Assistant Professor of Communication
a.bialowas@utah.edu
EDUCATION
2008 Ph.D. in Communication, University of Utah (in progress; expected date of completion Fall 2008)
Areas of concentration: Contemporary rhetoric, feminist theory, media studies, cultural studies
Dissertation Title: Swinging from the Ladies’ Tee: Gendered Discourses of Women’s Golf (ABD, defended prospectus April 2007)
2002 M.A. in Communication Studies, California State University Sacramento
Areas of concentration: Media studies, mass communication, gender
Thesis Title: The Sopranos’ Women and Men Sing a Different Tune: A Gender Ideology Analysis of Friendship, Family, and Identity
19998 B.A. in Communication Studies, University of Puget Sound, 1998
Minors in History and Women’s Studies
PROFESSIONAL TEACHING HISTORY
2008-present Assistant Professor, Communication Department, Weber State University
2007-2008 Instructor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah Oral 2006-2007 Communication Consultant (Bioengineering), Center for Engineering
Leadership (CLEAR), University of Utah
2002-2008 Teaching Fellow, Department of Communication, University of Utah
2003-present Math Teaching Assistant Trainer, Department of Math, University of Utah
2005-2006 Graduating Senior Advisor, Department of Communication, University of Utah
2001-2002 McNair Graduate Assistant, McNair Scholars Program, CSU Sacramento
2000-2002 Teaching Associate, Department of Communication, CSU Sacramento
1999 Driver Trainer for Tour Buses, Princess Tours, Seattle, WA, 1999
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Communication Criticism: Study and history of methods of communication
criticism. Facilitates understanding and use of basic methods for analyzing and evaluating discourse, cultivates critical perspectives, and encourages engagement with issues of culture. (fulfills upper division writing and humanities exploration requirement)
Cultural Studies in Communication: Introduces current issues, theoretical developments and arguments that pervade the interdisciplinary field of cultural studies. Traces history of cultural studies through intellectual traditions and theorists.
Communication and Culture: Takes a “cultural studies” approach to contemporary cultural discourses. Fosters critical awareness of how communication shapes culture and how culture shapes communication. Focuses on contemporary media as sites of these discourses and how certain discourses establish and maintain dominant status. (fulfills diversity requirement)
Gender and Communication: Examines issues of gender, communication and culture. Facilitates understanding gender in relation to issues of identity, race, sexuality, class, and power. (fulfills diversity requirement)
Media Texts: Examines the role mass media plays in our lives, while focusing on increasing critical consumption of mediated texts. Reviews mass communication theories in context of research topics. (fulfills humanities exploration requirement)
Communication and Social Behavior: Focuses on communication messages, social behavior and human society. Explores the premise of social constructionism and the communicative maintenance of social “realities.” (fulfills humanities exploration requirement)
Communication and Social Responsibility: Explores how communication is involved in building and sustaining beliefs, social patterns of action, and personal choices. (fulfills upper division writing and humanities exploration requirement)
Construction of Knowledge: A course through the Honors Program investigating different ways disciplines construct and produce knowledge, the research questions that drive that production, and the implications different kinds of knowledge have on the lives of human beings.
Introduction to Mass Communication: Introduces theories and types of mass communication. (core class for the mass communication degree)
Introduction to Communication: Introduces basic theories and concepts of human communication in the various areas of communication: interpersonal, small group, organizational, mass communication, and public speaking.
Public Speaking: Introduces and applies principles of public speaking. Focuses on informative and persuasive speeches as well as business and public communication.
Scientific Presentations: A graduate course for bioengineering students to improve oral and written communication skills. Focuses on communicating technical engineering information effectively.
SUBMITTED MANUSCRIPTS
Gender and Nationalism, Ornamentalism and the Rhetorical Significance of the “The Mother India” Controversy, co-author with Marouf Hasian, Communication Quarterly. (Notified of revise and resubmit status August 2007, March 2008)
Biomedical Engineering Design and the Promotion of High-Value Relationships with Clinical Medicine. Co-author with Robert Hitchcock, Kelly Broadhead, and Layne Williams. Advances in Engineering Education
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Match Point: Racist Media Representations of Venus and Serena Williams. (preparing for Southern Communication Journal)
Negotiating Challenges to Dominant Gender Ideologies: Martha Burk and Hootie Johnson from the Golf Course to the Media Stage. (preparing for Western Journal of Communication)
PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS
Gender Theory in the Classroom. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, San Diego, 2008.
Rhetorical Construction and Negotiation of Professional Women Golfers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Chicago, 2007.
