Aaron Sanchez, Communication Studies Graduate Student, was selected for the RIMI (Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions) scholar program. Only 4 graduate students at CSUSB are selected each year to participate in the program and learn to conduct research on health disparities. It provides a stipend for 2 years of full time graduate study, preparation for doctoral programs, faculty mentors, parternships with faculty at research intensive universities, and a summer research institute. Aaron is interested in addressing health literacy for Hispanics and the materials targeted to them regarding AIDS. Congratulations Aaron!

SAVE THE DATE for the Annual Department of Communication Studies Dinner - Wednesday, May 28, 2008 Shandin Hills Golf Club, 6:00 pm.

Fong, Mary (2008). The Spirituality of 'Being' Grace and Tao in Intercultural Communication in L. Samovar, R. Porter, and E. McDaniels (eds.), Intercultural Communication: A Reader (12th edition).

Cal State San Bernardino's Coyote Chronicle received two awards from the California College Media Association at a gala awards ceremony in San Francisco on March 1. In the category of weekly newspapers, The Chronicle took home a first place award for "Best Special Section" and third place for "Best News Page Design." The winning special section in the Coyote Chronicle was exclusive coverage of the wildfires that destroyed thousands of San Bernardino mountain area homes in 2007. The Collegian from Cal State Fresno placed second in the special section category; Loyola Marymount University's Los Angeles Loyolan and The Campanil from Mills College tied for third place. More than 900 entries from 22 California college and university publications were judged in more than 75 categories for editorial, photo, design and advertising content in newspapers, magazine and online publications. CSUSB's Coyote Chronicle staff that produced the award-winning issues included executive editor Daniel Otianga; managing editor Elizabeth Saucedo; section editors Malori Merki, Elizabeth Tomzik, Kevin Manning, Nicholas Gibson, Phillip Ince and Priscilla Cooper; photo editor Samantha Ramia; copy editors Kenneth Dillard and Matthew Phelps; and staff photographer Viet Nguyen. Tomzik and Phelps have since graduated from CSUSB. Ten of the Chronicle's current student editors, and faculty-adviser James Smart, attended the 24th annual National College Newspaper Convention that was hosted by the Associated College Press. The CCMA awards were presented during the convention which ran from Feb. 28 - March 2.

The Department of Communication Studies hosts Professor’s Toby Miller’s public lecture: “Madeover Nation: The United States of Reinvention” (SMSU Theater (107) on Wednesday January 30th, 2008 from 6-7:30). Lecture abstract: In times of economic dynamism and uncertainty, consumerism merges with old myths about meritocracy and religion to inform the 'manufacture' of citizens and the nation. This lecture will look at the power of various forms of knowledge about people and their emotions as applied to the US, hoping that, if we are to understand an absurdly wealthy and wasteful country, we must question the pleasures of reinvention as well as embrace them, teasing out as we do so the mystification of moral panics, and the reality of risk society.

The Department of Communication Studies congratulates Dr. Heather Hundley who was recently elected as First Vice President for WSCA (Western States Communication Association) for the 2008-2009 year. She will then serve as President Elect/Primary Program Planner for the 2009-2010 convention, President of WSCA in 2010-2011, and Past President in 2011-2012.

Congratulations to our Coyote Debate Team Members! The teams of Krissy Hazelrigg and Michaeline Anderson and Brenna Lampson and John Patrick were two of the four teams advanced to the final round of the Pan Pacific Debate Championship held the weekend of October 26-28 at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mihaela Popescu has received the TRC's 2007-08 Teaching Research Grant to study the impact of screen capture-based SPSS instruction on students’ understanding of basic statistical concepts for communication research.

Heather Hundley and J. Scott Rodriquez recently received acceptance of a manuscript titled,” Transactivism & Postmodernity: An Agonistic Analysis of Transliterature” for publication in a forthcoming issue of Communication Quarterly.

Larsen, Robin. (2007-2008 forthcoming). "Lillian Gish's Stardom and Her Lifetime Performance of Virginity," in book Virgin Territory, ed. Tamar Jeffers-McDonald. Wayne State University Press: Detroit.

Muhtaseb, A. (2007). From behind the veil: Students' resistance from different directions. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, Summer (110), 25-33.

Fong, Mary (2007). "The permeable and impermeable wall of expectations". New Directions in Teaching. 110, 35-44.

The Department of Communication Studies welcomes Bradford Owen, Assistant Professor. Dr. Owen has an M.F.A. and a Ph.D from the University of Southern California. Dr. Owen teaches courses in Media Studies, Digital Production, and Screenwriting.

