Denise Haunani Solomon
Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, College of the Liberal Arts
105 Sparks BuildingUniversity Park , PA 16802
Curriculum Vitae
Download CVEducation:
- Ph.D. December 1992, Department of Communication Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- M.A. June 1990, Department of Communication Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- B.A. June, 1987, Department of Communication and Department of Business, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR
Biography:
Research Activitites and Interests
Interpersonal Communication
My research focuses generally on the causes and consequences of turbulence in romantic associations, as well as how communication participates in those experiences. I have studied how relationship qualities, such as power, relational uncertainty, and interdependence, shape people’s perceptions of and communication about relational irritations, jealousy experiences, hurtful messages, and sexually harassing statements. This work has culminated in the relational turbulence model, which describes how transitions in romantic relationships promote relationship qualities that polarize cognitive, emotional, and communicative reactions to both ordinary and extraordinary experiences. My recent projects use the relational turbulence model to gain insight into how people experience the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, cope with infertility, and communicate and receive support surrounding military deployment and re-deployment.
Courses
- CAS 203: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
- CAS 404: CONFLICT RESOLUTION & NEGOTIATION
- CAS 555: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
- CAS 556: RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION
