John S. Caputo
Department Chair
Professor of Communication
Dr. Caputo is a former Chair of the Department of Communication Arts and Executive Secretary of the Northwest Communication Association. Dr. Caputo earned his Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate School and University Center. He has been teaching communication courses for more than 30 years and has appeared on radio and television news and discussion programs. His areas of expertise include communication theory, intercultural and interpersonal communication, and media and social values. He is the author of seven books: Effective Communication Handbook; Communicating Effectively: Linking Thought with Expression; Dimensions of Communication; Interpersonal Communication: Competency Through Critical Reasoning, which was co- authored with Bud Hazel and Colleen McMahon; Public Speaking Handbook: A Liberal Arts Perspective with Bud Hazel; McDonaldization Revisited: Critical Essays on Consumer Culture, which he co-edited with Mark Alfino and Robin Wynyard for Praeger Press; and his newest book, Effective Communication. Dr. Caputo has also written more than 20 articles in professional journals, and been honored as a Visiting Scholar In-Residence at the University of Kent at Canterbury, England and taught in Florence, Italy. In addition, Dr. Caputo is on the faculty of Loyola College of Maryland's Cagli Project, Summer Professional Media Experience. He has been honored with Master Teacher Awards by the Western States Communication Association and the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Heather Crandall
Assistant Professor
Dr. Crandall earned an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Washington State University. Her areas of concentration are American Studies, Communication, and Rhetoric. She is specifically interested in media representation of socio-economic class. Her dissertation was an examination of the ways in which prime-time television crime dramas portray working poor characters. Dr. Crandall teaches courses in theorizing communication, visual rhetoric, organizational communication, public speaking, small group communication, and interpersonal communication.

Carolyn Cunningham
Assistant Professor
Dr. Cunningham completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also earned a doctoral certificated in Women's and Gender Studies. As a graduate student, she was a Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Engineering. Her research interests include media and technological literacy, social media, the digital divide, non-profit communication, youth studies, and qualitative research methods.  Her dissertation focused on how community organizations teach youth media production skills for self-expression and civic engagement. Her work has appeared in several book chapters and journals, including New Media & Society. Her current research project is qualitative analysis of girls' video games. She teaches classes in communication theory, social dynamics of communication technology, communication training and consulting, and public speaking.

Michael Hazel
Associate Professor
Dr. Hazel earned his Ph.D. from Washington State University after living in Japan for eight years. In addition to teaching in the United States, he taught for six years at Immaculate Heart College in southern Japan. His areas of interest include ethics, organizational communication, communication theory, research methods, communication apprehension, and intercultural and interpersonal communication.

Nobuya Inagaki
Assistant Professor
Professor. Inagaki's teaching and research interests include the social significance of digital communication technologies, international communication, and research methods. He is currently completing his doctoral dissertation (University of Texas at Austin, Radio TV Film Department) with a study of the social geography of communication technologies in rural areas. Recent publications include: "Communicating the Impact of Communication for Development" (The World Bank Working Paper #120, 2007), and "Reconfiguring public Internet access in Austin, TX" (with Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Government Information, Quarterly, 2006).

Other Pages of Interest:

• M.A. in Communication and Leadership Studies
• The Communication Master’s Curriculum
• Communication Program Testimonials
• International Media Emphasis

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