Jonathan Bowman, PhD
Professor, Communication
Honors Program Director
- PhD, Michigan State University, Interpersonal Communication
- MA, Michigan State University, Small Group Communication
- BA, University of California Davis, Communication Studies
- University Distinguished Fellow, Michigan State University
Jonathan M. Bowman, PhD is a Professor of Communication and the Director of the USD Honors Program. He is a winner of the Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education, the highest teaching honor in his discipline. Bowman teaches courses in human communication processes, focusing on fostering the engaged expression of ideas alongside the elucidation of concepts within the context of inclusion and social justice. Bowman has been the recipient of the WSCA Distinguished Teaching Award, a University Professorship, the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Keck Faculty Fellowship for undergraduate research, the Innovations in Experiential Education Award for his commitment to high-impact practices, and USD's Outstanding Preceptor Award for excellence in teaching & advising, among others. He serves as a mentor to undergraduates in multiple capacities, including students involved in student government, greek life, academic honors, and/or campus faith-based organizations.
Bowman’s research program investigates interpersonal and small group communication processes in a variety of contexts, emphasizing the revelation of unknown information. His most recent book is Communication in Action (2025), and he also authored Nonverbal Communication: An Applied Approach (2024), Interconnections: Foundations and Contexts in Interpersonal Communication (2019), as well as co-authored a monograph with Filar (2018) and an edited volume with Fritsvold (2016). His research has also been published in scholarly journals like The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Small Group Research, Communication Research Reports, and multiple book chapters. In addition to scholarly publications, Bowman has contributed his expertise to national and international media outlets, including newspapers, radio, podcasts, and television news programs. Media appearances include USA Today and Good Morning America.
Bowman received graduate degrees at Michigan State University as a University Distinguished Fellow, and an undergraduate degree at the University of California Davis as a Regent’s Scholar. He was an Assistant Professor at Boston College before upgrading to the University of San Diego in 2007.
Areas of Expertise
Interpersonal Communication
Scholarly Work
Bowman, J. M. (2025). Communication in Action. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Bowman, J. M. (2024). Nonverbal Communication: An Applied Approach, 2nd Edition. SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Bowman, J. M. (2019). InterConnections: Foundations and Contexts in Interpersonal Communication. Cengage Learning: Boston, MA.
Bowman, J. M. & Filar, D. C. (2018). Masculinity and Student Success in Higher Education. Part of the Key Issues in Diverse College Students series. Routledge: New York, NY.
Areas of Interest
An award-winning teacher, Bowman is best known for teaching a hands-on version of Communication Research Methods which emphasizes the completion of a quantitative research project which oftentimes benefits a local non-profit organization in the greater San Diego area. He also teaches seminar-style upper-division courses on nonverbal communication, interpersonal communication, and human communication theory. Bowman typically incorporates an experiential-learning approach in his classes, which helps students directly immerse themselves in course material both in and out of the classroom.