In Fall 2023, the Hope College Communication Department is celebrating three newly appointed tenure track assistant professors and an assistant professor of communication instruction!
Join us for an interview with our newly appointed Assistant Professor of Communication Instruction, Professor Jennifer Sorek.
Professor Sorek joins Hope College with extensive experience in communicating Public Health from the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. Hope College is lucky to have her in the Communication Department where she teaches introductory courses in communication and Comm 140: Public Presentations.
What do you want your teaching and research to accomplish in the world?
I would like my teaching to impact the world by uniting with the learner beyond the classroom experience. I want learners to be challenged with experiences they may face in the corporate world. Simply put, “learning is teaching, and teaching is learning.” The goal is to create an environment for students that challenges them through experiences; where they can try different techniques, explore boundaries, and test out speaking environments. In the area of research, I also hope to continue exploring the area of crisis communication and emergency management, with a focus on the field of public health and healthcare. I would like my research to offer strategies on how to improve communication through the emergency cycles (preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation).
What ideas/theories are currently the most exciting to you?
I love teaching the theories of persuasion, like Social Judgment Theory and Monroe’s Motivated Sequence. These theories stimulate our thought process by challenging us to critically think and consider our audience from differing perspectives. I enjoy working with students to help them see that persuasion is a process that may occur over time and in stages (incremental persuasion).
Hope College is famous for its “Pull” tradition in which a team of Firstyear students compete with a team of Sophomore students in an enormous, strategic “tug of rope” competition. The teams have “pullers” and “moralers.” The pullers lie down in separate pits and pull on the rope, the moralers coordinate with one another and–sitting beside their puller– tell the puller when to pull extra hard! Would you rather be a puller or a moraler?
Honestly, with my competitive spirit, either would make me happy. Recognizing the team approach I would probably do best in the role of a moraler. My human nature is that of one to assist others; ensuring they have what is needed to succeed. Observing for obstacles, encouraging them through struggles, and boosting them up or even pushing them if needed.
In Fall 2023, the Hope College Communication Department is celebrating three newly appointed tenure track assistant professors and an assistant professor of communication instruction!
Join us for an interview with our newly appointed Assistant Professor of Communication, Dr. Austin Beattie.
Dr. Beattie studies media technology, and Hope is lucky to have him teaching a variety of media courses, Comm 280 Quantitative Methods, and Comm 151 Media & Society.
What do you want your research to accomplish in the world?
I am interested in how people communicate in technologically mediated contexts, both when engaging with other humans as well as machine agents (e.g., chatbots, social robots). Although my projects have answered smaller questions relating to text messaging, social media, and supportive communication contexts, I hope my research can contribute to bigger questions surrounding how we create meaning for the common good in digital spaces and how we make sense of the complex role of artificial intelligence and other digital interlocutors in our world.
What ideas/theories are currently the most exciting to you?
I think the way people adapt and apply social scripts when interacting with technology is fascinating. Some early theorizing argued that in order to make sense of interactions with machines, that people mindlessly apply human social scripts to them. One earlier study that I love directed participants to complete a task with a computer and then evaluate its performance after the task was complete. Participants who were surveyed on the same computer used for the task were significantly less critical of its performance than participants who responded on a different computer (as well as a control group responding on paper; Nass et al., 1999). In other words, people were more “polite” about their feedback when responding to their task computer, which I just think is such a cool finding. Scholars have advanced and extended this perspective to the technologies we know now (e.g., Siri, Alexa, and numerous others) to argue that we don’t mindlessly apply social scripts to computers entirely (because we, of course, know they are not human), nor do we treat them as lifeless mechanical tools either. Instead we are forming new “media scripts” for machine agents altogether (see Gambino, Fox, & Ratan, 2020). The nature of these scripts I think will be interesting to continue researching in the coming years, and can also help shed light on what makes “human-human” communication special.
Hope College is famous for its “Pull” tradition in which a team of Firstyear students compete with a team of Sophomore students in an enormous, strategic “tug of rope” competition. The teams have “pullers” and “moralers.” The pullers lie down in separate pits and pull on the rope, the moralers coordinate with one another and–sitting beside their puller– tell the puller when to pull extra hard! Would you rather be a puller or a moraler?
