Professors

Farhad Bahram, M.F.A. | University of Oregon, 2015
Assistant Professor of Communication
Gillum Hall | (812) 237-3298
Farhad.Bahram@indstate.edu

Bahram is a Chicago based artist and educator in the field of new media studies, performance art, and social practices. Born in Iran, a society with stringent regulatory control over all types of communication, Bahram developed a keen interest in understanding how the performance of individual actions could affect the outcome of our social encounters. Many of his works question the function of viewership and the subjective mechanism of our interactions with those around us.

Bahram has exhibited nationally and internationally, and his creative work has been reviewed and featured in Art Practical, PBS News Hour, Voice of America, The Santa Fe New Mexican, IranWire, Eugene Weekly, Tribune-Star, among others. His practice and research have been supported by grants and awards from the Tokyo Foundation for International Research, The Office of Research at the University of Michigan, Arts Endowment Committee at Indiana State University, Ford Alumni Center at University of Oregon, and Society for Photographic Education. His recent paper on digital storytelling is published in Storytelling, Self, Society journal. He received his MFA from the University of Oregon and currently works as an Assistant Professor of Digital Media Production at Indiana State University since 2019.

Darlene Hantzis, Ph.D. | Louisiana State University
Professor of Communication
Affiliated Faculty in Women’s Studies
Specializations: Performance and gender studies
Gillum Hall 326 | (812) 237-3658
Darlene.Hantzis@indstate.edu

Malynnda Johnson, Ph.D. | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2012
Associate Professor of Communication 
Gillum Hall 354 | (812) 237-3778
Malynnda.Johnson@indstate.edu

Dr. Malynnda Johnson is an assistant professor and the current Chair of the Graduate Faculty Committee. In 2012 she completed her Ph.D. graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Dr. Johnson loves to research taboo topics and engage in difficult conversations. She has spent most of her career researching sexual health, STI and HIV prevention, and how we talk about sex in the media. In the fall of 2017, her first book HIV on TV: Popular Culture’s Epidemic hit the shelves. As a self-proclaimed nerd, she has also found ways to merge her love for Sherlock Holmes and research by writing about the connections between Holmes and other portrayals of autism in the media in a chapter of her second book Normalizing Mental Illness and Neurodiversity in Entertainment Media: Quieting the Madness.  Currently, Dr. Johnson is embarking on two new areas of research. The first is the examination of the benefits and dangers of mixing health and comedy in the media. The second being a critical analysis of how media shapes the perceptions of prevention (i.e. condoms and masks/face coverings). As a mixed-methods researcher, Dr. Johnson welcomes the opportunity to work with students interested in all thing’s health.

Hyosun Kim, Ph. D. | University of N. Carolina, 2005
Assistant Professor of Communication 
Gillum 352 | (812) 237-2797
Hyosun.Kim@indstate.edu

Hyosun Kim is an assistant professor of communication in the Department of Communication at Indiana State University. Kim’s Ph.D. is in Mass Communication, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the field of advertising and media effect. Her research is in the intersection of marketing communication and communication technology, which explores the impacts and challenges of technology in marketing communication. Kim’s research interests include social media, corporate social responsibility, and direct-consumer advertising of prescription drugs. Specifically, her recent research focuses on endorser effects of social media influencers and their impact on consumers’ decision-making and persuasion knowledge. She published her research in the International Journal of Health Policy and Management, the International Journal of Strategic Communication, and the Journal of Interactive Advertising. Kim teaches PR courses and social media in both undergraduate and graduate levels at ISU. Prior to joining at ISU, she was a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Shana C. Kopaczewski, Ph.D. | University of Iowa
Associate Professor of Communication
Specializations: Interpersonal communication and media criticism
Gillum Hall 353 | (812) 237-3220
Shana.Kopaczewski@indstate.edu

Dr. Shana Kopaczewski is Chair and Associate Professor in the Communication Department at Indiana State University.  She holds a PhD in Interpersonal/Relational Communication from the University of Iowa. Her current research centers mainly on intersections between interpersonal communication and new media, particularly online dating, stigma communication, and discourses of the body in online environments. Recent publications have examined the perception of credibility in online dating profiles and how the expression of identity in online dating is discursively controlled and policed by other online daters. Dr. Kopaczewski is also actively engaged in faculty governance and committed to developing course-based international travel opportunities for ISU students through her work building and maintaining strategic relationships with faculty partners at the University of Zagreb in Croatia.

Natasha Rascon, Ph.D. | University of New Mexico 
Assistant Professor in Communication 
Specializations: Conflict management, health communication, and interpersonal communication 
Gillum Hall 316 | (812) 237-4577 
Natasha.Rascon@indstate.edu

Dr. Natasha Rascon is a passionate educator that enjoys inviting others to genuine conversations that lead to understanding and growth.  Rascon has studied various areas of communication, including organizational communication, intercultural communication, the intersection of interpersonal and health communication, and conflict management.  Rascon encourages civic engagement and includes service learning in her classrooms.  She also serves as the College Challenge Liaison for the Department and the faculty advisor for Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association's National Honor Society.  Across campus, Rascon serves on the commencement speaker selection committee, as a commencement speaker coach, on the advisory board for the Accessibility Resource Office, and on the advisory board for Camp Kesem.  Her research utilizes the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) and ComComplex for practical impact.  She has worked with health care teams, volunteer firefighters, and community members to enhance Autism Awareness.  Rascon is also an active member of the National Communication Association and presents each year at the convention.  If you enjoy applied, practical research, Rascon would enjoy assisting in your pursuit!

Haijing Tu, Ph.D. | University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2009
Associate Professor of Communication
Specializations: Research methods, social network analysis, and digital media production
Gillum Hall 317 | (812) 237-4610
Haijing.Tu@indstate.edu

Dr. Haijing Tu is an associate professor at Indiana State University. She received her Ph.D. in 2009 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research interests are in the areas of media technology, network analysis, and audience analysis. Her teaching efforts are currently focusing on multimedia production and research methods. Her publications are included in journals such as Intercultural Communication Studies, Journal of International Students, and Pennsylvania Communication Annual. Prior to joining ISU, she gained valuable teaching experiences at Lynn University and Utah Valley University during the time between January 2012 and August 2013.

Richard C. Vincent, Ph.D. | University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Professor of Communication
Specialization: International communication and mass media
Gillum Hall 328 | (812) 237-3246
Richard.Vincent@indstate.edu