Rachel Smith
Liberal Arts Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, and Human Development and Family Studies
216 Sparks BuildingUniversity Park , PA 16802
Office Hours:
- On sabbatical 2021/2022
Education:
- B.A., Boston University, 1994 (Psychology)
- B.S., Boston University, 1994 (Broadcast/ Film)
- M.S., University of Arizona, 1999 (Communication)
- Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2003 (Communication)
Rachel Smith is a quantitative scientist whose interests lie broadly in social influence and social systems. Themes in her scholarship include why some expressions of prejudice diffuse and become social stigmas, and how social power, affiliation, and network topology shape persuasion and resistance. She also develops and evaluates approaches to design effective health campaigns that improve well-being, avoid iatrogenic outcomes, and advance theory. Professor Smith teaches undergraduate courses on persuasion (CAS 220), communication theory (CAS 303), health communication (CAS 453), and intercultural communication (CAS 471), and graduate seminars in quantitative research methods (CAS 561), social influence (CAS 550), health campaigns (CAS 567), and advanced methods for dyadic and network data (CAS 563 “Pairs and pairings”). Her research has been funded by NIH, the Gates Foundation, CDC, USAID, and private foundations.
Current students: Youllee Kim (Ph.D., completed spring 2021) and Lulu Peng (Ph.D., completed summer 2021)