In Fall 2023, the Hope College Communication Department is celebrating three newly appointed tenure track assistant professors and an assistant professor of communication instruction!
Join us for an interview with our newly appointed Assistant Professor of Communication, Dr. Paul Hangsan Ahn.
Dr. Paul Hangsan Ahn
Dr. Ahn studies organizational communication and public relations. Hope is thrilled to have him teaching courses such as Comm 330 Organizational Communication and Comm 358 Advance Public Relations, Comm 280 Quantitative Methods, and our introductory courses!
What do you want your research to accomplish in the world?
One of my long-term goals is to contribute to science communication and PR on topics such as health and climate change, among others. For example, I would like science communication to strike a great balance between data-driven insights and reasoned intuitive judgments, often mentally simulated, especially during unpredictable situations like health crises.
Another broader goal is to enhance relationships within organizations, schools, and families through communication insights. For instance, framing relational challenges as temporary or situational—instead of structural or dispositional factors that may not be readily improved—has the potential to fortify individuals’ sense of belonging. A greater sense of belonging can diminish the cognitive burden from anxiety and ancillary concerns, leading to heightened cognitive ease, capability, personal agency, and potentially performance. Another example involves facilitating effective member idea sharing during collective problem-solving processes. This can be made easier by first identifying any deep-seated cultural norms of communication shared in organizations. Ultimately, this can mutually benefit both individuals and organizations in terms of learning and growth.
What ideas/theories are currently the most exciting to you?
Currently, I’m working on developing the IDEA (Ideas Desire Early Acknowledgment) theory, which is based on my recent publication (Ahn et al., 2023). This theory integrates individual cognition, group interactions, and organizational rules (norms) related to employee idea sharing. Additionally, the recently-developed STOPS (Situational Theory Of Problem Solving), which integrates PR with collective problem-solving, is something I would like to actively explore.
Would you rather be a puller or a moraler?*
Hope College is famous for its “Pull” tradition in which a team of Firstyear students compete with a team of Sophomore students in an enormous, strategic “tug of rope” competition. The teams have “pullers” and “moralers.” The pullers lie down in separate pits and pull on the rope, the moralers coordinate with one another and–sitting beside their puller– tell the puller when to pull extra hard!
In Fall 2023, the Hope College Communication Department is celebrating three newly appointed tenure track assistant professors and an assistant professor of communication instruction!
Join us for an interview with our newly appointed Assistant Professor of Communication, Dr. Patrick Gentile.
Dr. Patrick Gentile studies intercultural communication and sports communication, and Hope is lucky to have him teaching Comm 371 Intercultural Comm and developing a new course, Comm 295 in Sports Communication! His other courses include Comm 270 Qualitative Methods and introductory courses in the Communication Major.
What do you want your research to accomplish in the world?
I want my research to go in-depth with how intercultural communication and language barriers impact professional sport team performance. Many sports in the US are composed of international and domestic athletes, so looking at this unique team dynamic is what I am most passionate about. There are statistics to measure performance, but there is a human element that cannot be quantified. I want my research to be applicable to these teams/leagues and I hope to offer solutions and strategies for how to unite teams through intercultural communication.
What ideas/theories are currently the most exciting to you?
I love the relatively newly developed theory called cultural fusion theory. This theory claims that when two cultural groups come in contact with one another, they each change to accommodate each other. Looking at this through the lens of sport is a new avenue of research that I am pursuing.
Hope College is famous for its “Pull” tradition in which a team of Firstyear students compete with a team of Sophomore students in an enormous, strategic “tug of rope” competition. The teams have “pullers” and “moralers.” The pullers lie down in separate pits and pull on the rope, the moralers coordinate with one another and–sitting beside their puller– tell the puller when to pull extra hard! Would you rather be a puller or a moraler?
Definitely a moraler! I love competition but I like the strategy aspect more than actually participating, especially with something of this nature!
This summer I had the privilege of working as a research assistant for Professor Sarah Kornfield as she began drafting her book Watching Women. As part of my role, I was entrusted with tasks such as curating an annotated bibliography on a wide array of topics, including post-feminist theory, queer theory, and race theory as well as aesthetics, conceptions of femininity, and the concept of femmephobia. Reading dozens of scholarly articles, I collected and organized information that Professor Kornfield can use when drafting chapters.
