Department of Communication

The Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst studies communicative processes at the levels of culture, media, and representation; individuals, professionals and groups; and institutions and social structures. Much of our work takes place at the intersections of these levels of analysis. We are committed teachers and active researchers whose perspectives and methods encompass social science, cultural and professional orientations. Our faculty develops connections between theory and practice in order to advance knowledge in the field, to promote informed public debate, and to teach students how to think critically as citizens in a democratic society. We are dedicated to making our teaching and research accessible beyond the academy, as a force for sustainable social change.

The Department of Communication of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst seeks to extend its international, intercultural and interdisciplinary faculty. We invite applications for five tenure-track appointments at the Assistant Professor or Associate Professor level, one in each of the following areas:

(1) Ref # 33687: International/Global and/or Intercultural Communication: We seek an excellent scholar and teacher with a strong theoretical grounding and an international profile who addresses global communication from a broad range of perspectives. Areas of interest may include: language and social interaction; policy analysis; communication for development and social change; and ethnography articulated at a global, regional and/or national level.

(2) Ref # 33688: Quantitative Communication Research Methodologies: We seek an outstanding scholar and teacher with strong theoretical grounding who can apply specific quantitative communication methodologies to the study of communication in social and cultural environments. Ideally, the successful candidate will also be familiar with qualitative communication research methodologies. Ability to teach quantitative research methods at both undergraduate and graduate levels is essential. Areas of emphasis may include interpersonal, intercultural, media or international communication.

(3) Ref # 33690: Qualitative Communication Research Methodologies: We seek an excellent scholar and teacher with strong theoretical grounding who can apply specific qualitative communication methodologies to the study of communication in social and cultural environments. Ideally, the successful candidate will also be familiar with quantitative communication research methodologies. Ability to teach qualitative research methods at both undergraduate and graduate levels is essential. Areas of emphasis may include language and social interaction, interpersonal, intercultural, media or international communication.

(4) Ref # 33691: Journalism Studies: We seek an excellent scholar with a deep understanding of both the academic and professional fields of journalism interested in working across the journalism/communication studies divide. Desirable areas of expertise include citizen journalism, online journalism, visual journalism, and/or global journalism.

(5) Ref # 33692: Journalism: We seek an outstanding teacher with a deep understanding of both the academic and professional fields of journalism. Desirable areas of expertise will include ethics and new media, as well as a content focus such as international reporting, economics/business reporting or science/environmental reporting. A Ph.D. is preferred, but applicants with a Masters degree and significant professional experience will be considered for a permanent lecturer position.

For all but the last position duties will include maintaining an active research program and supervising students at B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. levels. A completed Ph.D. is essential (with degree in hand by February 1, 2009) for all but the last position. Salary is competitive. Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2008, and will continue until the positions are filled.

Applications should include a letter specifying the applicant’s research and teaching interests, a curriculum vitae, list of publications, three letters of reference, one article-length example of research, and copies of recent teaching evaluations.

Please clearly identify the position and level you are applying for by including the reference number (Ref #) and send materials to:

Debra Madigan, Office manager

Department of Communication

401 Machmer Hall

240 Hicks Way

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, MA. 01003-9278, USA

Email: dmadigan@comm.umass.edu

The Department of Communication and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences are committed to fostering a diverse faculty, student body, and curriculum. Please go to www.umass.edu for information on UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, or to www.umass.edu/communication for more information on the Department of Communication. The university is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer; applications from women and members of minority communities are strongly encouraged.

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Twelve students and a local agency representative were recognized May 8 as the Office of Community Service Learning (OCSL) at Commonwealth College presented its Awards for Outstanding Community Service and Engagement at a reception in the Student Union.

The awards were established to recognize individuals’ positive contributions to communities outside of the University and to appreciate collaborative efforts to meet community needs while advancing student learning. Students and faculty were recognized for their meaningful involvement with communities on and off campus; a staff member at a community-based organization was also honored for effectively engaging Amherst campus students in community efforts.

The awards were announced by John Reiff, director of OCSL.

Curricular Service-Learning Awards, which recognize community engagement that is directly and intentionally connected to a course, were presented to seven individuals, among whom one is Elizabeth Phillips, a senior Communication major.

She wrote of her experiences in Community Service Learning courses that shaped her reflection on service work and prompted her to found the student organization UMass Big Brothers and Big Sisters as her senior capstone project. The organization supports UMass “Bigs” as they engage in service through Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Hampshire County.

Nominations are made by faculty members or community-based colleagues, except in the case of the essay awards. Nominees’ and identifying statements are removed before a panel of OCSL staff, faculty and students reviews the nomination materials.

The Communication Graduate Student Association (CGSA), or CommGrad, website has gone through another version of upgrade and now it is a wiki site. Please visit the new site to learn more about our graduate students here.

As the 2008 Presidential election draws closer, the University of Massachusetts can see for itself how it measures up in terms of political affiliation and hot-button issues.

A survey was created and distributed in March by a UMass communication class, COMM 497XX, which researched UMass students’ opinions regarding national political affiliations and issues such as health care, immigration, the environment, mandatory voting and the war in Iraq.

“My students wanted to know where other students stand on political issues,” said assistant professor Ekra Miezan. “They tried to investigate whether political affiliation had an affect on how they vote, and how they think about those issues in general.”

The survey revealed that roughly 40 percent of UMass students surveyed identify themselves as Democrats, 15 percent as Republicans, and 31 percent as Independents.

“I was surprised at the number of Independents, as this seems to be such a liberal campus, in a liberal area,” added Miezan.

