Faculty

Our faculty take pride in teaching all manner of communication courses from the introductory-level classes to advanced graduate student seminars. We are dedicated to teaching students both the communication skills required for success in business, family, and civic life and the cutting-edge research in communication. Faculty also take pride in their close relationships with undergraduate and graduate students. Student-faculty contacts are frequent and informal, fostering the development of genuine interpersonal exchange. Faculty regularly engage in team research with all students.

Regular Faculty

Name Contact Specialty
Ronald Walter Greene, Ph.D.
Professor
243 Ford Hall
612-624-9003
green179@umn.edu
Rhetorical studies, cultural studies/cultural policy, citizenship, philosophy of communication 
Atilla Hallsby, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
263 Ford Hall
612-625-2985
hall1039@umn.edu
Rhetorical studies; post-structuralist theories of discourse; history of secrecy; privacy & transparency; critical surveillance & security studies

Elaine Hsieh, Ph.D., J.D.
Professor
Department Chair

225A Ford Hall
612-624-5800
hsieh168@umn.edu

Health communication, culture and health, interpreting studies
Susanne M. Jones, Ph.D.
Professor 
Director of Undergraduate Studies
258 Ford Hall
612-626-0592
jones344@umn.edu
Interpersonal communication and emotional support messages, nonverbal communication, communicating emotional support, communication theory

Zornitsa Keremidchieva, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

228 Ford Hall
612-624-2504
zkeremid@umn.edu
Rhetorical studies; feminist political theory and democratic theory; congressional and public policy discourse; women's and immigrants' civic and political organizations
Ascan F. Koerner, Ph.D.
Professor
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education
234 Ford Hall
612-624-4030
koern011@umn.edu
Cognitive processes in interpersonal communication; marital and family communication; persuasion
Kate Lockwood Harris, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
244 Ford Hall
612-624-4030
kharris@umn.edu
Sexual violence; critical and qualitative methods; organizational communication; discourse; Title IX; feminist theory; intersectionality, new materialism
Laurie Ouellette, Ph.D.
Professor
Interim Director of Graduate Studies
254 Ford Hall
612-626-8517
ouell031@umn.edu
Critical media studies; cultural studies; feminist criticism; television studies; reality TV; citizenship; governmentality and media
Gilbert B. Rodman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
284 Ford Hall
612-624-7853
rodman@umn.edu
Critical media studies; cultural studies; popular culture; communication technologies; politics of race and ethnicity
Mary Douglas Vavrus, Ph.D.
Professor
237 Ford Hall
612-624-5515
vavru001@umn.edu
Media studies; feminist theory; political economy of media
Emily Winderman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
257 Ford Hall
612-626-7713
ewinderm@umn.edu
Rhetoric of health and medicine; reproductive health; public emotion

Deborah Yoon, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

278 Ford Hall
612-625-7150
yoon0213@umn.edu

Interpersonal communication; identity; identity uncertainty; family communication; adoption; health communication; genetic family health history

Visiting Scholars & Teaching Professors

Name Contact Specialty
Karina Horsti, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

284 Ford Hall
khorsti@umn.edu

 

Eric Kramer, Ph.D.
Professor

253 Ford Hall
405-641-1911
ekramer@umn.edu
international communication, intercultural communication, communication theory, communication and technology, mass communication, environmental communication

Affiliate Faculty

Name              Contact Specialty
Colin Agur, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

111 Murphy Hall
cpagur@umn.edu

emerging media studies, mobile communication, political economy of media, digital games, digital education

Richard Graff, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
221 Nolte Center
612-624-4985
graff013@umn.edu
Early history of rhetoric, writing and reading practices of ancient Greece and Rome, theories of prose style
Laura Gurak, Ph.D.
Professor
212 Nolte Center
612-624-1784
gurakl@umn.edu
Rhetorics of science and technology, rhetorical criticism, internet studies, online research methods, social aspects of computing, technical and professional communication 
Elaine Tyler May, Ph.D.
Professor
207 Scott Hall
612-626-7847
mayxx002@umn.edu
Twentieth century history of intersections of gender, sexuality, domestic culture, politics
Daniel J. Philippon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
21 Lind Hall
612-624-9880
danp@umn.edu
American studies, conservation biology, development studies and social change, English, rhetoric and scientific and technical communication, risk analysis for introduced species and genotypes
Jeffry Simpson, Ph.D.
Professor
 
