a small liberal arts college located in Eureka, IL. I am an Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies. I began teaching at Eureka College in 2021.

At Eureka, I serve as one of three faculty in the Communication and Media Studies program, direct the college’s Leadership certificate, and teach regularly within the college’s general education curriculum (including all-college first-year and senior seminars). I also serve as a faculty advisor for students in both Communication and Media Studies and multiple other programs (for more on my advising philosophy, please click here).

Prior to joining Eureka College’s Humanities Division, I taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Rhetoric at Wabash College, located in Crawfordsville, IN. I served in this position for four years, from 2017-2021. At Wabash, I taught a number of courses in rhetoric, media, and gender studies, including newly developed courses, such as Digital Rhetoric, Global Rhetorics, and Media and the Body. I also taught core courses, including Classical Rhetoric, Persuasion, Public Speaking, and Senior Seminar.

From 2011-2017, I taught at Penn State University while pursuing my M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. This included appointments in both the Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) and Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies (CAMS) departments.

In addition to my work in the classroom, I also am committed to scholarship on teaching and learning (SoTL). This includes my essays on ekphrasis in the public speaking classroom and on Pinterest as a tool for teaching invention (co-authored with Michele Kennerly). I am also working on projects that explore the utility of video games for teaching problem solving and that consider the ways that ChatGPT can be used to teach argumentation and reasoning to students (with a particular focus on enthymemes).

For more information on my teaching, including my teaching philosophy, courses, and curricular work in Communication and Media Studies, Leadership, and Student Success, please click the respective links.

At Eureka College, I have developed and taught 14 different courses in Communication and Media Studies, including offerings at the 100-, 200-, 300-, and 400-levels.

I regularly teach introductory courses, which are designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of communication. Students leave these courses with new and refined skills in public, interpersonal, and digital communication; with greater dexterity navigating the complexities of modern communication; and with training in the critical analysis of rhetorical artifacts. My courses at the 100-level include:

COM 104: Modern Communication
COM 108: Media and Culture.

The Communication and Media Studies curriculum at Eureka College offers students a number of 200-level elective courses. Students can choose from a number of courses that more robustly explore particular media or communication contexts. These courses include a mixture of lecture and discussion. Each, however, is also applied in nature; students develop and give presentations, analyze complex case studies and rhetorical artifacts, and engage with media directly. My courses at the 200-level include:

COM 211: Sports, Media, and Culture
COM 213: Social Media and Internet Culture
COM 215: Relational Communication
COM 217: Video Games and Contemporary Problems
COM 218: Organizational Communication
COM 219: Media, Gender, and Sexuality
COM 295: Communication and Media Studies Internship.

Students pursuing either the Communication and Media Studies major or minor complete upper-division coursework in the field. These courses, which are seminar-style in nature, are writing intensive and advanced studies of the theory and practice of communication. Students pursue advanced study in the field by critically applying disciplinary methods to chosen artifacts and/or by producing original media content. Additionally, students refine their abilities in argumentation and reasoning through writing, presentations, and in-class discussions. My courses at the 300-level include:

COM 304W: Communication and Media Theory
COM 308W: Communication and Media Ethics.

Students pursuing the Communication and Media Studies major conclude their program of study by completing a senior-level capstone seminar. This course functions as a culminating experience in the major and includes the composition of an original research project, either through the writing of an original argumentative essay or the production of an original piece of media. Students also receive individual and tailored professional development as they prepare to graduate from the college. My course at the 400-level is:

COM 401W: Seminar in Communication and Media Studies.

Prior to the overhaul of the Communication and Media Studies curriculum in AY 22/23, I also taught the following courses:

COM 330: Intercultural Communication
COM 451: Leadership is Communication.

For more information on these courses, please click here.

At Eureka College, I have developed and taught five different courses in Leadership, including two offerings at the 200-level, as well as one offering at the 100-, 300-, and 400-levels.

Each fall semester I teach LDR 115: Introduction to Leadership. This survey course introduces students to the theory and practice of leadership. It does so by utilizing rhetorical theory to assist students in the development and refinement of their skills in leadership and through the critical analysis of other leaders’ rhetoric. Particular attention is paid to students’ and others’ leadership styles, their capacities for articulating vision as leaders, their abilities to navigate conflict and to negotiate power, and their development as ethical leaders who can critically reflect on their biases. Students compose leadership portfolios, deliver presentations, and complete in-class case studies.

