Associate Professor
Dean's Fellow for Research and Graduate Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconisn - Madison (1991)
M.A., University of Wisconisn - Madison (1988)
B.A., University of Puget Sound (1983)
Teaching and Research Areas
Interpersonal communication, diversity, GLBT relationships, counseling communication, research methods
"My area of specialization is in communication theory, particularly interpersonal communication theory, though I have a broad background in theories in a variety of contexts. My training and research are in cognitive approaches to interpersonal communication, with particular emphasis on issues related to understanding and misunderstanding in conversation. The bulk of my methods training is quantitative and experimental, but I am somewhat familiar with and certainly sympathetic to qualitative approaches to research. Most of my work is in the social scientific tradition, but I have also been heavily influenced by critical and interpretive approaches to theorizing."
Selected Courses
COM 209, COM 210, COM 307, COM 405, COM 512/617, COM 702, and COM 712