Image of the Annotated Bibliography’s organization; its topics are listed in the outline summary on the right and its core concepts color-code key is on the right.
In addition to that responsibility, I fact-checked the statements made in the chapters. This involved conducting thorough research to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the information presented. I also spent a significant amount of time perfecting Chicago-style footnotes, doing over 100 in just one chapter.
Perhaps the most important task with which I assisted Professor Kornfield was watching TV. I watched many popular TV shows, such as Bridgerton, The Rookie, and Elementary, and took meticulous notes of particular camerawork patterns and themes.
The focus was largely on how we as the audience watch men watch women. I also focused on how the men on TV gazing longingly at the women they desire, as well as how queer characters and overtly feminist characters are portrayed.
Working as a research assistant for Professor Kornfield provided me with invaluable experience. The opportunity to contribute to Watching Women allowed me to delve into the world of research, engage with important feminist discourse, and witness the intricate process of writing a book. This experience has further fueled my passion for gender and TV studies and solidified my commitment to advocating for gender equality in society.
The National Communication Association (NCA) held their 2022 research convention in New Orleans. Representing the Communication Department at Hope College’s culture of excellent research, Drs. Marissa Doshi, Patrick Gentile, and Sarah Kornfield attended this national research conference.
Dr. Doshi’s research draws on feminist perspectives to examine the creative and cultural dimensions of media and technology use.
Dr. Sarah Kornfield was honored to chair a panel regarding Rhetorical Criticism pedagogy that specifically responded to her new book, Contemporary Rhetorical Criticism (2021). Dr. Kornfield also presented four different research projects, including her recent publication, “Televising Popular Feminism” (2022).
Dr. Sarah Kornfield and her new book, Contemporary Rhetorical Criticism (Strata, 2021).
Dr. Patrick Gentile is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Hope College. His research focuses on sports and intercultural communication. Dr. Gentile presented two research projects, focusing on the coverage of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the linguistic acculturation experiences of Latino Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players in the U.S. south.
Decoding Insta-Therapy with Dr. Marissa Doshi and Nicole Galloway
The Communication Department at Hope College offers a premiere undergraduate learning experience through our Faculty/Student research collaborations. The Communication Department is known for its excellent research and intellectual curiosity. This is a transformational experience.
During Summer 2022, Dr. Marissa Doshi and Comm Major Nicole Galloway won a Nyenhuis Summer Research Grant. This funded their research studying how pediatric therapists present themselves and their work on Instagram.
Comm Major Nicole Galloway and Dr. Marissa Doshi
Q&A with Nicole Galloway
Q1: Can you briefly describe your research?
My research this past summer with Dr. Doshi was on five pediatric therapists’ Instagram accounts. The research question we developed was “What is the cultural relevance of pediatric therapists’ Instagram accounts?” We took a qualitative approach to this research by doing a modified digital ethnography, in which we immersed ourselves in data and observed what was happening. The data we engaged with were the Instagram posts, stories, and field notes from these five accounts. Sensitizing theoretical concepts that helped define our research were intensive parenting and calibrated amateurism.
Note: Intensive parenting refers to an “intense” type of parenting–usually mothering–in which the parent is always trying to “do enough” or “spend enough” time with a child. It’s a type of parenting that holds parents responsible for having “picture perfect” kids.
Calibrated Amateurism, meanwhile, refers to the ways in which experts and professionals try to appear more relatable (like an amateur instead of an authority figure) to their audience. This is calibrated, meaning it is done on purpose. For example, a pediatric therapist might tell a funny story about misunderstanding her child to make her parenting and her take-away point more relatable to other parents.
Q2: What was your biggest take-away or finding from this research?
Our takeaway/findings from this research were three ways in which these pediatric therapist accounts engage with their viewers. In analyzing our data, we found that messages of intensive mothering are reified, authority and community are fostered through “calibrated amateurism,” and these accounts act as a support system to support a neoliberal healthcare system.
Q3: What did you learn by working with Dr. Doshi on this project?
Working with Dr. Doshi on this research exposed me to a type of research I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with at first. Throughout our work, I kept trying to search for one, “final” answer as we analyzed our data. I quickly realized this wasn’t the type of research in which you have a hypothesis that you’re trying to prove/disprove, rather you have to analyze the data as it emerges. In this kind of research, there isn’t always one single answer that gives a single explanation. There are a lot of complex nuances that have to be taken into account.