Biomedical Engineering Design and the Promotion of High-Value Relationships with Clinical Medicine. Co-author with Robert Hitchcock, Kelly Broadhead, and Layne Williams. Paper presented at the Capstone Design Conference, University of Colorado Boulder, 2007. Also presented at the American Society of Engineering Educators Conference (Rocky Mountain), Provo, 2007 (competitively selected).
Gender Studies—Is Men’s Studies an Uninvited Guest?: Discussing Connections and Complications Between Women’s and Men’s Studies. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, San Antonio, 2006.
Mediated Image of Female Athletes: Natalie Gulbis as Golfer or Swimsuit Model? Paper presented at the Communication and Sport Summit, Arizona State University-West, 2006.
Intersection of Organizational Communication, Difference, and Mediated Images: The Worldwide World of Sports. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Boston, 2005 (competitively selected).
Out of the Closet: Marginalization in HIV/AIDS Health Advertisements. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Boston, 2005 (competitively selected).
Negotiating Challenges to Dominant Gender Ideologies: Martha Burk and Hootie Johnson from the Golf Course to the Media Stage. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Western States Communication Association, San Francisco, 2005 (competitively selected).
Match Point: Racist Media Representations of Venus and Serena Williams. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Western States Communication Association, Albuquerque, 2004 (competitively selected).
Mediated Representations of Women Athletes: Annika Sorenstam Tees Off. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Chicago, 2004.
The Sopranos Reach out and Sing a Different Tune: A Gender Ideology Analysis of Identity. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Miami, 2003 (competitively selected).
Wrestling—More than Meets the Eye. Paper presented at the annual Humanities Graduate Conference, Salt Lake City, 2003 (competitively selected).
The Sopranos Reach out and Sing a Different Tune: A Gender Ideology Analysis of Family. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Western States Communication Association, Salt Lake City, 2003.
The Sopranos Reach out and Sing a Different Tune: A Gender Ideology Analysis of Friendship. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Western States Communication Association, Long Beach, 2002.
Miss America: The Queen of Femininity. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender, San Diego, 2001 (competitively selected).
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
Presentation, “Feminism and Women’s Movements,” for Department of Communication Gender and Communication (course 3070), University of Utah, May, 2008
Presentation, “Cultural Studies in Communication,” for Department of Communication Freshmen Interest Group (course 2050), University of Utah, November 2007
Presentation, Campus Wide T.A. Orientation and Workshop, “What to do on the First Day,” University of Utah, August 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Presentation, “Public Speaking Preparation and Overall Tips,” for Human Genetics Counseling (graduate course 6440), University of Utah, August 2006
Presentation, “How to Present a Paper at a Conference,” for Humanities Graduate
Conference, February 2003
Presentation, “How to Present a Paper for a Class," for Political Science (course
5810), University of Utah, 2003, 2005, 2006
SERVICE
Professional
Paper Reviewer, Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference, Western States Communication Association, 2007
Paper Reviewer, Media Studies Division, Western States Communication Association, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Committee Member for Diane Furno-Lamude Award, Media Studies Division, Western States Communication Association, 2004
Manuscript Reviewer, Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 2002-present
Book Review Editor, Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 2002
University
Co-organizer, Faculty Workshop at the Center for Engineering
Leadership, University of Utah, Ethics and Teaching: Building a Collaborative Community in the Classroom
Contributor, “The CLEAR Report” Newsletter, University of Utah, Spring 2008
Judge, Senior Presentations for Bioengineering, 2007, 2008
Co-organizer and presenter, Faculty Workshop at the Center for Engineering
Leadership, University of Utah, Writing CLEARly, February 2007
Contributor, “The CLEAR Report” Newsletter, University of Utah,
Fall 2006
Workshop Facilitator, Student Ambassadors Training for the College of Engineering, September 2006
Judge, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Senior Presentations, Spring 2006, 2007, 2008
Department
Registration volunteer, Alta Conference, University of Utah sponsored, 2005
Student Member (elected), B. Aubrey Fisher Lecture Committee, University of Utah 2004
Member, Graduate Student Competitive Colloquium Committee, University of Utah, 2004
Social Committee Member, Communication Graduate Student Association,
University of Utah, 2003-2004
HONORS AND AWARDS
Nominee, Ramona W. Cannon Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, Department of Communication, University of Utah, 2005
Outstanding Achievement in the Academic Excellence of its Members, Theta Phi Chapter of Delta Delta Delta, University of Utah, 2004
Nominee, Ramona W. Cannon Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, Department of Communication, University of Utah, 2003