Raven Bailey (CS ’19) participated in the Communicating Across Cultures in Dublin program led by Associate Professor Laura Miller and Director John Haas during the summer of 2019. Then a senior, she has since graduated from UT, but we caught up with her nonetheless to hear about her first time being abroad.  

A native of Midland, Michigan, Diane Carr completed her master’s degree in Communication & Information this summer with an emphasis in communication studies. She received her bachelor’s degree in human resources at Michigan State University and later joined the Peace Corps. 

She began working at UT’s College of Nursing as a research information specialist in 2016, which rekindled her longtime interest in pursuing a master’s degree. She wants to continue working in communications and has a passion for environmental conservation and helping those less fortunate. 

Why did you choose Tennessee and the CCI program for your master’s degree? 

Working in the medical field can be stressful even in the best of times, but the COVID-19 pandemic has many medical professionals feeling overwhelmed.

To counteract this, professors Joan Rentsch of the College of Communication and Information and David Patterson of the College of Social Work are leading weekly sessions in mindfulness-based stress reduction with medical residents and employees at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

The Zoom sessions include short guided meditation practices for the 25 to 35 participants, followed by time for discussion and teaching. Sessions usually finish in less than an hour.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, students received a big surprise today when Peyton Manning dropped in on John Haas’ Communication Studies Senior Capstone class.

“I realize this a unique time and probably not the ideal way you guys expected to spend your senior year,” Manning said. “I just encourage you to keep a positive attitude, keep doing what you’re doing, and try to take advantage of the little bit of extra time you have to accomplish something else or help out somebody in need.

This January, students from the School of Advertising and Public Relations and School and Journalism and Electronic Media traveled to New York City to get an insider’s view of the industry. In February, the Communications Studies club ventured to D.C. to learn more about professional opportunities with a Communication Studies degree.

They were hosted by CCI alums and given the opportunity to further their knowledge outside the classroom. Three students, Laken Wright, Savannah Smith, and Hannah Dimon, gave a first-hand account of the trips.

Laken Wright (Advertising)

A scholarly book on hate speech co-written by John Haas, associate professor and director of the UT Knoxville School of Communication Studies, has been recognized by the National Communication Association (NCA).

The Communication of Hate, co-written by Haas and Michael Waltman of the University of North Carolina, has won the NCA’s Franklyn S. Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression.

“My goal in writing the book was to provide a tool to mitigate the damage caused by hate speech and provide helpful strategies for overcoming its often devastating effects,” said Haas.