Dr. Stephanie Hamel
Professor
- Email: shamel@csuchico.edu
- Phone: 530-898-4478
- Location: THMA 435
- PhD (2005) - Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin
- MA (1998) - Communication Studies, California State University, Chico
- BA (1993) - Journalism, California State University, Chico
"Our civic lives and professional identities are inextricably linked in this experiment we call a democracy."
My early training in political science and journalism led me to my first career designing public information campaigns for the state of California. An interest in persuasion and how public messages are framed led me to graduate studies in Public Communication at CSU, Chico. Likewise, in pursuit of explanations for the influence organizations have on our identity and individual behaviors I pursued a PhD. specializing in organizational communication at the University of Texas. I have been teaching communication courses and working with organizations in a variety of industries since 1996. My research can be found in Communication Yearbook, Human Communication Research, Management Communication Quarterly, and Dissent and the Failure of Leadership (2008), edited by Steve Banks, Edward Alger Press.
Professional Affiliations
- International Communication Association
- National Communication Association
- Western States Communication Association
Courses frequently taught:
- CMST 370 - Introduction to Organizational Communication
- CMST 484 - Advanced Interviewing
- CMST 488 - Communication Issues in Nonprofits
- CMST 603 - Seminar in Organizational Communication
- CMST 607 - Interpretive Approaches to Human Communication Research
Current Interests
My research focuses on how individuals make sense of and respond to the unexpected in organizations. Specifically, I am interested in the processes of exit, voice and disengagement from workplace roles. I have examined the misuse of communication technologies in the workplace, women’s responses to barriers to their career advancement, how nonprofits manage organizational change, the nature of volunteerism, organizational dissent, and the role of narrative theory in the development of innovations.