However, one of the communication students who helped conduct the survey, UMass junior Jared Gilman, was not so surprised.

“I’ve noticed that [UMass students] were most in favor of a need for more political parties,” said Gilman. “There is an unhappiness with the way this country is split, and the party labeling that may stop them from siding with one party more than the actual issues themselves.”

Additionally, the survey disclosed which national issues the surveyed UMass students favored.

Concern for the environment topped the list, with 91 percent of all surveyed agreeing that the United States should invest more in alternative energy to save the environment. Following that, 83 percent of those surveyed displayed an interest in encouraging other party affiliations in the democratic process, 83 percent believe Americans should have more say on how their tax dollars are spent, 79 percent believe it is a basic human right to have healthcare and 78 percent support the implementation of universal health care in the United States.

“Nothing surprised me in this survey, because look where we are,” said UMass senior and one of the class leaders of the survey, Rachel Siddiqi. “It is pretty liberal on this campus.”

As for the issues students were least in favor of, 90 percent of students surveyed disagree with the proposal that people should be fined if they do not vote, 81 percent believe that the war in Iraq is illegitimate, 76 percent do not support the prolonging of U.S. troops in Iraq, 68 percent do not believe that the two-party system best represents the views of the country and 68 percent oppose giving amnesty to all illegal immigrants.

Primarily, political affiliation affected the way students voted on issues more than any other factor.

According to the survey, Democrats were more liberal on social, political and economic issues, while Republicans were more conservative. Independents proved to consistently side with the Democrats, taking a liberal view on many of the issues.

“I was actually surprised about the Independents agreeing a lot with the liberal ideas,” said UMass junior communications and journalism major Julie Lonardo, a teaching assistant of the class. “If we had done a survey outside of Amherst I think it may have been different.”

When examining other socio-economic factors, the survey uncovered that of those surveyed, women tended to be more liberal than men, especially with social issues.

“Social issues affect women more than men,” said Siddiqi. “They are the primary caregivers, and things like abortion and health care are going to affect them.”

Another factor that affected the way students vote was family income. The higher the student’s family income, the more conservative they were about immigration, in particular the support of a wall between the United States and Mexico.

“My understanding is that with more lower-class people coming into the country we end up paying more Social Security, more taxes in general, which affect the riches’ tax dollars,” said Jared Barney, another member of the class.

The results that surprised professor Miezan the most was just how much political affiliation affected the way students view issues.

“The views on the war in Iraq really surprised me,” said Miezan. “After all the evidence that we went on wrong motives, I was hoping that both Democrat and Republicans would agree that it is illegitimate. That had me worried a little bit. If we cannot see fact, is it that our political affiliation is blinding us? Bring this attitude toward global warming.”

“Democrats see it as a threat but Republicans still do not,” he continued. “If there is some concern and factual evidence, we should all see it as human beings, rather than a Republican view or a Democratic view - a human perspective. If someone is dying, I don’t have to see it as a Democratic or Republican view. Dying is dying. These major issues are causing major divides in this country, and these divides will lead us into major conflicts.”

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Original Story at The Daily Collegian

Wed, May 14, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
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Tue, Apr 29, 2:30 pm

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Anca Romantan, assistant professor of Communication, died April 14 at her home in Arlington after a long struggle with lung cancer.

She joined the faculty in 2006 and her work focused on media effects, social construction and amplification of environmental, technological and social risks, transnational social movements, globalization and e-democracy, social influence and persuasion, and research methodology.

Prior to her appointment, she was research director for two years at the Center for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.She received her B.A. and M.A. from Babes Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania, and her Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

She was the co-author of several journal articles and technical reports and also presented her work at conferences across the U.S. and in Hungary.She leaves her husband, Cornel Ban and her mother, Adrianna Romantan.Funeral arrangements are pending. Interment will be in Romania.

A memorial service will be held next month in the Amherst area.

Mari Castañeda, associate professor of Communication, is assuming the role of faculty adviser for Student Bridges, a student-initiated outreach program that works to expand pathways to higher education for residents from Holyoke.

Student Bridges is primarily funded by and housed under the Student Government Association. It places UMass students as tutor-mentors with partner schools and organizations, and it provides opportunities for UMass students to use their talents and creativity to coordinate youth-centered events, college preparatory workshops and campus visits for local schools and programs. UMass students who participate in the program are encouraged to enroll in a community service-learning course, which addresses issues related to educational equity and reciprocal community engagement.

Student Bridges’ mission and values resonate with Castañeda, who has extensive experience building community-university partnerships and examining how community service learning (CSL) can enhance those partnerships. Her work focuses on new digital-cut media and information technologies, especially as it relates to Latino communities, and she has is deeply committed to enhancing educational access for underrepresented students.

Vanessa Snow, the Student Bridges programmatic coordinator and a junior Social Thought and Political Economy major, said, “Professor Castañeda brings an impressive commitment to community-service learning, college access, and community-university partnerships. She has a track record of collaboration with programs in the Holyoke area, and we are excited to welcome her as the Student Bridges faculty adviser.”

A coalition of student organizations piloted the Student Bridges program in 2006-07, and it has quickly grown into a unique, energetic agency. Its mission is to “increase college access and success for underrepresented students by building partnerships with local schools and community organizations, offering college awareness, preparation and success activities, and advocating for enhanced institutional and public policies and practices.”

Student Bridges was among the initiatives cited in the campus’ recent placement on the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement.

More Information

Student Bridges website

Tue, Mar 11, 2:00 pm

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