Q4: What does this experience mean to you?
To be able to have this experience, I believe, is truly due to the unique nature of the Hope College Communication Department. I’m not sure I would have had this opportunity as an undergraduate student studying social science at another school. The Communication Department is always pushing Comm undergrads to explore further and dive deeper. I am grateful to Dr. Doshi, the Nyenhuis Summer Research Grant, my Comm professors, and Hope College Communication Department for such a one-of-a-kind experience!
The Communication Department is celebrating Dr. Deirdre Johnston’s retirement! We are bereft and yet excited for Dr. Johnston as she moves into a new phase of her career. Dr. Johnston has taught countless courses at Hope College and continues to publish research articles and scholarly books in communication. Her teaching, service, research and mentorship have provided incredible leadership to the Communication Department at Hope College, to Hope students, and to the broader communication discipline. We have so much to celebrate!
The Communication Department is honoring Dr. Johnston through our Day of Giving (Feb 25-26) through the Communication Legacy May Term Scholarship: all donations directly fund this scholarship! Communication majors who are enrolled in an off-campus May Term led by a Communication faculty member are eligible for this award and the purpose of this scholarship is to enable students without the financial means to benefit from an off-campus experience.
Given Dr. Johnston’s longstanding leadership of off-campus learning and intercultural communication, we are delighted to honor Dr. Johnston through this legacy award.
Students meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa Photo credit: Dr. Johnston
Dr. Johnston kindly agreed to answer the following interview questions, reflecting on her career and communication.
1. Who inspired you to pursue a career in Communication? and whose work has kept you inspired throughout your career?
There are a list of people who inspired my interest in how the brain works to process information and set communication goals, including communication scholars and friends, Donovan Ochs (classical rhetoric), Barnett Pearce (Coordinated Management of Meaning Theory), Jesse Delia, Barbara O’Keefe and Howard Sypher (interpersonal cognitive complexity theory), and Leslie Baxter (relational dialectical theory), and psychologist John Cacioppo (persuasion). In my early career, I was really into BRAINS, and spent part of my graduate school training slicing up brains at the University of Iowa anatomy lab, and doing brain processing research on neurology and cardiology patients to make connections between the brain and communication efficacy. But alas, I am not a monogamous communication scholar; I have pursued a lot of different interests within communication during my career, and, as a result, the scholars that inspire me have similarly evolved. During my work/motherhood research decade I enmeshed myself in the work of sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild, and during my peace with justice decade I developed a scholar-crush on Jean Paul Lederach. The focus on identities, equity, and inclusion central to intergroup dialogue has most recently led me to read everything I can find by Ibram X. Kendi and Isabel Wilkerson, and my global communication passion has me stalking the wisdom of Eric Hartman. With a strong foundation in communication theory it is great fun to read scholarship outside of the communication discipline and make connections to how this work informs our understanding of communication!
2. Thinking about the courses you’ve taught at Hope, what are your favorite courses to teach and why?
How can there be a favorite? I love teaching Intercultural Communication and helping students develop their global competencies, and I love growing with students as we navigate the process of Intergroup Dialogue and diversity education, especially as I get to see these students utilize their dialogue skills in campus organizations and in teaching modules for courses in other departments (the Intergroup Dialogue Practicum). In addition, special topics courses in Cross-cultural Happiness, Communication & Trauma, Narratives of Peace and Conflict, and Compassion fuel my passions for global learning, peace and conflict studies, and teaching for social justice. And, my ALL-TIME favorite? Teaching peace and conflict communication in the context of travel seminars to Northern Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa. Engaging with students through travel learning is transformative (for me as well as for them) and presents such a rich opportunity to get to know students very well and to have those wonderful conversations that reflect deep learning and exploration of ideas.
Photos (clockwise): Students live the monks’ life with the Iona Christian Community in Scotland; Students hearing stories of former prisoners (Ulster Paramilitaries) in Norther Ireland; Intergroup Dialogue class celebrating the completion of their Human Book Project; and Intergroup Dialogue class learning about communication while roasting marshmallows blindfolded.
