JMU SCOM – Harrison Connect

November 13, 2016woocw No Comments

Communicating for the Future

By Anthony Barletta (’17)

There is no lack of controversial issues within the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, and even on our campus. But there is a place to discuss them. In 2011, JMU faculty and students in the School of Communication Studies (SCOM) program, created an outlet to create spaces where these issues could be discussed productively.

For the last five years, SCOM’s Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue (ICAD) has collaborated with both the campus and the community to ease different groups of people into complex discussions.

Dr. Britt is facilitating a discussion at the ICAD's Recidivism Summit. — Dr. Britt is facilitating a discussion at the ICAD’s Recidivism Summit.

Unraveling and understanding these public issues is no easy task. Issues that challenge these communities range from mental health disabilities to sexual assault to the recidivism rate. Hitting close to home, community members have difficulty discussing these complex issues.

Engaging diverse groups in productive talk is a collaborative effort headed by ICAD’s director, Dr. Lori Britt and associate director, Dr. Rob Alexander.

ICAD brings community members, JMU faculty, and JMU students together in these discussions. According to Dr. Lori Britt, the talk “is not always about finding solutions but is sometimes focused on creating spaces where people can gain others’ perspectives.” As Dr. Britt explains, encompassing different perspectives helps strengthen community relations on campus, in the community and between the two. Read more Communicating for the Future

November 14, 2014woocw No Comments

Meet Jennie Rosier

It’s that time of year again. We are placing things in our shopping carts, swapping them out for others, and trying to get the best deals on what we are offered. Yes, I’m talking about class registration. Before we click that “enroll” button, most of the time we’ve just exited out of the “Rate My Professor” window. We want to know as much as we can about our professors, it’s our college student nature. So, here’s your chance. Through an interview with Dr. Jennifer Rosier, one of our very own SCOM professors, we learn about what she does, her passions, and some of her life convictions.

“I don’t take my life too seriously. I don’t worry about what others are doing and I’m not in competition with other people. I’m only in competition with myself, and I strive to be the best I can be…and I usually am!” When asked the reason for her success, this was Rosier’s response. Rosier has a Ph.D. from Purdue University in Interpersonal Communication. She is currently an assistant professor at JMU and was awarded the SCOM Teacher of the Year award for the school year 2013-2014. Not only is she passionate about teaching, she is also passionate about research. Most of her research is dedicated to enhancing romantic relationships. Additionally, she is the author of Jens Love Lessons, a blog site that offers relationship advice based on research and her expert opinion, and book “Make Love, Not Scrapbooks,” also dedicated to bettering romantic relationships.

Most people who know her as a teacher, know that she doesn’t only teach material, but she also teaches something more than just textbook content—how to be passionate about life and what you do. She has a zeal for life that she tries to pass along to her students. Through much of the interview, Dr. Rosier tells us how she lives her life, and what she believes in that she thinks to be beneficial for her students as well.

The Week in Review

Speech Team Update

The JMU Speech Team had their most productive weekend of competition to date this past weekend on the campus of George Mason University. Twelve teams representing 7 different states joined JMU at the Virginia is for Lovers tournament hosted by our team and the George Mason Speech team, including: Pacific University (Oregon), University of Florida, University of Akron (Ohio), Seton Hall University (New Jersey), Sarah Lawrence College (New York), and St. Joseph’s University (Pennsylvania). The JMU team finished in 2nd place and Zach Healy (Sr, SCOM/SMAD) was overall top speaker. The individual results are as follows:

Shelby Akins (Sr, SCOM) 2nd Communication Analysis (QUALLED), 5TH Informative Speaking, 6th Prose Interpretation

Jessie Bur (Jr, Eng/SMAD) 1st Impromptu Speaking, 1st Persuasive Speaking (QUALLED), 6th Poetry Interpretation, 5th TOP SPEAKER

Zach Healy (Sr, SCOM/SMAD) 1st Duo Interpretation, 2nd Informative Speaking (QUALLED), 2nd Poetry Interpretation (QUALLED), 1st Prose Interpretation (QUALLED), OVERALL TOP SPEAKER