N-218 Elliott Hall
612-626-2079
simps108@umn.edu
Gender and communication, reproductive technologies, feminist theory and rhetoric of science and technology
Jacquelyn Harvey-Knowles, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, UMN-Duluth
421 A.B. Anderson Hall
University of Minnesota, Duluth
218-726-7085
jaharvey@d.umn.edu
Interpersonal communication theory, interpersonal communication and health, mindful communication, supportive communication
John Logie, Ph.D.
Professor
Room 206 NCCE
logie@umn.edu
Interpersonal communication theory, interpersonal communication and health, mindful communication, supportive communication

Senior Lecturers

Name Contact Specialty
Mike Baxter-Kauf, Ph.D. 288 Ford Hall
baxt0029@umn.edu
 
David Cram Helwich, Ph.D.
238 Ford Hall
612-626-7713
helwi012@umn.edu
Public argument and debate; rhetorical theory and criticism
288 Ford Hall
612-624-3309
nordi062@umn.edu
Argumentation and rhetoric, biblical studies
288 Ford Hall
612-624-3309
rosex013@umn.edu
Family communication, persuasion, organizational communication, credibility 
Jeffrey VanCleave, Ph.D. 285 Ford Hall
jvanclea@umn.edu
Rhetorical criticism; public speaking; communication and sport

Lecturers

Name Contact Specialty
Wendy Anderson, Ph.D.
285 Ford Hall
wzeitz@umn.edu
Rhetorical studies, media studies
Allison Brenneise, Ph.D. 285 Ford Hall
brenn383@umn.edu
Communication and disability; critical communication pedagogy; rhetorical criticism; communication theory/research methods; intercultural communication
Carly Byrnes, Ph.D. 285 Ford Hall
dani0376@umn.edu
Bullying; harassment; discrimination; sexual health; bystander interventions; relationships; coping; social support; mixed methods research
285 Ford Hall
elia0039@umn.edu
 
Kristin Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.

285 Ford Hall
fitz0332@umn.edu

Audiences and fans; critical media studies; film, television, and new media

285 Ford Hall
galar006@umn.edu
Organizational communication; intercultural communication
Dawn Schot Klotzbach, MFA 264 Ford Hall
scho0062@umn.edu
Media Production
285 Ford Hall
zimme313@umn.edu
 

Senior Teaching Specialists

Name Contact Specialty
290 Ford Hall
gesch004@umn.edu
Small group and team communication; conflict management
290 Ford Hall
odas0002@umn.edu
Rhetorical studies; environmental communication; communication performance
290 Ford Hall
slon0010@umn.edu
Small group; interviewing; internships; public speaking

Teaching Specialists

Name Contact Specialty
Lisa Hutchinson, MA Electronic media production

Emeriti Faculty

Name Contact Specialty
Rosita D. Albert alber001@umn.edu Intercultural communication, international relations, communication theory, health communication
Donald R. Browne   Comparative and international broadcasting, broadcasting and national development, international relations, historical research methodology
Karlyn Kohrs Campbell  
Rhetorical theory and criticism, women in communication, presidential rhetoric
Mark Pedelty pedeltmh@umn.edu Environmental communication; media ethnography; media and social change; media rituals; media education; music; methods
Amy Sheldon asheldon@umn.edu Language and gender, language and social interaction, child and adult language acquisition, discourse analysis
Catherine Squires squir050@umn.edu

Media, race and politics; gender and media studies; public sphere studies; community-engaged research; educational inequality

Michael Sunnafrank msunnafr@umn.edu Interpersonal communication, intercultural relationships, communication theory, persuasion
Arthur E. Walzer awalzer@umn.edu Rhetorical theory and criticism, 18th century rhetorical theory, ethics and technical communication