3. Your research spans (at least) applied settings, research articles, and scholarly books–and you’ve faithfully championed Hope’s mission of bringing undergraduate students into the research process. What brings you joy in the research process?
Research is discovery! I have mentored over 40 students on research projects at Hope and I love seeing their passion and excitement when they discover new knowledge — it’s like digging for treasure! I have a new book coming out this year, Wiley Handbook for Online Collaborative Learning and Global Engagement, and through the research for this book we developed new models for global learning that we hope are useful to higher education institutions seeking to cultivate students’ abilities to seek understanding and engage global challenges in ethical ways. I am looking forward to working on the South Africa oral history project next year (in my quasi-retirement), which includes 76 oral history interviews conducted by students as part of a travel seminar course. My hope is that this project reveals some insights into racial conciliation that is applicable to both South Africa and the USA. I spent a decade researching work and motherhood, and it is gratifying to hear that these studies have helped women navigate these roles. In sum, research involves the joy of discovery, the excitement of mentoring students in the creation of new knowledge, and hopefully, the impact of research to promote human flourishing.
4. Do you have a sending word (an advice or reflection) for students?
Channel your passion to the pursuit of knowledge in an area in which you can make a difference to improve the lives and of others. Whew — got that into ONE sentence! The bumper sticker version might be Passion-Knowledge-Compassion. Imagine the problems we get ourselves into when we don’t have all 3 of these working together! Knowledge without passion? We’ll burn out. Passion without knowledge? We may do more harm than good. Passion and knowledge without compassion? We are working only for our own self-aggrandizement. But all three? Passion with a knowledge foundation and a calling to promote the well-being of others is key to our educational mission at Hope College and to a life well-lived.
Join us in celebrating Dr. Johnston’s work and service and in honoring her through the Communication Legacy May Term Scholarship in Hope’s 2021 Day of Giving.
Given the realities of COVID-19, Hope College’s Communication Department hasn’t been able to welcome our new colleague, Dr. Stephanie Pangborn, with our usual fanfare. We are beyond delighted that Dr. Pangborn joined us in Fall 2020, and we are excited to support and showcase her teaching and research at Hope College.
As a way to introduce Dr. Pangborn and her upcoming courses, Dr. Kornfield interviewed Dr. Pangborn for this blog! We hope you enjoy getting to know Dr. Pangborn and we look forward to pandemic-free semesters when we can gather and collaborate together more closely.
1. Can you tell us why you study communication? What got you interested in this area and what keeps you interested?
Studying communication captured my heart and mind because of the ways in which it revealed both responsibility and possibility. Our communication is consequential – from the messages to which we attend to those we put out in this world – our well-being, our relationships, our communities, and our society are made and changed through our communicative acts. My interest only intensifies as I experience this as real in every facet of my daily life.
2. How do you describe your teaching style?
I love teaching! I’d describe my style as relational and experiential – with healthy doses of love and challenge. The design of my courses reflect my belief that life is a continual process of becoming and education is a huge opportunity for growth that should not be taken for granted.
You have a new course opportunity for Hope’s communication students: COMM 295 Health Communication! Who should take a course in Health Communication? What will students focus on in this course?
Health Comm is a course for everyone. Students should sign up for the course if they want to think deeply about how communication shapes our understandings of health, guides our pursuits for living well, and affects our ability to support and care for people whose lives are affected by illness. We will discuss topics ranging from definitions of well-being and interpersonal communication dynamics in healthcare contexts to celebrity health narratives and health advocacy/activism.
4. Tell us about a research project you’re working on that you find energizing.
I dedicated much of my research focus in the past several years to the integration of art and music in a memory care facility. This project hits home hard for me because of my family’s journey following my paternal grandfather’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. What energizes me most about this area of my research is the possibility of re-painting the picture of Alzheimer’s and related dementias in our society so that people are inspired to see a person and invest in relationship, rather than be fixated on the problems presented by an incurable, progressive illness.
Bonus Question: What’s something you like students to know about you?
Simply, I feel incredibly blessed to be a faculty member at Hope College. My husband (Nic), two sons (Palmer and Hudson), and I are looking forward to spending a long time investing in this community. We love sports, art, outdoor activities, good food, and being social, so be prepared to see a lot of us.