Katie Lese (Sr, SCOM) 4th Dramatic Interpretation, 1st Duo Interpretation, 2nd Prose Interpretation (QUALLED)

Nathan Selove (Fr, THEA) 1st After Dinner Speaking (QUALLED)

Kendrick Smith (Soph, SPAN) 2nd Program Oral Interpretation (QUALLED)

In order to qualify an event for the National Individual Event Tournament (NIET) a student must compete in at least three tournament final rounds and their placings in the final round must equal a total of 8 or less. The JMU team now has 6 members qualified (the most we have ever had qualified this early in the season) for the NIET to be held in Tempe, AZ at Arizona State University in April.

The team, coached by Lee Mayfield and Alyssa Reid, travels next to West Chester University in Pennsylvania.

Family Weekend

Family weekend was a great success and thankfully the weather stayed nice! If you have pictures from family weekend that you would like to add, please email Dr. Isaac Woo (woocw@jmu.edu) or Chelsea Legendre (legendcj@dukes.jmu.edu).

Upcoming Events

PRSSA Agency Visit

PRSSA is taking their first trip of the year to D.C. to visit different PR agencies today. The organization will be taking a bus up to D.C. and have the opportunity to meet with PR professionals. Then there will be an alumni networking event to conclude the trip.

IABC Meeting

SCOM’s newest organization, the International Association of Business Communications, will be having one more meeting prior to their elections. Elections will be held in November and if you are interested in running for a position, you will not want to miss these meetings! Contact Dr. Heather Carmack at carmachj@jmu.edu for more information.

Next Meeting: October 17th

Time: 6:30 PM-7:30 PM

September 18, 2013woocw No Comments

Introducing….Dr. Sims

Christy-Dale Sims has joined us as a part of the SCOM department and said, “I’m grateful for how both students and faculty have welcomed me!” Read on to hear more about her experiences with JMU and how she went caving for the first time in Harrisonburg!

Dr. Sims caving — August 2013- Caving in an yet-unnamed cave in VA

What surprised you the most about JMU students so far?

I work with mostly first year students, and a pleasant surprise has been their enthusiasm for JMU itself- everyone is excited to not only be in college, but to be HERE for college. I appreciate how quickly they make friends with one another in class, despite coming from all majors, all parts of campus, and having very different interests.

What are you looking forward to most here at JMU?

I’m excited for JMU’s commitment to excellence in the classroom, and pursuing the resources available here to achieve it. I certainly don’t mind being on such a beautiful campus!

If you could teach a class in any area, what would it be and why?

I’m a rhetorician interested in how collective remembering shapes our understanding of and interactions about race, nation, and gender. Based on those interests, I’d love to teach an advocacy class about how social differences such as race, gender, ability, class, age, and other differences have affected our messages/rhetoric about who belongs in the national community, both past and present. I believe that calling out those common messages that many people overlook helps people see how everyday discourses shape our world, and how by changing them, we can create positive social change. I’d probably call it something along the lines of Advocacy and Discourses of Difference.

What is your favorite aspect of the JMU culture?

The JMU culture is very supportive of faculty members as teachers, not only as researchers, an environment I enjoy. It’s also great to be in a place where people are genuinely interested in your life outside of the office.

Did you find any fun places around Harrisonburg?

I’m a big fan of the outdoors, and like to spend as much time as I can adventuring and am fortunate that the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding area has so much to offer! I am a rock climber, but I am branching out and recently went caving. I had the good fortune to be invited to helped survey and photograph a wild cave that had only been discovered the day before! My first caving trip found me underground for 12 hours, exploring a cave where no one else had ever been before, helping map and photograph it for further exploration. It was an exciting—and muddy!—experience that I hope to have again. Above ground, I’ve also been spending time in Shenandoah National Forest, where I’ve hiked Old Rag Mountain and am seeking out sections of the Appalachian Trail, and I recently visited the New Rover gorge in WV for some very scenic rock climbing!

Dr. Sims is excited to be here at JMU and will definitely help mold the freshman into passionate members of the JMU community.

Stay tuned for two more faculty introductions tomorrow!