Intercultural Communication

The culture emphasis prepares scholars for research and teaching about a variety of topics related to communication, culture and diversity. From the global marketplace to workplace diversity to inter-ethnic romance, so much of our world involves communicating with people who do not share our own cultural group memberships. The culture emphasis provides a firm grounding in culture and then provides specializations in topics such as:

• identity and communication
• ethnicity, race, gender, and class
• prejudice and discrimination
• politics and race
• culture and health

Faculty working in this area are as diverse as the topic itself, utilizing qualitative, quantitative, critical, and rhetorical methods. A major, federally funded grant project is focused on the role of culture in adolescent drug use and prevention. Our current and recent graduate students are interested in topics such as:

• international health
• African American identity
• culture and online health information
• culture and health message production
• African American speakers
• Jewish American communication
• Korean American identity and depression
• Japanese single women identity.

Contacts:

Michael Hecht
Mhecht@psu.edu
863-3545

Ronald Jackson
rjackson@la.psu.edu

863-6260