A $122,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education is launching the new Asian studies minor this fall at California State University, San Bernardino. The grant is part of the federal Department of Education's effort to bolster international studies and foreign language development. Rueyling Chuang, Cal State San Bernardino associate professor of Communication who is director of the project, expressed her excitement about the university's new program. "Eventually we hope to have an Asian studies major," said Chuang, "But this new minor will help us develop and establish our program." Asian studies at CSUSB will be used to strengthen students' knowledge of international languages and cultures. Languages of focus for this minor are Japanese, Korean and Mandarin Chinese. More general studies also will cultivate knowledge of all countries in northeast Asia. CSUSB is using the grant to support faculty research in the area of Asian studies, create relationships with universities in Asia, perform community outreach, generate Asian curriculum, sponsor campus-wide events and develop international experience for students. Students enrolling in the Asian studies minor this fall are entering an interdisciplinary program. They can expect to take courses with each of CSUSB's five academic colleges - arts and letters, natural sciences, social sciences, business and education. For more information about the new Asian studies minor, contact Rueyling Chuang at (909) 537-5780.

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Heisterkamp who has been awarded Tenure and promoted to Associate Professor effective September 1, 2007.

Jo Anna Grant & Heather Hundley (2007). “Fighting the Battle or Running the Race? Metaphor Analysis of Cancer Photos in the AP” Visual Communication Quarterly

Lemi Baruh & Mihaela Popescu (2007). “Guiding Metaphors of Nationalism“ Discourse and Communication.

Fred Jandt & Heather Hundley (2007). “Intercultural Dimensions of Communicating Masculinities” The Journal of Men’s Studies.

Congratulations to the following students who received recognition from the Department of Communication Studies at this year's annual Communication Dinner held on May 31, 2007. Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Josh Estes Outstanding Graduate Student: Dana Magilen Outstanding Graduate Teaching Associate: Vivian Harris Special Recognition was awarded to one student in each Concentration: Human Communication: Lauren Roselle Intercultural Communication: Josh Estes Mass Communication: Rene Romero/ Production: Musa Ibrahim Public Relations: Joshua Richter Rhetoric and Public Argumentation: Katrina Meyer. Congratulations to Sara Graham, Commencement Speaker, Department of Communication Studies.

Thursday, May 31 Department of Communication Studies Annual Dinner 6:00 pm Shandin Hills Golf Club, San Bernardino No Host Bar and Buffet Dinner

The Annual Communication Studies Department Dinner is scheduled for Thursday, May 31 at 6:00 pm at Shandin Hills. Tickets: $20.00 Tickets are available in the Department of Communication Studies Office UH 018.

US National WarmUps at CSUSB March 2 -3, 2007 The Coyote Debate Team hosted thirty off-campus visitors from the University of La Verne and Claremont McKenna Colleges. Thirty students from our own Coyote Debate Team also participated. First place Speaker at the tournament was John Patrick of the University of La Verne. First Place Team was Claremont McKenna College A (Charlie Sprague and Miles Staglila). Award-winning speakers from the Coyote Debate Team included Krissy Hazelrigg (Sixth place), Chris del Rosario (Eighth place) and Michaeline Anderson (Ninth Place). Finalist Award-winning Teams included Krissy Hazelrigg and Chris del Rosario of the Coyote Debate Team. J. Scott Rodriguez, Director of the Forensics,organized the tournament.

Heather Hundley, Ph.D was elected Second Vice-President of the Western States Communication Association 2007-2008.

Jo Anna Grant, Ph.D. and Donna Gotch were awarded the OODL (Outstanding Originators in Distributed Learning) Award at CSUSB on March 15, 2007.

Faculty Publication: Algan, E. (2006). Medya okuryazarligi alaninda teorik ve pratik yaklasimlar [Theoretical and practical approaches in Media Literacy]. In N. Turkoglu (ed.), Medya Okuryazarligi Media Literacy Conference Proceedings] (pp. 38-44). Istanbul, Turkey: Marmara Universitesi Ilestisim Fakultesi Yayini.

Ahlam Muhtaseb, Ph.D. was awarded a team-teaching grant to teach a class on Muslim Women in Society and Media in spring 07. She was also awarded a faculty research leave in spring 07 to work on finishing her documentary on the life in the refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria and to work on analyzing the data of that research study.

Ahlam Muhtaseb, Ph.D was the keynote speaker/lecturer of the Honor Society of International Scholar for their induction ceremony on Feb. 1st. The title of the lecture was "Living on the Margins of Society: Palestinian Refugees' Narratives of Diaspora".

Jo Anna Grant will serve as Graduate Coordinator, Dept. of Communication Studies spring 2007 -spring 2010.

Heather Hundley, Ph.D will serve Graduate Teaching Associate Coordinator from fall 2007 - spring 2010.

Ahlam Muhtaseb will serve as Interim Graduate Coordinator for fall 2007 and winter 2008.

Donna Gotch will serve as department Webmaster from spring 2007 - spring 2009.