Each even-numbered spring semester I teach LDR 215: Digital Leadership. This course includes a balance of lecture and discussion. Course content attunes to the interconnected nature of digital media and leadership within contemporary society. Students utilize leadership and rhetorical theory to analyze the digital rhetoric of prominent leaders in both “tech industries” and in other contexts. Likewise, students engage in critical discussion about the issues and opportunities raised by today’s digital media and technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, social media, email, texting, and video conferencing. Students deliver presentations and engage in structured debates about the issues facing digital leaders.

Each odd-numbered spring semester I teach LDR 315: Diversity and Leadership. This is a seminar-style, intensive study of the intersections between leadership, identity, culture, bias, and power. Students engage in critical discussion about the importance of diversity and inclusion for leadership; attention is also given to the challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that have occurred over recent years. Students apply course content to the lived realities of their experiences on campus through the development and facilitation of a community deliberation at the end of the semester. This provides students with a tangible opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills by guiding the campus community in conversations regarding issues facing Eureka College.

Each spring semester I teach LDR 415: Leadership Capstone. This is a capstone course designed to provide students with an opportunity to synthesize their knowledge from previous leadership courses and to prepare for graduation through tailored professional development. Students engage in seminar-style discussions about issues facing contemporary leaders, craft reflective essays identifying their areas of growth as leaders, and complete mock job or graduate school interviews as they prepare to leave the college.

In addition to the core courses above, I also regularly offer LDR 295: Leadership Internship to interested students. This co-curricular course provides students with an opportunity to critically reflect on their on-site internship experience. Reflection occurs through monthly meetings. Discussion focuses on students’ professional development, connections between coursework and the internship experience, goal completion, and outstanding questions raised by the internship.

For more information on these courses please click here.

Both the Communication and Media Studies and Leadership curriculum at Eureka College offer opportunities for students to pursue internships on- and off-campus. Such experiences are incredibly valuable as opportunities for the refinement of students’ communication and leadership skills, for professional development, and for networking as students prepare for graduation.

I have advised a number of students’ internships during my tenure at Eureka College:

COM 295: Communication and Media Studies Internship
Fall 2025 (1 student)
Spring 2025 (1 student)
Fall 2024 (1 student)

COM 495: Communication and Media Studies Internship
Fall 2024 (3 students)

ENG 295: English Internship
Fall 2025 (1 student)
Spring 2025 (1 student)

LDR 295: Leadership Internship
Fall 2025 (2 students).

When advising internships, I meet between 4-6 times a semester with students. This provides an opportunity for students to share what they are currently working on. And, importantly, it provides students a space to reflect on the ways that their coursework is informing their on-site work. Students also complete a final presentation documenting their work in the internship.

As outlined in my teaching philosophy, I am a firm believer in the importance of a liberal arts education. I want each student that attends Eureka College to learn content not just in their primary area(s) of study but, also, to develop the critical thinking skills, the communication tools, and the ethical perspective necessary to positively contribute to their communities.

Accordingly, I have purposefully developed courses that support Eureka College’s general education curriculum. Students graduating from Eureka College must demonstrate competency in ten areas, in addition to writing and mathematics:

Aesthetic Sensibility
Analytical Inquiry and Problem Solving
Communication
Ethical Reasoning
Health, Fitness, and Well-being
Intercultural Understanding
Justice and Civic Responsibility
Scientific Literacy
Spiritual Engagement and the Examined Life
Sustainable Practices and Environmental Conscience.

My courses in Communication and Media Studies, in Leadership, as well as my offerings within the college’s first-year and senior seminar programs, contribute to six of these areas.

Analytical Inquiry and Problem Solving
COM 217: Video Games and Contemporary Problems
COM 219: Media, Gender, and Sexuality

Communication
COM 104: Modern Communication
LDR 215: Digital Leadership

Ethical Reasoning
ECC 490W: The Ethics of Time and Attention

Health, Fitness, and Well-being
COM 215: Relational Communication

Intercultural Understanding
COM 108: Media and Culture
LDR 115: Introduction to Leadership

Justice and Civic Responsibility
ECC 101: Aliens and Popular Culture
ECC 101: Nordic Cultures
ECC 199: Health Communication.

For more information on these courses, please click here.