Communication Studies

SIU School of Communication Studies doctoral student Bolton Morales joins Justin to talk organizational communication, leadership development, identity in the workplace, Pete Davidson, the nonverbal cues we overlook, tattoos as trade versus art, professional wrestling, and more! 

SIU School of Communication Studies professor Dr. Nilanjana Bardhan joins Justin this week to talk finding her path to communication studies, intercultural communication, doing PR for the medical field without a medical background, postcolonial studies, Bollywood films, DEI's rapid importance for the corporate world, the value of discovering new identities, and more.

SIU School of Communication Studies professor Dr. Jonny Gray joins Justin this week to talk Star Trek, the importance of pop culture, environmental rhetoric, the intersection of pop culture and folklore, Dr. Who, comic books, and more! You can check out his Isn't It Queer podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/isnt-it-queer/id912207696.

T. Brown and Dr. Craig Gingrich-Philbrook, co-directors of the Kleinau Theater show Naked Stories, join Justin this week to discuss the recent production from genesis of idea through post-production reflections. Naked Stories is Brown's personal story of growing up in the 70s and 80s and coming to terms with his sexuality. T. Brown is a graduate student in the SIU School of Communication Studies, while Dr. Craig Gingrich-Philbrook is a faculty member.

SIU School of Communication Studies doctoral student Alex Lockwood joins Justin to talk environmental communication, ecovillages, performing online in a pandemic, the Loch Ness Monster, Slender Man, conspiracy theories, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as performance art.

SIU School of Communication Studies professor Dr. Rebecca Walker joins Justin this week to talk how to be a better storyteller, the universality of southern fiction, a brief history of feminism, Michael Jackson and roller rinks, performing as a tourist, and the cultural impact of the flash mob.

SIU School of Communication Studies professor Dr. Todd Graham is a lover of comedy, student of politics, CNN contributor, but maybe best known as America's Debate Coach. A four time coach of the year award recipient, Graham led SIU's debate team to the final four nine straight years. He joins Justin to talk navigating humor in speech, college television hijinks, the evolution of competitive debate, and where he sees the future of presidential debates headed (and why so many are stuck in the past).

SIU School of Communication Studies doctoral student Kalie Scanlan joins Justin to talk fundraising for the arts, working with puppets, the many hats of a stage manager, labor practices in theater, the retail wonderland that is Spencer's Gifts, working with raccoons, the dangers of lighting boards, and the value of discussing our empathetic reactions to art. You can check out her podcast Paranoia Percentage at: https://anchor.fm/paranoia-percentage/

SIU School of Communication Studies faculty member Dr. Craig Gingrich-Philbrook joins Justin to talk about his recent experience as a participant on a reality television show, how that ties into his teaching of compassionate communication, a brief history of queer performance, expanding the stage through media, and the beauty of inclusiveness in a new television series.

Doctoral student in communication studies Shelby Swafford joins Justin to talk about what exactly performance studies is, how our ideas of gender are constructed from an early age, what it's like to be on a stage all alone baring your soul, attacks on reproductive justice, her personal story of abortion and why she shares it, and a little bit of the best HBO has to offer.