B.A., English, DePauw University; M.A., English, University of Louisville; Ph.D. English, University of Louisville.
Teaching/research interests: End-of-life communication; media effects on children,communication and the elderly, intercultural communication,international communication, educational policy especially regarding literacy.
Gail Henson, Professor and Chair, founded Bellarmine’s Department of Communication in 1987. Henson’s academic interests in end-of-life communication, communication and the elderly, and intercultural communication are reflected in her research, teaching, as well service to a great number of organizations, including Louisville’s Metro Healthy Communities Initiative, Highland Community Ministries, and Bellarmine’s Multiculturalism Task Force.
Dr. Henson’s publications include “Managing Anger within Healthcare Systems: Necessary Strategies for Quality” in the Proceedings of International Conference on Healthcare Systems, “Communicating Last Things: Strategies for Teaching about Death and Dying Through Art, Music, and Literature,” in Proceedings of Hawaii International Conference on the Arts and Humanities, and “The Effects of Television on Children and Adolescents” in the Basic Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (John Wiley Publishers, 1999). She is also the author of The Gentle Agitator: An Oral Biography of Dr. Samuel Robinson (forthcoming, Bellarmine University Press).
Kyle S. Barnett, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
B.A., English and Philosophy, Indiana University-Indianapolis; M.A., American Culture Studies, Bowling Green State University; Ph.D., Radio-Television-Film, University of Texas-Austin.
Teaching/research interests: media studies (popular music, film, radio, television), media industry studies, critical/cultural studies, urban studies.
Kyle Barnett’s current research focuses on cultural production and genre formation in the U.S. recording industry. He is a former co-editor of The Velvet Light Trap film studies journal, former graduate editor of Flow: A Critical Forum for Television and New Media. Publications include “Furniture Music: The Phonograph as Furniture,” which appeared in the Journal of Popular Music Studies in Fall 2006. Barnett teaches classes in media and society, broadcasting history, film studies, and popular music across media.
Edward E. Manassah, M.A.
Executive Director, Institute for Media, Culture and Ethics
B.S., Business Administration, Youngstown State University; M.A., Communications, University of Florida.
Edward E. Manassah, executive director of the Institute for Media, Culture and Ethics at Bellarmine University, is a retired publisher of The Louisville Courier-Journal (1993-2006) and served in leadership positions from city editor to publisher at six Gannett Co. Inc. newspapers since 1975. He was on the USA Today start-up team in 1982. He has served on numerous civic and professional boards in Louisville and elsewhere, including the Regional Leadership Coalition, Leadership Louisville, the Greater Louisville Fund for the Arts, the Kentucky Economic Development Corporation, the Lincoln Heritage Council, the Louisville Urban League, Leadership Kentucky and Metro United Way. Manassah is a native of Sharon, Pennsylvania.
Winnie Spitza, J.D.
Instructor
B.A., Journalism and Public Relations, Western Kentucky University; M.A., Communications, University of Kentucky; J.D., Law, University of Louisville.
Teaching Experience/Interests: Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Business and Professional Communication; Public Relations, Communication Theory, Media Law.
Work Experience: Legislative correspondent, United Press International; Asst. Community Relations Manager, Louisville Free Public Library; Editorial Asst., Public
Affairs Office, Internal Revenue Service; Private Civil Law Practice, Indiana.
In addition to teaching a variety of communication courses at Bellarmine, Winnie Spitza’s background is in journalism, public relations, and business communication. She has worked as a legislative correspondent for United Press International, community relations manager for the Louisville Free Public Library, and as an editorial assistant for the Internal Revenue Services’ Public Affairs Office. She has also served as an attorney in a private civil law practice in the state of Indiana.
Ruth R. Wagoner, Ph.D.
Professor
B.A., History, Bellarmine University; M.A., Rhetoric and Public Address, Western Kentucky University; Ph.D., Organizational and Interpersonal Communication, University of Kentucky.
Teaching/research interests: organizational communication (how people use communication to get work done), critical thinking skills (identifying most important issues, linking premises and conclusions with evidence), opening statements in trials.
Ruth Wagoner was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the American Mock Trial Association in 2007. She is Director of the Mock Trial Program and is one of the 4 coaches of Bellarmine's Program. She has won several teaching awards and is included in Who's Who Among America's Teachers. Publications include " “How Supervisors Convey Routine Bad News: Facework at UPS," Southern Communication Journal, Spring, 1999. Presentations include "Storytelling in Opening Statements of Courtroom Trials,” Speech Communication Association National Convention, Fall, 1992 and “Mock Trial as a Tool for Teaching Critical Thinking,” National Communication Association Meeting 2004. Wagoner's current research interest is in how mock trial develops critical thinking skills.
Regular Part-Time Faculty:
Kimberly Conley; Linda Raymond; Stacie Shain; Stephanie Smith; James Wagoner; and Ann Zeman.
