Statement on Teaching

I have a very strong enthusiasm and passion for teaching. Regardless of the level or nature of the course I teach, my course preparation and teaching styles reflect my personal values, the needs of my students, and the missions of my Department, College and University. Though my role as a teacher varies in accordance with the nature and level of the course, my primary focus is to foster students’ critical thinking and problem solving abilities and to facilitate their acquisition of life-long learning skills. In this endeavor, I act as a guide/facilitator who encourages dialogue and motivates students to look beyond obvious facts and answers. As a teacher, I continually strive to stimulate active learning and encourage students to be critical, creative thinkers. Consequently, I design my courses to employ a variety of student-centered learning principles, techniques, and exercises to achieve their objectives. I challenge students to think through practical everyday problems, to develop group skills and cooperation, as well as individual skills and independence.

I value and encourage diversity of thoughts and opinions in all my classes. I believe that diverse opinions enrich the classroom environment and promote “true” learning. To achieve this, I create an open classroom environment for students to freely express their opinions and at the same time subject my classroom to common ethical norms such as respect for others and accountability to the class community.

Because I believe my teaching is connected to my personal life, background and experiences, I share my cultural background, international experiences and multidisciplinary educational experiences as learning moments with my students. Over the years, I have realized that my self-disclosures enhance the classroom experiences and encourage students to open up, share their thoughts, and more importantly, learn from each other. I also used self disclosures to foster a sense of bonding with students and ultimately promote self-development and good citizenship in my students.

Several unique characteristics of my teaching stem from my belief in the use of different and appropriate instructional technologies to enhance teaching and learning. In this regard, I use a combination of tools such as the Internet, e-mail, PowerPoint, WebCT, and Blackboard to teach my courses. However, my use of a particular tool is influenced by the nature and level of the course. I strongly believe that today’s students must be exposed and encouraged to use some of these technologies. Through the effective use of these tools in my classrooms, I model sound uses of technology in teaching and learning for my students. By requiring students to apply different technologies in their course assignments, I help in fostering their self-development and learning of life long skills that will prepare them for today’s technology-oriented work environment.

Teaching Beyond the Classroom

Beyond classroom instruction, I focus considerable time and effort on matters of pedagogy and curriculum development. I contribute to curriculum development by revising courses in response to current developments and student needs.

Just as I believe in classroom instruction and learning, I also believe that significant learning occurs outside the classroom. Therefore, I actively seek opportunities to enhance my teaching and promote student learning through a variety of avenues that lie outside my official instructional assignments. I regularly attendl workshops and conferences both at SIUE and nationally to gain new ideas and skills to inform my teaching.

Other teaching activities outside my formal instruction assignments have included directing Senior Projects and Independent Projects, chairing or serving on Graduate Program Committees, and supervising the construction of the Department website.

I believe that my activities both in and outside class help promote the growth of my students in many ways. As a committed teacher, I am engaged in a life of continuous learning about teaching and the field of communication and public relations from my own experiences, my peers, colleagues, and students.

COURSES I TEACH

The courses I teach at SIUE are listed below. To access or view a sample syllabus for any of the courses please click on the course name.

Graduate Courses

SPC 511: Seminar in Intercultural Communication focuses on developing students' critical thinking and deep understanding of theories, processes and practical issues in intercultural communication. I require that students have an open mind to engage in meaningful discussions on sensitive and uncomfortable cultural issues. To create an open and encouraging class atmosphere, I always share my cultural background, international experiences and multidisciplinary experiences as learning moments with my students. I believe that through self-disclosures I enhance the classroom experiences, foster a sense of bonding and ultimately promote self-development and good citizenship in the students.

SPC 550: Seminar in Public Relations - the field of Public Relations can be best understood as a specialized kind of communication. According to Botan and Hazelton (1989) it should be possible to study public relations as an instance of applied communication. We should also be able to apply communication theory to explain and predict public relations practices, and use public relations practice as a site for the development of communication theory. Based on this notion, this course is designed 1) to investigate the development and relevance of communication theories that guide public relations research, theorizing and practices, 2) to analyze and critique public relations theory, 3) to analyze the state of public relations research, theory and practice, and 4) to assess the ways in which worldview construction directs theory development and practice.

Undergraduate Courses

SPC 103: Interpersonal Communication Skills focuses on exploring the nature of communication in relationships in different contexts. It is designed to help students become more effective communicators in a variety of interpersonal situations.

SPC 105: Public Speaking Skills is an introductory course designed to expose students to basic principles and concepts of message design and delivery in public. The goal is to help students acquire basic skills needed for effective public communication.

SPC 200: Advanced Public Speaking introduces students to advanced presentation and public speaking practices and methods. As future professionals, students will not only be expected to be confident speakers, but also organize and prepare clear, concise, and interesting presentations in a variety of contexts. Students are introduced to theories and principles of effective communication. They also have opportunities to apply these principles in a variety of assignments, and critique the performance of others.

SPC 213: Introduction to Public Relations is designed to explore the field of public relations and what public relations practitioners do in today’s world. The course presents an overview of the background, principles, concepts and practices inherent in the field of public relations. At the end of this course, students would have gained insight into the realities of the public relations practice.Topics central to this course include the evolution of public relations; the organizational, social, and legal context of public relations; ethics and international public relations; and public relations in membership organizations, agencies, and education.

SPC 315: Technology Applications in Public Relations is a computer based course I designed and introduced into the public relations track. Students are introduced to electronic public relations, message design, desktop publishing and web authoring tools. The entire course is computer based and taught via Blackboard. Students receive and submit assignments electronically and receive almost immediate response from me about their work.

SPC 329: Communication Research Methods is designed to provide students with a broad introduction and basic understanding of the processes of inquiry concerning human communication. The relationship between method and theory are examined through the study of different research paradigms, designs, and decision-making tools. By the end of the course, students should acquire skills in designing, conducting and understanding social science research.

SPC 413: Case Studies in Public Relations examines how public relations practitioners deal with problems and opportunities from a historical perspective. Students analyze past and recent public relations cases both locally and internationally.

College Honors Course

HONS 120: Freshmen Interdisciplinary Seminar - in a culturally diverse educational environment the early development of a positive identity and effective communicative behaviors and values are important in promoting a sucessful college experience. This course introduces freshmen to the complexities of a culturally diverse campus. Through a variety of critical self reflective techniques and activities students develop an understanding of the complexities of issues on a diverse campus and how their individual identities and communicative behaviors impact their educational success. Students also develop individual identities that will help promote their future academic success.

HONS 320: Scholars Interdisciplinary Seminar is a junior seminar class designed to explore how societies, cultures and people frame and communicate their points of view about key issues and conflicts affecting our global society. Recent global events have called attention to the importance of effective communication in managing and/or solving recent and global problems.Thus students discuss some of today’s global issues from a critical and intercultural communication theoretical perspective. In addition, students identify a global issue and discuss the different communication perspectives involved in their case. Students also discuss the factors that influence the diverse perspectives identified in their case.