Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Out of class communication between students and instructors is valuable, but takes place less often than instructors wish. This study investigates why students do or do not arrange for such conferences. We develop a new instrument, the Out of Class Commmunication Scale, which measures students' perceptions and expectations about this sort of communication episode. The OCCS has four subscales, measuring how helpful, easy, and useful the conferences are likely to be, as well as how desirable and substitutable alternatives (such as phone and email) might be. The subscales predict frequency of visits, with correlations ranging from absolute values of .22 to .39. OCCS scores have some relationships to instructors' perceived assertiveness and responsiveness, as measured by the SCS, as well as correlations to student locus of control. Student sex and age also have some modest connections to OCCS. We regard this investigation as a useful step toward the eventual goal of increasing the frequency and usefulness of out of class communication.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper asks to what degree our pedagogical practices and theoretical discussions of civic engagement are distinctly separate activities and how might we use curricular and co-curricular strategies to better link theory and practice.

Publication Type: Extended Abstract
Abstract: This study investigates the relationships between self-reported narrative engagement and attention to a filmic narrative at suspenseful/ non-suspenseful and emotional/ non-emotional moments. In an experiment, participants watched two television dramas, and responded to an auditory cue. Secondary task reaction times (STRT) are used as indicators for available cognitive resources. Results show that STRTs are not related to overall narrative engagement nor its subscales Emotion, Attentional Focus, Being There and Narrative Understanding. Suspenseful scenes slow STRTs, while emotional scenes do not.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: I explore the relationship between civic engagement and democratic practice. I suggest that the traditional model of civic engagement does not capture the distinctive engagement of many young people today and is limited in three crucial ways: an inflexible model of organizational commitment, an antiquated understanding of contemporary group membership, and the assumption that nearly all forms of engagement are equal in the sense of efficacy that they convey to participants. A new model inspired by participatory culture is necessary. A contemporary model of civic engagement, Engagement 2.0, suggests that the NDM represents a new space for political change—a space that has been overlooked by many political scientists.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This article examines the underlying logic behind what I call the new civic rationale for university diversity. I draw on a diverse literature to explore the varying ways in which diversity could be connected to democratic participation. I argue that the prevailing conception of diversity, what I call the contact thesis is inadequate preparation for democratic participation in a diverse society because it does not challenge the “underlying liberal architecture” that shapes both the practice and scholarship of college diversity. I make the case for emphasizing a participatory culture that favors multiple and intersectional identities over fixed identities, public work over dialogue, and participatory democracy over pluralist democracy. The challenge for colleges and universities in the coming years is to design curriculum and pedagogy that emphasizes diversity as a fluid, adaptable and emerging phenomenon while simultaneously grounding it within fixed ethnic and cultural identities.