FHSU University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. — Four Fort Hays State University faculty members recently attended the 101st annual convention of the National Communication Association in Las Vegas.
Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang, assistant professor of communication studies, presented “My Shifting National Identities and Their Discontents: Exploring the Cultural and Power Struggles in Asian-American Identity Projects.” She was one of the panelists on the panel titled “The Taiwan Question: In Search of New Identities and Opportunities,” sponsored by the Asian/Pacific American Caucus. This critical reflection of her personal and political experience — from a mainland Chinese to a Taiwanese and currently an Asian American — aims to add more personal and affective voices to the scholarship in hope of opening up a more productive discussion on identity politics in the era of globalization.
Dr. Rose H. Helens-Hart, assistant professor of management, organized a panel of scholars examining representations of organizations in pop culture for the organizational communication division of the conference. She also and presented “We’re Like a Family: Examining Organizations’ Values Advocacy in ‘Undercover Boss.'” Her analysis of the television program demonstrated how the show’s narrative routinely valued and deployed such themes as family, the American Dream, and emotional intelligence to craft benevolent images of bosses and organizations.
Dr. Gordon Carlson, assistant professor of communication studies, served as an invited respondent on a panel analyzing organizational communication in the media. Carlson provided feedback and expertise to panelists who presented on topics including work and life balance and gender issues as viewed through the lens of popular sitcoms, the issue of exploitation on docudrama television programs, and how the television program “Undercover Boss” strategically uses pop culture to share corporate values with viewers. In addition, Carlson met faculty from across the country to collaborate on strategies in developing scholarship and was extended an invitation to guest lecture at a university in Spain.
Dr. Carrol R. Haggard, professor of communication studies, and Zhengyu “Tracy” Zhang, a University of Texas doctoral student and an FSHU 2014 master’s graduate presented “A Content Analysis of Social Media Postings of Communicative Reverse Adaptation Faced by Chinese Students Upon Return to China Following a Study Abroad Program in the U.S.” This paper was the second in a series that examines the communicative adaptations required of Chinese students as they re-acclimate to their home culture. This study identified the types of issues and concerns that students were facing as reflected in their social media postings.