Eric Pierson, Ph.D., joined the faculty in 1999. Prior to joining the faculty he spent five years teaching at the University of Illinois st Urbana-Champaign while pursuing his Ph.D. He has been chair of the department since 2006.

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Jonathan M. Bowman, Ph.D.,assistant professor of Communication Studies, teaches courses in human communication processes and the methods through which we obtain that knowledge about communication. He joined USD in 2007 after three years on the faculty at Boston College. Bowman’s research currently focuses on communication processes associated with intimacy and close relationships, with recent publications addressing male friendships. He is also a participant in the Faculty-in-Residence program, and works as an advisor and a mentor to undergraduates in multiple capacities, particularly those students involved in greek life and/or campus faith-based organizations.

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Leeva C. Chung, Ph.D., has been a member of the faculty since 1998. She is an associate professor of Communication Studies and also serves as an affiliate faculty member in Ethnic Studies. Chung has developed undergraduate courses and a research agenda based on her focus on ethnic identity development among minority groups in the U.S. and intercultural issues. In addition to her teaching and research efforts, she has been actively involved in the community, specifically with the San Diego Asian Film Festival. Thanks to Chung’s efforts, the festival premiered at USD in 2000. Since then, it has gained an international reputation as one of North America's leading Asian American film festivals.

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Esteban del Río, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Communication Studies, centers his work on media and cultural studies, from a critical, qualitative perspective.  He teaches introduction to media studies, media and conflict, international media, interpretive methods, film &and cultural politics, and acoustic culture and communication.  His research examines the social construction of unity and difference in U.S. national and transnational contexts, focusing on the politics and processes of Latinidad in informational and entertainment discourses.  His current work examines the possibility of Latina/o coherence, with specific interest in the politics of positive representation for historically marginalized and subjugated groups in contemporary general market media.

Interests
Participatory culture, modernism, DYI, Chicanismo, cinema, music

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Sarah K. Foregger, Ph.D., teaches courses emphasizing a social science perspective of communication.  Her specializations include interpersonal communication, social influence, health communication and research methods. Her most recent research focus has been on the use of media to maintain or establish interpersonal connections, specifically examining the use of Facebook.com by undergraduates.   

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Carole Huston, Ph.D., joined USD’s faculty in 1989. She is a professor of Communication Studies and Gender Studies, and currently serves as the assessment director for the College of Arts and Sciences. She has taught lower and upper division courses in communication theory, research methods, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, and the gender studies senior seminar. Her research interests include family business communication as the juncture between interpersonal and organizational communication. She has also served at the director of the Center for Educational Excellence, focusing on faculty development programs for the university community.

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Kristin C. Moran, Ph.D., joined the Communication Studies department in 1999 as a visiting assistant professor and became a permanent faculty member in 2001. Moran offers courses on a wide range of mass media related issues such as Children and Media and International Media. Her research focuses on Spanish-language media in the United States, Mexico and Spain with special attention to the global expansion of children’s television networks. She serves as the university’s representative to the Binational Association of Schools of Communication (BINACOM), an organization devoted to cross border interaction and demystifying stereotypes through ethical communication.

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Sarah Burke Odland, Ph.D., joined the faculty in 2008 after three years at the University of Colorado at Denver. Odland teaches courses in media studies and mass communication. Her research is concerned with exploring the relationship between media representations and the construction of social and cultural identities, particularly in relation to gender.

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Roger C. Pace, Ph.D., has been a member of the faculty since 1987.  He is a professor of Communication Studies and also currently serves as the director of the basic speech courses.   He teaches courses in communication theory and organizational communication.  Pace’s research interests are group and organizational decision making and the effects of emerging technologies on communication patterns and outcomes.  He is the former associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and chair of the Faculty Senate.

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Susannah Stern Ph.D., joined the department of Communication Studies in 2004, after teaching at Boston College for four years. Stern offers courses that investigate the role of media in contemporary life, particularly as they involve children, adolescents, and women, as well as courses on research methods.  Stern's research focuses on electronic media and youth culture, and she has conducted extensive research on the Internet as a site for cultural consumption and self-expression.

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David Sullivan, Ph.D., joined the department of Communication Studies in 1992. Sullivan teaches courses in communication theory, media theory and criticism, journalism, political communication, and mediated sports. He has authored journal articles on the topics of mediated sports and mediated politics that have appeared in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Communication, and Women's Studies in Communication. A former newspaper reporter and editor, he has served as faculty advisor to USD's undergraduate newspaper since he arrived at USD.

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Larry Williamson, Ph.D., began building the Communication Studies department at USD in 1982, and chaired the department from 1985 to 1993. He is a rhetorical critic, and has applied this perspective to the examination of various types of popular texts over the last 26 years. His teaching interests are eclectic and range across subjects like semantics, rhetorical theory, media criticism, and legal communication.

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