On November 19-22, five FIU Communication Arts faculty members presented during the 101st meeting of the National Communication Association in Las Vegas, Nevada. More than 5,000 Communication scholars attended the meeting to discuss projects and research with real-world implications. FIU’s Communication Arts faculty members presented competitive, peer-reviewed research reports on a variety of subjects.
Nurhayat Bilge, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts, presented “Cultural Orientation and Refugee Mentoring as Intercultural Conflict Prevention and Management,” an analysis of the International Rescue Committee Orientation work in refugee mentoring. Her presentation focused on tangible aspects of culture such as social norms of shopping in grocery stores, navigating public transportation, and preparing for job interviews. Bilge conducts research on refugee communities’ communication patterns. She teaches two courses at FIU: Conflict Management and Intercultural Communication.
Nathalie Desrayaud, Visiting Assistant Professor of Communication Arts, collaborated with Carolyn Hurley at the University at Buffalo’s Singapore campus to present “Conflict Cultures Across Cultures.” Their research examined cultural norms and expectations for conflict management in organizations . Desrayaud’s research examines the role of communication in forming and maintaining conflict cultures within organizations. She teaches four FIU courses: Gender & Communication, Intercultural Communication, Organizational Change, and Organizational Communication.
Lynne M. Webb, Professor in Communication Arts, presented two competitively accepted papers: “Remaining Facebook versus Face-to-Face Friends after a Romantic Breakup: Factors that Distinguish Those Who Do from Those Who Do Not ” and “Loneliness, Disclosure, and Facebook Usage: Results from a Hong Kong Survey.“ In addition, she was an invited presenter on the “NCA Anti-Bullying Roundtable Discussion,” where participants reflected on the next steps for NCA’s work on issues related to bullying and cyber-bullying, particularly in terms of potential research collaborations and strategies for social engagement. Webb’s research examines a variety of issues related to communication in personal relationships. Webb teaches three FIU courses including Communication on Social Media, Conflict Management, and Interpersonal Communication.
Elena Nuciforo, Visiting Assisting Professor in Communication Arts, presented on her experience of teaching service-learning as a core part of a communication course. She also attended a meeting of Lambda Pi Eta advisors from across the U. S. to discuss best practices for the honor society. Nuciforo’s research focuses on cultural discourse analysis of health-related issues. She teaches multiple FIU courses including Advanced Public Speaking and Communication Theory.
Thomas Steinfatt, Visiting Professor in Communication Arts, chaired the panel “The Organizational Communication of Human Trafficking.” The panel focused on human trafficking from an organizational perspective in order to discuss and trace areas of breakdown, inefficiency, and conflict within the efforts to combat human trafficking, as well as offer potential solutions to those problems. Tom Steinfatt’s research interests include the effects of personality variables on communication, effective methods of executive communication, intercultural communication both domestically and in developing countries, studies of propaganda and persuasion, and studies of health communication, human trafficking, and AIDS in developing nations.
The National Communication Association (NCA) advances communication as the academic discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems.
